Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 34: Serial Murder in the Middle of the Night (4)

AA crashed right next to the dollhouse.

It took him only a few seconds to regain his footing and look up again.

When he realized that I had left the balcony, his face contorted violently.

Oh, speaking of facial expressions.

The mastermind of this incident, “AA,” who was ranting below, did not have a human head. Not figuratively, but literally.

Perched atop his immaculate suit was the head of a black goat, reminiscent of the devil himself.

When a person awakens to a story, his or her appearance resembles the character in the story.

It was no coincidence that he took on the characterization of Mephisto and took on a devilish appearance at the same time.

The story he created probably contains a story about a pact with a demon but that doesn’t tell me much about his other abilities.

It’s not uncommon for demons to be depicted with black goat heads.

I wouldn’t know what to expect, or even if I’d have a chance, until I came face to face with it.

“I don’t know where he’s gone again…but I won’t miss him.”

AA muttered as he trampled on the puppet.

Surely there’s enough distance between him and me.

Nevertheless, every sound AA made was as close and loud as inside a movie theater.

Thanks to this, I was able to time my moves to the sound of the doll’s head being stomped on.

[Doll damage: 91%]

[Proceed to self-destruct.]

Kwaaang-!!!

There was a loud explosion, and all the lights in the amusement park flickered in unison.

Flaming fabric fluttered through the black smoke, and sidewalk blocks and streetlights flew away from the impact.

Silence fell where the explosion had left off.

The theme song from the amusement park faded into noise, and the black smoke moved and dispersed in silence.

As the smoke cleared, AA was revealed.

Despite the destruction of everything around him, he showed no signs of trauma.

His suit was only slightly charred.

“Krrr…….”

AA looked up at the roof I was on and raised his arms in the air once more.

A loud clap filled the amusement park.

Like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake, the lights came back on in every area where the sound hit.

The Ferris wheel and merry-go-round spun again, while the roller coaster sped down the track at high speed.

As my surroundings brightened, a strong spotlight appeared above my head, where there was nothing.

An intense light is shining on me.

[You’ve been spotted.]

At the same time, the AA who spotted me jumped up high and rushed toward me.

“Wait, what is this……!!”

There was no time to guess what the ability was.

I immediately fired a grappling hook at the other roof and started running as far away as I could.

I landed on the opposite roof with a tug on the tightly secured wire, fired another hook at the other roof, and moved on but the distance between me and AA was not growing.

I’m barely keeping up, and the spotlight on me doesn’t go away.

There was only one outcome if I continued to focus on running away so I needed another way to turn the tables.

I had to get rid of the spotlight that was constantly giving away my location.

[Puppetry of the Dead]

[Build 3 puppets.]

I made a puppet out of part of the roof and pushed it toward the pursuing AA.

As soon as it saw AA, it lunged at him like a zombie, but with a swipe of his hand, it was easily destroyed, barely having time to self-destruct.

The end of the other two puppets was no different.

With a simple flick of his hand as he passed by, the black demon sent them flying away and shattering.

‘It’s enough.’

The spotlight on me faded.

As the puppets lunged at AA, my presence was diminished, and the light shone on them instead.

Soon the puppets were all destroyed, reverting to brick and cement.

The lights, having lost their target, turned off without returning to me.

Okay, the immediate fire is out but even without the lights, AA didn’t miss me.

I had to stop and confront him now while I had any stamina left.

I leapt off the roof, fired a hook into the rails of a nearby roller coaster, and jumped onto it.

As I follow the rail into the interior and duck under it, AA climbs onto the rail and quickly closes the distance.

[You are considered undetected.]

And just like that, there was a gap.

I duck behind the barrier as the black devil is in pursuit.

I cranked up the power of my suppression rod to its maximum and swung it at the head of the black goat, which was charging at full speed.

[You were spotted.]

The best attack I could do.

Red electricity coursed through AA’s body, paralyzing him but it was only for a moment.

The black demon swung his white-gloved hand, knocking me hard against the wall.

“Ugh……!!!”

“You finally gave up.”

I let go of the baton.

Even if I tried to run, I’d be caught in an instant, and my right hand was shaking and not quite strong enough.

“It’s a shame, isn’t it, that you’ve gotten yourself into more trouble than you can handle, and now you’re being chased to your death?”

He spoke in a dramatic tone, a far cry from the chat.

The red glow that had been present a moment ago had faded, as if he was already convinced of victory.

There was no need to call it complacency. It was true that I couldn’t win with my strength alone.

Having two stories and not being able to win had a lot to do with the incompatibility of my story, which specialized in infiltration, but there was a more fundamental problem, the difference in awareness.

It was clear that the mastermind in front of me had a high profile even before he planned the murder.

“Ugh……!!!”

AA grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the ground.

The animal’s head filled my vision, and the force on my neck was unbearable.

I didn’t dare try to pry it off with my hands, knowing that resisting would end my life immediately.

“In my experiments, I’ve found that in any event, it’s the ‘drivers’ and ‘reactors’ of the event that gain recognition.”

“…….”

“This means that when you do something for recognition, it benefits people who don’t have the same agenda as you. The villain is the star of the story.”

His analysis was spot-on.

If you’re gaining recognition for a real-life event, your antagonist is also gaining recognition.

“But the solution to this problem was actually pretty simple. What was it?”

“……You mean… dealing with the ‘reactors’?”

“Exactly. Once the villain is dead, only the hero remains.”

The stranglehold on my throat grew stronger and stronger.

It was hard to even squeeze out a word anymore.

As my consciousness faded away, AA’s voice was the only thing still clear.

“So blame the rules. If it weren’t for the complicated rules, I wouldn’t bother with you.”

……But it’s not over yet.

Even though my consciousness was about to be lost, it still remained.

I lifted my left hand slightly and snapped my fingers to make a sound.

-Yeeeee.

The drone responded to the sound and began to fly.

The first piece of Seol Do-yeon’s work that I had kept in my inventory responds to the flick of a finger, activates, and automatically shoots.

It was just a gimmick, made for show.

For now, it was more than adequate, and it fired a barrage of machine gun fire at the black demon’s back.

“You think that’s going to work, do you?”

The AA laughed at my outburst and ignored the bullets.

The initial shot didn’t do enough damage.

The only thing that had any effect on him was the deafening noise of the machine guns and propellers.

It was loud enough to drown out the sound of……my movement.

Timing it just right, I pushed AA off his feet with all my might, then I fired a grappling hook toward the ceiling.

AA was knocked back a bit, then regained his footing and climbed over the rail to catch me.

Boom!!!

At that moment, the moving roller coaster hit AA, who was standing on the rail.

The black devil’s body flew high into the air like a scene from an OST music video.

Meanwhile, I fired a hook at the departing roller coaster and quickly moved away from him.

“Kolok, Kolok…….”

I tried to catch my breath, but it wasn’t easy.

I was flying at the same speed as the roller coaster, coughing so hard that my vision went black and white.

-Thud!

I released my grapple hook just in time to see the ground crash down on top of a nearby building.

I was far enough away from the place I’ve just been in.

The spotlight had been removed, so I must have done a good job of separating the demon.

I had time to catch my breath and recover.

“……whoa.”

I sat back against the wall and rested for a moment but my exhaustion didn’t return.

My neck ached from the strain. My right arm, which had hit the ground on the way down to the roof, wouldn’t budge.

Fighting from the front was now completely impossible.

The only good news was that I had finally learned enough about AA to identify his traits.

[You have identified the traits your opponent possesses.]

[Your skill level has increased +3.8%.]

Even his name.

—

[Ready, Action A+]

Causes a ‘dramatic’ phenomenon to occur continuously towards a person at the location you specify!

However, what happens can vary from place to place and cannot be controlled.

As the level increases, the range that can be specified also increases.

* This trait originated from a manga created by Jung Sewon.

—

A circus performer, a director, an action actor, etc.

In any story, if the main character specializes in “directing” something, it’s a common trait to awaken.

In Dreams game, it’s an event-only trait that only bosses have.

It’s a convenient set-up to explain why various gimmicks appear in the place where the boss fight takes place.

It was a trait I wasn’t familiar with but I had to go to the point of death to figure it out.

Still, it’s almost done.

I’ve finally figured out a way to get out of this situation.

I grabbed a spray cure from my inventory and sprayed it all over my right arm.

Now I could at least hold my grappling hook and shoot again.

I fired the hook at the biggest, most prominent thing in the park, the top of the Ferris wheel, glowing with color and spinning slowly.

It’s so prominent, I’m sure Jung Sewon would know I’m up here, no matter where he is.

I lifted the riot baton at full power.

Then, looking in the direction of Jung Sewon, I jumped through the gap in the Ferris wheel.

What I’m about to do is crazy, even to think about it.

I’m about to do something that can’t possibly happen.

Using the unwritten rules of reality, and the specifics of this space, which are affected by [Ready, Action].

Anything unusual and dangerous can happen here.

I swung the baton with all my might at the center of the spinning Ferris wheel.

Boom!

After the loud boom, the Ferris wheel’s lights flickered briefly.

The lights flickered at a faster and faster rate as the bottom support that held the heavy Ferris wheel in place tilted slightly.

Kukukung……!!!

The Ferris wheel lowered to the ground and began to roll through the amusement park like a giant wheel.