Chapter 126

Last night, I used the flight ability of the Talaria's Wings to fly above the island and check it .

I realized one very disappointing fact .

This island was quite huge .

From the west end to the east end, it would have taken a whole day to walk across . It was that big .

Also, the island was full of people on the ground .

Day and night, the people didn’t go to sleep .

As if they had gone insane, the people played and played, as if they had really gone mad .

[Round 18, Day 2, 07:30]

This is the second day since I entered the 18th Floor stage .

I sat on the rooftop as soon as the morning came and started to check the street .

The view was not so different from the day before .

The people were playing around loudly since the morning .

They were dancing with bright smiles like little children . However, for some odd reason, watching them only frustrated me .

At a glance, the whole thing looks like just a glimpse of a great festival .

However, for some reason, they were very strange .

They were all too kind, like a page out of a fairytale .

Am I overthinking this?

Otherwise, could it be that my personality developed a problem?

I knew I could not say no to such questions . That made me feel even more uneasy .

Of the countless people on the street, I saw a middle-aged man . He caught my eyes .

He was not the target .

He was not anyone unique or special either .

He was just a middle-aged uncle with a fat belly .

To explain why he caught my eyes… He was incredibly horrible at dancing .

It was very obvious that he had no talent for rhythm . The way he stumbled around looked unsightly . However, he was dancing harder than anyone .

Also, other people applauded the man and danced next to him .

What a great picture to watch .

On the street, in the faces of everyone, there was no anxiety, panic or frustration . There were no such gloomy faces .

It is surprising .

Since yesterday, I spent whole days sitting at the rooftop observing the people .

However, of all people who I observed from here so far, there wasn’t anyone who was not happy .

They were all kind, enthusiastic and cordiality .

It is truly surprising .

It appeared that they were all born for the purpose of being happy and smiling .

The street was busy, so a lot of people fell over from waves of other people .

However, when people did fall, the others smiled, helped to get back up and consoled them .

After that, the people who just fell and got up were overcome by the good gestures of the others and thanked them .

Other people who were watching this also looked very happy to see their interactions, and conveyed their honest feelings .

Like that, they had conversations and grew close .

The people became friends like that and went somewhere to dance .

Seriously, they were kind-hearted scenes to watch .

The fact that I was finding them strange made me question myself if I was suffering from a shattered personality .

However, I can say this with certainty .

This island is too peaceful . It is unrealistic .

Everyone was innocent and honest .

However, the world and the humans could not be like this .

Something is odd .

Like that, as I watched the people from the roof top, frustration slowly swelled up inside me .

These strangers were all completely empathetic to another and getting along . However, I could not be empathetic to their behaviors, and it felt like this was reaffirming the wall between myself and these other people .

It felt uncomfortable .

[Round 18, Day 2, 11:50]

I had been chewing on meat jerkies for lunch, and I realized a critically important fact .

Because everyone was dancing on the street, I thought this Grand Paramal Festival was a parade-like festival that involved lots of dancing .

I thought it meant everyone was out on the street to enjoy it .

However, when I used mana to look inside a building through windows, I came to realize that I was wrong .

People were playing not just on the street, but also inside buildings .

Not only do I have to observe the street by sitting on the rooftop, I also have to observe the people inside buildings .

This fact alone substantially increased the difficulty of the mission, which was finding the target .

I agonized over what to do from now on . In the end, I had no choice to make a haphazard compromise .

I’ll spend a day observing the street while sitting on the roof . I’ll spend the next day going inside random buildings .

Next day, I’ll go back to observe the street .

I decided to repeat this cycle .

I’ll observe the streets on the even numbered days, and I’ll observe the insides of buildings on odd numbered days .

I didn’t know if this was an efficient method . However, I could not think of a better way .

* * *

[Round 18, Day 2, 06:05]

It was late evening .

I was thinking about bringing out yet another meat jerky . However, instead, I headed to a café that I found during the day .

By sitting at the second-floor terrace of the café, I could have a quick meal while observing the street .

In addition, I could check the people inside the café .

Fortunately, as soon as I entered the café, the waiter led me to the second-floor terrace before I said anything .

There were quite a lot of people at the café .

I learned that there were also a lot of people who were enjoying the festivity by sitting and chatting instead of dancing on the streets .

I sat at the second-floor terrace and checked the menu .

First, I pointed at a picture of bread and ordered it .

The menu didn’t have any drinks .

The waiter didn’t say anything about drinks . He just left with the menu .

I could just bring out water from the inventory, so it doesn’t matter, but still…

As I waited for the bread, I checked the inside of the café .

I didn’t see anyone who appeared to be the target .

I was looking down the street beyond the terrace . While I was at it, a waitress brought me the bread .

It was not the same waiter from earlier . This time, it was a waitress .

Along with the bread, she brought a glass of drink .

I told her that I didn’t order any drink . She said the drink comes with meals no matter what .

It seemed she noticed that I was finding it surprising . She said,

“It looks like you just arrived at the island today?”

I wonder why she thought that .

I told her that I arrived yesterday .

“Ah, so you are a foreigner . In addition, you don’t know anything about this island’s festival . You should have come after learning a bit about the AoAeo Island . ”

The tone of her voice was that of someone who was lecturing a tourist who was lacking in preparations .

This didn’t lessen my curiosity though .

“How did you know I was a foreigner?”

The waitress covered her mouth and smiled .

Instead of telling me right away, she was smiling . That annoyed me . However, I sensed no malicious intent in the waitress’s face .

“Try this drink . You will know . ”

I could sense a mysterious pride and expectations in her face .

Could it be that they are that proud of this drink?

“Just what is that drink?”

“Paramal . This drink’s name is Paramal . It is a drink for wishing world peace . ”

The waitress left after that .

They said that the name of the festival taking place in this island was called Grand Paramal .

That means this drink is the core of the festivities .

I thought the festival’s goals were recklessly indulging in dance or sex . However, it seemed the festival was for advertising this drink that was the specialty of this region .

First, I tried out a bit of the bread that was served .

It was delicious .

It tastes like sweet red beans .

Next is the drink .

It is blue, luminescent drink .

I cast a shadow on it with my hand, and I was able to confirm that the drink was faintly luminescent .

There is a need to seriously think about if I should drink this or not .

It wasn’t that I was simply curious if a luminescent drink was harmful to a human body .

The strangeness I felt from everyone in the AoAeo island…

Also, this is the special drink that everyone is enjoying…

I have plenty of reasons to be suspicious of this .

I personally think this drink is a narcotic of some sort .

I have never heard of narcotics that make people happy and positive . However, narcotics that make people enthusiastic and fun loving might be able to bring out similar results .

Perhaps the drink has something magical .

The problem is this .

Do I need to try the drink to resolve my curiosity?

I am confident about poisons .

I have the great poison resistance .

I have resistance against magic as well .

I don’t think it would be enough, but I won’t have a big problem as long as it is a small amount .

I thought those and tried drinking it by poking it with my tongue first .

It tastes delicious .

It was sweet .

It tastes like molten ice cream .

I tried taking a sip .

It was not poison .

There was no abnormal response from my body for consuming it .

However, for some mysterious reason, it felt like I was feeling a little better .

Other than feeling a little better, the drink didn’t have any other effect in particular . Let’s check it out some more .

That day, I tried three sips of the Paramal .

* * *

[Round 18, Day 4, 09:00]

I went to the café right on time of its opening .

Compared to the rooftop, I think the terrace is better for observing the street .

“Welcome, Ho . Bread again today?”

It was Hyang, the waitress I met yesterday .

‘Hyang’ was her name .

[TL: ‘Hyang’ sounds like the Korean word for ‘scent’ or ‘fragrance . ’]

Strangely, everyone in this island had a single-syllable name .

Also, even the foreigners introduced themselves with a single-syllable name .

Are these stage names for everyone like masks on a masked banquet?

I found it interesting .

I introduced myself as ‘Ho . ’

Hyang said that my name was unique . She smiled .

I told her that I found her name to be even more unique .

Hyang explained that my name was rare but a great name .

Is that so?

She said she found it amusing that it was similar to her own name .

I asked what it was . She said that my name sounded like her family member’s name .

I spent the whole day sitting at the café and observing the street . However, I was not able to find the target .

I didn’t do anything in particular while observing, so I wasted a lot of time . Still, it was not boring .

It was quite fun observing the people and checking out how they enjoyed the festival .

Like the second day, Hyang came to be my conversational partner whenever she could .

That day, I drank almost all of a glass of Paramal .

* * *

[Round 18, Day 5, 03:40]

It was the fifth day . The dance of madness on the street started to quiet down .

The festival continued for a long time . Could it be that people are getting physically exhausted?

Now, instead of spending whole day dancing, people started to hang out with others whom they became close with .

Also, they became close with others, spent time with them, and then became close with some other people .

There were fewer people dancing on the street . However, it was still bizarre to watch .

Today was odd-numbered day . It was the day for me to search insides of buildings .

I checked out buildings that I didn’t get to enter during the third day .

No building barred anyone from entering .

In fact, even private residences of island people allowed people in after just ringing the door bells .

I visited Mr . Gong’s home . Actually, this was by a mistake .

His home looked more like a workshop .

It was an unexpected visit due to a misunderstanding . However, having heard the bell, Mr . Gong welcomed me .

It was as if an old friend visited him for the first time in 10 years .

I could not let him know that I rang the bell without realizing that this was his private residence .

At the door, I spent a long time talking to Mr . Gong .

I never knew I was such a great conversationalist .

Mr . Gong invited me in . We continued our chatter at the living room .

I wanted to eventually leave and check other buildings . However, Mr . Gong wanted to have a meal with me .

In the end, I was not able to refuse his invitation . I ended up wasting quite a long time here, much more than I thought .

However, we enjoyed the meal .

Mr . Gong’s family members were all kind .

The food was delicious as well .

Lately, I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I had been eating meat jerkies or simple breads to handle meals .

After the dinner, Mr . Gong’s daughter, ‘Gang’ said she wanted to go out and play with me .

It was unfortunate, but I had no choice but to say no .

I found a casino and a bar .

I decided to search places like these during the night on both odd and even numbered days .

At the bar, they mixed the Paramal with alcoholic beverages to make cocktails .

This day, I drank three glasses of Paramal .

* * *

[Round 18, Day 8, 11:20]

I arrived at the café a little late because I was greeting the people I had become close with .

As soon as I opened the café door and entered, I could hear people greeting me and greeting me with good mornings .

I said hello back to each and everyone individually .

I knew them all . They were also all good people who I was close with .

“Ho, how about coming along with me today again? I’m going to the outdoor swimming place next to the Lion Water Fountain . ”

Chun and Chin, the brothers, who were eating their breakfast at a corner of the café, said to me .

Every morning, they took care of breakfast at the café and headed out to the street to play .

I apologized and went past them .

They joked around from behind, so I turned to wave my hand at them .

“Let’s definitely go there together before the festival ends!”

They were recommending the place to me to the end . I told them I got it and sat down .

It was the seat at the window on the terrace . Now, it had become my designated seat .

“Ho! Instead of sitting there by yourself, come here and join me . I’ll treat you for the morning . ”

Myoung, who was sitting at a sofa, made the suggestion .

Myoung was a foreigner who came to visit the AoAeo island .

“I’m sorry, Myoung . I like this seat by the window . ”

Myoung didn’t move to the window seat .

Myoung knew that I had something that I had to do by myself . No, he felt it .

I was thankful for the consideration .

I expressed my gratitude .

It seemed Myoung was overcome by my expression of gratitude . He rubbed his nose and told me honestly that he was feeling that way .

I was surprised by his honest confession, and it also felt great to hear it .

Myoung was happy again because I was feeling happy .

It was a kind of mental resonance .

I sat by the window . I could feel warm satisfaction .

It was not a pretend-sensation .

I felt the emptiness inside me getting filled .

The emotion was possible because of a miracle called Paramal .

In the past few days, I drank Paramal little by little and tried to figure out what kind of effect the drink had .

First, Paramal was not an addictive narcotic .

Next, Paramal was not some substance that influenced one’s mental state .

I was not able to confirm yet if it was a type of magical potion .

I have not identified its true nature yet, but I now had a rough idea as to what kind of effects the Paramal had .

This drink connected people .

It allowed the people to share their emotions and feelings .

Being able to feel others’ emotions was closer to a disaster than a blessing .

The idea of being able to look under the mask that people wear is awkward and unpleasant, because the insides of most people were not all that clean .

However, it is different in this island .

The people of AoAeo island were pure, kind and honest .

In addition, they were enthusiastic and energetic .

Sharing emotions while being surrounded by such people swept other people into their emotions .

After drinking the Paramal, it came naturally as one spent the time dancing in middle of the street with hundreds or thousands of people tightly packing the place .

I spent my entire life wondering about the insides of people and learned manners .

A thin wall always existed, even between friends or between parents and children .

Shattering such walls, I was facing innocent strangers . I was being overcome with heartfelt emotions .

Also, my emotions were resonating with them .

This feeling, this emotion was… Its pleasure was truly incredible .

I could feel kind, good emotions from the strangers as they were . I was overcome by emotions . The others, who felt my goodness and innocence, also were also overcome by emotions .

How difficult is it to find one good true friend who you can really trust?

Also, how amazing is it when you find such a friend and spend time with one?

In AoAeo island, everyone I met were friends and families who could show themselves as they really were .

I had no need to be suspicious of others . There was no need for anxiety or drawing lines and putting up manners .

I had no need to be evil .

I had no need to be tough or extreme .

I just needed to indulge in the bliss, put away all worries and enjoy the festivities .

This was the prize of tourism in AoAeo island . Perhaps it was something unique to just the AoAeo island, not found in any other place in this continent or perhaps the world .

Paramal was a drink that could turn me into an angel among other angels .

In other words, it was a drink that led me to the heaven .

“Hello, Ho . ”

I saw Hyang who was greeting me . I was glad to see her . I also felt anticipant and excited .

I had something I wanted to ask her today .

“Ho, it seems like you have something you are curious about . ”

“Yes, can you give me some time today?”

Of course she had .

There was no way she was going to refuse .

“Of course . ”

Hyang smiled and responded . She sat across me .

“I want to ask you about the Paramal . ”

“Um… Don’t you know well about Paramel now?”

“Yes, but I want to know about it a little more in detail .