The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 7

Chapter: U-Park

 

Pyok. Pyok. Pyok. Pyok.

 

I busily moved my feet, following Cha Haeeon. 

 

It was because of the fear that nasty monsters might pounce on me the moment I fell away from his side.

 

Cha Haeeon, perhaps finding the sound of my footsteps annoying (or maybe because I was just too slow), tucked me under his arm and climbed the stairs leading toward Yongsan Station.

 

I rolled my eyes around, wondering if the abyssal tentacles might appear, but fortunately, the black shadow was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Is that thing not coming out today?”

 

“It usually doesn’t come out.”

 

“I see.”

 

That’s a relief.

 

If the abyssal tentacle had appeared again and called my name, I might have just fainted.

 

Feeling a bit relieved, I was carried along dangling.

 

Pyok.

 

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Cha Haeeon set me down on the floor.

 

I blankly rolled my eyes.

 

Right next to Yongsan Station, a 6-story shopping mall called ‘U-Park’ was attached.

 

If a disaster struck and one needed to farm resources, U-Park would have been the optimal place.

 

That is, if this place wasn’t a ‘Contaminated Zone.’

 

However, it had been a long time since Yongsan was covered in contamination due to the Dungeon Break.

 

Continuous exposure to contamination turns both organic and inorganic matter into bizarre entities.

 

As if proving this, the shopping mall, eroded by contamination, was half-collapsed and overgrown with weeds, looking as if it had been abandoned for decades.

 

It was literally a ruin.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

But Cha Haeeon casually tried to enter the shopping mall.

 

“Wa-wait a second.”

 

Is it okay to go in there?!

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok, pyok! 

 

As I hurriedly followed him, I entered the section crossing over to the shopping mall.

 

In a place ruined like this, could we actually farm anything? 

 

He’s not planning to abandon me here and run away, is he?

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok! 

 

Swallowing my doubts, I followed behind Cha Hae-eon and entered the shopping mall entrance.

 

But it was then.

 

Swoosh.

 

Along with the sensation of passing through something slimy, the scenery before my eyes completely changed.

 

‘What is this?!’

 

Surprised by the unbelievable sight, my mouth dropped open.

 

People were passing by under twinkling lights. Not only that, but the display shelves were packed with goods, and the store employees were busily working.

 

It was exactly as if the original shopping mall had returned.

 

Watching the people bustling past in a daze, I shrank my shoulders tightly, afraid someone might see me and get startled.

 

Pyok, pyok. 

 

I tried to hide behind Cha Haeeon’s legs to cover my body somehow, but Cha Haeeon grabbed the scruff of my neck and tucked me under his arm again. Then he said casually.

 

“Don’t be scared. No one will notice you.”

 

“Why? How?!”

 

Unless they have no eyes, there’s no way they wouldn’t notice a jelly alien like me.

 

Then, Cha Haeeon nodded toward a passing person.

 

“Do these things look like real people to you?” 

 

I blinked.

 

Do they look like people to me…

 

I turned my gaze to the face of a passing person. I hadn’t noticed from a distance, but looking closely, their facial features were not visible, as if covered by a black hole.

 

“…!”

 

My hair stood on end.

 

‘…They aren’t human?’

 

I looked around.

 

All of them.

 

Every single one of them was not human. 

 

“Because of the contamination erosion, a paranormal phenomenon is occurring throughout the entire shopping mall.”

 

“You came to a place like this to farm?!”

 

“What about it?”

 

Cha Haeeon shrugged.

 

So what? He’s definitely crazy. To come to a place where paranormal phenomena occur!

 

Regardless, with me tucked under his arm, Cha Haeeon began to head down the escalator. We were heading to the food court on the B1 level. 

 

The escalator is actually moving?! 

 

I was both surprised and dumbfounded.

 

I wondered where he got perfectly fine raw carrots, and it was from here?

 

“Did you feed me a carrot from here? Isn’t it dangerous?”

 

“I didn’t feed it to you, you ate it on your own. And it’s safe as long as you follow a few rules.”

 

“Rules? …Is it dangerous if you don’t follow them?”

 

“Yeah. So cooperate quietly. I’ll abandon you if push comes to shove.”

 

Abandon me?!

 

Being abandoned was my biggest trauma.

 

Because when I was in the hospital, I was constantly plagued by the thought that I might be abandoned by my relatives.

 

He seems fairly kind, so I don’t think he’d actually do it, but…

 

You never know.

 

I am an alien with pride, but I’m also an alien with the judgment to know that discarding such pride is the right thing to do in a place like this.

 

So, let’s not push my luck.

 

“I’ll be quiet. Don’t abandon me…”

 

My ears drooped.

 

At that, a small chuckle escaped Cha Haeeon.

 

* * *

 

The shopping mall ‘U-Park’, which once boasted a massive foot traffic, had become a dungeon where paranormal phenomena occurred after the Dungeon Break.

 

Inside here, there were a few rules that absolutely had to be followed.

 

[Rules]

 

1. You must believe that the products are ‘real’.

 

2. Purchasing a product increases your ‘Contamination Gauge’.

 

3. You must maintain your Contamination Gauge below 70.

 

4. If someone recommends a product, you must buy it.

 

5. There are no humans with visible facial features in U-Park.

 

The ‘Contamination Gauge’ is an indicator showing numerically how much one’s mind has been eroded by contamination.

 

As the number rises, auditory and visual hallucinations worsen, and upon reaching 100%, the human ego collapses and one becomes a monster.

 

The reason for the instruction to keep the gauge at 70 or below is likely because hallucinations begin once it surpasses that point.

 

An ordinary person would feel fear towards this.

 

Since only Awakened individuals can check the Contamination Gauge, and the very situation of potentially becoming a monster with one misstep would be terrifying.

 

But me!

 

‘<Survival Handbook>!’

 

[Contamination Level: 0%]

 

It was an extremely low number.

 

The Survival Handbook could also check the contamination level, and my contamination level hadn’t risen even once so far.

 

In this contaminated zone where just breathing could raise the contamination level, this could be considered a highly exceptional case.

 

Besides, I wouldn’t worry even if my contamination level did rise.

 

‘Purification!’

 

Using the authority of Purification, I felt my mind become noticeably clearer.

 

Yep. My body is capable of infinite purification~

 

Given the situation, the rules were less of a big deal than I thought, so I felt relieved.

 

Cha Haeeon pushed the cart forward with familiarity.

 

The shelves held only retort foods (processed foods for long-term storage). He mentioned that sometimes fresh meat and vegetables are sold as a special event, but that was a rare occurrence.

 

Pyok, pyok, pyok, pyok. I grabbed Cha Haeeon’s pants and followed him.

 

‘This is my first time at a shopping mall.’

 

I hadn’t even been to the mart in front of my house.

 

It was only natural, really. I was a terminally ill patient who had to be careful even of complications. There was no way I could come to a crowded place like this. 

 

I opened my mouth and looked around.

 

People pushing carts and choosing items, upbeat music playing boom-chick, boom-chick, and the delicious smells coming from the sample tasting corners.

 

Everything seemed real.

 

It felt like my eyes were spinning from the bustling and joyful atmosphere of the food hall.

 

Of course, I know it’s not a situation where I can leisurely enjoy it. …Still, I was a little excited.

 

Because picking out food at a food hall and filling a cart to the brim was one of my bucket list items.

 

The displayed products kindly had price tags on them, but it was hard to read because they were full of static noise.

 

[3̷,̵9̴0҈0҉ Won̶]

 

Squinting hard at it, the price tag changed with a bzzzt of static.

 

[7̸%̵]

 

My Contamination Gauge increases by a whole 7% for one hamburger steak?

 

Just as I clicked my tongue at the unexpectedly high price, a sudden curiosity struck me.

 

‘Anyway, what are the ingredients in this?’

 

It was right when I narrowed my eyes and cast a suspicious glance.

 

The food packaging started to melt into a mush from the edges.

 

“E-eh?!” 

 

Just as I didn’t know what to do in panic, my two ears were grabbed dangling in one hand.

 

“I told you to believe.”

 

Rule number 1.

 

You must believe that the products are ‘real’.