‘…The Fox Counseling Room and Director Ho.’
And Director Ho was a character not even detailed in the Dark Exploration Records.
…For some reason, I feel like there’s more to him that’s hidden. I want to look into it further, but…
‘Yeah. Focus on the Wish Ticket.’
Let’s not forget: never let the means replace the end.
Just finish this spy job, claim the wish token, and go home. That’s all that matters.
…In that sense, I might have gotten a little too wrapped up in this ‘Twinkle Twinkle Ocean Palace’ ghost story, desperately trying to get all the children out safely…
“Phew.”
But there was an extra reward.
I looked at the elite team collector, which was now full of golden liquid.
Glittering Dream Essence, B-grade or higher.
Given that the original Mermaid Grave was C-grade, this is an irregularity.
‘Maybe dragging out the core of that biohazard was what raised the grade.’
It’s possible.
And while I was at it, I took out the Research Team’s potion I’d secretly stashed in the tattoo on my wrist and squeezed it into a plastic bottle.
It was a recovery potion meant to be given separately to children with heavy contamination or foreign elements.
‘If you drink this, you get transported to ‘somewhere’ the Research Team set up, right?’
It’s probably one of the Research Team’s experimental spaces, but just in case, I won’t throw it away. I’ll keep it for now.
With a sigh of relief, I returned the potion—bottle and all—into my tattoo.
And I rummaged through the space again.
‘Good thing all the items in the tattoo-subspace are kept separate from each other.’
If not, I might have gotten this tag card contaminated too.
I am a Space Shopping Mall VIP!
~ Special Gratitude Cells Included ~
I even found, tucked away in the tattoo, the golden card I’d gotten a few months ago, hand-delivered by an alien shop’s delivery tentacle.
The ‘VIP card’ that Section Chief Lee Jaheon mentioned is probably this, right?
‘Hmm.’
I examined the card-letter more closely, running my fingers over it.
Then, inside the slightly thick card stock, I could feel something thin layered inside.
“…!”
Carefully, I peeled back a layer of the card paper, and inside, a small… chip-like object appeared, sealed inside.
‘…It looks like a SIM card.’
There was a sticker in rounded font attached to it.
Cell Meal Anywhere!
Healthy And Peaceful Purchase
※ Fast Connection to a Customer Service Agent Guaranteed ※
“……”
Please, just hire a professional translator……
‘Meal…’
So this chip is a ‘cell’, and… I’m supposed to eat it? ‘Healthy and peaceful purchase’?
‘Somehow this reminds me of talking with Chief Lizard.’
It’s the sort of translation error you get when someone isn’t familiar with modern culture.
Still, I decided to try using this ‘cell’ if it ever comes down to it.
‘…Chief Lizard isn’t the type to endanger others with lies or tricks, after all.’
If anything, it’s more reasonable to worry about my head getting smashed by brute force.
“All sorted.”
I finished the accounting and raised my head.
Anyway, for now, I have the most convenient usable items on hand, so I’ll use those up first.
‘Cheerful Research Institute’s potion.’
Right.
At this moment, I was back at the research lab hidden beneath a manhole cover in the middle of the night.
‘It’s even scarier at night.’
But the Dream Essence in the Dream Incubator, sparkling in a dazzling hue, made it a bit better.
DE 00128313
I injected all the B-grade Dream Essence I obtained this time into it.
The number increased.
DE 00143126
‘So, a B-grade is about fifteen grand or so.’
You could say it’s equivalent to a bottle a half of a potion, but there’s actually a catch here.
The cost is different depending on which button you press.
The first one I drew cost 10,000 points, but the second one was 20,000 points.
‘It might depend on how many stars it has.’
The first one I drew, ‘Detective Syrup’, had 3 stars, and the next, ‘Surprise Syrup’, had 4 stars.
These stars…
‘They definitely represent a difference in performance.’
The 4-star potion even worked, if only briefly, on a biological disaster.
But if you convert it one-to-one with Daydream’s welfare points, these potions were still more expensive than Daydream’s.
‘Maybe it’s just that this Dream Incubator is an early model and not very efficient.’
But on the other hand, it seemed to produce more potent syrups, closer to raw essence, than Daydream’s potions.
In any case.
‘You don’t know how much will be deducted until you press the button and draw a potion.’
Not very user-friendly, was it.
‘It would have been nice to have research logs or something.’
The security sergeant said he’d look into it for me, but there’s still no special news.
I’ll wait a little longer. There might be more functions hidden in this Dream Incubator…
Anyway, since I’ve been using it quite usefully, I decided I’ll visit every week to collect a potion.
And now, the time to choose.
🥰🥸🤯🧐🤪🥱
“Hmm.”
There is a way to safely draw a potion whose effects have already been verified…
‘But maybe it’s better to be more prepared before entering the theme park.’
If I can verify the effect, it’s better to do so quickly, while I have the chance. Who knows if there are even more useful ones.
For now, I’ll use all the means available to me to pick out the most useful one.
‘Association and reasoning.’
With that in mind, the button I chose to check this time is…
‘The one that, compared to Daydream Inc.’s potions, is the most expensive and has the best effect.’
🥰 🥸 🤯🧐🤪🥱
Clatter.
“Good.”
At the same time that 30,000 points were deducted, a small glass bottle filled with syrup emerged from the dispenser.
I took the shimmering teal liquid.
Disguise Syrup for Kids
(Green Grape Flavor)
★★★★★
An expensive potion. Bull’s eye.