Chapter 40: First Test, Carousel of Madness.

Finally encountered, the trial grounds of the gods, the [Amusement Park].

Before the bizarre entrance gate, the likes of which she had never seen, Aki unknowingly gripped her sword tightly.

A colossal, black gate stood at the entrance of the amusement park.

But its appearance was far from ordinary.

‘Especially that smiling face….’

Aki bit her lower lip.

Superficially, it seemed to welcome visitors,

But the unnaturally wide, torn mouth and eyes created a sense of unease.

As if it intended to devour everything the moment one stepped inside.

Even as a hero who had weathered countless battles in a past life, she felt a chilling dread crawl up her spine.

Aki frowned and muttered softly.

“…What is this?”

“It certainly seems like no ordinary dungeon.”

A hero who had similarly journeyed from hell to Elysium,

The Minotaur murmured with a sigh.

He was right.

These trial grounds felt strange for a dungeon.

Dungeons were usually,

Ruins, underground passages, or collapsed temples, for the most part.

However—.

This place was overflowing only with smiles, as if saying ‘Welcome, guests’.

The entrance gate.

The statues behind the entrance gate.

Even the hideously shaped monsters roaming the dungeon.

Yet, it didn’t feel welcoming at all.

Because, without exception, they were all equally creepy, making it hard to rank them.

Their smiles were not of welcome,

But brimming with a grotesque malevolence.

The more she looked around,

The more beings with strangely identical expressions stood lined up.

All bearing the same torn mouths and hollow-looking eyes.

Of course—.

They were always sincerely welcoming their guests.

The entrance gate,

The statues behind the entrance gate.

Even the horned creatures that sensed presence from afar,

Trembling uncontrollably with joy.

Following their master’s will, they greeted the newly arrived guests again with bright smiles.

This was the most important task assigned to this place,

And being more obedient to their creator than anyone, they were doing their best.

‘Welcome!’

‘Nice to meet you!’

‘Come on in!’

The problem was—.

That sincerity absolutely,

Not even slightly,

Not even 1%,

Never reached the guests.

Aki heard fearful murmurs from behind her.

Someone gagged,

Someone denied reality, muttering, ‘This is a nightmare.’

And someone’s hand, gripping a sword, trembled uncontrollably.

What on earth is this place?

Aki took a deep breath.

She felt gazes watching her from afar.

Aki tightened her grip on her sword.

She realized something was fundamentally wrong here.

At that moment.

Something rushed towards them.

Rrrrr!!

Horns jutting from both sides of their heads.

Giant clubs as large as their bodies.

And,

Faces bearing chilling smiles.

The hideous monsters positioned throughout the amusement park,

Charged at the guests with the utmost spirit of service, as if it were the most natural thing to do.

Dozens, no, hundreds of faces,

Simultaneously opening their vacant eyes and identically torn mouths.

Greeting the guests in their own way,

They rushed forward all at once with frenzied passion.

And—.

Screeeeeeeeech—

Though no one had touched it,

The giant entrance gate opened by itself.

As if asking if you could handle it.

The frenzied ‘welcome’ rushing towards them.

Some fled,

Some froze, staring intently.

However,

“Heh, interesting.”

Aki looked at the horned monsters and smirked.

It had been a long time.

This feeling of blood boiling.

Her long-dormant fighting spirit finally felt like it was igniting.

If this place was the ‘Trial Grounds’,

Then one had to pass the test set by someone.

“Alright, come at me all at once!”

Aki’s eyes began to gleam sharply.

Thud!

The last one was sent flying.

The horned monsters that had charged them, swinging weapons,

And the grotesque horses that ran at incredible speed, capturing people and dragging them away, were dealt with.

Aki’s lightly swung sword,

Literally sliced through the bizarre phantoms dominating the amusement park.

And the Minotaur also,

Swung his axe relentlessly, covering Aki.

The axe, wielded with terrifying strength, shattered the monsters’ bodies into pieces.

After felling the last enemy, the Minotaur gasped for breath.

“…Ha, there’s no end to them.”

“What? Clumsy Cow Mister, you’re pretty good, huh?”

The Minotaur turned his head to look at Aki.

Aki was covering her mouth with one hand, chuckling, ‘Pfft’.

The Minotaur sighed and slung his axe over his shoulder.

“I’m a bull, not a cow. Anyway, you seem pretty capable yourself.”

“Ohoho, of course, right? I’m different from clumsy guys like you?”

Aki nonchalantly twirled her sword with a relaxed expression.

The Minotaur let out a hollow laugh.

But despite his weary expression, a spark of interest flickered in his eyes.

She was confident.

She had earned the right to be.

Most people,

Would have collapsed from exhaustion due to the endless stamina of those monsters.

But Aki merely caught her breath,

Showing no intention of giving up, nor any sign of major fatigue.

Her fighting spirit burned solely towards the mysterious twin altars visible ahead.

“So, we just need to deal with those two to clear this?”

“Seems like it.”

Two identical circular altars.

They emanated,

An entirely different atmosphere from the monsters encountered so far.

If the others felt like minions,

Those two altars were something different.

In some ways, they looked like structures,

In others, they felt alive.

Seeing the horses they had defeated,

Hanging from them and spinning around—.

“Hmm? Are they really altars for sacrificing offerings?”

“Those horses earlier seemed like they were trying to capture sacrifices.”

“Heh, they’re vicious little things, aren’t they~?”

Was it the drawback of reusing designs?

Or was it a problem with the design itself?

It was just—.

One turning at a modest speed of 10 km/h, the other at 100 km/h,

Simply ordinary carousels.

They never found out.

They only felt that the battles so far had been mere skirmishes.

The few remaining survivors gripped their weapons anew.

At that moment—.

As if waiting, a notification window popped up in front of everyone.

[1st Trial – ‘Carousel of Madness’]

[Objective: Conquer.]

Aki and the Minotaur checked the notification simultaneously.

“Haha! So it comes to this, huh?”

“I suspected, but this thing is the 1st trial?”

The Minotaur raised his axe.

Aki also tightened her grip on her sword.

“Still, it’s a relief.”

“What is?”

“It looks much more interesting than the guys we’ve fought so far.”

Aki smirked and aimed her sword.

She looked at the twin altars and raised the corners of her mouth.

“Mister, let’s split up and take them down?”

“Are you sure?”

“Hoho, of course? I’m not like a cow mister, you know?”

At that moment.

As if on cue, the two carousels began to move.

One rotated slowly at 10 km/h,

While the other erupted in madness, spinning wildly at 100 km/h.

The two identically shaped structures, with their stark speed difference,

Spread fear in their own ways, like living beings with contrasting personalities.

Aki raised her hand high and said.

“I’ll take the fast one.”

“Then I’ll take the slow one.”

The two charged forward simultaneously.

[1st Trial – ‘Carousel of Madness’]

The Minotaur’s axe scraped the floor and bounced up.

At that moment, the carousel moving slowly at 10 km/h twitched bizarrely.

It was the same movement as the horses that had been roaming around.

Giant black hands, which failed to become wings due to the creator’s skill issue,

Shot out rapidly from the center of the carousel.

Fingers,

Or more accurately,

Feathers twitched, just as they were about to reach the Minotaur—.

Kwaaaaang—!

He swung his giant axe.

“The best way to deal with slowpokes is just to smash them.”

With a powerful impact sound, the horses were chopped into pieces and scattered on the ground.

As he swung his axe, the carousel’s structure was literally shattered.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side,

A battle led by Aki was in full swing.

“Haha! It really is fast, isn’t it?”

Aki leaped onto the carousel.

A ride spinning madly at 100 km/h.

Aki deftly dodged the hands, easily leaping towards the center.

However—.

The carousel accelerated further, trying to capture Aki.

“Hey, that’s cheating!”

Aki plunged her sword into the center of the carousel.

Crack!

The carousel’s center split apart.

Black hands shot out from the horses and grabbed her, but she had anticipated it.

Aki smiled after being caught, her arm fully extended.

“Stop, you flimsy obstacle~!”

With a fierce explosion, the central pillar broke,

And the ride spinning at 100 km/h rapidly lost its balance.

The carousel’s movement had been stopped instantly by her sheer strength.

Soon, the other side also,

Collapsed under the Minotaur’s fierce axe blows.

Eventually.

Both carousels came to a complete stop.

[‘You have… conquered the ‘Carousel of Madness’!]

[The next trial is unlocked.]

A moment later, a victory message announcing their triumph appeared.

They had done it.

Aki and the Minotaur walked out from the wreckage of their respective carousels.

It was different from what they expected,

But they had completely cleared the first trial of this place.

At that moment—.

A pure white light enveloped the survivors, including Aki and the Minotaur.

“Oho? What’s this, what’s this? A portal?”

“Even the method of transport is puzzling.”

Just before they were swallowed by the light,

Aki looked down one last time at the fallen carousel.

The faces of the horses, smashed into the ground, their rotation stopped.

The sight of them still smiling with their torn mouths was strangely unsettling.

Aki smiled and sheathed her sword.

“What do you think the next trial will be?”

“Who knows.”

And so, they were moved outside the [Amusement Park].

‘What, this is manageable, isn’t it?’

Aki thought so.

The regeneration and defense that let them keep getting up after being knocked down were annoying, but—.

Their attack power was abysmal.

Their attack patterns were simple too.

Maybe because it was the first trial.

The high speed was a bit challenging, but it wasn’t too difficult to defeat them.

However—.

She didn’t know.

That the next trial awaiting them was far more vicious.

A few days later,

A single notification window appeared for those who had passed the 1st trial.

[2nd Trial – Eco-Friendly Super Hyper Extreme Bumper Car Battle!]

[Objective: Survive.]

Aki, waiting in the trial grounds, tilted her head.

“Bumper cars? What are those?”

“No idea.”

At that moment.

Those who passed the 1st trial were simultaneously transported to a new location.