Chapter 42: The guests keep coming in!

Sanctuary of Resurrection.

Second trial, first attempt.

32 participants.

Total annihilation.

The participants, one by one, settled down with dazed expressions.

Someone bit their lip tightly,

Someone muttered while banging their head against the wall.

‘God of Flame,’ they said. …I have eight grandchildren, and I’m the God of Flame.’

“Ack, did I really say that?”

“I told you so, lousy auntie~. Can’t even beat some lousy hallucinogenic mushroom, so lousy, lousy.”

And.

The biggest cause of this total annihilation,

And the most severe victim, the Minotaur, was still hallucinating.

He was giggling foolishly while talking to a pebble on the floor.

“Hello, Tulip. Following me all the way here, must be fate.”

“……That lousy cow. Still like that?”

Aki muttered with an exasperated face.

But everyone else just nodded helplessly.

“I never imagined even Lord Minotaur would end up like this.”

“Just touching the spores makes you dizzy, you know?”

“…Hehe, bouquet. Hehehe.”

“Lord Minotaur, please come to your senses!”

Sighs erupted from here and there.

Amidst it all, Aki, facing reality, clapped her hands.

“Hey, you lousy lot, everyone quiet down—!”

At Aki’s command, the sanctuary fell silent for a moment.

Even the Minotaur, who was whispering sweet nothings to the pebble,

Blinked for a second, then lowered his head, muttering, “The gorilla is angry.”

“Who are you calling a gorilla, you stupid cow!”

“Hey, hey. Aki. You shouldn’t grab a madman… no, a mad bull by the collar.”

“Urrrrgh!”

As if throwing a shot put,

Aki hurled the Minotaur with a 50-rotation full swing, then dusted off her hands and continued speaking.

“Anyway, we can’t go on like this. We need some kind of plan.”

“Aki’s right. If we go back in this state, we’ll just get wiped out again.”

“Among those issues……. what do we do about the hallucinations?”

Everyone glanced at the Minotaur embedded in the wall.

The mad bull, upper body completely stuck in the wall, giggling foolishly, was truly a picture of insanity.

A sense of crisis began to spread among the participants.

One of Elysium’s great heroes, the Minotaur.

If even he ended up like that, there was no way the others could remain unaffected.

More importantly.

Everyone had the same thought.

Even if they died or were eliminated,

They absolutely did not want to end up like the Minotaur.

One person, pondering seriously, raised their hand.

“That mushroom. Isn’t there some kind of antidote? Something you spray or drink to make the hallucinations disappear.”

“There is, but I don’t know if it’ll work here.”

“Then there’s no choice.”

Aki muttered, resting her chin on her hand.

“…Let’s test if it’s applicable. And collect some spores too.”

“What? Go back in again?!”

“Are you crazy?! It’s hell in there!”

Aki nodded as if it were obvious.

Several participants protested angrily towards her.

Aki picked her ear nonchalantly and replied indifferently.

“If you don’t like it, pack your bags and go home. It’s survival, so if I just last 5 minutes alone, it’s a gain for me, right, lousy sirs?”

“…Wait. Then how about we try participating one by one?”

“Oh? Not a bad idea? Hold on, I’ll try applying to participate.”

Aki confidently pressed the [Participate] button.

Then—.

The same notification window appeared before everyone in the sanctuary.

[2nd Trial, 30 seconds remaining until restart.]

[The trial ground is the same, vehicles will be randomly assigned.]

The participants’ faces instantly turned pale.

That’s right.

The 2nd trial had a vicious system where if one person applied to participate,

The system randomly forced other unsuccessful candidates (up to 50 total) to join.

“And…. I hope many guests come.”

“Yes. Many, very many. Continuously, without stopping.”

Her head might be in the clouds,

But this rule was made by a goddess who possessed the minimal discernment to yield to pressure.

Of course, the intention was good.

Because bumper cars are rides that are more fun with lots of people.

The fun of bumper cars.

Bellia’s demands.

It was a rule that could satisfy all those things.

The problem was—.

32 people passed the 1st trial.

There were 50 bumper cars.

Which meant,

Everyone currently in the Sanctuary of Resurrection was automatically participating.

“Huhu, with this much, Bellia won’t come barging in, right?”

A level of compulsion even notorious plugins would shy away from.

The goddess, lacking a sense of reality, adjusted the trial grounds and smiled brightly.

The Sanctuary of Resurrection instantly filled with panic.

“What the! Why can’t I cancel—!”

“I’m not mentally prepared yeeeeet—!”

“Tehee. Let’s just use this chance to test things out~.”

“What test can we run without the antidote potion! You crazy go—”

However—.

Sadly, his words didn’t reach Aki.

[The 2nd Trial will now begin.]

And so, once again, the gates of mushroom hell opened.

Taking even the Minotaur, still stuck in the wall spouting nonsense, along with them.

Sitting before the pond, half excited and half nervous, I checked on the amusement park.

“……Ria, will many guests come?”

“Of course♡ There won’t even be room to stand, I’m sure♡”

Ria’s definite answer eased my anxiety little by little.

My heart started pounding.

I looked up at Ria and asked again.

“Will they really come in droves……? Enough to form a waiting line?”

“Yes♡ Probably so many that you’ll be busy checking on each guest, Senior?”

“Heehee. I really hope so!”

Ria smiled and patted my head.

Let’s imagine.

Guests lined up far in front of the main gate.

People riding the cute bumper cars and smiling brightly.

And even pictures of them happily taking photos with the Horned Creatures!

“Horned Creature, world’s best… popularity explosion…. mass media.. Heehee—.”

“Kya, Senior lost in delusions is so cute too♡”

I sat quietly and earnestly clasped my hands together.

All that needs to happen is for the guests to come.

Laughing, enjoying themselves.

Taking pictures with the Horned Creatures too.

Guests leaving with loads of good memories.

…That’s all I need.

Because I built this amusement park for that purpose.

“Ah?! Guests are coming?!”

“It looks like more are coming than last time♡”

“Uh-huh!”

I nodded, my eyes sparkling.

Beyond the pond, a dreamlike scene was unfolding.

Guests appearing one by one in the distance.

Pegasus ran around welcoming them,

And the Horned Creatures began waving cheerfully at the guests.

Occasionally—,

Guests running towards the Horned Creatures would fly off into the distance as if they had urgent business.

Even so, the Horned Creatures’ popularity showed no sign of cooling down.

“Go, Horned Creatures! Your popularity is exploding today too!”

“The Pegasus are much faster too♡”

“Yep! I enhanced their speed to make it more fun! It gets boring if it’s always the same!”

“To think you considered even that. As expected of you, Senior♡”

“Eheh—.”

Amazing,

Lovely,

An amusement park where everyone becomes happy.

Everything I’ve dreamed of is unfolding before my eyes right now.

Guests playing tag with the Horned Creatures.

Guests riding Pegasus and joyfully racing through the amusement park.

And.

Even guests boarding the neatly repaired carousel.

“But, why is that guest attacking the carousel!”

“Hmm, perhaps the carousel looks so fun that they resort to violence?”

“Eek?! Even so, violence is bad…….”

I shook my head vigorously side to side.

It seems I’ll have to build a few more carousels.

‘To satisfy more guests!’

The moment I made that resolution—.

A notification popped up that the amusement park’s second ride, my masterpiece,

The bumper cars, were operating.

“Waaaaah—!”

“It’s finally the first run!”

“Yep, yep! All the guests should board!”

I stared intently beyond the pond.

The guests who had just entered were walking towards the bumper cars one by one.

‘Let’s see, have they all boarded?’

However—.

Contrary to my hopes, a third of the seats were empty.

I puffed out my cheeks and grumbled.

“Ugh, why are there only lots of people at the carousel! The bumper cars should be super fun too!”

“Word of mouth is important, you know, Senior♡ Once rumors spread about the bumper cars like they did for the carousel, people will flood in♡”

“You think so?”

“Of course♡”

I hope it turns out like Ria said.

I watched, hoping the first guests would properly enjoy the bumper cars.

And,

Before long, one of the arena pillars was destroyed.

“…Eh.”

“Looks like destruction is a hobby for the people around here.”

“Mhm. This must be a cultural difference….”

But it is a bit strange.

The people from Orpheus’s village were all kind and gentle.

‘Wait. Could it be….’

At that moment, something flashed in my mind.

“…My amusement park.”

“Wh-Why, what’s wrong? Senior?”

My eyes widened.

“It must be so fun that it increases aggression.”

“……Pardon?”

Ria tilted her head, looking confused.

As a kind senior, I kindly shared the fact I had just realized.

“You know how when games are too fun, people get immersed and start hitting things and getting angry—!”

“…Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense, Senior♡”

“Right? Right?! That must be it!”

I nodded vigorously while looking at Ria.

People’s aggression was a ‘measure of fun’!

“This must be! It’s because the rides I made are too much fun!”

“Yes♡ That could be it♡”

“Hitting the carousel, the explosions happening in the bumper cars! Even charging into the pillars! It’s all a result of people being unable to control their emotions!”

“I see, as expected of Senior! Amazing♡”

Ria beamed and hugged me.

Why? Somehow, I felt choked up and tears welled up slightly.

However—.

The tears dried up quickly.

Because the guests couldn’t even last 5 minutes in those easy bumper cars before being entirely eliminated.