Chapter 8: Heading towards something

“Wow… is this for real?”
“…The report contains no lies. It’s all true.”

“Hmm… really?”

In the darkness, lips darker than the shadows split into a wide grin.
The sound of swallowing echoes in the cramped space.

“…”

“Two Gatekeepers, each taken down with a single blow, it seems…”
“…”

“Our lab… all data was erased internally, so we don’t know, but she’s likely a surviving test subject…”
“…Y-Yes, sir.”

The series of events at the subsidiary lab.
Lucky or not, it was resolved by a nearby agency dispatched by the Association.

The lab’s protocol to destroy all experimental data for confidentiality means no one knows what experiments were conducted or what results came of them.

It wasn’t a lab they paid much attention to in the first place.

That’s probably why they conducted such dangerous experiments to gain notice.
But it became their downfall.

A video from a miraculously intact security camera.
Old and shaky from the impact, the footage is blurry, but it clearly shows a blonde girl in what looks like a lab outfit.
Bandages wrapped around her body—likely traces of the experiments.

The last frame shows her heading toward the presumed Gatekeeper location, followed by a massive shockwave that cuts the footage.

That’s enough.

“Interesting. If a kid like that existed, they should’ve reported her immediately. Well, guess it doesn’t matter since they’re gone.”

A laugh echoes long in the room.

“What are you waiting for? She’s ours now. Bring her back to her rightful owners. By any means. An arm, a leg—whatever it takes.”

“Understood, sir.”

The conversation ended in a place no one knows.

A life pushed upon me.

I’ve never once chosen for myself.

Honestly, I don’t know anything.

Do you?

Paper doesn’t disappear.

Back in college, I wrote about this.
Something about why we still use analog paper despite smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and screens surrounding us.

Paper was supposed to vanish, replaced by computers and digital documents.
Bill Gates said that when computers were a hundredth of today’s power.

…We all know how that turned out.

Annual paper production hasn’t decreased—it’s increased.

Enough pointless chatter.

In short, paper as a tool for processing information will never disappear.

Books.

As a medium for recording and storing information, their reliability is unquestionable.

“Not to say books are everywhere and important in a complicated way…”

I walk the streets.
Avoiding cameras and people’s eyes as much as possible.

Was it Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking-Glass?
The Red Queen said something like, “In this place, you have to keep running just to stay in the same spot.”

Endlessly moving cars, people.
What’s the rush?
The world’s gotten faster, more efficient, yet everyone’s living so frantically.

This world feels so familiar yet so alien.

“The scenery’s similar. Then and now.”

Tap.
I kick a small pebble.

It rolls far away.
Where does a thoughtlessly rolling stone end up?

I didn’t see its end.

Unless I live in a mountain valley, my info will eventually leak.

No matter how cautiously I move, cameras, dashcams, and people will catch me.
When that happens, I don’t know.

My nature might be tied to the shadows, but I’m not about to live in some remote valley.
Washing in a stream, eating random plants, saying, “This is nature!”—that’s not me.

If I’m gonna get caught, I’ll at least get what I want first.

That’s why I’m heading to a library to gain knowledge of this world.

If I’m gonna get caught, I’ll move boldly.
I changed clothes.
The blood wouldn’t come out.
My carefully chosen cosmetic outfit is unwearable for now.
I could wear it, but not in broad daylight on a busy street.

I’m in a black hoodie and shorts.
The most modern outfit I have.

Dresses or swimsuits… sure, they exist in this world, but they’re not practical for blending in.
By process of elimination, this is what I’ve got.

“…The bandages are showing.”

Bandages count as underwear, so I kept them on.
A bit blood-stained, but it’ll be fine.
I noticed some people walking around with bandages—not that uncommon.
Plus, I don’t have other underwear…

I looked for long pants to cover them, but… nope, nothing.

Can’t go without underwear, right?
What, go commando?
No way, you perv! blushing

“How much was this…?”

Never spent money on real clothes, but I went all-in on character outfits.

This hoodie’s nice, with a hood.
Doesn’t completely block stares, but it helps.

Thankfully, there aren’t many people out in broad daylight.

As I walk, I notice abandoned, crumbling buildings.
In alleys, injured, exhausted homeless people lie scattered.

Must be because of the monsters.
This world’s so strange.

Alright, that abandoned building’s my spot.
Perfect for a comfy life.
Food’s covered—eternal soulmate, salmon sushi.
Sleep in that building.
Perfect.

Uncomfortable sleeping spot?
I already shook off that concern sleeping in a pile of leaves with bugs last night.

F*ck.

Ten minutes of walking and thinking.

“Oh.”

I found it.
Sokcho Welfare Center.

I don’t remember how I got from Inje to Sokcho.
Just that I ran from the Hunters and collapsed in the mountains, sleeping like the dead.

A welfare center should have a library.
Yup, there it is.

Libraries like this are old and empty.

Creak.
Jingle.
The stiff door opens, and a bell rings from the vibration.

“Ugh…”

I open the library door.
Time for fun studying.
Learning and mastering—how could that not be joyful?

It’s quiet.

As expected.

No one on the way here.
The few I saw were a security guard at the entrance or elderly folks.

The library itself?
Completely empty.

It’s early morning, too.

I woke up in the mountains at dawn, just as the sun peeked out.

Jumping as high as I could, following power lines to the city, it’s just past 7 a.m.

No diligent soul comes to a library at opening time.

It’s all mine.
Rented out.

How much for this place?
I’ll buy it!
Today’s on me!

“Hmm…”

I stifle a hum and pick a topic.

Even alone, etiquette shines brightest in moments like this.

I glide my hand over the bookshelves, feeling the texture.
A strange sensation creeps up my fingers.

It’s been ages since I came to a library to read.

It’s not big, so I quickly figure out the categories.
Skip fantasy and trivia.
I need books on Erosion Entities and Hunters—the differences between this world and mine.

I glance to the side.
History section?
A number, 843, is written high on the shelf.

I always wonder how they assign those numbers.
Probably some pointless reason.

History, nice.
There’s a separate shelf for Erosion Entities.
Erosion Entity Encyclopedia?
You’re mine.
And you.
Politics and economics?
Anything on Hunters’ impact?
Changes in 21st Century Neoliberalism Due to Hunters?
Sounds tedious.

Turning a five-page topic into hundreds of pages is exhausting.
Those books are full of pretentious words.
Give me a paper on the same topic instead, please…

I’ll check that later.

For now, Illustrated Erosion Entity Encyclopedia.
Feels like browsing an occult site like the SCP Foundation.

The difference?
These exist in reality.

I flip it open.
All sorts of monsters.
Similar to the ones I saw in the lab.

Hmm, that’s all I’ve got.

Let’s see if the creatures from the game fit into this “Erosion Entity” category.

“Focus…!”

Time for my tried-and-true, super-serious study method!

Mom, I’m sorry!

Jingle.
Creak.
A sound, familiar from when I entered, rings in my ears as I focus on the book.

Huh, someone’s here?

Test subject route in progress.

A situation where I get caught after holding allies hostage.

Pretty cool… stares into the distance

I’ll do a double update tomorrow.