I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 97: Overly violent comics need regulation.

"Are you done struggling?"

I spoke as I stepped on Freeman’s back, pressing him into the ground.

When I glared down at him coldly, Freeman only grinned.

"Harder, honey~!"

CRACK—!

A sickening sound rang out as Freeman’s spine bent unnaturally.

Despite having a clay-like, freely shifting body, his bones and organs were painfully realistic.

A grotesque detail designed solely to disgust.

Ha. Even his body was dedicated to maintaining a twisted aesthetic.

"Are you really a Dominator? Are there Dominators this weak?"

[Oh, how cruel! Girl, you’re the ones who lumped me into the ‘Dominator’ category! That’s hardly fair, don’t you think?]

...Well, I suppose that made sense.

It wasn’t like they had named themselves that.

Since there was a fixed number, I had assumed they were some kind of “Four Heavenly Kings” situation.

But now that I thought about it, if the Organization had been the ones to assign that title, what was stopping more “Dominators” from appearing without limit?

...No way. That would break the balance.

"Then what exactly is your goal? I already have a general idea of the meaningless and brutal things happening here."

[I told you! I want to know how Mephistopheles plans to bring back his ‘Editor’! I’m just so curious!]

What the hell is he talking about, this manga-obsessed freak?

"I’m tired of your cryptic nonsense. Tell me your real goal."

[Oh, well. If you’re that interested, I can tell you my ultimate objective!]

Freeman tore open his own mouth with his hands and declared:

["I want to create a ‘comic’ world! And I’ll laugh at the ridiculous sights! Humans are so stupid, and that makes them hilarious!"]

"......"

[That aside, you’re strong, girl. If you’re this strong, couldn’t you have held back a little? I’m completely smashed up... Can’t even move...]

"It’s easier to crush gimmick-based or annoying monsters with brute force."

Freeman nodded as if he agreed completely.

Even in this situation, he didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

[That’s true... But you see, I don’t like that method. Even if I gather myself into a single strong body, I’ll just get focused down and crushed! That’s so inefficient...]

With that, Freeman’s body began to melt.

Even when I stomped on his head again, it only sped up the process, a wet squelching sound accompanying the dissolution.

In mere moments, the black ink covering the floor vanished entirely.

This must have been just one piece of him.

A clone.

A frustratingly overused trope.

"...Haah."

Freeman must have gone after the others.

Or worse—he might have already joined up with his other copies.

Anxiety crept in, but I forced it down.

I had to trust them.

Doubting their ability would only hold them back.

They weren’t just people for me to protect.

They were going to survive this world alongside me.

"As long as you trust me, I’ll trust you too."

And brute force alone wasn’t enough.

I needed to try something deeper, something stronger.

I opened the mirror and headed toward the others.

-----

"When we opened the door and stepped inside, we had no idea... That something like that would happen immediately..."

"Why are you saying ominous things like that?"

Kyung-min scolded Eun-jung for muttering ominously.

It was understandable.

Past the door, all we saw was endless darkness.

At first, we were on edge.

But as the seconds dragged on, tension gave way to boredom.

Jack, noticing my lack of reaction, gave me a strange look.

Huh? Wasn’t it normal to get bored in a place like this?

We’d just been running for our lives, and yet here I was, yawning.

...To be honest, this wasn’t a new feeling.

Being chased by monsters was scary.

Getting hurt was painful.

But somehow, I didn’t hate it.

Even after experiencing terrifying situations over and over, I always held onto the belief that in the end, we’d survive and embrace each other in relief.

And Alice was always there in that future.

If I had to describe it, it was like a moth drawn to flame... or a child still believing in Santa Claus.

To an outsider, I might look insane.

"Sometimes... it’s good to just believe."

"...?"

Jack tilted his head, not understanding.

And then—

The black void ended, and light appeared ahead.

We ran toward it.

What greeted us was a massive space.

The first thing that stood out was a colossal glass sphere, filled with rippling black liquid.

Then, our eyes followed the glass pipes, carrying that liquid into the sphere.

At the end of those pipes—

People.

They were being tormented by ink creatures.

Scattered around them were stacks of comics, likely being forcibly revised under pressure.

"Are they collecting ink?"

Kyung-min focused on a different area.

There, people were extracting ink from the comics they had drawn.

Ink... being pulled from completed comics.

If those comics were as dark and grotesque as the ones we had seen, then perhaps—

The ink used in them carried some cursed energy even after being used.

Sometimes, they even added blood to the mix.

"This is bad. And it looks like this isn’t the only factory."

The pipes extended far beyond this space, suggesting that multiple facilities existed.

But all the ink seemed to be flowing into this one place.

The way it sloshed unnaturally, the way it seemed to absorb even light itself... it was sickening.

So... what now?

Until now, we had run from monsters or fought back.

But this time, the enemy wasn’t a creature.

It was a facility.

With Peter, we had burned the factory down, creating chaos—

But here?

Would chaos really be the right move?

"We should hide."

Until we came up with a plan, we needed to stay out of sight.

We took cover behind the humming machinery, trying to gather our thoughts.

Waiting for Alice was an option.

If the battle was taking this long, Freeman must have been stronger than expected.

If Alice was struggling, we’d need to help—but would destroying this factory actually benefit her?

"What do you guys think?"

Eun-jung spoke up.

"Shouldn’t we destroy it? What if this place is creating more of those monsters?"

...She had a point.

The machine producing the monsters had to be destroyed.

On top of that, the ink creatures were browsing images online, altering their appearances, and heading toward what seemed to be external pathways.

They were replacing people outside—covering the original humans in layers of ink and enslaving them.

If left alone, everyone outside might eventually turn into ink creatures.

Like hundreds of doppelgängers.

"Destroying the machine is fine, but... how much of it are we going to break?"

I couldn’t easily answer Soo-ho’s question.

The facility was too large to just destroy everything.

Typically, in cases like this, the key was to take out the central core.

And in this case, that was the massive glass sphere.

If we shattered that, it might stop the machines from collecting ink, making it the most efficient method.

"But hold on," Soo-ho pointed out, "that ink inside the sphere is supposed to be the material for making monsters, right? But it’s not decreasing at all. Are we even sure that’s what they’re using?"

I took a closer look at the inky black liquid inside the sphere.

He was right.

If anything, it was increasing, ever so slightly.

Maybe the amount of ink needed to create a monster was surprisingly small.

Or perhaps the supply was just far greater than the demand.

Or—maybe they were using a different type of ink entirely.

"...This feels wrong. Honestly, I just want to break it."

Everyone turned to look at me.

They had expressions like: Well, if that’s what you decided, why not just do it?

But something was bothering me.

"But I have a bad feeling about this. Just... what is that ink for? What happens if we get caught in it?"

If the ink used for creating monsters was different from the ink in the central tank, then breaking it without understanding its purpose or properties could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Besides, the way it slithered and pulsed like a living thing made it seem like the moment we shattered the glass, it would come for us.

Jack spoke up.

"Then what do we do?"

After thinking for a moment, I made a decision.

"Let’s save the people first."

[Oh, how predictable, kid! I really thought you’d make a more entertaining choice!]

...!

[Survival.]

For the first time in a while, my necklace glowed.

Before I could even react, my legs moved on their own, springing forward like a frog.

Just then, a massive hand swiped at the spot I had just been standing.

It barely missed me—or rather, I had luckily dodged it.

[Lucky, aren’t you?]

I quickly assessed the situation.

The enemy was behind me.

My friends had been behind me as well.

Which meant—

There was only one possibility.

They had already been captured.

I immediately pulled out tools from my bag.

Only the most effective ones.

[...Oh, it’s the little one!]

Another swollen hand reached for me.

But it didn’t grab me.

I ducked low and slashed with an ominous-looking pair of scissors.

[Cursed Scissors of Resentment]—a tool meant for severing grudges.

Instead, I used it to slice off the tip of the giant’s pinky finger and escaped.

[Ha-ha! Gotcha!]

It was Freeman.

Where the hell was Alice?

No time to think.

Freeman reeled in his fishing line-like hand, expecting me to be caught inside—

But all he saw was his own severed pinky finger.

His eyes bulged out comically in shock.

[Wait, you’re not there?!]

Ignoring his panic, I scanned the area for the others.

We had just been talking, so they couldn’t be far.

And then—

Freeman appeared in front of me again.

[You’re in the palm of my hand, kid!]

He blocked my path, but my gaze was focused behind him.

If he had predicted my movements, then he must have guessed my objective.

And my goal was finding my friends.

They were here.

I spotted them—struggling, gagged, and bound in ink.

...But where was Jack?

"Soo-ho! Buy me some time!"

Soo-ho hesitated for a second but nodded when he saw what I held.

A tadpole egg-shaped item.

"Urgh—!"

I threw the egg.

Freeman, distracted, didn’t react in time—

And I charged forward with my scissors.

[Ha!]

Freeman, amused, suddenly started eating a watermelon.

Then—

He spit out the seeds like a machine gun.

And those seeds hit like real bullets.

There was no way to block dozens of projectiles at once—

[Luck.]

The necklace shone again.

The tadpole egg curved midair—

And hit Soo-ho instead.

It was a one-time-use item that swapped places with whoever it hit.

Soo-ho and I traded positions, and he used his shield to block the seeds.

Now freed from the line of fire, I sliced through the sticky ink binding my friends.

These scissors might not be able to cut water, but they could sever anything gooey.

[Oh, come on! You’ve got a brain on you, huh?]

With Soo-ho freed, only Kyung-min and Eun-jung were left.

They struggled, silently calling out to me.

I cut them loose as well.

"Help me out, will you?!"

Soo-ho’s voice rang out.

I turned—he was running away, unable to stop the ink from latching onto him like slime.

"Eun-jung, boost our speed! Kyung-min, help Soo-ho!"

Eun-jung rang her sacred chime, increasing everyone’s agility.

Kyung-min’s chains weren’t enough to restrain Freeman, so—

We needed another item.

"Give me three minutes!"

I pulled out a board game from my bag.

Covered in cursed talismans, it looked like something that would curse anyone who touched it carelessly.

"Ha-rim, three minutes is too long! We’ll get caught!"

Ugh. Freeman’s fluid body made him a terrible matchup for us.

I had to think fast—but before I could search my bag again—

A small whisper echoed through the space.

"...I’ll go forward... because I’m needed...!"

...Who?

Someone was walking toward us.

Their murmuring never stopped.

"I have to do this... Only I can...!"

A twisted, deranged mantra.

A self-induced hypnosis.

The figure looked like a stretched-out black humanoid.

They crushed the floor with their grip, dragging themselves forward.

A shiver ran down my spine.

But—

The voice was familiar.

"...Jack?!"

Far in the distance—roughly 20 meters away—

Jack had been encased in ink, imprisoned against the wall.

But through sheer brute strength, he had stretched the ink apart, pulling himself forward, inch by inch.

The ink stretched taut, resisting—

Yet he kept coming.

I rushed forward and cut through the ink with my scissors.

Freed from his restraints, Jack shot forward like a snapped rubber band—

Straight at Freeman.

[What the hell is this now?!]

That bought me the time I needed.

I opened the cursed board game and declared:

"Players: Me, Kyung-min, Soo-ho, Eun-jung, Jack... and Freeman!"

And with that—

The game began.

The rules were simple. Buy property, make money—the richest player wins.

Since anyone’s piece could be moved by anyone, I controlled the entire game myself.

I rolled the dice rapidly, playing with zero strategy—a brainless, chaotic approach.

Every time my turn, my team’s turns, or Jack’s turn came up, I skipped them.

But when Freeman’s turn arrived, I forced him to buy the most expensive properties possible, burning through his money.

Turn after turn, I kept this pattern going.

And finally—

It was over.

"Ha-rim, is it done yet?!"

"Now it is!"

Freeman had just purchased his final building.

With that, his money hit zero.

"I, Kyung-min, Soo-ho, Eun-jung, Jack, and Freeman will now skip our turns for three rounds."

...

...

...

Game Results:

Ha-rim: 100 Gold

Eun-jung: 100 Gold

Soo-ho: 100 Gold

Kyung-min: 100 Gold

Jack: 100 Gold

Freeman: 0 Gold (Bankrupt)

Even though Freeman owned many buildings, his piece never moved, so he had no way to earn money.

After three turns at zero gold, the game declared him bankrupt.

Immediately, the board game itself screamed, hungrily latching onto Freeman.

Its one and only loser.

[What the hell is this—?!]

The board game devoured him greedily, and as his foot was dragged inside, Freeman panicked and struggled.

We pounced on him.

"Let’s finish this!"

"UOOOHHHHH!"

We roared in unison, mobbing him and kicking his half-devoured upper body.

[Ow! Hey! That actually hit bone—!]

"Liar! You’re a squishy freak!"

Despite the fact that we had just been fighting for our lives, the scene felt more like a slapstick comedy.

By now, Freeman was nearly gone, and our attacks synchronized perfectly.

It almost felt too easy.

...

That’s when Freeman’s mouth tore open.

...!

[STOOOOOOOOOOO■■■■■■■■■■P—!!!!!!!!]

"UWAH!"

"Hiiik!"

The entire chamber quaked violently, shattering small glass tubes around us.

We clutched our ears in pain, momentarily paralyzed by the shockwave.

Freeman floated upward, his entire body restored.

With a sudden seriousness, he glared down at us.

Jack, who had been half-dazed, immediately snapped back to focus.

He stared up at Freeman.

[Oh my, oh my! You’re tougher than I expected! Even if you’re Alice’s children, you’re still just humans... Ha! Guess I can’t play around anymore.]

"...Where is Alice?"

[And why would I tell you, idiot?!]

Freeman’s serious expression disappeared, replaced by another grin.

["I’ve enjoyed your ‘comic’...! But you’re missing some humor...!"]

His voice was still smooth and controlled, but the vibrations in his tone betrayed his emotions.

It was like his mask was peeling away, revealing the inhuman monster underneath.

["Let me show you what real comedy looks like."]

CLAP.

The moment Freeman clapped, the world turned black.

The only thing still visible was the massive glass sphere filled with ink, hovering in the distance.

It didn’t feel like an illusion—

Rather, the entire environment had warped.

"What the hell...?"

Before we could comprehend what had happened—

A cartoon started playing.

SWISH—FLICKER.

The first scene showed a young boy, someone who looked just like Soo-ho.

It was his house, and he was playing alone.

Little Soo-ho was rough and reckless, causing constant trouble for his parents.

"Wait... is this...?"

Soo-ho’s eyes widened in horror.

Before we could ask what he realized, another figure entered the cartoon—

His younger sister.

Soo-ho had been playing with his toys when she approached him.

"......"

She had bothered him, so in irritation, he hit her.

Blood dripped from her head.

Panicked, Soo-ho picked her up and ran barefoot outside.

In his frantic escape, he stepped on broken glass, cutting himself.

That was how the scene ended—the two of them wounded in the hospital.

"PWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A mocking laughter echoed in our ears.

None of us looked at Soo-ho.

We didn’t need to see his face.

Instead, we silently patted his shoulder in support.

The next scene was Kyung-min’s story.

Another childhood memory.

As a kid, Kyung-min was forced to study constantly.

One day, fed up, he ripped his books apart in front of his parents and ran outside to play.

His parents were furious.

No matter what they demanded, Kyung-min refused to comply.

He solved every problem by breaking things and revolted against authority.

One day, the conflict escalated, leading his parents to fight each other.

His father smashed the TV before leaving the house for good.

Kyung-min stared blankly at the broken screen, empty inside.

"KEKEKEKE! AHAHAHAHA!"

"Haah..."

Kyung-min covered his face, sighing deeply.

This wasn’t comedy.

It was just cruel.

"What the hell is the point of this?"

I was angry.

Freeman laughed softly at my expression.

[Not funny? You’re so picky!]

His gaze turned to Jack.

Jack, still stunned, looked up at him.

CLAP.

The next cartoon began.

Jack’s appearance was different from now.

His hair was black, and his features slightly altered.

Jack’s pupils trembled.

Ignoring him, the video continued.

Jack had been a farmer.

He worked hard, sweating alongside his caretakers—not his parents, but people who had raised him.

Their clothing was nothing like modern attire—it looked medieval.

Jack sang cheerfully, his exaggerated movements making him look adorable.

He was loved by the villagers, always fetching water, doing odd jobs, and helping others.

But at night, he always slept alone.

His parents weren’t there.

Yet, he remained close with the villagers—

Perhaps because he was desperate for affection.

For a time, life was simple.

Until—

A bad harvest struck.

Crops failed to grow.

The villagers, who relied on farming, were devastated.

Seeing their despair, Jack made a decision.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Hup!"

Jack raised his hand and summoned a miraculous sprout from the barren land.

It was like magic.

The villagers were amazed and praised him.

But a few days later—

The people grew thinner.

The crop yield remained low.

Jack’s ability could only sustain a limited amount of crops.

And to make things worse, a war had broken out, cutting off any royal aid.

"Hey, have you heard the rumor?"

A suspicious-looking man, dressed like a ruffian, spread a strange tale.

According to him—

High above the clouds, a giant lived.

A greedy monster who hoarded treasures.

Among them was a golden fruit—

One that could feed the entire village.

The only way to reach the clouds was through a beanstalk.

But only one person could climb it.

And once they did—

No one knew if the one returning would be a hero with the fruit... or the giant itself.

For the sake of the starving villagers, Jack grew the beanstalk.

It was massive.

It stretched high into the sky, beyond anything he had ever seen.

His cartoonish face twisted comically in shock—

But beneath that, was genuine terror.

Jack forced himself forward.

Not to the edge of a cliff, but to the edge of the sky itself.

He climbed.

His journey was exaggerated like a slapstick cartoon—

He fell asleep mid-climb.He caught a cold.He got hit by bird droppings.At times, he even held a gun to his head—one that clearly didn't belong to this era.Through rain and wind, he grew more haggard.

Yet, after five sunsets and five moonrises, he found the fruit above the clouds.

Jack expected a giant.

But there was none.

Ecstatic, he took the fruit and descended quickly.

And when he returned—

The villagers were already dead.

The beanstalk had drained all nutrients and water from the land.

Even the small amount of crops that were still growing had withered.

Even the drinking water had been absorbed by its greedy roots.

Within just four days, everyone died.

Jack stood there, holding the golden fruit.

And then, the Jack in the cartoon spoke—

"Oh! The giant was me!"

He winked at the screen.

The cartoon ended.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

PUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE!!!

The laughter was deafening, drilling into my ears.

"Jack...?"

I didn’t want to look.

But this was too serious to ignore.

I turned—

Jack’s face was no longer human.

His skin darkened, his form twisted—

CRACK!

His neck snapped unnaturally.

"Jack!"

[KHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I’M DYING OF LAUGHTER!!!!]

Jack screamed.

His words warped, no longer human language.

Plant-like vines burst from his body.

"■■■■■■■!!!!"

Jack skewered Freeman with a vine.

And then—

He destroyed everything.

The factory collapsed.

The ink creatures were absorbed into his vines.

The prisoners screamed and ran.

I used the second "Nurse Call" item to evacuate as many people as possible.

"Jack! Snap out of it!!"

[Oh, poor thing! Didn’t get a proper education? Oh wait—couldn’t, right?]

Jack howled again, sending another vine lashing out.

It impaled Freeman once more.

...Again?

Wait—was Freeman not just one entity?

CRACK.

A terrible sound echoed from behind Freeman.

The glass sphere filled with ink shattered.

[Oh~! I was wondering how to release that! Thanks!]

Freeman spoke despite being impaled.

So he hadn’t been fighting us seriously.

Not even once.

The dark ink spilled onto the ground, flooding everything.

The mass moved with intent, like a living creature, surging toward us.

We grabbed Jack and ran.

"UWAAAAHHH WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

"WE JUST WANTED TO SING KARAOKE!!"

"IS THIS REALLY THE TIME FOR THAT?!"

A mirror appeared.

Alice!

She stepped out, walking gracefully, meeting my gaze.

"I missed you—"

SPLASH.

The ink swallowed her whole.

...

...

...

That was anticlimactic.

Wait—no, this was bad.

"ALICE—!"

The ink sea trembled.

Then—

A golden light burst from within.

The dark mass recoiled violently, as if burned.

The ink vomited Alice back out and shot upward, piercing the sky.

The city below was now drenched in ink rain.

...This was bad.

"Looks like you’ve been through a lot," Alice muttered.

"Yeah... especially..."

I glanced at Jack.

Alice followed my gaze.

Jack hung his head.

"I ruined everything... again..."

Even now, the darkness consuming his face did not fade.

He looked ready to spiral again.

Bubble... bubble.

"It was stupid. I keep reaching for something beautiful—"

Bubble, bubble, bubble.

"And every time, I kill everyone."

Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...

A song filled the air.

The bubbles rippled, and from within—

Ariel emerged.

"Let’s go home."

Jack didn’t respond.

Ariel simply hugged him.

And then—

She dissolved into foam, taking Jack with her.

Just before she vanished,

She glared at Alice.

It wasn’t just any glare.

It was filled with resentment.

Alice flinched.

But she quickly masked it, turning back to us.

Why did she blame Alice?

Alice hadn’t done anything.

...Had she?

Or maybe—

Ariel loved Jack too much.

She needed someone to blame.

And Alice was simply the most convenient target.

...

...

...

"Why are you all so down?"

Alice finally spoke.

"Nothing has even started yet."

Everyone looked at her.

We all felt partially responsible for what happened.

And Jack...

Jack wasn’t with us anymore.

"Wait. You’re not blaming yourselves, are you?"

"Uhh... are we not supposed to?"

"What, you think if you hadn’t interfered, that bastard wouldn’t have done anything?"

...She had a point.

If anything, we were lucky we acted before the ink gathered even more.

Alice’s words lifted the weight off my chest.

"Alright then. Let’s go clean up this mess."

"...Yeah!"

I responded with determination.

But Jack is coming with us too.

I gently brushed my fingers over the book in my bag—

Peter’s book.

-----

Freeman, shrouded in ink, soared into the sky, taking in the entire city at a glance.

He controlled the ink rain, spreading it evenly over the city.

[It’s sooner than I planned... but it’s time to put the plan into motion!]

As the ominous ink rain touched the city, it began to coat everything in its path.

First, the ink covered the buildings, the ground, and the plants.

As a result, they lost their color, becoming composed solely of black and white, reduced to simplified shapes that barely resembled real-world objects.

Some even started to sway rhythmically to an unseen beat, while others sprouted eyes and mouths.

Next, it was the people’s turn.

The ink rain engulfed everyone in an instant, copying their appearances.

Then, with a wet, sloshing Thwup!, the ink spat them back out.

Standing before each person was a grotesque duplicate, identical in every way.

The entire city—its people, objects, and environment—had been replaced by ink.

And with that, a new world was complete.

A world made entirely of black and white.

The city had transformed into something straight out of an old Western animation.

Even the ink creatures mimicking humans no longer looked like real people but had taken on a more cartoonish form.

The sky, now divided between its natural blue hue and the thick, murky ink, asserted itself as a world distinct from reality.

[How beautiful!]

While Freeman marveled at his creation, the humans who had been spat out one by one began to realize what had happened and attempted to flee.

Freeman decided to capture them again.

However, there was not enough ink left to unleash another sweeping ink rain as he had done before.

Much of the ink had already been used to sustain this world.

And thanks to those meddling brats and Alice, he hadn’t been able to gather as much ink as he had originally planned.

[Oh dear, oh dear... It seems I’ll have to take my time with this instead!]

From the ground, grotesque creatures began to rise as if they had always been lurking beneath the surface.

The people screamed and ran in terror.

Those who were caught were dragged off—down, down into the depths of the underground.

There, their memories, emotions, and pain were harvested.

In the suffocating darkness, stripped of light, their most painful memories and deepest misfortunes were forcibly unearthed, leaving them writhing in agony.

Yet, to the countless monsters and to Freeman, this suffering was nothing more than "comedy."

Their tragedies, their wounds, their unjust misfortunes—

All of it was a source of laughter.

Even as they inflicted more cruel and unspeakable torment upon their victims, they ensured that no one would die.

Floating screens appeared in the sky, broadcasting the captured humans’ suffering as if it were a twisted animated film, an object of mockery.

Freeman sneered and spoke.

[For the rest of your lives, you will know only pain!]

He then brought his hands together, gazing at the black-and-white sky.

It almost looked like he was praying.

And then, he ridiculed the heavens.

[This is the most exhilarating comedy imaginable! No one can stop it, no matter how cruel or extreme!]

[Oh, great and holy Editor-in-Chief!]

[Do you see this world, now stripped of ethics and reduced to horror? Will you save these innocent lambs?]

[Of course not! There is no editor to regulate the content. This world can be as brutal as it pleases. That is what makes it truly free!]

[You abandoned humans, left in a world without a master...]

[Left to suffer eternally under the guise of "freedom."]

[Amen.]

As his twisted prayer ended, Freeman sensed something unusual.

There was only one being capable of releasing such a force at this moment.

Alice. Was it her?

[...Light?]

Looking in the direction of the energy, he squinted, the brightness forcing him to narrow his eyes.

Freeman stared, momentarily dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of the radiant glow.

Pulling out a telescope from seemingly nowhere, he peered through it and saw—

Alice, shining brilliantly.

Alice was strong.

Even if dozens of his ink clones attacked her, the odds of her losing were slim.

She was one of the Story’s Demons—entities crafted by Mephistopheles, capable of twisting narratives and bending laws in bizarre ways to exert immense influence over the world.

They were much like Freeman and his kind—creatures that had slithered out of chaos to fill the throne’s vacancy.

Even in this world, where all supernatural forces were supposed to be neutralized except for his own, Alice’s influence still persisted.

[But this is my world...!]

Here, I am the law.

No one else can interfere.

The humans will be captured, tormented, and transformed into ink to expand my world.

Even if Alice fights and destroys my clones, the ink generated will vastly outnumber the ink consumed.

Within this ever-expanding world, I will continue to multiply infinitely.

And when the ink production reaches its peak,

When Alice is surrounded by tens of thousands of my copies—

She will die.

It was while contemplating this inevitable conclusion that it happened.

Flash!

[What the—]

Once again, a blinding light radiated from Alice.

Even she seemed slightly puzzled, as if unsure of exactly how her power was manifesting.

The light spread across the city.

—

"Hmm... Did it work?"

Alice muttered, then casually pulled out a phone and made a call.

A woman’s voice answered from the other end.

"Oh, yeah. That was fast. Help me out, Pinocchio."

...Ignoring me completely is one thing.

But what the hell was that light?

Nothing seemed to have changed immediately.

And yet—

A creeping sense of unease took root within him.

Feeling the urgency, he gathered his ink, merging with his clones, and launched an attack on Alice.

-----

"Eun-jung, is Jack still not picking up?"

Eun-jung was borrowing Alice’s phone to call Jack.

Mary’s phone seemed to be capable of connecting calls as long as the caller knew who they wanted to reach, without needing to dial a number.

Given that the phone itself grew out like vines, the absence of a keypad wasn’t surprising.

Eun-jung continued to try.

But all she heard was the ringing tone—no voice on the other end.

"Yeah... He’s not answering at all."

Since the call was being forced through, Jack must have done something to block it.

"Soo-ho, what about you?"

"No luck."

Even with supernatural communication tools and the assistance of various anomalies, they got nothing.

They might have to consider tracking him down in person.

"Jack’s been through a lot... He must be hurting."

Eun-jung sighed.

"But more than that, I think we need him right now."

I spoke with certainty.

The others looked at me, puzzled.

When they asked why, I simply said, "Just a gut feeling."

Kyung-min seemed willing to trust my intuition—since it had proven reliable before.

I wasn’t sure how to put it into words, but...

Jack had to be here for this.

...Probably?

"So what do we do now?"

Soo-ho looked out the window.

A city of black and white stretched out before them, as if they had stepped into an old monochrome cartoon.

Beyond, dark creatures prowled, hunting humans.

"Those things... They’re using people to create more ink, right?"

Even without the sense of justice that dictated they had to save the people, the reality remained—letting them be captured would only lead to disaster.

Rescuing everyone would be ideal, but how many could a handful of kids actually save?

“Hmm...”

We fell into a moment of deep thought.

A long moment, considering the urgency of the situation.

As four of us huddled together to brainstorm,

We suddenly realized—there were only three of us thinking.

Eun-jung was off to the side, idly doodling on the ground.

I stared at her intently.

Startled, Eun-jung flinched.

“Uh... this is—brainstorming on the floor...!”

“Brainstorming doesn’t have to be done on the floor—Ah!”

An idea struck me.

If this world truly functioned like a cartoon, then this had to work.

The same trick we used against Spider Maid...!

With that, I shared my idea, and we tore through the cartoon world in full sprint.

“Waaah! It looks super janky, but it’s fast as hell!”

The idea was simple—doodles.

In a world where everything had been reduced to simplified drawings, anything drawn in ink could materialize.

We sketched out the biggest vehicle we could imagine and sped through the city, rescuing as many people as possible.

“Wait... none of us have a driver’s license, do we?”

“That’s why I made one.”

With a confident snap, Kyung-min held up a hastily drawn license.

“Holy crap! You’re a genius!”

We got so swept up in the moment that it almost felt like part of the game.

As we zipped past the sluggish ink monsters, they gawked at us, clearly baffled.

The people they had been chasing stood just ahead of them.

We used makeshift fishing rods and claw-like grabbers to scoop them up and toss them into the car.

“Congratulations, student! You’re now a temporary member of the Mystery Exploration Club! We even accept adults! Oh, and call me ‘senpai’ from now on!”

Eun-jung beamed at the newly rescued adults.

Not that any of them were paying attention to her antics.

They were too overwhelmed, desperate for answers.

“Who—who the hell are you kids?! What the hell are those things?!”

Eun-jung placed her hands on her hips, taking on a solemn expression.

“Ahh... you don’t know. Those are what we call ‘monsters.’ And the term ‘monster’ refers to something unknown... meaning we don’t know what they are either!”

With that, she handed them paper and pens.

I spoke to the dumbfounded adults.

“I know this is a lot to take in. But for now, just follow our lead. Use those pens and paper to upgrade the vehicle. The more people we can fit, the better.”

Even though they were listening, they seemed uncertain about actually drawing something.

That’s when Eun-jung, now acting like a tutorial guide in a video game, stepped forward.

“Okay! So, if you draw a plank on the paper, a plank appears! Stick it onto the vehicle like Lego blocks to expand it! Good! Now, next up is people fishing! Whenever you spot someone running, just reel them in and toss them on board!”

With her enthusiastic guidance, the adults finally started helping with the upgrades.

Eun-jung, meanwhile, sulked about them refusing to call her ‘senpai.’

-----

“Jack, are you really okay?”

Ariel asked, watching him carefully.

Jack sat in a corner, silent and unmoving.

It was concerning.

He had gone out to have fun, only to return like this after just a few hours.

Alice must have done something to him.

“If it’s because of Alice, I’ll make sure she pays for it.”

But Jack shook his head.

So it wasn’t Alice’s fault.

Ariel had been glaring at the thought of her, but now... maybe she wouldn’t hold a grudge.

Not that Alice would care if she did.

“...Hmm. Anyway, what’s with the weird phone growing out of your body?”

“They’re trying to call me.”

A phone that grows like vines? What kind of freakish thing was that?

Jack had already done something to wilt it, so the call wouldn’t go through.

“If it’s annoying, want me to tell them to stop?”

“No. It’s fine.”

“...”

Jack fell silent again.

It reminded Ariel of when she first met him.

It hurt to see.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

He was normally so loud and obnoxious, yet times like this...

She could never bring herself to leave him alone.

Without a word, she took out a hidden stash of snacks and shoved some into his mouth.

For a second, it seemed to cheer him up—only for him to grow even gloomier.

“...Are you okay?” Jack suddenly asked.

“Huh? About what?”

“You said you were gonna stay up all night to investigate whatever the hell that Mephisto or Morpheus guy hid.”

“Yeah, and?”

“And you told everyone not to bother you. So why—”

“I did say that. I get what you’re asking.”

Ariel exhaled.

“But don’t ask me for the reason. I don’t feel like saying anything embarrassing right now. You know I’m not that heartless.”

Feelings were a terrifying thing.

She had always thought the only thing driving her was love—

But every now and then, something else got in the way.

“...Anyway, what about you, Jack? Taking time to recover is good and all, but it’s not always the answer.”

Jack let his body slump even further.

She had been trying to get him to move, but now it felt like she had made things worse.

“...I don’t know. This is all my fault.”

He exhaled slowly.

“But even if I did something, I’d only make things worse.”

“Plants need nutrients to grow. But no one can predict what kind of fruit or flowers they’ll produce.

And if it turns out worse than before...

Then what was the point?”

Wow. This was bad.

Even if she sang him a song right now, she doubted it would snap him out of it.

She ran her fingers through his hair.

“Even so... You still care about them, don’t you?”

“...Yeah.”

“Then I’ll show them to you.”

Ariel formed a transparent bubble, rippling like liquid.

With a soft tap, an image flickered into view—

The kids, running around, doing whatever it was they were up to.

“Here. Let’s watch together. I hope you see what you need to.”

She pulled Jack into an embrace, holding him close as they observed from afar.

-----

Meanwhile, the battle with Alice continued.

She kept throwing all sorts of unexpected tactics at me.

Using mirrors to duplicate herself.

Sealing some of my clones inside the reflections to sever our link.

Even using doodle-like monsters to infect my clones, taking advantage of their cartoonish nature.

[Annoying!]

With each new trick she pulled, attacking her became increasingly difficult.

I needed to improve the quality of my clones—while also increasing their numbers.

...But then—

[The ink... is decreasing?]

But I’ve been capturing humans and expanding the world’s corruption!

I turned my gaze to the ground, using the false sun in the sky to survey the entire land.

Neither my subordinates nor the humans were in sight.

...No, that wasn’t right.

They were all gathered in one place.

A massive, elongated vehicle, nearly the size of a train, its wheels stretching endlessly across the city streets.

And inside it—countless humans.

They had been using their doodles to create materials, constantly adding to the car, turning it into an ever-moving ark.

Even more outrageous, they were trapping my pursuing subordinates inside paper, flinging sheets over them to imprison them completely.

No wonder they weren’t being captured.

[This... this is absurd...]

Doodles materializing? I never programmed that rule into this world.

And my subordinates never had "paper" as a weakness.

Yet this was happening—

Which meant...

Had Alice interfered with the world's rules?

A brief flash of memory—

Alice, radiating light.

[What have you done, girl?]

Alice answered, though even she didn’t seem entirely sure.

Still, she had a vague idea of what was happening.

"All of my monsters exist as part of play—and every game has a strategy to beat it.

Even the scariest, strongest monster has a solution.

If you know it, even a child can win.

If you don’t, even a tank won’t be enough.

Do you get it now?"

[You seem incapable of getting to the point! Were you the worst in your class at language comprehension?!]

"Simple. If a monster had no weakness, I gave it one.

If there was no way forward, I made one.

Of course, finding those weaknesses is up to the humans!"

[Ha! How bold...]

So this was the power of the Story’s Demons?

She was actually modifying the world’s laws?

The abandoned dogs of a master long gone... and yet they still wielded such power? Unbelievable.

Alice had taken the creatures I had designed to be unbeatable and reduced them to "enemies" that humans could overcome.

Was this her way of saying that a game could only exist if it was playable?

...But there had to be a limit.

For instance, creatures of a higher rank might be less affected by her interference.

[Since I seem unaffected, all I need to do is create a higher-rank subordinate. Isn’t that right, Alice?]

"Go ahead and try!"

[Feisty.]

I merged several of my clones, forming a massive, ominous ink mass.

Alice might be able to defeat it if given enough time,

But those humans?

Oh, this was going to be fun.

I sent the high-rank creature straight toward them.

[You don’t even flinch. Do you not care what happens to them?]

"This is something they have to overcome."

Alice spoke as if she were delivering a trial.

How utterly disgusting.

Furious, I launched another assault.

-----

By now, Alice had been fighting Freeman for quite some time.

Yet no clear solution to restoring the world had presented itself.

There was one, but without Jack, it was impossible.

“Hmmm...”

No matter how much I racked my brain, no item or tool seemed capable of undoing this world.

Even if I had Uncle Peter’s book in my backpack, it wouldn’t be enough.

“...There’s gotta be some kind of unknown power we can use.”

Something like—

A sudden awakening! Superpowers! Magic! Holy power, like what Sister Maria used!

That last one seemed the most practical.

Holy power probably required faith in a god...

But earlier, when I was with Alice, some kind of light had radiated from us.

Jack had called it holy power.

I had no idea how it worked.

“...Hey, your name was Ha-rim, right?”

“Yes? What is it?”

As I was lost in thought, one of the adults we had saved spoke up.

“That black thing in the sky... is falling. Should we be worried?”

“Huh?”

KWOOM!

A massive mass of ink crashed to the ground right next to the driver’s seat.

The mass writhed, its body nothing but a squelching mass of tentacles.

It immediately absorbed nearby ink creatures, swelling in size.

This was bad.

I snapped into action, barking out orders.

“Eun-jung! Have Team E sketch more engines! We need speed! A rocket booster would be great!”

“On it!”

“Soo-ho! Team C and D need to double the number of paper shields!”

“Got it!”

“Kyung-min! Team A and B—focus on rescues! Only minimum staff for expansion! The rest, prepare weapons and paper bundles!”

“Okay—!”

This... is a boss fight.

Freeman had been ignoring us before, but now he was actively trying to capture us.

That meant our rescue efforts were working.

Looking up, I saw Alice.

She had been struggling earlier, but now she was fighting Freeman on even footing.

That was reassuring.

If we could just defeat this ink monstrosity—

“KYAAAH!”

A scream from behind.

I immediately handed the steering wheel to a man who looked like he had a driver’s license.

Not that it would be a real license—the wheel itself was drawn, after all.

As soon as I jumped out, I saw it.

Tentacles coiling around people, dragging them away.

Even with our enhanced speed, the thing was keeping up.

“Everyone! Use fishing rods to pull back anyone being taken! Those making shields—switch to sketching more speed boosters!”

“Ha-rim! The paper bundles aren’t working! Even the doodle-weapons can only push it back slightly!”

What?!

So our usual tactics were ineffective?

This monster was completely different from the ones we’d faced so far.

It was adapting to us.

If we tried to outrun it, it sped up.

If we attacked, it hardened its body.

If we blocked, it turned into a fluid and slipped through.

Even as I was reevaluating our strategy, it was steadily reducing our numbers.

This was dangerous.

The fewer people we had, the weaker our overall firepower.

If this kept up, we would be overwhelmed.

“This is... impossible...!”

“Damn it! What kind of nightmare is this?! This has to be a dream, right?!”

People were starting to break.

They had followed our lead without question—

But now that terror had returned, panic was setting in.

I had to rally them.

“DON’T GIVE UP!” I shouted. “If we keep struggling, a solution will reveal itself!”

“...How can you be so sure?!”

“...Who guarantees that?!”

No one guarantees it.

A religious person would say "God"—

But I had no religion.

And yet...

I still believed.

Not in gods, but in effort.

Alice was the one who had taught me that.

And I believed in her.

“Uwaah—?!”

“...No!”

I saw someone next to me get snatched by the tentacles.

My hand shot forward on instinct.

I threw the Tadpole Egg.

For a moment, I panicked—

But no, this was a chance.

If I was inside the creature, I could figure out how to destroy it.

As I was dragged in, I saw the stunned faces of my teammates.

I gave them a confident thumbs-up.

Then, the ink swallowed me whole.

...

...

...

This was a mistake!

I was now running for my life inside some bizarre dimension.

I had assumed it would just be a mass of ink—

So I had used a barrier talisman to protect myself.

But no.

It was a full-blown space.

And tentacles were bursting out of nowhere, shattering my barrier.

[If I use the Name Tag of Ilveli, I might be able to navigate this place like an ocean...]

...Nope.

Apparently, ink didn’t count as water.

And since paper and doodles didn’t affect the tentacles—

If I ran out of stamina, I was done for.

I tried everything.

I had tried everything—

Fire, physical attacks, electric shocks.

Stealth, vampiric items that sucked ink dry, bluffing, even suggesting a draw.

Nothing worked.

Mary’s phone, which could teleport me, was outside.

And my stronger items required time to use.

I was running.

And running.

And running.

Until my lungs felt like they would explode.

I was alone.

There was no one to help me.

No one but myself.

A small fear sprouted in my heart.

What if... this time...

Dark thoughts flashed through my mind.

I was scared.

But I didn’t stop running.

I didn’t stop thinking.

...

...

...

Wait.

If I needed help—

Couldn’t I just draw someone who could help me?

I gasped for breath as I frantically began scribbling on paper.

First, of course, was Alice.

“Oh my~ Hello, Ha-rim!”

The Alice I had drawn spoke, but her voice was weirdly off.

She was as thin as a flimsy sheet of paper, flapping slightly as she moved.

Looking at her, I felt a new wave of despair.

My art skills were atrocious.

“A-Alice! I’m exhausted! I don’t want to run anymore! What do I do?!”

Alice answered with a smirk.

“Well, if you don’t wanna run, why not just stop, you dumb loser~?”

“...?”

This Alice was very strange.

She seemed... broken.

Was it because my drawing quality was so bad?

“Juuust kidding! Since you’re working so hard, I’ll give you a hint—nurse, patient! That’s it!”

A clue.

Two words.

That was all I needed.

Why hadn’t I thought of it before?

I immediately pulled out [Nurse Call].

A mysterious, ghostly nurse who transported patients.

I pressed the button.

The entity appeared and carried me away.

[...]

“Oh dear, look at this. A patient.”

The ghostly nurse squinted down at me suspiciously.

I held up a tiny cut on my arm.

It was just a small paper cut from carrying all those sheets earlier.

The nurse didn’t seem convinced.

Then, my poorly drawn Alice flapped her way forward and casually said—

“If you glare at Ha-rim like that, I’ll kill you.”

[...]

“...”

The nurse immediately shut up.

I also shut up.

The doodle Alice, despite being fake, somehow knew things I didn’t—

But unlike the real Alice, there was no filter on her words.

The entire atmosphere turned ice cold.

“Uh, Alice... I’ve tried everything against those tentacles, but I don’t see a solution. Any advice?”

“Hmmm... I have three things to tell you!”

“Oh!”

“First! Your items won’t be much help here! This time, you need pure strength!

Second! Getting help is a great idea!

Third! If you draw a living thing with ink, it seems to have a time limit on how long it lasts.”

“Huh?”

“Well, bye~”

With that, my doodle Alice vanished.

I tried drawing her again.

Nothing happened.

...A restriction.

Whenever something has rules, it means that without them, it would be overpowered.

So this doodle ability—

Could it be the key to solving this?

Just then—

BOOM!

The entire space shook violently.

Either someone was attacking the ink mass from the outside—

Or it had absorbed even more people and was now strong enough to finish me off.

Considering how the tentacles were multiplying, it was probably the latter.

I had to act fast.

I started drawing more people to help.

I drew my club members.

They helped block some of the tentacles—

But it wasn’t enough.

SHWOOOOSH!

“Guh!”

Too close.

It broke through their defense and nearly got me.

The nurse ghost’s driving skills were not reliable.

If this kept up, I was going to be captured for sure.

I tried drawing a muscular man next.

He was immediately impaled by tentacles.

Didn’t matter if I drew missiles or guns—

They all had the same weak impact.

Those wouldn’t work.

Then...

What about James?

I hesitated, then quickly scribbled his form.

“Grrrr...”

The doodle James...

Was growling like an animal.

What the hell?

Even when I tried speaking to him, he just kept snarling.

CRASH!

Shit.

The tentacles broke through again.

The nurse ghost got hit—

And my floating stretcher started shaking violently.

No good.

I needed something else.

I hurriedly drew Sister Maria.

She appeared with her hands clasped in prayer.

When she saw the growling James, she simply said—

"It couldn’t be helped. Please, forgive me."

“...?”

CRASH!

The stretcher shook again.

I urgently asked—

“Sister Maria! I need power! Can you help me?! WAH! These tentacles are slippery!”

“Ha-rim? Oh, of course! As a nun, I’ll explain!

When we talk about holy power, we mean the divine magic granted by the Almighty—

Though right now, my power is—”

BOOM!

“KYAAAH!”

A huge tentacle devoured the nurse ghost completely.

Sister Maria and I were thrown off the stretcher.

No more running.

This was the final moment.

What I did now would decide if I lived or died.

The tentacles grabbed my legs.

“Ugh!”

“Ha-rim. I don’t actually know much about holy power activation.

I borrow mine from the relic cross I carry.

But if you want my advice—

Try preparing a cross.

If you can’t, then use any symbol of balance and harmony.

A Buddhist symbol, a Jewish Star of David, a Baháʼí nine-pointed star—

Anything that’s symmetrical.”

The tentacles coiled tighter around my body.

I had to make a cross.

I tried crossing my legs. Failed.

I tried crossing my arms. Failed.

I tried crossing my fingers. Failed.

I even pictured a cross in my mind—nothing worked.

My entire body was bound, and the ink was now crawling up to my face.

What now?

Balance.

What could still be symmetrical?

Balance. Balance. Balance—

Wrong.

The moment my limbs were tied, I lost my ability to create symmetry.

Was this... really the end?

—

Foolish human child.

...?

Who was that?

That was a new voice.

I had never heard it before.

Who... was speaking to me?

He would be sad. In the worst case, he might lose his strength again.

If this guy dies, that is.

Who’s there?

A sudden voice rang out, a male voice he had never heard before.

He whispered like a demon.

Child. This is the worst situation, child.

Eternal rest awaits before your eyes, yet you still cling to the delusion that if you try a little harder, you can overcome this.

But give up. You will never survive.

...No! I don’t know who you are, but you’re being rude.

Heh. Heh.

Oh, you foolish child.

Did you really think that a mere kid like you could overcome all these trials?

Truly?

Who guaranteed that? God? Or your parents?

No.

Then what do you believe in?

Alice.

And what can she do?

It’s not about what Alice does. It’s just that if I keep trying and trying, in the end, Alice will be there.

Alice... will smile with me. I believe in that moment!

...Foolish. This is why I hate you.

You remind me of Faust.

You never give me the answer I desire.

But... it’s a partial answer, kid.

Here is my last question.

In Alice’s fairy tale, what is symmetrical? Put your faith into that.

It’s been a long time since I tested a human. Not bad.

The voice vanished.

Symmetrical... in Alice’s fairy tale?

Symmetry. Symmetry. Symmetry...

It was there.

Somewhere in an old memory.

Eun-jung: Ha-rim, do you want to see this?

Me: Why? What is it?

Eun-jung: I was reading about Alice, trying to learn more, but this part feels kind of forced.

Me: This... is symmetrical, isn’t it?

Eun-jung: But it’s a scam! The letters C and S aren’t symmetrical at all!

Me: But... it’s fun. Sometimes, it’s okay to just let it go.

Eun-jung: ...I guess!

Symmetry.

Something symmetrical in the fairy tale.

A faint memory {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} of wordplay surfaced.

I put my faith into it and, using the only part of me that was still free, I spoke.

"Was it a cat I saw?"

...

— [WASITACATISAW] —

The words I uttered materialized like a speech bubble in a comic, glowing brilliantly.

The light pushed back the black ink, destroying the monster from within.

The ink that surrounded me collapsed, and I landed on the ground, bathed in light.

People looked at me with astonished faces.

... I might be kind of cool!

But that wasn’t the important part.

No matter how incredible that moment was, it wasn’t a method that could truly harm this world.

"Soo-ho!"

"I have a lot to say, but first... why are you calling me?"

"Jack, were you able to reach Jack?"

"Ah."

Soo-ho scratched his head as if just remembering.

Muttering to himself, something like “should have gone to save him,” he answered my question.

"Hmm... Still not picking up."

"Ugh... What do we do? We absolutely need Jack right now!"

Ugh. My head was spinning. Without Jack, everything felt like it was falling apart.

There weren’t many options, but one idea came to mind.

"Ha-rim. Over there."

"Huh?"

"Jack is here."

"!"

Jack waved awkwardly.

After all this time, after not responding to our calls, why did he show up now?

That wasn’t the priority.

I was just purely relieved.

"Jack! You’re back!"

"I was worried when you suddenly disappeared."

Jack scratched the back of his head and said to us,

"Sorry... Because of me... this happened."

"No, Jack. This was going to happen anyway. It’s not your fault. But to fix this mess, we really need your help. Can you help us?"

I looked at Jack desperately.

He hesitated, but after seeing the unwavering belief in my eyes, he nodded.

I led Jack to where the others were gathered.

He seemed overwhelmed by the crowd.

"What... do I need to do?"

Jack asked.

I spoke carefully.

I knew this might be a heavy burden for him.

"The beanstalk."

"...!"

"We need a giant beanstalk, Jack. Can you grow one for us?"

"That...!"

I knew.

The animation Freeman showed us must have been connected to Jack’s past.

Twisted with malice, showing only the worst parts.

For Jack, the beanstalk was trauma itself.

It was why he never handled plants. Or rather, why he refused to.

Jack trembled with fear.

I spoke to him.

"Listen, Jack. I saw it. I saw your plants grow by feeding on the ink. If it’s your plants... maybe they can absorb all the ink in this world and erase it completely."

Jack shook his head.

"But... what do you think will happen to the fruit of a plant that feeds on this evil ink? It might be something no one can handle."

"It’ll be fine!"

"!"

I was desperate to convince him.

If Freeman had planned to grow stronger with this ink and kill us, he would have done so already.

Besides, the situation was different now.

We weren’t trying to create the kind of fruit that drains all the nutrients from the land.

All we needed was for Jack’s plant to grow.

"Trust me, Jack. Everything will be okay."

At my plea, Jack hesitated, then reluctantly nodded.

And then, he asked me,

"If I grow the beanstalk... will everyone survive?"

"...Yes! Of course."

"Then... then... will I be able to see ‘the light’ again?"

Light?

If he meant light, the only thing I could think of was the divine power I had manifested.

...Honestly, if he asked me to do it again, I’d need some practice.

Did Jack want divine power?

Maybe he returned because he saw me shining.

"Are you asking for divine power? Jack, do you want to shine too?"

"...No. I don’t know."

"Then..."

"Still... I’ll help."

Jack’s declaration was firm.

He walked away from the others, going as far as possible.

He didn’t want to cause harm.

I followed him, bringing the rest of the team along.

Jack steadied his breathing, then began growing the beanstalk.

At first, a tiny sprout popped up.

Then, it grew rapidly.

As it became a massive tree, Jack’s face filled with fear.

Five sunsets and five moonrises.

Through rain and wind.

Jack had once climbed a beanstalk, reaching into the sky with nothing but his small body.

The terror, the exhaustion, the loneliness—he was reliving it all.

Jack climbed.

Sweat trickled down his face, his hands trembling.

And as he climbed, the beanstalk grew taller and taller.

Jack's beanstalk seemed to grow taller the more he climbed.

Jack climbed the beanstalk.

And... we climbed too.

"You guys..."

"We’ll climb as much as we can too!"

"So at least for now, don’t be too scared..."

The fear Jack had been holding onto eased slightly.

He refocused on climbing.

But at some point, the beanstalk’s growth began to slow.

Even though we were with him, Jack was still struggling with his trauma, his breath growing ragged.

He kept looking down, gasping for air over and over again.

I decided it was time to use the strategy I had prepared.

I pulled a book out of my bag.

The title on the cover read Tinker Bell.

A book I had "borrowed"—no, received as a gift—from Mr. Peter’s house.

It had been left out in the open, so honestly, it had to have been a gift.

Probably.

I opened the book and began using the spell related to Tinker Bell.

To use Tinker Bell’s magic, many ingredients were required, but some of them were absurd things I had no way of obtaining.

Of course, I couldn’t gather most of those materials.

But I did manage to scrape together some crude substitutes—now I just had to see if they would work.

Balancing on the dizzying height of the tree, where a fall would mean instant death, I forced myself to stay calm and began the process.

I mixed the herbs I had collected, lit them on fire, and threw in things that symbolized indulgence.

My favorite snacks!

And then... alcohol and cigarettes.

My teammates shot me questioning looks, silently demanding where I had gotten them.

"I grabbed them from my uncle’s pockets and the fridge."

Why were they looking at me like I disgusted them?

It’s not illegal if I don’t consume them.

Following the Tinker Bell spell instructions, I completed a strange powder.

I scattered the powder while chanting the incantation from the book.

The dust spread out, shimmering.

It seeped into Jack, the one I had designated as the target.

...

No effect.

Jack didn’t change at all.

Was it because of the ingredients?

Just as I was about to feel disappointed, a voice spoke up.

"Shin Ha-rim. So you were the one who took Tinker Bell, after all."

"Mr. Peter?"

Somewhere, Peter was speaking to me.

Peter.

We knew he had done terrible things to us, but he also helped us recover our memories, and he had never directly tried to harm us.

So, he wasn’t that frightening.

After spending time with him, I had realized he was actually a fairly cheerful person.

Just loud.

"You’ve got some nasty habits, kid."

"It was just sitting there... I thought it was a gift."

"Hahaha! Do you think everything someone fails to hide properly is a gift? Well, I suppose you could say I just used excessive wrapping. So, you used the book’s magic... That means you wanted me to show up."

"I didn’t actually think you’d come."

Honestly, it wasn’t even a gamble.

I had hoped he would come, but there was no guarantee.

That’s why I focused on making the powder work.

Peter sighed before speaking again.

"So... there’s something you want from me, isn’t there?"

"Yes."

"And why should I do it?"

Peter didn’t seem hostile.

But that didn’t mean he was on our side.

There was no reason for him to help us.

Even so, I made the request I thought might shake him.

"I want an ideal world."

"...Interesting! I did say Alice would return when she wished for an ideal world. But you—who once rejected my ideal world—now seek one yourself?"

Peter laughed wildly.

"Then, do you want to go to a new Neverland as well?"

"No."

"What...?"

Peter’s expression stiffened.

He stared at me, dumbfounded, then asked if I was joking.

"I’m not joking. I just want you to create an ideal world for Jack."

"...Keep talking."

"Jack is tormented by his trauma. He can’t properly grow the beanstalk. But ironically, to overcome it, he has to face it head-on."

That was something I had learned from Alice.

The reason our terrifying experiences hadn’t remained as nightmares was because we had faced them and won.

If Jack wanted to see the light, then he had to confront it.

"And what does that have to do with an ideal world?"

"Because he needs strength."

"...?"

"Jack isn’t different from humans. Some people... to endure life and overcome fear, they have to believe that somewhere, somehow, an ideal world exists. Even if it doesn’t."

Peter fell silent, deep in thought.

He seemed to be mulling over my words.

His serious expression made me think that maybe I had touched on something he had been contemplating for a long time.

"So you’re saying the chase itself gives meaning. Like heaven."

"I’m 0.9 of a middle schooler."

"Fine. Shin Ha-rim, I’ll grant your request. But even though Jack is weak, he’s still one of the Story’s Demons. Transcendent beings don’t affect each other easily. That means illusions won’t work."

Peter clapped his hands and began manipulating a vast power.

"So, I’ll change the environment instead."

We could feel the air shifting.

High above.

The endless, unreachable black-and-white sky began gathering clouds.

The clouds were pure white, soft-looking.

Within them lay golden fruits and giants.

The fruits Jack had once sought.

The ones he had reached for.

"...!"

Jack flinched at the recreation of his past.

The towering sky.

The harsh rain and winds now battering against him.

Jack trembled with fear once more.

The memory of pushing himself upward, climbing toward the sky instead of falling from a cliff, consumed him.

Jack looked up at the clouds.

You are not a giant.

Up there, beyond the clouds, is what you have longed for.

So please... let’s climb together.

-----

"Haa... haa...."

Breathing became ragged.

Losing grip strength or stamina at this height meant death.

Even though it was the plant I had grown, its rough surface felt completely unfamiliar in my hands.

The wind howled. Rain fell. Blood trickled from my hands.

My strength drained, and fear gnawed at my mind.

But...

But why?

Why didn’t I stop?

Was it because going back was even scarier?

Or did I want the golden fruit so badly?

When mental exhaustion reaches its peak, sometimes you forget why you started in the first place.

Even while risking my life, trembling in fear, I had never turned back.

The reason I climbed the beanstalk in the first place.

From a distance, I heard Ha-rim’s voice.

"Jack! Do you remember the animated film Freeman showed us?"

I remembered.

Brutal and exaggerated, mocking our mistakes.

The cruel laughter was burned into my mind.

My sin. My suffering. My foolishness.

Compared to me, Soo-ho and Kyung-min had done nothing wrong.

"Jack, Soo-ho and Kyung-min made serious mistakes. Soo-ho hurt his younger sister, and Kyung-min was the reason his father left home."

"..."

"But Soo-ho ran until his feet bled to save his sister, and afterward, he took good care of her.

Kyung-min also tracked down his father, convinced him to return home, and apologized to both his parents.

After that, no matter what happened, he never acted emotionally again—he always found a wise solution."

"..."

Why was she saying this now?

Compared to them, my mistake was far greater.

"We don’t know much about you. We don’t know what you felt, what you thought. Even if we don’t see it as your fault, you probably think it is."

"..."

"But Jack, you have to overcome your past!

You can’t remain trapped in the past that torments you.

That’s why you have to climb the beanstalk.

Your beanstalk will save everyone! You couldn’t save them back then, but this time, you can!"

That’s what Ha-rim said.

Shin Ha-rim. A truly smart and amazing girl.

If someone like her said it, then it must be true.

"Can I really save them?"

But I was too weak.

So weak that I couldn’t even believe in the words of a girl like her.

I asked, and Ha-rim answered.

"Yes! Of course! The golden fruit is up in the clouds. Let’s find it again!"

"...You really believe that?"

"Yes! I just believe it!"

I reached toward the sky again.

The beanstalk began to grow at an incredible speed.

It surpassed towering skyscrapers.

I climbed quickly, and in an instant, I had left Ha-rim far behind.

She looked up at me with a surprised expression.

Hey, Ha-rim.

I never chased after the golden fruit.

I climbed the beanstalk. Over and over. Blindly.

As I kept climbing, I stopped thinking about the fruit entirely.

Like the nutrients a plant steals from the soil, that thought was drained away.

Instead, something more fundamental remained.

For example, the faintly glowing starlight beyond the clouds.

I chased after that light.

The beanstalk reached the clouds. But it didn’t reach the stars.

And yet, the beanstalk kept growing.

Ha-rim, your friends, and Alice—when you defeated Peter Pan, you shone with brilliant light.

You were laughing in the sky.

I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I admired it joyfully.

The light you showed was so similar to the starlight from back then.

The starlight I followed to save the villagers.

I wanted to save them.

Maybe I hoped that if I found fruit hidden in the clouds—where a giant might be lurking—I could feed the people and make sure no one went hungry.

I liked the villagers.

That alone was enough reason to climb through fear.

But I failed.

What I did only hastened their deaths.

My efforts were betrayed, and I betrayed them in return.

The giant was me.

Even so!

When I looked at the light, it felt like I could protect the people I cared about again.

So, I wanted to go on adventures together and see that light one more time.

The reason I climbed the beanstalk? The reason I didn’t stop?

It was still vague, something I couldn’t fully define.

But now, at last, I could explain why I wanted to see that star again.

"I wanted to believe."

That if I followed the starlight, I could save everyone.

That feeling.

The taste of the sweet fruit.

The trust and dedication I once had.

Throwing away my guilt and reaching for what lay beyond.

"This time... I want to climb the beanstalk for myself!"

The beanstalk stretched beyond, absorbing the ink as nutrients.

The beanstalk didn’t reach the stars, but Jack’s heart was already feeding on the starlight.

As the beanstalk grew, the world of ink shrank.

Freeman, who had been fighting Alice, looked on in horror before he was sucked into Jack’s beanstalk.

The roots of the beanstalk were so deep that they absorbed all the ink spread across the land.

The ink world vanished, and reality—now nighttime—took its place once more.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Shin Ha-rim. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Mr. Peter."

"Looks like your mission was a success."

"Yes. Jack did it."

"That’s a relief. But it seems like it’s not over yet."

"What?"

RUMBLE...!

An earthquake?

No, the source wasn’t the ground.

It was the sky!

Something black was rushing toward us from beyond the clouds!

"If a plant grows, it bears fruit. If it fed on evil ink, then of course, an evil monster would be born from it."

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

What do we do?

That thought barely had time to settle before someone grabbed me and lifted me into the sky.

"You did great. Leave the rest to us. You’ve already won!"

Rub, rub.

It was Alice.

She was in such a good mood that she was even nuzzling my cheek—something she never did!

"Pinocchio, is the weapon ready?"

"It is."

"Peter Pan, since you’re here, give us a hand."

"Hahaha! How shameless."

One by one, the familiar demons appeared.

The people who had been consumed by the ink had all been evacuated, and the city was now completely empty.

"Alright! The evacuation is complete, and Jack and the kids have gathered all the fragmented parts. Now all that’s left is to take it out in one blow!"

"Let me warn you now, we only get one shot. Alice, the attack power has been boosted tremendously, but if we miss, it’ll all be wasted."

"Then... Ah, right! Jack!"

"Huh?"

"In Jack and the Beanstalk, when the giant climbed down the beanstalk, what did the protagonist do?"

"Uh... he cut it down with an axe..."

"Exactly! This is a four-demon joint operation!

Jack will cut down the beanstalk, and when the giant falls, Pinocchio will stab it with the spear he made! That way, we don’t have to worry about missing!"

"...Alright!"

-----

Freeman ran.

Consumed by fury and bloodlust.

That damned editor’s stray dog had ruined everything! Unforgivable!

He let out a monstrous shriek as he charged forward.

But then, the beanstalk he had been using as a foothold began to fall.

On the ground, Jack stood, gripping an axe.

The beanstalk collapsed, and Freeman was thrown from it.

Even as he plummeted, he continued to curse and rage.

The moment he hit the ground, he would kill them all.

He would kill them all.

But that was not something so easily achieved.

Because a demon in a military uniform and Alice were flying toward him, wielding a spear.

[!!!!!!!!!!!!]

The spear struck.

It glowed crimson as it pierced deep into Freeman.

But Freeman, who had absorbed all the ink, was not an easy opponent.

He denied the very existence of the spear, distorting reality itself.

"He’s not going down easily! He’s warping reality!"

"It’s fine! Because..."

Alice spoke.

"Because those kids believe in me! That’s why I can do it!"

Do what?

Defeat me?

Something discarded dares to?

I am the usurper who will claim a world without a master.

As the ruler of the throne, I will revel in an endless comedy.

I will mock humanity’s suffering from my seat of power!

I cannot die like this!

But then—Alice flared with light.

...This was—

Divine power?

How is this possible?!

And at such an overwhelming scale—this is absurd!

Surely—surely, the Absolute no longer exists!

I’m being pushed back.

My reality warping is being undone, my authority over this world crushed.

An undeniable difference in power.

The authority Alice wielded surpassed Freeman’s own.

If this continued, he would truly be erased.

Mephistopheles.

What the hell did you create?!

[Struggling, are you? Did you enjoy yourself until now?]

...Who is that?

[Oh, getting vicious now that you’re about to die?

A mere insect trying to seize the throne of an Absolute—this is what happens.]

You... No, it can’t be.

That voice...

[A being of chaos, who mocks human suffering and draws power from it.

Tempting, ridiculing, corrupting humans—that is the role of demons.

Beyond that, all cruel and ominous things in this world have always been the domain of demons!

Some parasite latched onto that, but... well, it’s about to be cleaned up.]

The light devoured Freeman.

Freeman, who had sought to revel in a world without a master, was consumed by divine power.

A demon capable of producing divine energy.

Only now did Freeman understand, and he let out his final scream.

["Mephistopheles, you bastard!!!!"]

...

["You created a replacement, didn’t you?!"]

And so—

In the end, the demons erased the false god.