Kya-hi-ha-ha-ha!!"
A horrifying laugh.
That cursed laughter—deep and resonant—didn't just echo from the walls of this new, dark corridor. It felt as if it was echoing inside my skull.
My status screen was still displaying those ominous words that had appeared after the catastrophic mutation of the "Annoying Goblin Maze" gate.
[Warning! Severe Narrative Instability Detected!]
[Emergency Protocol Activated… Reinitializing Narrative…]
[Original Gate Rank: F]
[Hidden Evolution Condition: Entry Number 555]
[Current Counter: 555/555 – Condition Activated!]
[New Narrative Forming…]
[New Narrative Title: Carnival of Stolen Faces (Rank A)]
Carnival of Stolen Faces… Rank A…
The words spun in my head like a mad windmill.
A supposedly safe F-rank gate for beginners suddenly turning into an A-rank… just because we happened to be the 555th group to enter it?
Does this universe hate me personally?
Or have I somehow become a magnet for disasters?
"W-who's there?! Show yourself, coward!" Rex shouted.
The muscular boy with the brave heart tried to sound confident, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
He stood in a fighting stance, massive fists raised, as if he were about to punch a ghost with his bare hands.
What a hero…
Or maybe just the first idiot who'll get eaten, I thought bitterly, my stomach tightening with dread.
Maya, our trembling team leader—the one I was starting to feel a strange mix of pity and sarcasm toward—was desperately checking her tablet.
But her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold it.
"N-no… there's nothing in the data about this! How can an F-rank gate—"
Meanwhile, Samuel Ko—the glasses boy who always looked on the verge of a panic attack—had already passed that stage.
He was pressed against the wall behind Rex, eyes wide with terror, looking like he wished the ground would split open and swallow him whole.
Honestly, I couldn't blame him.
"Oh, don't worry about those tiny, boring technical details, dear guests," the theatrical voice returned, closer this time.
It was a male voice—deep and rich—but laced with exaggerated, artificial cheerfulness.
Like a circus announcer introducing the most horrifying act of the night.
"You've arrived just in time for the grand festivities! The Carnival of Stolen Faces is about to begin its first performance of the season… and you are the stars of the show!"
"Shhhh…"
From deep within the corridor ahead—where the only light was a faint red glow leaking from somewhere unseen—shapes began to emerge.
They weren't small, mischievous goblins throwing rocks.
No.
These were… far worse.
Tall and thin figures moved with strange, unnatural grace, like marionettes pulled by invisible strings.
Their bodies were covered in what looked like clown costumes—colorful but tattered and decayed.
The colors were disturbingly vivid:
Blood-red like an open wound.
Sickly yellow like pus.
Bruised blue like rotting flesh.
But their faces…
They had no faces at all.
Instead, each wore a blank white mask—the kind seen in silent mime performances meant to evoke unease.
But these masks were different.
They looked alive somehow.
As if they were watching us with invisible eyes… waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Rank… A," I whispered.
Cold fear crawled across my skin, that familiar sensation that had become part of my everyday life in this world.
Those fragmented memories from the novel…
About a gate that mutated…
They weren't hallucinations.
Damn it…
Now I remembered.
In the novel, after the F-rank exploration arc ended, there had been a brief mention of first-year students mysteriously disappearing.
I covered my mouth in horror.
Later, it was said that Professor Aurora had personally eliminated an A-rank gate.
That was why I'd felt uneasy.
Why I'd felt something was wrong with the equation.
The academy had covered up the incident.
And now…
I was the one paying the price for that lie.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the eagerly waiting audience!" the theatrical voice continued.
It seemed to come from one of the masked creatures.
"Allow me to present… the Dancers of Delight!
Heralds of chaos!
Collectors of stolen smiles… and innocent faces!"
The masked creatures—the Dancers of Delight—began approaching us with eerie, dancing steps.
Like performers in a twisted ballet of death.
Their thin arms extended forward, fingers twitching as if searching for something to grasp…
—or to rip away.
"Stay away from us, you freaks!" Rex roared and charged forward like an idiot, throwing a powerful punch at the nearest masked creature.
"WHOOSH!"
His fist—strong enough to crush stone—passed straight through the creature's body.
Like punching through smoke.
"W-what?!"
Rex froze in shock.
"Hee-hee-hee…"
The creature wasn't affected at all.
It continued moving calmly, letting out a dry rustling laugh from behind its mask.
Intangible? I thought in alarm.
Or just illusions meant to torment us before killing us?
At that moment, my skill [Narrative Engineer Blueprint] activated again.
Desperately, I tried to understand the hidden rules of this cursed carnival before we became part of its decorations.
The blue panel appeared before me again.
The information flowing across it was far more complex—and far more terrifying—than before.
[Active Narrative Analysis: Carnival of Stolen Faces (Rank A) – "Guest Reception" Phase]
Current Story Objective:
Survive the Carnival Master's games until the show ends.
(Time limit unknown.)
Alternative Objective (Extremely Dangerous):
Defeat the Carnival Master in the game he chooses.
Hidden Conditions / Active Mechanics:
• Dancers of Delight (Masked Entities):
Loyal servants of the Carnival Master.
They cannot be harmed by conventional combat methods during this phase.
• Primary Objective:
Place Carnival Masks on all "guests" (players).
• The Attached Mask:
Once the mask touches a victim's face, it permanently bonds to them.
The victim loses their free will and conscious mind, becoming part of the carnival's Audience—a new obedient puppet in the show.
(Note: The body remains alive, but the will is gone.)
• Carnival Master ("Lord of Masks"):
A unique entity that loves games, deception, and theatrical performances.
Appears only when the "main game" begins or when sufficiently provoked.
• Gate Exit:
Completely sealed while the carnival is active.
• Gate Evolution Mechanism (Entry #555):
Successfully activated.
This gate is now a unique special event, with rules potentially more complex and unpredictable than normal A-rank gates.
Putting masks on victims… stealing their will…
Cold seeped into my bones.
So that's our fate if those masks touch us.
We become mindless puppets in this insane show.
"Watch the masks!" I shouted.
"Don't let them touch your faces—no matter what!"
But it was already too late.
Samuel Ko had frozen in fear for just a moment too long.
One of the dancers moved with terrifying speed.
I saw the blank white mask approach his face.
Then—
it fused to him.
"NOOO!" Samuel screamed.
Then suddenly… he went silent.
He stood there, motionless.
The white mask covered his entire face.
There were no eye holes.
No mouth.
Just a smooth, empty surface.
"Samuel?" Maya called nervously, approaching him slowly.
"Samuel… are you okay?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, his head slowly tilted upward.
His neck moved stiffly, unnaturally—like an old wooden puppet.
Then the mask changed.
A thin black crack appeared.
Like a mouth.
The crack widened.
Stretching into a grotesque grin filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Teeth Samuel had never possessed before.
Dear God…
He's changed.
The new "Samuel" released a dry rustling laugh identical to the other dancers.
Then he began walking toward us.
With the same disturbing dancing steps.
"Stay back! That's not Samuel!" Rex shouted.
At that exact moment, while everyone was focused on the transformed Samuel—
I felt something touch the back of my neck.
Ice-cold.
Like a piece of frozen metal.
I spun around instantly.
A dancer stood right behind me.
Its mask was only inches from my face.
Those thin fingers reaching forward.
Damn it! This is the end!
"BAM!"
I stumbled backward in panic, tripping and slamming hard against the stone floor.
Something cold brushed across my face.
I opened my eyes painfully.
The dancer leaned over me.
Its mask stared down silently.
Waiting.
Damn it…
So this is how I die.
Wearing a stupid clown mask.
But before the creature could finish the job—
a voice thundered across the chamber.
"Stop this nonsense, you miserable clowns!"
It was Maya.
Her face was pale as a ghost, but her eyes burned with stubborn determination.
She stood between me and the dancer, holding her tablet up like a shield.
"This training gate is F-rank!" she shouted into the darkness.
"What's happening here goes far beyond our training! Stop this immediately or I'll file an official complaint to Dean Hargrove and the UTA Explorer Ethics Committee!"
What are you doing…?
Desperate stupidity, I thought.
She still believed we were in an F-rank gate.
Does she really think a complaint will stop creatures that steal faces for fun?
"Heh… heh…"
A soft laugh echoed.
Then—
"KYAAHAHAHAHA!"
The Carnival Master burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"Complaint? Oh, brave and adorable little girl… do you truly believe Dean Hargrove holds any authority here?"
He paused dramatically.
"In the Carnival of Stolen Faces, I am the law."
"I am the director."
"And I decide when the show begins… and when the curtain falls."
"WHOOSH!"
From the deepest darkness at the far end of the corridor, a new figure emerged.
Taller.
More imposing.
Far more dangerous.
Nearly two meters tall.
He wore a long dark coat decorated with shimmering silver and gold threads.
A tall magician's hat sat upon his head.
And a golden mask—studded with dark gems—covered the upper half of his face.
Below it, a wide grin revealed sharp white teeth like a wolf's fangs.
In his hand he held a long black cane topped with a silver raven head with ruby eyes.
He was not human.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly," he said, bowing theatrically.
"I am the master of this delightful festival."
"You may call me…"
"The Lord of Masks."
His red eyes glowed faintly behind the mask.
"And now that our honored guests have finally arrived…"
He gestured toward the transformed Samuel.
"and the appetizers have been served…"
His grin widened.
"Let the main game begin."
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The ground trembled again.
The corridor expanded rapidly, transforming into a vast circular arena.
Colored lights appeared from nowhere, pulsing like a twisted circus tent.
Maya.
Rex.
And I—
stood at the center.
Surrounded by the slowly swaying Dancers of Delight.
Waiting.
Watching.
And in front of us stood the Lord of Masks, leaning on his cane with a terrifying smile.
Damn it… damn it… damn it…
The game had already begun.
And we were about to become the next act in his horrific performance.