Surviving Among the Letters

“Alright. Sit down here.”

Afterwards, the place I was dragged to by the Director was none other than his office.

I had expected to be locked up in a solitary room, so this wasn’t the worst scenario.

But the fact that I had to converse with that man…

That alone was enough of a disaster.

First, I sat in the chair the Director offered and looked around.

Unlike the white-toned research lab, this office was dark and gloomy.

“Now, you’re the first kid to come to my office. So, for a good kid, I should give a present, right?”

The Director grabbed my wrist and began fiddling with my bracelet.

Then, the bracelet detached from my wrist.

“…What are you doing?”

“Hmm? Are you speaking Spanish? I can’t understand it. Can you speak in Korean?”

It seemed that speech from someone not wearing the translator would not be translated.

He was clearly telling me to use Korean.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, your fluent Korean… You’re bilingual, huh? Or is it three languages since you can read English too? A genius.”

The Director seemed to be misunderstanding something.

Spanish was the language I naturally picked up after being possessed by this body, Korean is my native language, and English was learned through compulsory education.

To the Director, it must have seemed like a 12-year-old child speaking three languages.

“Sigh… Why did you call me here?”

“Ah! You’re the first kid to notice the translation censorship. I just wanted to have a chat.”

Things have gotten complicated.

If I want to leave here safely, I’ll have to follow the Director’s lead.

So, I continued the conversation with the Director.

“Has no one else ever noticed until now? Really?”

The Director returned with two cups of coffee.

He placed them on the table in front of me and sat across from me.

“Yeah. I never imagined anyone here would know Korean.”

The Director lifted the translator from my wrist.

“This has a recognition-blocking magic on it as well. It uses the translator to censor the voice, and the magic makes sure you don’t notice the lip movements. I’m sure you noticed this part, right?”

I nodded, and the Director continued.

“But here’s the big problem. If the subject is very skilled with the language being censored, the recognition-blocking magic doesn’t work properly.”

“…Why?”

“You don’t know? This isn’t really my area of expertise, but the developer of this translation bracelet left it unfinished as a legacy. It’s quite embarrassing, really, that even a kid like you noticed it. I’m sure the developer’s embarrassed in hell.”

The Director looked at the ceiling, almost lost in thought.

Seeing me staring at him, he smiled and spoke.

“Feel free to ask anything you’re curious about.”

Alright.

I’ve come this far, so I can’t back down now.

I’ll ask everything I’m curious about.

Let’s start with the most important one.

“Why do you keep me alive despite me snooping around the research facility?”

“Hmm? Well, let me ask you back. Why should I kill you?”

“Doesn’t it interfere with the experiment?”

“Not at all. In fact, it’s refreshing. A little kid like you snooping around doesn’t cause enough trouble to disrupt the experiment. This research facility isn’t one that would be shaken by something like that.”

Next.

“Why is the death rate of the test subjects 100%?”

“Because when we go past the planned schedule, we conduct very high-intensity experiments. If it works, it works; if not, well, it’s no big deal. After everything’s done, we select new test subjects.”

Next.

“Why do you treat the test subjects so well?”

“My motto is, ‘The test subject must be kept in the best condition.’ Just like a chef is sensitive about their ingredients, I think of it the same way.”

Next.

“What’s the intended death rate and success rate for the experiment?”

“Death rate: 50%. As for success rate? Who knows? We’ve never had a success. Creating psychic powers isn’t something that’s easy.”

So, it seems like the only way out of here is to leave in a body bag.

Next.

“Do I have a way to escape?”

“Do you think you do?”

Ha…

Next.

“Why are you answering these questions for me?”

“When you come to my office, I answer everything. I told you that on your first day, didn’t I? If you’re curious about the experiments, come to my office. But no one came… You’re the first test subject to step foot in here.”

“If you add a condition like ‘we won’t kill you,’ wouldn’t that stop most from coming?”

“Curiosity always comes with risk. If you’re going to ask so many questions, you need the courage to face the consequences.”

So, he’s not entirely crazy.

Next.

“If I awaken my psychic powers here, I can survive, right?”

“Of course. That’s the purpose of this experiment. I can’t kill such a valuable sample.”

Next.

This is the most important question.

“What happens if the psychic powers awaken in a way you didn’t intend?”

The moment I asked the question, the Director’s expression changed.

No longer the friendly, casual demeanor, but that of a mad scientist.

“You step out of the experiment. That means I’ll spare your life.”

“Last question. What exactly is your goal? Is it the creation of psychic powers…? Or…”

“Or…?”

“Creating abilities?”

At the end of my question, silence filled the Director’s office.

The Director, who had been watching me, remained still.

Then, his mouth opened, and laughter filled the room.

“Kwahahaha! Heh, urk… cough, cough.”

Even while coughing, I continued to silently watch him.

“Ugh, that was a laugh that got stuck in my throat. So, the creation of psychic powers or abilities? My answer is…”

─It’s ability creation.─

The moment I heard that, I stood up from my seat.

As I turned to leave the Director’s office…

The Director asked me a question.

“Now, can you answer one of my questions? What’s your goal?”

I stopped for a moment and answered.

“…To escape from this hell.”

Then, I slammed the door behind me and walked into the hallway.

Ignoring the laughter coming from behind me, I simply moved forward.

For reference, the meaning of “hell” is twofold.

One is this research facility.

The other is…

This novel.

◆◇◆◇◆

Side: Messier Atreia.

“Ariya, did you see? That kid’s a big deal. Heheh.”

After Subject 13 disappeared, the Director’s office.

Shortly after, Hanari entered through the door.

Wasn’t it Ari who had been secretly watching this scene from the start?

If Ari hadn’t told me how unusual that kid was, I would’ve almost missed him.

“I understood everything, but the last question was unclear. What did it mean?”

Ah… It seems that Ari still hasn’t figured out the meaning of that question.

I suppose I have no choice but to explain the significance of that crucial question.

“Hanari, what do you think psychic abilities are?”

“A supernatural ability that can’t be explained by cause and effect.”

“And what about abilities?”

“…Aren’t they the same thing?”

Ah! The Chief Researcher couldn’t even differentiate between these two…

He might’ve been promoted as the Chief Researcher in a technical field, but if it were anyone else, they would’ve been fired immediately.

Anyway, I need to clarify this.

“Of course they’re different. What’s ‘super’ in ‘supernatural’? Supernatural! Not the same as ability! But if you take the ‘super’ out of psychic abilities, what does that mean?”

“…Abilities that aren’t supernatural?”

“Exactly! There’s a cause and effect, and the power manifests accordingly! This is my goal. Creating psychic powers by fulfilling conditions and finding the rules to make them. And when that happens, the ‘super’ in psychic powers will disappear.”

“So… does this mean that Subject 13 will create their psychic abilities on their own? By themselves?”

“This person, what are you talking about? How can that kid do something even I can’t do? They’ll probably use shortcuts.”

“Shortcuts?”

“Yeah, shortcuts. Whether they take the long way or the short way, the important thing is they’ll get to Seoul, right? And that kid asked if they’d be spared if the result was close enough to something resembling psychic powers. So, that’s why I asked if it was psychic powers or just abilities. Saying psychic powers would be a bit much, right? It’s definitely not the normal way.”

“…How do you plan to do that?”

“I don’t know that part. But that kid’s a genius. They didn’t just throw that out there. They already have some idea of what they want to do. Even I have no clue.”

“…Huh…”

“Make sure they don’t get hurt. Keep Subject 13 out of the dangerous experiments. Stop the drug injections. Eliminate all the dangerous stuff. And give them whatever they ask for.”

“Yes, Director.”

Hanari left the Director’s office, and I fell into thought.

There’s something that’s bothering me.

Subject 13 always hangs out with Subject 14…

Well, there’s no need to rush things at their age.

I’m sure Subject 14 will act as a guide for that child.

Even now, Subject 13 looks at the other kids with disdain.

They’re already becoming cold-hearted at such a young age.

If they keep this up, their personality will be ruined as they grow.

If the ability creation is successful, they’ll grow up shining brightly as a genius.

But if Subject 14 stays with them, they’ll grow up more like a child.

I picked up the phone and contacted Hanari again.

[Why? You just left, and now you want to give me more work?]

“Keep an eye on Subject 14. If they break, Subject 13 will break too.”

[Subject 14? Uh oh… This is bad…]

“Mm?”

[This… is urgent, you know? The test… has… potential.]

Ah… As expected, that kid’s a genius.

To see through the essence of the world like this…

Just like you said, this world is…

Hell.