Dengan cepat aku membalik koin, memanggil sarung tangan transparan, melempar koin 500 won, lalu memberi isyarat untuk menggabungkannya. ‘Lima detik sudah cukup.’ Tanganku yang melayang di udara bergerak ke arah belakang platform yang sebagian terbuka. ∥ ----------------- ∥ “Tunggu sebentar, Soleum-ssi. Itu apa? Label itu...” “Pegang pegangan kursi kereta—” Tanganku menarik tuas sampai ke bawah. ∥ ----------------- ∥ Saat itu juga, kereta melesat dengan kecepatan gila. – Fantasy Train akan berangkat! Sambil mencengkeram pegangan kursi kereta erat-erat, aku berteriak ke belakang. “Aku menarik tuas kecepatan! Sampai kecepatan maksimum!” “Kenapa kau melakukan itu, dasar idiot gila!” Karena aku punya rencana. “Kalau kita menerobos cepat, kereta tidak akan sempat mengacaukan kita!” Intinya, melewatkan semua kejadiannya. ‘Wahana gelap biasanya bergerak pelan agar kau bisa melihat dan merasakan interior yang dihias.’ Tapi kalau kau melajukannya seperti orang gila? ‘Kau akan melewatkan semuanya!’ Dekorasi interior, efek-efeknya... Bahkan bahaya mematikan yang menyertainya! Di buku yang kubaca, ada kasus yang memakai cara ini untuk memperlambat roller coaster, tapi poin utamanya adalah kemampuan mengendalikan kecepatan! Kuperkirakan kemungkinan berhasil di sini juga besar. Namun... langkah berikutnya yang jadi masalah. Aku bisa merasakan tekanan angin. Kecepatannya hampir setara roller coaster. Ini jelas kecepatan yang hanya ditujukan untuk pemeriksaan keselamatan. ...Artinya, kereta ini tidak dirancang untuk operasi sungguhan. ‘...Kalau ada yang ketakutan lalu pingsan, mereka bisa terlempar dari kereta.’ Kalau begitu, itu berarti kematian pasti. Bisa dibilang itu efek samping dari wahana kereta lepas kendali ini. Bagi pengecut sepertiku, itu kelemahan fatal... ‘Tapi aku punya rencana cadangan!’ Takut kau akan pingsan? [Para penumpang yang terhormat, selamat datang di Fantasyland yang indah!] Saat narasi dimulai, aku berteriak, “Aku menutup mata!” Aku memejamkan mata rapat-rapat, berpura-pura gila. “Narasi ini sepertinya penting, jadi aku akan memperhatikannya sebisa mungkin!” “Kalau kalian merasa akan mati, beri tahu aku!” “Orang ini benar-benar gila, ya?! Haha, baiklah!” Tepat ketika tawa asisten manajer skuad A mulai memudar, narasi melesat melewati telingaku. [Bagaimana Fantasyland ini terbentuk?] [Sejak lama sekali, 403930291928494 jam yang lalu, sebuah bunga kuning, naga biru, dan kelinci merah hidup bersama di tanah ini.] [Tempat yang indah ini, tepat di sini!] “B-bunga aneh itu... bunga itu memanggilku...” [Tapi mereka terlalu berbeda!] [‘Kau terlalu berisik!’] [‘Kau terlalu kotor!’] [‘Kau terlalu membosankan!’] [Akhirnya, mereka tidak bisa saling menerima dan mulai bertarung. Ini tanahku!] “Ahh! Ular, monster ular, ada monster merayap di tanah! Astaga! Mereka mencoba menempel di kereta... tapi tertinggal...” [Bunga kuning berkata,] [‘Aku membencimu! Pergi dari sini!’] Wahana itu berlalu dalam sekejap. Kereta melesat, dan waktu wahana dipercepat seolah diputar dua kali lipat. [Naga biru berbicara.] [‘Aku membencimu! Enyahlah!’] ‘Sepertinya pertarungannya hampir selesai...’ Sekarang, bagian terakhir. ‘Ini juga sudah pernah digambarkan beberapa kali.’ Maskot-maskot itu pada akhirnya hanya ingin hidup sesuai keinginan mereka. Jadi, mereka masing-masing membagi Fantasyland menjadi zona berdasarkan warna mereka dan hidup damai menurut cara mereka sendiri... [Kelinci merah berbicara.] [Kelinci merah memutuskan untuk menyingkirkan teman-temannya dengan cara apa pun. Tidak, mereka bukan teman lagi. Musuh! Musuh! Musuh!] [Satu per satu, satu per satu, satu per satu! Menjatuhkan mereka ke dalam lubang, menenggelamkan mereka di air, mendorong mereka dari tebing!] [Mati! Mati! Mati! Mati! ...] Narasi terputus. Lalu tiba-tiba diputar lagi. Suara yang anehnya ceria. [Kelinci merah menang!] [Yang memerintah tanah ini hanyalah kelinci merah, Magic Bunny.] [Magic Bunny adalah mimpi, fantasi, aturan, dan hanya ideologinya yang layak dinikmati.] Para penumpang, yang tadi ribut seolah telah menyaksikan segala macam kengerian, kini hanya mengeluarkan napas berat dan terengah-engah. Suara napas panik yang ketakutan. ...Kereta mulai melambat. ‘...Ini sudah ujung jalur.’ Secepat apa pun wahana, ia selalu melambat saat berakhir. [Fantasyland milik Magic Bunny] Tengkukku basah oleh keringat dingin. Rasa firasat buruk merayap masuk. Aku akhirnya mengangkat kepala. [Sang Magic Bunny Agung!] Kepala maskot kelinci raksasa muncul tepat di depan kami. Mata merahnya yang menyala berputar liar, dan mulutnya terbuka lebar, memperlihatkan deretan gigi tajam dan mengerikan yang menjorok ke depan. [Jadilah bagian dari Magic Bunny Agung!] Sebuah situasi yang belum pernah kulihat sebelumnya. Udara dipenuhi suara yang membuat pusing. Kelinci-kelinci merah menekankan kepala mereka ke jendela dari segala arah, tampak seolah kostum maskot mereka akan pecah, menatap kami tajam. “Haaaah... haaaaaah...!!” Narasi yang cekikikan menjadi tak terkendali. Lampu merah berkedip di seluruh kereta, dan gumaman panik memenuhi udara, membuat sulit berpikir jernih. Suara itu menembus. “Ini seperti upacara penerimaan karyawan baru, ya? Menyuruh mereka saling membunuh... Klasik.” Dia sedang bicara apa? “Kau tadi melihatnya, kan? Kelinci itu membunuh semua temannya. Oh, kau menutup mata, jadi kau melewatkannya. Tapi kau mendengar narasinya, kan?” Itu suara tenang karyawan skuad A. Saat aku menoleh, aku melihat karyawan bertopeng kupu-kupu menatap kelinci-kelinci di jendela, seolah ini hal biasa. “Jadi, siapa yang harus kita bunuh?” Mata di balik topeng kupu-kupu itu berubah menyeramkan. Tatapan yang menilai nilai. Rookie skuad Y itu rahangnya memucat sesaat. Jari asisten manajer skuad A menunjuk. “Tangkap orang berjas putih itu.” Rookie skuad Y, dengan gerakan kaku dan tidak wajar, meraih anggota tubuh sang peneliti dan menahannya. “K-kalian ini apa-apaan... tunggu, tunggu sebentar.” “Tutup mulutnya. Oh, dan kau juga tutup mulutmu.” “Ah... apa kita harus membunuh satu orang masing-masing, langsung? Hei, rekrutan terbaik.” Aku refleks menoleh padanya. “Kenapa kau tidak membunuh yang ini? Aku ingin mengamati.” “Jangan pakai perlengkapan khususmu, lakukan sendiri... Ah, benar. Tadi kelinci itu melempar naga dari tebing, kan? Coba lempar dia keluar kereta. Lihat apakah itu juga dihitung.” Aku perlahan menoleh dan melirik ke luar jendela, lalu buru-buru memalingkan wajah lagi. ‘Para maskot itu menangis darah...!’ Lihat mereka, menempel di seluruh jendela. Tidak mungkin aku membuka jendela kereta itu. Kalau iya, aku akan ambruk dan jadi kacau berteriak. Lagipula, apa... kau mau aku membunuh seseorang semudah makan mi instan? Tidak, tidak. Lupakan itu... ‘...Ini jalur kematian!’ Aku baru menyadarinya sekarang, setelah kejadian tak wajar lain mengacaukan semuanya dan membuat kami ketakutan setengah mati, tapi sudah jelas. ‘Kalau kita menuruti maskot, kita semua mati!’ Ini... kalau kita mengikuti jalan itu, kita semua akan dibunuh! Tapi bagaimana aku meyakinkannya? Kalau aku bilang, ‘Aku sudah melihat lebih dari 70 catatan eksplorasi dari masa depan,’ dia mungkin langsung memenggal kepalaku di tempat. Aku memutuskan untuk berbohong agar lolos. Aku mulai mengarang kebohongan tanpa sedikit pun keraguan!
Bab 44
Silakan terjemahkan menggunakan fitur browser bawaan kamu.
I quickly flipped a coin, summoning a translucent glove, tossed a 500-won coin, and gestured to merge them. ‘Five seconds will be enough.’ My hand floating in mid-air moved toward the back of the partially exposed platform. ∥ ----------------- ∥ “Hold on a moment, Soleum-ssi. What is that? That label…” “Grab onto the train seat handle—” My hand pulled the lever all the way down. ∥ ----------------- ∥ At that moment, the train shot forward at a crazy speed. – The Fantasy Train is departing! Clutching the train seat handle tightly, I shouted back. “I pulled the speed lever! To maximum speed!” “Why the hell would you do that, you crazy idiot!” Because I have a plan. “If we rush through, it won’t have time to mess with the train!” It’s all about skipping the events. ‘A dark ride usually moves slowly, letting you see and experience the decorated interior.’ But if you speed through it like a maniac? ‘You’ll skip over everything!’ The interior decorations, the effects… And even the life-threatening dangers that come with them! In the I read, there was a case where they used it to slow down a roller coaster, but the key point was the ability to control speed! I figured there was a high chance it would work here, too. However… the next step is the problem. I could feel the wind pressure. It was almost as fast as a roller coaster. This was clearly a speed meant only for safety checks. …Meaning, it wasn’t designed for actual operation. ‘…If someone gets scared and faints, they might get thrown off the train.’ In that case, it would mean certain death. You could call that the side effect of this runaway train ride. For a coward like me, it was a fatal flaw… ‘But there’s a backup plan!’ Afraid you might faint? [Dear passengers, welcome to beautiful Fantasyland!] As the narration began, I shouted, “I’m closing my eyes!” I shut my eyes tightly, acting crazy. “This narration seems important, so I’m going to focus on it as much as I can!” “If you feel like you’re about to die let me know!” “This guy is totally insane, huh?! Haha, fine!” Just as the A-squad assistant manager’s laughter was trailing off, the narration whizzed past my ears. [How did this Fantasyland come to be?] [A long, long time ago, 403930291928494 hours ago, a yellow flower, a blue dragon, and a red rabbit lived together on this land.] [This wonderful place, right here!] “T-That strange flower… the flower is calling to me…” [But they were too different!] [‘You’re too noisy!’] [‘You’re too dirty!’] [‘You’re too boring!’] [In the end, they couldn’t accept each other and began to fight. This is my land!] “Ahh! Snake, snake monsters, there are monsters slithering on the ground! Eek! They tried to cling to the train… but got left behind…” [The yellow flower said,] [‘I hate you! Get out of here!’] The attraction passed by in an instant. The train sped through, and the ride time was fast-forwarded as if on double speed. [The blue dragon spoke.] [‘I hate you! Get lost!’] ‘Looks like it’s near the end of the fight…’ Now, for the final part. ‘This was described a few times before, too.’ Those mascots ultimately just want to live their lives as they wish. So, they each divided Fantasyland into zones based on their colors and peacefully lived how they wanted to… [The red rabbit spoke.] [The red rabbit decided to eliminate his friends by any means necessary. No, they weren’t friends anymore. Enemies! Enemies! Enemies!] [One by one, one by one, one by one! Dropping them into pits, drowning them in water, pushing them off cliffs!] [Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!] Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die The narration cut off. And then it suddenly started again. A strangely cheerful voice. [The red rabbit won!] [The one who rules this land is only the red rabbit, Magic Bunny.] [Magic Bunny is the dream, the fantasy, the rule, and only his ideology is worth enjoying.] The passengers, who had been making a racket as if they had seen all sorts of horrors, now only let out heavy, ragged breaths. The sound of terrified panting. …The train was slowing down. ‘…It’s the end of the line.’ No matter how fast a ride is, it always slows down when it ends. [Magic Bunny’s Fantasyland] The back of my neck was wet with cold sweat. A sense of foreboding was creeping in. I finally lifted my head. [The Great Magic Bunny!] A giant rabbit mascot’s head appeared right in front of us. Its bright red eyes spun wildly, and its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of jagged, hideous teeth that jutted forward. [Become a part of the Great Magic Bunny!] A scenario I’d never seen before. The air was filled with a disorienting noise. Red rabbits were pressing their heads against the windows from all directions, looking like their mascot suits were about to burst, staring at us intensely. “Haaaah… haaaaaah…!!” The giggling narration went berserk. Red lights flashed, blinking throughout the train, and panicked mutterings filled the air, making it hard to think clearly. The voice pierced through. “It’s like an initiation ceremony for new employees, huh? Making them kill each other… Classic.” What is she even talking about? “You saw it just now, right? The rabbit killed all its friends. Oh, you had your eyes closed, so you missed it. But you heard the narration, didn’t you?” It was the calm voice of the A-squad employee. When I turned my head, I saw the butterfly-masked employee looking at the rabbits on the windows, as if this was an everyday occurrence. “So, who should we kill?” The eyes beneath the butterfly mask turned sinister. A gaze that assessed value. The Y-squad newbie’s jaw turned pale blue for a moment. The A-squad assistant manager’s finger pointed. “Grab that guy in the white coat.” The Y-squad newbie, with a stiff, unnatural motion, grabbed the researcher’s limbs and restrained him. “W-What are you, what… wait, wait a second.” “Cover his mouth. Oh, and keep yours shut, too.” “Ah… do we have to kill one each, directly? Hey, top recruit.” I reflexively looked at her. “Why don’t you kill this one? I’d like to observe.” “Don’t use your specialized equipment, do it yourself… Ah, right. Earlier, that rabbit threw the dragon off the cliff, right? Try tossing him out of the train. Let’s see if that counts, too.” I slowly turned my head and glanced out the window, then quickly snapped it back. ‘The mascots are crying blood…!’ Look at them, stuck all over the windows. There’s no way in hell I’m opening that train window. If I did, I’d collapse and become a screaming mess. Besides, what… you want me to kill someone as casually as eating instant noodles? No, no. Putting that aside… ‘…This is a death route!’ I realized it now, after another irregular event threw everything into chaos and scared the wits out of us, but it was clear. ‘If we comply with the mascot, we’re all dead!’ This… if we go down that path, we’ll all be killed! But how do I convince her? If I say, ‘I’ve seen over 70 exploration records from the future,’ she’d probably decapitate me on the spot. I decided to lie my way out. I started spouting a lie without even a drop of hesitation!
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!