The entrance to the Ferris wheel's grounds was impossible to miss. Creepy balloon sculptures lined the path, twisted into shapes that seemed to watch visitors with hollow eyes. A massive gate loomed before us, its metal framework spelling out "Welcome to the Big Laughter Wheel" in letters that shifted colors like oil on water. The 'W' occasionally twisted itself into something resembling Mr. Chuckles' unsettling grin.

The crowds drew my attention—hundreds of people clustered around the entrance, their excited chatter echoing off the barrier that kept them at bay. Through my Mana Sense, I analyzed the gathering: most were clearly Tutorial participants, normal humans with disappointingly low levels. Scattered among them were more exotic beings—a three-headed merchant hawking "genuine" attraction passes, a group of floating orbs that might have been someone's evolved form, and what looked like a family of sentient origami creatures. More interesting were several figures carrying the same distinctive Mana signature as Sergio—other vampires, their Tier 2 and 3 powers radiating freely as they stood in elaborate noble attire, wearing expressions of practiced superiority. Well, except for one figure, completely hiding her appearance behind a black cloak and a white mask. They made no effort to hide their nature—why should they, in a place like this? I decided to ignore them for now.

But what truly stood out was the guard.

At first glance, I thought it was just another carnival decoration. But no—a giant gummy bear, pink and semi-translucent, stood at least five stories tall. Its gelatinous form pulsed with inner light, each beat sending ripples through its massive body like waves through strawberry jelly. Most disturbing was its face—a too-wide smile filled with teeth that looked anything but gummy-like, each fang crystallized sugar sharp enough to impale a car. Raw power radiated from its saccharine form, making my Mana Sense tingle with warning. The bear's Mana rivaled that of a Tier 5 creature, its aura suggesting it was more than capable of enforcing the attraction's rules. The crowd gave it a wide berth despite its seemingly cute appearance, especially when its head occasionally swiveled 180 degrees to track random passersby. Curious, I checked its status.

[Supreme Gummy Golem, Level 666]

Ignoring the protesting masses, I landed directly in front of the saccharine sentinel, Mille touching down beside me with notably more grace. The gummy bear's head turned toward us with a wet squelching sound that made several nearby people visibly nauseated. Its body rippled as it moved, internal lights creating strange shadows that seemed to form screaming faces within its translucent flesh.

"I need to get into the zone to meet a friend," I said, looking up at its gleaming black eyes, each the size of a dinner plate and filled with pinpricks of light that danced like trapped stars. "Will you let me in?"

I didn’t actually expect to hear an answer; why would I think it could talk? But the bear’s smile somehow grew even wider, stretching its translucent face until cracks appeared in its candied surface, leaking what looked suspiciously like strawberry syrup. When it—he, I decided, as referring to something that could talk as "it" seemed a bit rude—spoke, his voice was surprisingly melodic, like wind chimes made of breaking glass.

“Ooooh, what’s this? What’s this?” He bent his massive form down, his gelatinous neck stretching impossibly as he brought his face close to mine. “A shiny golden ticket from our lovely Exhibition! How wonderful, how wonderful indeed!” His teeth clinked together like falling icicles. “But rules are rules are rules, my special friend. Other guests are playing their turn, and we must wait for them to finish their game. Whether they win or...” He giggled, sending ripples through his entire form, “...other outcomes occur.”

The bear straightened up, bits of his surface flaking off like crystallized sugar. “Two hours and fifty minutes remaining! Shall we all wait together? I do so love making new friends!”

“But what if I really, really want to enter now?” I asked, flashing my most innocent smile. “I’d very much like to help my friend who’s already inside. No harm in that, is there, Mr. Bear? Do you have a name, by the way?”

“A name, I do not need,” the massive confection giggled. “But you can call me Sugar. Because yes, I like sugar!” His laughter, low and bestial, made several people in the crowd edge away nervously.

Before I could respond, a group approached us. The leader was unmistakably a vampire—and a powerful one at that, just a step away from reaching Tier 4. His attendants flanked him like well-trained guard dogs, their own power significant but clearly subordinate to his.

“Human,” the vampire's voice dripped with centuries of practiced condescension, “surely you don’t think you’re so important that rules should be changed for you?” His lips curled into a sneer. “Why don’t you wait quietly like a good little mortal and stop bothering this... charming mascot?”

Something about vampires became clear to me—they all seemed to possess multiple Sins, though in varying combinations. Even Sergio, despite his relative weakness, commanded three: Lust, Pride, and Sloth. In fact, that was more than any of those, as they only held two. This one lacked Lust's mental manipulation abilities, but I could sense Envy among his powers. It was different from Lust's direct mind control, but under certain circumstances, it could achieve similar results through brainwashing—just like the power used by the exhibition's tamer and that demon who had tormented me back in Luminosa.

Before I could reply to the vampire's provocation, Mille had already launched into action. Her cross-shaped knife, accelerated by Charity and empowered by Chastity, flew through the air, aimed perfectly at the vampire's heart.

Part of me would have very much liked to let her knife find its mark, but I couldn't lose such a precious source of information—though that conversation could wait for a better time. Unlike my acquaintance Sergio, I could clearly sense that these vampires, like Lucius's Templars, had achieved Tier 3—or at least the peak of Tier 2—even before the System enhanced their abilities. Less than half their Mana seemed to come from System enhancement. Were they gaining their power by slaughtering innocent people? Or did they just raid blood banks and hospitals for "donations" to generate Mana?

Such questions could wait for now.

"Why did you stop me?" Mille demanded as I used my power to halt her dagger just inches from the vampire's heart. Despite his arrogance, he wasn't even half as powerful as she was.

"I can't kill people just because I don't like their tone or how they were raised," I explained calmly. Really, I just didn't want her losing System Points needlessly. "He's harmless." I turned to the vampire. "But be aware—my companion doesn't like rude people. Next time, I won't stop her."

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"Dear gods, it's her—Cardinal Mille, the Death Dancer!" one of the vampires exclaimed, already looking for escape routes. Their leader had gone even paler than usual, his eyes darting between Mille and me.

"Damn monster," he muttered, checking her status through the System. "Level 450..." His voice trailed off, the number telling him everything he needed to know about his chances.

Swallowing hard, he managed to compose himself. "If you want to go ahead and convince Sugar, be my guest. I don't want any trouble."

He turned to leave, but Mille's voice cracked like a whip, "Stop! You weren't given permission to leave. Now you will answer all of his questions or die."

"Hey, hey!" I intervened. "I'm not particularly interested in interrogating him right now. Remember our goal here? We were in the middle of negotiations, right, Mr. Bear?" I asked the so-called Gummy Golem.

"Right?" Sugar pondered, his gelatinous form wobbling thoughtfully. "Or is it left? Sorry, I still confuse them. Is right the hand you eat with? Oh, I don't eat with hands; I don't even have them," Sugar giggled, his gelatinous form rippling. "I have paws, and I eat with my mouth! Ha ha ha!"

Clearly, this wasn't going to be a straightforward conversation. "So you stand here as a guard? Are there conditions for you to allow entry and open the gates, Sugar?" I asked hopefully. I could probably take the bear in a fight—he was intimidating, but not beyond my abilities. Still, I'd rather avoid violence unless I was certain it would actually solve our problem.

"Entering without waiting is no good, no good at all!" Sugar's massive form swayed like jelly in an earthquake. "But Sugar loves games! Yes, yes! If you beat Sugar at a game, you can pass!"

"What kind of game are we talking about?" I asked, already sensing a trap.

The giant bear's grin widened impossibly. "The Bite Game! Sugar's favorite!" His crystalline teeth glinted in the carnival lights. "Three bites on your opponent's flesh wins! Simple, simple!"

[Side Quest Available: Sugar's Sweet Challenge]

Defeat the Gummy Golem in its Bite Game to gain early access to the Ferris wheel. You should bite Sugar three times... it doesn't matter if he's dead or alive.

Warning: The guardian is protected by the same barrier type as the attraction zone.

Reward: Immediate entry permission to the Big Laughter Wheel Zone, System Point reward based on performance.

"Let me get this straight," I said, watching as Sugar's form rippled with excitement. "I have to bite you three times before you bite me three times?"

"Yes, yes! Though Sugar must warn you—" The bear locked his large eyes onto me as his grin turned positively predatory. "Sugar only needs one bite to eat you all up! Crunch, crunch!"

I studied the massive confection through my Mana Sense. The barrier around him wasn't just similar to the one protecting the Ferris wheel—it was identical, adapting to and strengthening against any force used against it. This wouldn't be as simple as overpowering the bear with raw strength. In a way, he wasn't just a Tier 5 monster... he was a so-called Enigma—the title given to those creatures whose strange and peculiar abilities made them seemingly invincible unless you knew the trick behind their powers and how to counter them. Pucks that had been giving me a headache back on Luminosa were a type of Enigma as well, some weaker and some stronger. And this was exactly why I wasn't afraid of the challenge.

"Bite Sugar if you can!" The bear giggled, his entire form wobbling. "But remember—Sugar bites back!"

Behind me, I heard Mille mutter something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer for my sanity.

"Are you out of your mind?" Mille's violet eyes flashed with genuine concern beneath her usual stern expression. "His Holiness believes you can serve a great purpose and join us in our cause of bringing humanity to greatness. And now you want to throw away your life for... nothing?" Her voice carried an edge of personal disappointment. "Don't disappoint me so badly, Clinton."

I gave her an awkward smile, noting how strange it was to see actual emotion from someone who'd tried so hard to act like she had no feelings. "What, didn't you want to see me in action? You sure don't seem to believe much in my power."

She shook her head, her Virtues flaring briefly with frustration. "Even I can feel that this monstrous creature, which is deadly on its own, also has the power of the barrier. Biting him? You won't even be able to touch his body." Her lips curled in disdain. "I won't even mention how ridiculous this entire game is. Just give up. It's not like your companion would die for real, or..." She paused, studying my expression. "Did they lose all their revival points already?"

"No, there's still a revival point, but don't you realize that revival is a bit too good to be true?" I watched Sugar's eternally grinning face as I spoke. "It's one thing if someone is replaced by a copy when I don't care about them, but it's another entirely when it's someone you love and cherish and want to protect."

That was the real reason for my sudden haste. Of course, I risked looking like a hypocrite considering I had killed my companions already. But to be fair, every one of them had already died and been revived—they were potentially copies of themselves.

And if that mysterious girl's prediction was right... even if it wasn't, there was a chance that Jimmy and Leah were two people under my care. Then I had already lost one of them. The thought, no matter how unlikely, made my blood boil with an intensity I hadn't felt since my days fighting the Demon Queen. What if they revived as just perfect copies of who they were before? What if the System really replaced the soul?

When my five companions died, I'd tried to track their souls with my Mana Sense, pushing my perception to its limits. But the results were inconclusive—their souls had instantly disappeared, like candles snuffed out in a dark room. I had no way of knowing if they were transported to new bodies or simply destroyed, replaced by perfect replicas. I would know for sure only after seeing them again, after looking into their eyes and sensing their essence. That was the only way to confirm.

Until then, I had an obligation to save that one person still at the Ferris wheel. Leah or Jimmy—I had no right to ignore either possibility, especially when the stakes were potentially higher than mere death.

"Well, I don't know," Mille said thoughtfully, her earlier anger giving way to contemplation. "In our group, no one has the right to revive anyway. Honestly, I think that's something only our god should have the power to do." Her voice carried the weight of absolute conviction. "This System takes too much upon itself."

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that—the irony of discussing divine rights with someone whose god didn’t even exist yet.

"So what, mister?" The gummy bear's voice interrupted my thoughts, his saccharine tone barely masking an underlying menace. "Will you play with Sugar? Or will you wait like a good boy until Sugar opens the gate? Until it's your turn?"

I looked up at its massive form, studying how its translucent body distorted the carnival lights into strange, writhing patterns. "Well, Sugar, would Sugar mind if I use a knife? After all, humans are used to eating with utensils. Don’t you think so?"

"A knife?" Sugar's crystalline teeth clinked together in amusement. "You want to cut a piece of Sugar before taking a bite? Sugar doesn’t mind. Sugar is tough. Sugar is protected." His gelatinous form rippled with dark mirth. "Knife or no knife, a human won’t eat Sugar! Ha ha ha ha!"

"Well, you said it yourself," I shrugged, even as I used my Mana to shield myself from his laughter. The sound waves directed at me this time carried enough force to stagger a normal person. It seemed that even before our game officially started, the gummy bear wasn’t holding back his power against me.

Obviously, if he hadn’t been suppressing his aura and energy, those waiting for the attraction to open would be in constant danger. The casual display of power made my decision easier.

Now it was time to finally summon my close, though annoying, companion—though he’d probably object to being called that. A part of me had hoped I would never have reason to use him again, that I could let him rest after we’d slain the Demon Queen together. But it seemed this Tutorial was pushing me a bit too far to let him remain dormant.

"Come forth, Antipucker!" I exclaimed, pressing my palm against my solar plexus. I focused on the deepest part of my Mana core, where my soul-bound weapon resided. I could already sense his indignation at not being called by his preferred title. "Your time has come!"