167. Scenario Gate

No, I got caught too... But if I say that right off the bat, it'll ruin the mood, so maybe I'll start with a normal greeting first.

"Hello."

But just then, something abruptly entered my field of vision. A small creature with rainbow-colored wings.

"Wow! Another new guest!"

I held my breath for a moment as soon as I heard the sound it made.

"Hello! Welcome!"

It was in Korean. And it was a logically structured sentence that conveyed meaning.

"This is the 'Fairy Kingdom'!"

A dungeon creature capable of conversing with humans...? Through my encounter with this fairy, I immediately realized what kind of "food box" I had gotten myself trapped in.

***

That's what taste is. Some people might dislike common flavors like sweetness or saltiness, but it's not unusual for someone to have a peculiar preference, like enjoying sourness. It makes sense.

There are bound to be weird people in this world who deviate from the mainstream. The reason I'm mentioning this all of a sudden is... because the gate we've entered is a place touched by the hands of such 'food weirdos.' When entities that are not hostile to humanity appear and, moreover, speak a familiar language, then it's certain.

"Hmm."

First, let's confirm one thing. This gate is a place aimed at extracting human emotions—except for fear.

The creatures typically feed on the fear and pain of intelligent beings. However, some occasionally seek out other emotions—joy, pleasure, sadness—things of that nature.

'Looks like I've encountered a peculiar taste.'

Dungeon creatures with strange tastes sometimes create narratives within the dungeon to provoke various emotions in living beings. Unlike simple pain, which ends quickly, making others cry or laugh requires quite a bit of effort.

'I knew this would happen to me someday.'

What would Earthlings say upon witnessing this unusual situation? Wouldn't scholars argue that EX-grade gates need to be more specifically classified? And if a new classification name were to be given, something like 『Scenario Gate』 would be quite fitting. Honestly, there's no more intuitive name than that.

"Wow! Wow! You're really big!"

"It's big!"

"Welcome, nice to meet you!"

After organizing my thoughts, I returned to the present situation. Before I knew it, fairies had gathered around me.

"We're in the middle of a festival! You're invited too. Would you like to take a seat?"

The small creatures soon urged me to join their so-called festival. The atmosphere was light, so I didn't think much of it for a moment, but as soon as I said that, the people around me suddenly shouted in shock.

"Sit down right now!"

"Just say yes, no matter what!"

"Hiiieek...!"

I was startled. Come to think of it, why have they been so terrified this whole time? I tilted my head and walked next to someone I knew. After that, I sat down on the empty ground and said this.

"What exactly happened during that time?"

First, we need to understand what caused the atmosphere to become like this.

"Actually..."

After a moment of waiting, Seonwoo Yeon next to me began listing the events they had experienced.

"Before you arrived, we had casualties among us. Three people, in fact."

"The first victim was an association staff member who came in with me. They mistook the approaching fairy for a monster and attacked first, but..."

"Do they fight back if you touch them?"

"It's not just fighting back. The fairies might seem gentle at first, but once they get hurt, they completely change..."

Seonwoo Yeon was sweating coldly, likely from the fear they had felt at the time.

"If you flip that face, there are three layers of teeth hidden inside, and the fairies use them to devour a person's head in an instant."

"Aha."

"I had the analyzer on at the time, and I also noticed that the fairy, which was initially marked as E-rank, suddenly showed an unreadable magic power level."

"Hmm."

"T, to be honest, I don't really know what's going on. But anyway, it's better not to touch the fairies for now..."

The fact that those cute fairies were hiding their terrifying true forms is quite intriguing, but what's really important lies elsewhere.

"How did the second victim happen?"

I listened quietly to Seonwoo Yeon's words and then asked this question. She then hesitated and continued her sentence.

"That's... we couldn't just stop the work because there were casualties. After that, our investigation team went into the dungeon to search for the missing people..."

Even at this moment, the fairies around us continue to dance joyfully.

"Fortunately, we quickly found the analysts who got caught up in it, but the problem started after that."

"Next?"

"F, first, no matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find an exit..."

Hahahaha.

The fairies, with their high-pitched laughter, were enjoying the campfire. Despite their adorable appearance, those who had come here earlier stiffened their expressions whenever a fairy entered their line of sight.

Soon, Seonwoo Yeon spoke.

"During that time... was it around 9 hours after we entered the dungeon? Suddenly, the fairies made a suggestion."

"We're going to have a festival today! We'll invite you too. Would you like to sit down?"

"As Giryeo-ssi just heard, they invited us to the festival."

Seonwoo Yeon's group, not having any immediate solutions, decided to accept the fairy's invitation. However, this is where the incident occurred. During the festival, the fairies brought out something for a game called 'Balloon Play'...

"This is something that's commonly done on Earth."

The problem was that the investigation team thoughtlessly ignored one of the fairies' words.

"The loser gets a 'penalty'!"

The hunters in this place participated in the game with a sense of tension, but it wasn't to the extent that their lives were on the line. However, this complacency soon resulted in their defeat.

Bang!

In the end, one of the hunters popped the balloon. The fairies, upon seeing the human side's defeat, laughed loudly and then proceeded to carry out the punishment they had mentioned earlier.

"...The fairy ripped off the head just like the first victim."

The punishment was something the humans could have never imagined. They lost the game, and yet, someone died.

"Then, the third victim..."

But do you know what's even more terrifying? The festival of this kingdom didn't end in just one night. The fairies, after giving the shocked humans food and a place to rest, continued the festival the very next day.

No, I don't want to. I don't like it!

The analyst, terrified by what had happened the previous day, expressed that they absolutely couldn't participate in the festival. Of course, the fairies tried to persuade them, saying that they should come and join, as every guest of the kingdom was required to attend the festival... but how could an ordinary analyst, not even a combat specialist, endure such a situation? Soon, that person fled from the fairies.

"Ugh."

"Don't cry, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi."

The fairies, without mercy, killed the woman who tried to escape. That's why the atmosphere here was like a wake. Everyone had realized that if they went against the fairies, a bloody incident would unfold.

"Hey guys, should we show you our dance again? Can you clap your hands for us?"

"Heugh!"

"Ugh."

The humans who participated in the festival hurriedly clapped their hands as soon as the fairy spoke.

It was a festival on a green hill. A beautiful scene that seemed straight out of a fairy tale, yet the participants had faces pale with fear, making the image far from pleasant.

"Giryeo-ssi, please help... W, what are we supposed to do in a situation like this?"

Seonwoo Yeon pleaded with a desperate voice to end the festival, but I, too, was at a loss for what to do in this situation.

"Is there any hint?"

Of course, since it's a scenario gate, there must be some kind of major flow or direction to follow.

"Could it be that we need to use the balloon game during the festival to take out all the fairies...?"

Just as I, the former archmage, had a bold thought.

"By the way, the guests are really big. Could they be giants, after all?"

"No, it can't be. The colors are different, right?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A faint whisper flowing beyond the noisy heat.

"Giant?"

I asked loudly in response to that, but Seonwoo Yeon was horrified to see me interrupting the fairies' conversation. Honestly, I wasn't something I needed to worry about. The deaths that had occurred up until now were likely just a way to drive the adventurers into this festival.

"What exactly do you mean by giant?"

Residents of a scenario gate typically don't need to be feared blindly. So, without hesitation, I asked the fairies questions, hoping to gather even the slightest bit of information.

"Giants? Scary ones. Monsters that love to eat us!"

"Hmm."

"But now it's okay. They've decided not to hurt us."

"If they eat all of us, they won't be able to eat us anymore~"

The fairies who had been chattering quietly approached me, leaving behind blue afterimages.

"The giants promised to spare us. In return, we agreed to offer one fairy to the giants every year."

"Then the rest of us are safe."

"We are safe!"

Looks like this is the basic setup for a feeding box. Should I start discussing the main topic now?

"I understand. Anyway, I don't want to stay in this kingdom any longer, so if you happen to know how to leave here, please let me know."

"Get out?"

"Get out of the kingdom?"

"Leave!"

Far from being angry, the fairies readily suggested a solution.

"I don't know."

"I don't know the way either."

"However, if you go beyond the hill, there's a big tree where someone named Apara is living."

"Apara is always wandering around by itself. So, how could Apara possibly know a path that others don't?"

Ssak.

The fairies said that and pointed in the same direction.

"Go over there!"

At this moment, a hunter asked, "Then what about the festival?" but...

"The festival is over."

"It's over. Now go."

"W, what did you say?"

As we can see, the fairy's festival was merely a means of injecting information needed for the conquest. The progress had been slow because Seonwoo Yeon and the others had been too afraid to engage in conversation with the fairies.

"Of course, since the dungeon is in its early form, the guidance isn't exactly smooth either."

I briefly thought to myself as I stood up. Then, the people around me hesitantly followed behind. They were the unfortunate missing persons who had been caught by the EX-level gate. Wait, but something feels off—why does the head count seem way off?

"Let me see. One, two, three, four... Only four people?"

As I was counting the number of people, Seonwoo Yeon explained.

"Ah, by the way, we still haven't found the first expedition team, the Treasure Hunter team. We've searched the village all day, but we couldn't find them."

Then my calculations are correct. The list had 4 members from the first expedition team, 4 from the follow-up investigation team, 2 analysts, and 1 civilian. That makes a total of 11 people.

"But why did the investigation team have 2 dead people?"

Right now, aside from Seonwoo Yeon and an unnamed association employee, everyone else is non-combatant. I closed my eyes, fully aware of how dire the team's situation was.

"G, Giryeo-ssi? What's wrong?"

But this was still worth trying. After all, that wind magician is a useful force, and I didn't waste the time I had spent last time.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it, since there are many of you who are meeting for the first time, should we at least introduce ourselves?"

I tightened my grip on the Hydra.