Chapter 201: Inside a cartoon [3]

The main reason behind Kyle’s decision to enter the cartoon was simple.

’I need to buy enough time before reinforcements come.’

While Kyle wasn’t fully aware of the anomaly’s strength, he was still quite confident he’d be able to buy enough time for the Guild to arrive before it was too late.

Zoey followed right behind him.

"...I can’t believe I’m actually following you inside."

A strange, creeping suffocation settled over them as they stepped into the cartoon world. The sky above was a vivid orange, almost too bright, bleeding a sickly hue across the scene. The world looked simple at first glance.

A long, empty road lined with identical houses, each with a neatly trimmed garden and a small garage.

But something felt...

off.

It was far too quiet.

The usual cheerful figures that waved from porches were gone.

The air was still.

Dead still.

"Where is everyone...? I thought—"

"Shh."

Kyle pressed his finger against his mouth as he looked around.

His entire body was tense, and the strange sense of suffocation from before became even more apparent.

It was as if...

They were being watched.

’No, we are being watched.’

He looked around, trying to see where the eyes could be. However, regardless of where he looked, he couldn’t see a single thing.

In the end, he had no choice but to continue forward.

The goal was to buy time.

However, looking at how empty the space was, he realized that this was much harder than he expected.

’Where is he? No, where is everyone else...?’

Kyle’s brows furrowed tightly.

But then—

"Let me check."

Zoey stepped forward, her foot tapping against the ground.

Immediately, a bright light pulsed outward from the sole of her foot, expanding outward rapidly.

As a light elementalist, Zoey wasn’t particularly strong in direct combat. She could handle lesser anomalies well enough, but when facing opponents of equal rank, she often found herself outmatched. It wasn’t due to a lack of power, but because her strength lay in support, not offense.

From tracking, to marking targets, to illuminating the darkest corners. Zoey’s abilities covered a wide range of different abilities.

As she pulled her foot back, her eyes locked onto a specific point in the distance.

"I feel something over there. Let’s hurry."

"...Okay."

Kyle and Zoey sprinted forward, racing down the road as identical houses blurred past on either side.

They didn’t run very far when—

Squeak! Squeak!

A certain squeaking sound reverberated in the air, halting the two on the spot.

Slowly, their heads turned towards a certain spot, and their faces stiffened.

By the window of one of the houses stood a figure, clutching a horn in both hands. Its face was pale, stretched wide in an unnatural smile that didn’t move. It stared straight at them, unblinking.

Then—

"....!?"

Another figure stood near a tree, barely visible in the orange light. This one held a red balloon.

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It swayed slightly, though there was no wind.

A strange sensation rooted itself in Kyle and Zoey’s minds. Something about the balloon

pulled

at them.

Something—

CLANK!

One of the doors burst open, revealing a pale man with smiling lips and curly red wig.

Looking closely, each person seemed to hold a distinctive item that belonged to the clown, and Kyle and Zoey instantly understood what was happening.

"Don’t look! This must be the anchor for the hypnosis!"

With their experience, they were able to understand what was happening.

It was just unfortunate that—

"So it seems that we have guests here."

The appearance of the smiling people was just the start.

What followed was a soft, squeaky voice, unnaturally high and off-putting, as a sudden tension fell over the area, wrapping the surroundings.

Thud!

They heard the soft sound of a step coming from before them, and their bodies immediately tensed.

Kyle took several deep breaths, counting the steps before him.

’One, two, three...’

Despite the situation, his mind never stopped churning.

And then—

"Freeze!"

He slapped his hands together, and the surroundings froze.

Hastily raising his head, his gaze immediately fell on the clown figure standing before him, its smile flipped in the opposite direction. The skin around its mouth was cracked, as though the sudden flip of its smile had torn through the grin that had long since fossilized on its face.

Its head tilted slightly to one side, curly red hair matted against a pale, almost waxen face. It stood still, like a marionette waiting for its strings to be pulled.

In that very moment, staring at the clown, Kyle felt his heart skip a beat.

That was because...

’Eyes. Where are its eyes?’

...All he saw were two holes in place of where its eyes were supposed to be.

Kyle felt a sudden sense of dread as he stared at the clown, and just when he felt his breath start to leave his body, he saw the clown move.

"....?!"

It was just his hand, but that was enough to make Kyle’s head spin.

The anomaly should’ve been completely frozen in place by his skill. And yet, the fact that it could still move even a single hand told Kyle everything he needed to know about its capabilities.

And then—

The anomaly raised its hand to display a mirror. One where Kyle could see his own reflection, and it was in that moment that he saw it.

His widely pulled lips, and...

His missing eyes.

***

None of it escaped my sight.

Staring at the phone in front of me, I saw everything that was happening.

’How in the world did they get inside? No, why are they inside? Shouldn’t they be investigating the situation? Are they inside because of that?’

All sorts of thoughts and questions crossed my mind in that moment.

However, such thoughts faded when I saw Kyle’s eyes disappear. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, his lips soon pulled into a creepy smile.

"....!"

I understood then that the situation was about to turn for the worse.

But then...

Snap!

Zoey reacted, and Kyle managed to snap out of it somewhat.

His smile grew a little thinner, but it was still present.

As for his eyes...

They were still missing.

Watching as Kyle raised his hand to touch his face in search of his eyes, I knew that I couldn’t remain still. Slowly, my head turned towards the little girl before me, and I tried to move my body.

However, that proved to be a hopeless endeavor as I realized that I was frozen in place.

Unlike before, I could now move my hand and body a little. However, I knew that any little movement would alarm the little girl.

I had to be careful.

’Tag her. I need to somehow tag her.’

I could tell that time was slowly running out. The end of the quest was near, and I knew that if I didn’t do anything soon, we’d all be in trouble.

Think,

think!

How could I get out of this situation?

How could I tag her?

I clenched my teeth tightly, trying to think of all sorts of methods.

And then—

’Wait.’

Something suddenly hit me.

Distracted.

The little girl... She was currently distracted. Most likely because it was trying to deal with Kyle and Zoey.

In that case...

Staring at the little girl before me, I calmed down and focused my attention on myself. While I couldn’t move at all, I could still use my skills. I thought about recalling the Dreamwalker or Mirelle, but I knew that it would just attract the attention of Mr. Jingles again.

Then—

’Maybe this might work.’

A black tendril slithered from my arm, curling low to the ground and snaking its way toward her.

I held my breath.

Every sound in the room vanished, except the tapping of rain against the glass, now deafening in the silence.

She didn’t notice.

But my chest was tightening. My breathing grew shallower.

The tendril inched forward.

Halfway there.

Just a little more...

My whole body tensed. I forgot how to breathe.

Closer...

Anxiety shot through me like electricity.

Only a few meters now.

Just a few—

Twitch.

She twitched.

Her gaze snapped toward me.

Ice water poured down my spine.

But I didn’t flinch. I met her stare, gritted my teeth, and—

Swoosh!

The tendril lunged, locking around her leg.

"....!?"

Before she could react, it yanked her straight toward me.

Thud!

She hit the ground in front of me.

I didn’t hesitate.

Gritting my teeth, my body moved, and my hand pressed against the top of her head.

"...Tag."

[Containment Vessel]