Chapter 5
cTwqoNPark Seonggyeon’s lips trembled as he muttered in a voice full of terror.Es4lDo
w9m17g5“W-what…? What the hell is this…? Why is this happening…?”yEp9y8E
htnLHe backed away, trying to escape the system windows in front of his eyes, but his back soon hit the wall.NzxlU9
QlsDRcZEven though he should have known that physical force wouldn’t work, he desperately waved his hands, trying to make the system windows disappear.igM
6BICPretending not to know anything, I approached Park Seonggyeon.kxh7z
wqmUeQf“Are you okay?”mhNOrs
B5law“Huaaak!”hJim
jmp1Park Seonggyeon, who was trembling from head to toe, jumped in fright and swung his claw hand.zHs
KynbSince I had already anticipated his reaction, I dodged the attack by the narrowest margin.7H3z
jH4duUt“Lieutenant Park Seonggyeon!”Fbjx9
rZYMo Haein shouted with a gaze so fierce it seemed as though she were throwing flames.qKDGgt
sNSmBut Park Seonggyeon was no longer in his right mind.UMQL8
R5QKseAScreaming at the top of his lungs, he charged at Mo Haein.xrbD0Dr
lZY8“Haaaaaa!”XBdn
2rMNNormally, Mo Haein would have dodged easily.TlfgD6
3lwmBut right now, she was busy avoiding both Tarantella’s attacks and the musical note mechanics.rvujba
6GK7f“Urgh…!”BnE
RJ1RShe clenched her teeth tightly.szslc
vO1boPRed blood seeped through her closed lips and ran down the corner of her mouth.H7BqV
V5P3One of Tarantella’s toy legs had pierced her abdomen.ztTtn2
4qmKaEnduring the pain, Mo Haein swung the Black Moon Blade.HQC108
44k4A long slash tore across Park Seonggyeon’s chest.n4u
N6k0tBHe fell face-first onto the floor.pnFaFO
YZNbLUThe musical-note-shaped toys falling from the ceiling struck him again and again, leaving dents all over his body.20C
rgLAs a cacophony echoed around him, Park Seonggyeon screamed.QWj
HPG3q3His body began to turn rainbow-colored.9UHXnKb
4jbAnd then.IXKh
CTDwLYCrash!S8izdy
a2vRHe collapsed into a pile of toy blocks that scattered across the floor.kT6Yy
e2rznHe had died.I8QaLR
3a84a‘He has three hearts, so he’ll revive.’PG4Kr
tH7He hadn’t activated any save point since we arrived here.oI2g
sq3He would probably respawn in the lobby.X2PqJt
YLf“Damn it…”Bx5LgG
wrreQDWMo Haein looked at me with trembling eyes.QeM35Bx
283206She, too, was about to receive a death sentence and lose one of her hearts.6BOuya
KpBE3In the way she looked at the civilian who would be left alone in front of the boss, there was despair, frustration, and helplessness.OU6FZ
lse7Mo Haein spoke rapidly, like a machine gun.wxiAv8
RMip“Listen carefully, civilian! Dying here doesn’t mean dying for real! You’re going to revive! So when you respawn, stay where you reappear, and I…!”umN
TVUADNbBut she couldn’t finish her sentence.w6PrQs
Q1kTHzZHer body collapsed and turned into toy blocks.m4N
75txSRSeeing her worry about me made me feel a little guilty.3Cg1X
O6HK3pSorry, Captain Mo Haein.6Koa7Z
fI9ZlWhen you come back, I’ll treat you better.Q2Zo
TKo1When she revived, she would probably prioritize protecting the civilian before chasing after Park Seonggyeon.yvt
HxTvzSEstimating how long it would take her to realize I hadn’t respawned in the lobby and return to the laboratory, I raised my head.7xmoQJ
DUW9hPrincess Tarantella was looking down at me.jbRJ
Xl0IDing!rBMpoD
euInA system window appeared before me.pgDsZ
0OtPU20◆ Main Mission: Calm the enraged Princess Tarantella.D76bmtK
HnBQAll your companions have died. You are alone.Nefi7
EuYNV6There is no one left to face the enraged spider.Wnur
cUmHkauYou want to calm Princess Tarantella.CaHTP
TzODQSJTo accomplish that, you must win the battle.BWVogz
OXPjlmThe boss’s target switched to me.8a3oL
p3EkajMusical notes began falling from the ceiling while all eight of her legs launched attacks.VUN
VS1The attacks rained down from every direction, but they weren’t difficult to follow with my eyes.0dg
sEbJThis was a section I had already cleared without dying even once when I played.KN0CKH
DaTSb7‘And my body responds pretty well.’r6ch
6xHyAKEInside a Trial, the minimum physical abilities necessary to clear it were automatically granted.2uNjU
JO41eKIt felt strange to move so easily, exactly the way I wanted.2TL
YTt“…!”OY9XkpX
FZCUnable to hit me even once, Tarantella let out a sharp screech.6xt7ly
jZ7aCmbThe second phase was beginning.NuXaJGz
FEttq2LThe musical notes disappeared.U9CTI2C
FA7Instead, Tarantella began firing thread webs everywhere.2d31
ykt59PThe webs severely restricted the player’s movement.LNB
HAgZIf you got caught, you couldn’t move and would end up being attacked until you received a death sentence.ijGuOt6
OjRx‘Will the bug work?’W5eAxv
3u26pHhI didn’t have much time.pOMj
XsZTogZI planned to try a quick strategy using a game bug.6SOEHE
jGJa6yNOf course, the chances of success were low.igXoQh
ZilLIt worked in the video game.n8OWY
AuaBut I didn’t know if it would work here too.y441
wNGNI ran straight toward Tarantella.N5fKHQ
BXVrThe key was to move before she finished covering the area in webs.YKaWup
A8jR9I jumped onto her eight legs and climbed up until I reached the top of her head.g8wkLqF
fuZUrgh.rKnSE
3MVUl4tOnly a few centimeters away from where I placed my foot, I could see a mouth full of sharp teeth.mOlgv
b28rIf I failed.xDXS
sDc2ELI would fall straight into it.sAnEW
yVUe1‘But I still have hearts left.’lC22
1aJUMI jumped with all my strength into the darkness of the hole in the ceiling.MVKI
zyIyEverything was black.p34
H2fuqieMy body, having reached the limit of its momentum, slowly began to descend.W2Tn
58UwyA slight chill ran across my skin.B7Jc4
u42rJThinking about the pain I would suffer if I failed sent a cold shiver down my back.HrJ
Jq7TGA brief fall.BAMS0C
pEjFBsThen my feet touched something.AQNxC99
4yPJg“Fuaaah…”UeMH
F0xrskCI let out the breath I had been holding.Ljg3BF
vpgtHI looked down.HFN
kMoGmnTarantella, having lost her target, began moving back and forth before randomly shooting webs.Qyz
HuwThe bug exclusive to the second phase involved hiding on a hidden platform inside the hole in the ceiling.S1S
auiIf you waited for a few moments on that platform, which should never have existed, Tarantella completely lost track of her target and began acting erratically until the game awarded victory to the player.NmJaU9
bXm5QTarantella, who was firing webs at a single point as though she had malfunctioned, raised all eight of her legs at the same time.6rn
YrZThen she expelled a cocoon.PDlw9xQ
rafS6UfThe mouth split into four parts closed once again, restoring her smiling face.wTp
vDVWcd7“….”Zei
26ByqA sound resembling the crying of a small child echoed through the air.vJde
bDqPT8JThe toy spider collapsed onto the floor.yFoX
SQfskThe boss battle had ended.zkcQ
WIheYou have defeated Princess Tarantella!cQG7f
AP2AI used Tarantella’s body as support to climb back down.5DTNVi
DdaJThe cheerful chiptune music had changed into a sad melody.3hvuY
YbyFeThe cocoon Tarantella had expelled began to unravel.5gF
iWvAGY2Inside it appeared fragments of a doll.TCF
EQK9They were the arms and legs of the prince doll.r3K
1azI collected the pieces and stored them in my inventory.Sn3Hf6a
XXpNIMp“……”VphnJ
8kmtRhaThroughout all of that, Tarantella did not move even once.g7CrXfu
nRAThat was when I took out a Nut Candy and slid it toward her.5gS
gzq6FhSuddenly, one of her legs twitched.qr1
la0The claw at the end of the leg went.DylX
WoeyClack. Clack.cMx
Q98gOUShe tried to pick up the candy but failed again and again.Te5
YkxCZI unwrapped the Nut Candy and placed it into what I assumed was her mouth.IwmV
ZUnuINqThe smile on her face opened slightly.kSf9
Dv3dThen she swallowed the candy.cIeT
7ozATarantella, who had remained motionless until then, began rising as though she had regained her strength.GAPq
tjTgqNEven the chiptune music had changed into a much calmer and more pleasant melody.SYy
7wVzTarantella looked at me and raised one of her legs.mTB
qny3zThen she slowly began climbing up the wall using her toy legs.Fw8zCO
M1koCEventually, she disappeared into the darkness of the ceiling.0b3v2
hFw6In the place where she had left behind, there remained a cocoon of thread.Ke7Y
Avt1GW‘But hadn’t I already obtained the doll fragments?’V19
bgaGConfused, I picked up the cocoon.XPGp
K2ZAJThe thread began to unravel.c62K
OFeAnd inside appeared a small candy.DEWr2D
5O9NBolt Candy: Crick-crick, upgrading toys….yShBoKP
gGeRd1NIt was HasFac’s secret hidden item.79TLor
yGpNBolt Candy.YMG
CF7G1Bolt Candy greatly increased attack power and physical abilities for a limited time.56TG
WazTeTUnlike Nut Candy, it could be used even without toy limbs equipped.fbDh0mp
y5W672hIt could only be obtained once in all of Happy Smile Factory and only through a secret quest.U5oz5su
pVTiIt was also the hidden item I had planned to find before Mo Haein returned to the laboratory.YK116
63yionBut for Tarantella to give me a Bolt Candy.SCg4Q
nwrkzIt was the first time I had ever seen a boss hand over a hidden item.0Fdddl4
gJDThe toys of HasFac hate adults.BhJf6
kW3bEOn the True Ending route, the toys develop a certain degree of fondness toward the player, but in reality, it is closer to “they don’t hate him” than genuinely liking him.g3MXQc
ZEt4It was impossible for them to show affection as directly as giving gifts.iA2p
xEyONq‘Now that I think about it, Sad Smiley also asked me to become his owner.’p0aqgVT
dxGIWThe part about staying together forever was creepy, but if I thought about it carefully, it was still a sign of affection.URBUbi
m2khI stored the Bolt Candy away.Jlm
8MfThen I picked up the prince doll that had fallen to the floor and reattached its limbs.guA76P
Z6PDJmLAfter completing the doll, I stored it in my inventory.5iy
ps1I also took the opportunity to loot a triangular flask filled with rainbow-colored liquid.wdLwn
SKSkF7As I walked, I found myself thinking.uAru
AH4l‘What if there’s another ending besides the True Ending?’eUNOED
YRaoSnpAs I reviewed everything that had happened, I could only find one difference.AywMEG
2GVFSCThe blood that had fallen onto Sad Smiley.8f5
pbg7In the game, except during specific events, objects never became stained with blood even if the player was injured.LJvU
BVNQL3z‘First, let’s do what I need to do.’7g14
dvqr6kIt had taken a lot of effort to create an opportunity to separate from Park Seonggyeon and Mo Haein.Wpe1JB1
q1SvlI didn’t have time to stand around thinking.TPYTy7
NWyI left the laboratory and headed for the next stage.2hxB
surTvSThe warehouse.2bhqPr
Uxy3DevI scanned the prince doll’s pupil to open the warehouse door and entered.ISv
lk0IbuInside was a secret area.2bFWoV
KOWE0It was a place that could normally only be discovered by gathering pages from a sketchbook scattered throughout the factory, crafting an item, and solving a clue based on that item.3Crotn
qnnThe contents of those pages were as follows.Qa5
r1Toty6Unknown Page #11QYjw
3vBgFTo save the sick princess, the prince summoned an evil demon.jUMw
kD4bnWUnknown Page #24yn
SW4xAOThe princess recovered her health thanks to the demon’s power.dz4me
hKTBut she ended up becoming a horrible monster!bIfcK2c
NJpUnknown Page #39kL5K
KSonR4Locked inside a tower, the princess lives an eternal life.T98
ZASmBTThe princess hates having become a monster and wishes to die.zwx89
N6oUnknown Page #4Q95Nguh
HA9TL1But no matter what she does, she cannot die.44S
eX1Forever.ZqsG
awAQeIUnknown Page #59kp
0nWNiThe enraged princess pushed the prince from the tower.iSi7OJ
x7pCThe prince died, shattered into pieces.oQhJcg
OaPSThe princess looked upon the prince’s fragments and envied his death.9f3F
hlwuYDJWhen all five pages were gathered, they transformed into an item.vYB3
KemWUnknown StorybookE3Etw
Yv6ApLA crude storybook drawn with crayons on notebook paper.RWhq
TRbbV5It appears to have been made by a child.9Zx1dD
Y9WXSZAnd at the end of the book, an additional page appeared.7eZ
5CYhiwanttodieiwanttodieiwanttodieiwanttodiemurdermemurdermemurdermedeathdeathdeathCEsEWk
UuCIt was a story that cut straight through the core of HasFac’s main plot.bdrnqOC
m3SY7mBut I already knew all the clues provided by the book.2dXlm
U63gWPAI didn’t need to search the entire factory to gather the pages.qc2f
3cUbInstead, I obtained a set of tarot cards hidden in the warehouse.r6C4c
npwTSOne depicted a crown.t1W
MMWx0The other depicted a tower.qrzZQQ
jyozTThey were symbols that appeared in the storybook.ZCmY
FHQQvAfterward, I approached an old metal filing cabinet placed in a secluded corner, so well hidden that it was barely visible.VKmw
9RtI pulled on the door.Zf7y5W
63EClunk.3BbZ
5DgIt8It only made a noise.60plO
lzOIt didn’t open.EX1
jPnKzfPIt appears to be locked.NRrLwfk
Z4tIn the game, that exact message appeared.LGAf
Ctv3But if you persisted and tried opening the door more than ten times.4A8
8CHm2VEThe filing cabinet door broke!fxMfOXV
1vBThe door would eventually open, accompanied by a system message.b3717dc
wBuAYThis time, no notification appeared.xk2i
gopOnly the sound of the lock breaking could be heard.9kzuPp
2tXHlWhen the door opened, a rain of doll fragments fell onto the floor.OA7Y
laghAll of them were pieces of shattered prince dolls.CNFgD0
iXL5aI emptied the cabinet’s interior.QJC170C
gZ8Then I placed the complete prince doll inside, along with the items I had obtained in the laboratory and the warehouse.KxIoV
bYPm0After that, I closed the door.x6HAP
uAfCAn intense light began to shine through the gaps.s1D
cIaB5I waited until it went out.EzIQy
Kq2FWmZThen I opened the filing cabinet again.9sFM
LGhC2zAll the other items had disappeared.4EgU
2pcOnly a single Bolt Candy remained.0Kk1m6
7t5Rixr‘Now I have two Bolt Candies.’MneJoKd
CTHIt was an item of which I had never managed to obtain two copies.Eptit
2YXY5j0While thinking about how to use them, I summoned a system window.SWmSn
RQ50UE‘Park Seonggyeon’s Status Window.’Sg9z
QzGZmpWhen I checked it, I discovered that there had been no major changes.4voA3
FcDHe had only consumed one Nut Candy.KNn
bdZpGxThen I remembered something.7jD
g1uF1When I had sent him messages earlier, I had been able to see his system windows.9Bb0
3uuNormally, it wasn’t possible to see other people’s windows.8jvcC7
GZ527I had probably been able to see them because those messages had been created by me.sojOst
bqK‘But if I’m the System, shouldn’t I be able to see everything from the beginning?’1Jib
vdR71As soon as I formed that reasonable question, a window appeared.Lmma
uy4o0NYour abilities are insufficient.iba
mCiQA08It seemed the system was too lazy to repeat explanations.1g76lOF
RN9JqThe answer was incredibly dry.RYKxo
cjmhdI had already obtained the information I wanted.F3ocjfj
bwvLXusSo I ignored its lack of enthusiasm.ecFYlXY
IibwUBRWhile waiting for Mo Haein to arrive, I prepared a few things in advance.kJl
3oeDrFdBetween the warehouse and the next stage, there was a running section.GbP
wuedqYou had to run while dodging the debris of a collapsing building.8RyzLq
MqICFtSo I went ahead and removed some obstacles.RUBwsN
dYv9nObJust as I moved the last chair, Mo Haein appeared.moWUC
8OZ8J“Haah… You… how…?”MSeAyko
jYAqaIt looked as though she had run here risking her life.0lRunEQ
PLAcShe was breathing heavily.pzpsBY
l6Zw4Holding onto the warehouse door, she stared at me in a daze from head to toe.bi3
eKtNVMAfter confirming that I was completely unharmed, she clenched her teeth.k4ZAq
zLBu9WOThen she walked straight toward me.EADkkv6
GLbMFUWith the Black Moon Blade in her hand.mv4Q
KwuMThe black obsidian tip stopped just beneath my chin.PsoC
OeBK6U2Mo Haein looked up at me and asked.Jjd4Vz1
hZGc“Civilian.”BolcSJw
Phv1“Yes?”szeAF
t26G“You can see the system windows, can’t you?”XFO
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