The Jelly Alien Will Save You!
Chapter 7
Chapter: U-Park
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
I hurriedly moved my feet, following Cha Hae-eon.
It was because I was afraid that the moment I got separated from him, those nasty monsters might pounce on me.
Perhaps my footsteps were bothering him (or maybe I was just too slow), Cha Hae-eon tucked me under his arm and climbed the stairs leading to Yongsan Station.
I rolled my eyes around nervously, wondering if the tentacles of the abyss might appear again, but thankfully, no black shadows were in sight.
“Is it not coming out today?”
“It doesn’t usually come out.”
“I see.”
That’s a relief.
If those abyss tentacles showed up again and called my name, I might’ve fainted on the spot.
Feeling a bit reassured, I dangled in his grip.
Beep.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Cha Hae-eon set me down on the ground.
I blinked blankly.
Right next to Yongsan Station stood a six-story shopping mall called “U-Park.”
If a disaster struck and someone needed to farm for resources, U-Park would’ve been the perfect place.
That is, if it weren’t an “contaminated zone.”
However, Yongsan had long been covered in contamination due to a dungeon break.
Continuous exposure to contamination caused both organic and inorganic matter to mutate into bizarre entities.
As if proving that fact, the shopping mall—corroded by contamination—looked half-collapsed and overgrown with weeds, as though it had been abandoned for decades.
It was, quite literally, a ruin.
“Let’s go.”
But Cha Hae-eon casually tried to enter the shopping mall.
“W-wait a second.”
Is this really okay?!
Beepbeepbeepbeep!
As I hurriedly followed him, we stepped into the area leading into the mall.
Could you even farm anything from a place that’s this ruined?
He’s not planning to ditch me here, is he?
Beepbeepbeep!
Swallowing my doubts, I followed behind Cha Hae-eon into the mall entrance.
And then—
Sliiide.
As if stepping over something gelatinous, the scenery in front of me completely changed.
‘What is this?!’
I gasped in shock at the unbelievable sight.
Under bright lights, people were walking around. The shelves were fully stocked with goods, and employees were busily working.
It was as if the mall had returned to its original state.
Watching the crowd moving around busily, I hunched my shoulders, worried someone might notice me.
Beep… beep.
Trying to hide myself somehow, I moved behind Cha Hae-eon’s legs—but he grabbed the back 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 didn’t have eyes, there was no way they wouldn’t notice a jelly alien like me.
At that, Cha Hae-eon tilted his head toward a passerby.
“Do those things look like real people to you?”
I blinked.
What did he mean—look like real people?
I turned my gaze to the face of someone passing by. I hadn’t noticed from afar, but up close…
Their facial features were gone, like black holes had swallowed them.
“……!”
A chill ran down my spine.
‘…They’re not human?’
I looked around.
All of them.
None of them were human.
“They’ve been consumed by contamination. That’s why this entire mall is experiencing a bizarre phenomenon.”
“You came here to farm in a place like this?!”
“So what?”
Cha Hae-eon shrugged.
So what? Yeah—this guy is definitely crazy. Who comes to a place with a supernatural anomaly?!
Regardless, Cha Hae-eon carried me under his arm and took the escalator down to the basement, heading toward the food section on B1.
The escalator is working?!
I was both shocked and dumbfounded.
So that perfectly fine raw carrot—this is where it came from?
“You fed me carrots from this place? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“I didn’t feed you. You ate it on your own. And as long as you follow a few rules, it’s safe.”
“Rules? …Is it dangerous if you don’t follow them?”
“Yeah. So behave and cooperate. If things go wrong, I’ll leave you behind.”
Leave me behind?!
Being abandoned was my biggest trauma.
Back at the hospital, I had always been haunted by the thought that my relatives might abandon me.
He seems kind at times, so it doesn’t feel like he’d really do it…
But you never know.
I may be an alien with pride, but I’m also an alien smart enough to know when to throw that pride away.
So… let’s not act up.
“I’ll behave. Don’t abandon me…”
My ears drooped.
Cha Hae-eon let out a quiet chuckle.
The shopping mall “U-Park,” once known for its massive foot traffic, had turned into a dungeon with bizarre phenomena after the dungeon break.
Inside, there were several rules that must be followed.
[Rules]
- You must believe the products are “real.”
- Purchasing products increases your “contamination gauge.”
- You must keep your contamination gauge below 70.
- You must buy any item someone recommends to you.
- There are no humans in U-Park with visible facial features.
The “contamination gauge” indicates how much your mind has been overtaken by contamination.
The higher the number, the more severe the hallucinations and auditory distortions become. At 100%, a human loses their sense of self and turns into a monster.
Keeping it below 70 likely means hallucinations begin once it exceeds that point.
For most people, this would be terrifying.
Only awakened individuals can check their contamination gauge, and the mere possibility of turning into a monster is frightening.
But me?
‘<Survival Notebook>!’
[Contamination Level: 0%]
It was incredibly low.
The Survival Notebook also showed contamination levels, and mine had never increased—not even once.
In a contaminated zone where even breathing could raise contamination, this was extremely unusual.
And even if it did increase, I wasn’t worried.
‘Purification!’
As I used the power of purification, my mind felt instantly refreshed.
Yep. My body is basically infinite purification~
Given that, the rules weren’t as big of a deal as I thought. I felt relieved.
Cha Hae-eon pushed a cart forward with familiarity.
The shelves only contained retort foods (processed for long-term storage). Occasionally, fresh meat and vegetables appeared during events, but those were rare.
Beepbeepbeepbeep.
I grabbed onto Cha Hae-eon’s pants and followed him.
‘This is my first time in a shopping mall.’
I had never even been to a local grocery store before.
Which made sense—I was a terminal patient who had to be careful even about complications. There was no way I could come to crowded places like this.
I looked around with my mouth open.
People pushing carts, picking out items, cheerful music playing, and delicious smells wafting from tasting booths.
Everything felt real.
The lively and cheerful atmosphere of the food section made my eyes spin.
Of course, I knew this wasn’t a situation where I could relax and enjoy myself… but still, I felt a little excited.
Filling a cart with food from a supermarket had been one of my bucket list items.
Each product had a price tag attached, but it was filled with static noise, making it hard to read.
[3̷,̵9̴0҈0҉ won̶]
When I squinted hard to look at it, the price flickered with static and changed.
[7̸%̵]
Seven percent contamination for just one hamburger steak?
Clicking my tongue at the unexpectedly high price, a question suddenly came to mind.
‘By the way… what are the ingredients in this?’
As I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the item—
The food packaging began to melt from the edges.
“Huh?!”
Panicking and not knowing what to do, my ears were suddenly grabbed.
“I told you to believe.”
Rule #1.
You must believe the products are “real.”
