The place Dorothy reached through the red moon was a land filled with red buildings. Everywhere was red.

There, illusions and Alice’s monsters were clashing, but rather than fighting each other, they seemed to be competing.

[Hey! Let’s race, let’s race!]

Slice.

A Dodo Bird monster suddenly lunged at Dorothy.

She instinctively sliced the monster in half.

The monster, which had rolled around in two pieces, soon disappeared.

“Oh, so suddenly… You’ll forgive me, won’t you?”

Dorothy smiled and looked around.

Having gone through countless loops and seen the same enemies and landscapes, this round was a novel experience for her.

She might have been secretly bored.

Perhaps that’s why she showed a certain interest in the environment Alice had created.

“Hmm, what is this place? It’s like a big stadium.”

She realized that monsters and anomalies were gathered in the buildings, competing with each other.

She had enough time, but she shouldn’t forget her original purpose.

Kill all the monsters in the Red Country and reach level 999.

Just as she raised her knife to destroy the stadium with that thought.

Rustle, rustle.

The young monsters who had been with Alice emerged from the bushes near the stadium entrance.

“Unexpected, isn’t it? I thought you’d hide a little longer.”

Dorothy, who had expected Alice’s companions to hide until the very end as long as they were with the fleeing Alice, tilted her head.

To Dorothy’s question, Shin Ha-rim replied.

“Dorothy. If you make a wish to Oz, everyone will come back, right?”

“…Right?”

There was a slight pause in Dorothy’s reply.

Shin Ha-rim was bothered by that part, but decided to move on for now.

“I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to play until you caught all the other monsters, since we can’t win anyway.”

“…”

Dorothy showed no reaction to Shin Ha-rim’s words.

Shin Ha-rim and the children thought with cold sweat dripping down their faces.

‘Tsk… I have no idea what she’s thinking.’

Dorothy seemed to think for a moment after hearing Shin Ha-rim’s words.

The current Dorothy could have easily slaughtered them without a word.

If Dorothy had eliminated all the tale devils, it would have been impossible to defeat her, no matter what tricks they tried.

As the silence grew longer, Shin Ha-rim nervously continued.

“If we lose, this phenomenon repeats anyway, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy it while it repeats?”

Ba-dump.

Dorothy’s smile shone brighter.

Did she feel good when her peers affirmed her, even though she had been doing things without anyone sympathizing with her?

However, the words Dorothy uttered were the complete opposite.

“Aha. So you think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”

“…!”

A killing intent so chilling that it felt as though a storm was raging.

Did they step on a landmine?

As Shin Ha-rim and the children slowly backed away.

Dorothy withdrew her killing intent.

“Just kidding. You’re right.”

“R-really?”

“I’ve repeated too much. It’s okay to play differently for a while.”

Shin Ha-rim, trying to calm her trembling body, took out the badge she had.

It was a badge with a lion and a unicorn drawn on it.

“Then let’s split up into factions. Now, which side will you be on? Unicorn or Lion? Choose your side.”

Dorothy glanced at the rainbow drawn with the unicorn.

She seemed to like it so much that she took the unicorn badge without hesitation.

“You chose the unicorn.”

Shin Ha-rim and the children immediately pinned the Unicorn badge to the right side of their clothes.

Then they explained the rules of this world.

Defeat the opponent through fair competition.

If you defeat the opponent, Dorothy takes their life.

However, if you lose, you cannot take a life again until you win.

These conditions wouldn’t hinder Dorothy’s goal.

Yes. If it’s just playing, this kind of method is fine.

Dorothy nodded, and the children contacted each other through the mirror, then led Dorothy to a place with lots of water.

In what appeared to be a lake, there were numerous illusions, and occasionally Alice’s monsters fishing.

“Catch bigger fish than the Lion team!”

Fishing.

Indeed, it was a new approach for Dorothy, who had only ever hunted.

Dorothy, still with an unknown smile, picked up a fishing rod and began to fish.

“…”

There was a tug in the water, and when Dorothy pulled the fishing rod, a large fish came out.

Dorothy looked at the size of the fish and beamed.

The fact that Dorothy, who had just been slaughtering illusions and devils, was now smiling simply from catching a fish was terrifying in itself.

The children even wondered if that smile was real.

“I wonder if he’s enjoying it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know because she’s smiling the whole time. It’s really scary.”

Anyway, if it was a fish that big, Dorothy probably thought she had beaten the Lion team, and she was about to move on to the next.

“!”

Flap! Flap!

A giant illusion caught a fish monster as large as itself.

“…”

Dorothy stared intently at the illusion.

The children went to Dorothy’s side and said.

“That illusion has been diligently fishing even before you arrived. It’s probably figured out how to catch big fish.”

It’s a shame, but you’ll have to try again, Kyeong-min said.

At that moment, Shin Ha-rim instinctively pulled Kyeong-min to her side.

Slice!

Dorothy sliced the illusion that was fishing with the fish.

Kyeong-min was almost sliced along with it.

Blood spurted from the dead illusion’s body, staining the lake red.

[Dorothy’s Level Up!]

[Level 678 - 679]

“This should do it.”

“…”

The children were speechless at such blatant cheating.

Dorothy casually claimed she had won and, with a storm, began pulverizing everything in the fishing zone as if it were a blender.

Tearing flesh and blood.

The children, fearing being caught in it, quickly left the area.

[Dorothy’s Level Up!]

[Level 679 - 688]

“N-next is racing!”

The children led Dorothy to a place where small racing karts were scattered.

Dorothy wasn’t good at driving karts.

Well, of course not.

Unless you’re a genius, you have to practice to acquire skills.

Still, after a few tries, she’d probably get the hang of it.

Crack!

Dorothy, after only one or two tries, immediately pulverized all the illusions nearby as soon as the race began.

She was utterly serious, not even remotely playful.

[Dorothy’s Level Up!]

[688 - 695]

Of course, that’s cheating.

The keyword for this Red Country is competition.

But if you cheat, it loses its meaning.

Ha-rim, overcoming her fear, spoke to Dorothy.

“Dorothy! You mustn’t cheat!”

“Cheating?”

“Yes. If you cheat, the competition loses its value.”

“Hmm… As long as it’s fun, that’s all that matters, right? Is there any other value in this world?”

Dorothy said that and casually moved on to the next event.

There was no way to stop Dorothy.

The very fact that she was playing along was a blessing.

She seemed to pursue amusement.

In that regard, she was similar to Alice.

However, her way of thinking was clearly at odds with the children’s.

The children tried to find common ground through conversation, but it was difficult.

“It’s a quiz showdown.”

A competition that tests wisdom.

The more knowledge you have, the more advantageous you are in the game.

The first few questions were easy.

They were about elementary school science or ethics.

The children were surprised by one fact.

Dorothy had a correct ethical compass.

You shouldn’t stab people with knives arbitrarily, you should cherish animals, and you should be considerate of your friends.

Even some relatively difficult ethical questions, which they had inserted just in case, she passed without difficulty.

Dorothy had killed the illusions, who were once people, and the devils, without any malice, just like hunting monsters in a game.

The kids realized it.

So, when Dorothy cheated in competition, was it just because she thought it was a game, and there was no need to be considerate of others?

Because she didn’t see them as people, after all.

That was when.

She answered one question incorrectly.

Unlike questions about common knowledge, this one required connecting knowledge with practical application.

It was definitely an easy question to get wrong.

Kyeong-min handed her a book with the solution, suggesting that if she couldn’t figure it out, she should study to win.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Slice!

Dorothy once again slaughtered all the illusions participating in the quiz.

Next.

“It’s a test of courage. Competing to see who is more courageous.”

Dorothy felt no fear.

The more one feels fear, the more valuable courage becomes, which is why Dorothy received 0 points.

Slice!

Dorothy killed everyone.

“The key to this game is taking good care of this child!”

The game’s objective is to successfully stop the crying of baby-like illusions by taking good care of them.

Eun-jeong even demonstrated.

“Good job. Good job.”

Dorothy watched for a moment in silence.

She seemed lost in thought.

Then, Dorothy sliced the child Eun-jeong was holding in half.

This time, it wasn’t because she fell behind in the competition.

“…Why?”

“Isn’t this the best way to stop crying?”

Shin Ha-rim thought.

Dorothy reacted reflexively with anger.

What made her angry? She was still smiling, but she was clearly angry.

She hadn’t lost in the game, so there was no reason to be angry… Was it a defense mechanism?

“Aren’t you sorry for this child?”

“Isn’t it just a game, anyway?”

Dorothy continued to slaughter everyone in the next event, and the next.

Now, this place was a slaughterhouse, not a competition ground.

Shin Ha-rim spoke to Dorothy with a serious, almost warning tone.

“Dorothy, you mustn’t cheat anymore.”

“Why?”

“Competition only has value if it’s fair.”

“…Value?”

Dorothy narrowed her eyes at the single word.

“That’s right. Those children are competing with each other. To prove their worth. They don’t want to die at your hands.”

“I see~”

It was obvious what Dorothy was going to say.

This is a game, so there is no value to it.

Since it’s a game, you can do whatever you want, so it’s okay no matter how cruel you are.

Shin Ha-rim pointed out that part.

“You may think this competition has no worth, but it absolutely does!”

“…?”

A child, who could be killed with a single gesture, spoke boldly to Dorothy.

And Shin Ha-rim’s words reached Dorothy.

“Because those kids are trying. Because they’re facing you, someone terrifying, in order to live. So they are valuable. You should not ignore their value!”

The corners of Dorothy’s mouth, which had always been smiling brightly, lowered.

The reverse scale. The children, realizing that they had touched it, quickly sent a signal to the mirror.

“Don’t you know? Anything can happen in a land of illusions? So on the contrary, it has no value.”

“Back off!”

A storm raged.

The mirror, created just in time, evacuated the children.

The storm that swept through the Red Country with the intent to destroy it tore apart the Colosseum, the racing stadium, and the examination hall.

Swoosh…!

Not only the storm, but lightning also struck.

This meant Dorothy was angry.

Illusions and monsters fled to save their lives, but the merciless storm swept away everything.

Only their shredded flesh and blood remained, and the already red country turned even redder.

Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up!

Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up!

Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up!

Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up! Dorothy’s Level Up!

Floating majestically in the storm, she was nothing short of an angel of slaughter.

As everything was blown away by the storm, Shin Harim’s shouts could be heard from the broadcast speakers located throughout the Red Country.

Even through the storm’s noise, Dorothy clearly heard that voice.

“No, Dorothy! This is the rule! You shouldn’t break the rules in this country!”

“It’s useless to warn me now.”

The storm finally ended, leaving no illusions in the Red Country.

[Dorothy’s Level Up!]

[Level 936 - 998]

“You killed everyone… both allies and opponents.”

“I was going to kill them anyway, right?”

“Still, I hoped you would at least appreciate the competition, or rather, the value. I hoped you would discover the worth of those who strive to live, even if you think this place is just a game.”

Dorothy didn’t answer Shin Ha-rim.

Value… To her, it was a meaningless concept.

The only value she pursued… was one thing.

Summon Oz and make a wish.

A wish that spins endlessly like a Ferris wheel.

Dorothy only needed to kill the children now.

Once she did, her level would reach 999, and Oz would descend.

Just as she was about to actively search for the children.

A voice came from the speaker.

“This place is a giant arena of competition. The reason the arena is red is because of their sweat and blood. This place resembles our society. A place where you must prove your worth to live.”

Dorothy, who had destroyed everything without proving her worth.

This meant Dorothy had broken the rules of this country.

“Alice said. That this fear, from ancient society, of having to prove your worth to live, is inseparable from humanity.”

Before forming societies, humans faced fear.

To survive, they fiercely competed with other animals for survival, battling extinction.

That continued into modern times, making them compete with their own kind to prove their worth.

Because they mustn’t be without value.

Because they need a reason to live.

This monster, born from such fear, Alice calls…

“The Lion and the Unicorn.”

The Lion and Unicorn they had raised at school.

They are monsters who prove their worth by fighting each other in the Red Country, guardians, and also the lords of the two factions in the Red Country.

These two monsters, whose power rivals Alice’s Jabberwock…!

Slice.

“Is it over now?”

They were beheaded and disappeared in vain.

“…No.”

Shin Ha-rim was silent, then spoke.

“If you want to kill us, come find us yourself.”

“At the Red Castle.”

This is the final battle!

As always, if you spot any mistakes, feel free to let me know—and I hope you enjoyed the read!

—Chi