NOVEL NEXT WORLD Reinforcements arrived at Base 17.
What had arrived was a special operations unit sent by the Abnormal Phenomena Management Office.
Every member was an experienced elite from the Office. Having received only a brief mission briefing due to the urgent situation at Base 17, they were quickly deployed.
The emergence of an enemy group that caused mass terror every time they appeared, alongside the return of a previously lost anomalous entity classified as Hazard Level V.
Even these veterans felt their death might be imminent due to that combination, and they entered the confined interior of Base 17 with heightened tension.
Soon, they faced a scene where countless monsters lay scattered everywhere.
“…Oh my.”
The sight of monsters utterly smashed to the point where their original forms were almost unrecognizable.
“What on earth happened here?”
The lead agent shone his flashlight around.
Shattered remnants of monsters littered the dark hallway.
The fragments scattered on the ground blended with the dark shadows, creating an even more terrifying atmosphere.
The cracked walls bore the scars of past battles and shocks, appearing chaotic, with fissures crossing the walls as if they would collapse with a mere touch.
This sight added an uneasy air to the silent corridor.
“It’s like a war has been waged here.”
Another agent chimed in.
While they had anticipated that the forces stationed at Base 17 had already engaged in combat with the anomaly before their arrival, they believed that such damage couldn’t have occurred from just that battle alone.
The traces of destruction left behind looked more like the aftermath of a war than a simple battle.
“Hey, didn’t you say you participated in Operation 744?”
One agent asked another, the only one in the special operations unit with experience in 744-related operations.
Even among this elite special operations unit, there was only one who had participated in the anomaly-related operation.
The reason was simple: all the other agents who were in that operation, except for him, had already died.
“Yeah. Thanks to that, during the briefing, I started considering just shooting myself in the head and checking out early.”
The questioned agent made a grim joke.
He likely intended to lighten the mood, but honestly, it didn’t help much.
“So, this isn’t your first time seeing these monsters.”
“Right. It doesn’t smell like rotten corpses, but looking at these disgusting appearances, I’d say they are definitely them. But why?”
As the agent nudged one of the shards with his foot, the fragmented face of a doll was revealed, split in half.
What once was flesh and bone, according to his memory, now strangely appeared as plastic and steel.
Yet, that didn’t change the repulsive exterior of the monsters, so the agent was sure that these destroyed dolls were not so different from the monsters he once knew.
“It’s nothing much, but to kill this many lying around… how many agents would it take?”
The agent asked him again.
While he had heard rumors about the horrific and dangerous nature of the vanished 744th entity, he had never experienced any incidents firsthand.
Especially considering the numerous corpses of monsters strewn about, he was at a complete loss to imagine what had happened here.
“Well, I don’t really know… but…”
As he pondered the question, the agent began recalling the past.
It had been quite some time, but he couldn’t have forgotten how many lives were lost while carrying out that operation.
The incredible physical abilities of the monsters and the countless bullets needed just to bring down a single one of those swarming hordes.
And now, calculating the number of agents needed to handle the same number of monsters that lay scattered across this corridor…
“…Probably, a military force is needed.”
It was clear they wouldn’t stand a chance with the agents available here.
“…”
The silence that followed his answer enveloped those present, including himself.
The first to be deployed to Base 17 was surely them.
The only forces available to confront the raging anomalies must have been those stationed at Base 17.
However, what they found upon arrival was a scene where so many monsters had already been pulverized by something.
Then, who could have possibly eliminated those monsters that would require military force to handle?
The agents felt fear at the sight, as if a war had indeed been waged here.
Slowly, they started to move forward into the unknown darkness, unsure of what lay ahead.
“Speaking of which, remember those guys we encountered earlier when we entered?”
One of the agents walking in the back broke the silence.
“Here from our own ranks?”
“Yeah. I was surprised they managed to survive in a place like this.”
The injured individuals they had encountered while entering Base 17 bore the marks of a tremendously grueling battle, some with severe injuries and others seeming to be in a daze from mental shock.
“But one of them seemed to be muttering something strange.”
One of them, lying on a transport bed, was mumbling something.
He hadn’t paid much attention at the time since the injured seemed to be in rough shape. Yet, with the bizarre scene they were facing now, those words suddenly came back to him.
“What were they saying?”
“Let’s see… it was something like…”
The agent tried to recall.
If he pieced together the words from that injured agent, it was clear.
A girl-like monster was inside… —
“Stop.”
Suddenly, the agent at the front came to a halt.
The one talking immediately ceased their chatter and went into a state of alert.
“I’ve spotted an unidentified entity up ahead.”
As the preceding agent’s words finished, everyone shone their flashlights forward.
Numerous circles of light began to cut through the darkness.
What lay before them was a mound of countless broken monster corpses.
And at its center was a black spiral spear, split in half–
“…Dammit, what the hell is that?”
A little girl, who shouldn’t be here, couldn’t possibly be here, was sitting atop the pile of monsters’ corpses.
After turning those cursed dolls into dust, I found myself perched on the hill formed by the remnants of those dolls, deep in thought. But just as I sank into contemplation, a shout drew me back to reality.
“Hey! Hands up!”
Again, that familiar scene came flooding back.
Immediately upon returning to my hometown, countless gun barrels pointed at me.
At that time, I had just returned home and was in a daze, reluctant to make contact with my kin after so long, but now, unlike that time, I was in a very uncomfortable state.
‘…So loud.’
Staring at the many guns aimed at me, I internally muttered this.
While some may be overwhelmed with thoughts, here I am, instead of receiving gratitude for saving them, getting threatened.
Is this any different from my days of wandering through dimensions?
This was not the visage of my hometown that I had remembered.
“Once more, I warn you! Raise your hands above your head and lie down!”
The people before me continued shouting orders.
Yet, to me, who was merely annoyed by the current situation, their words didn’t quite register.
I had long since grown tired of having to justify my actions or explain the reasons for them.
Even if I explained, would they lower their guns?
I doubted it, and it certainly didn’t seem likely.
‘Perhaps I should retreat to a quiet place first…’
I quietly rose from my seat.
As a result, the voices yelling at me began to crescendo.
But I wasn’t concerned.
If I continued to listen to their yelling, I’d inadvertently charge at them without realizing it.
For now, it’s best to quickly escape to a place out of their sight—
Bang!
In that moment, a loud noise erupted as a bullet whizzed past my head.
“…”
They shot.
Yeah, they shot.
I hadn’t expected a welcoming gift from my long-lost hometown, but receiving captivity along with ration bullets was never on my wish list either.
All I wanted was to return to the peaceful hometown I once remembered.
But here I was with shadowy creatures creeping in, and replication dolls running amok.
All I wanted was to save a few people, but instead, I faced threats without so much as a thank-you.
Is this really any different from how it was before I returned home?
Was there any real change from those days when I was embroiled in fights wherever I went?
Or was it merely that I had become insane, believing I’d returned to my hometown?
……..
I don’t know anymore.
Maybe I should grab a few of them and think things over.
Then maybe it would be quieter.
Slap!
I turned my steps toward the people in front of me.
The urgency in their voices escalated, frantic.
But for some reason, what they said began to sound like nothing more than meaningless text.
Their words conveyed no significant information to me any longer; it seemed their chatter was morphing into incomprehensible alien tongue.
…Well, that’s just fine.
After all, I didn’t want to hear it anyway.
Click!
The metallic sound of numerous safeties being disengaged filled the air.
The tense atmosphere crackled with intensity.
In this critical moment, I slowly walked towards the people ahead.
And just as I was about to close the gap between us—
“Entity 19!”
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to me from behind.
“Wait! Don’t shoot! I’m a researcher from Base 17!”
Everyone’s gaze, including mine, fixed on the source of the voice.
The light from their flashlights and several laser pointers illuminated that area.
The person who had spoken appeared to be quite startled, waving their hands to show they meant no harm.
“Get back now! We are currently engaged with an unidentified entity!”
“No! That girl has resolved this situation! She is the one I was in charge of; stop threatening her!”
That voice was familiar.
Well, it should be. Of all the voices I had heard since my arrival, this was likely the most well-known.
The once neat lab coat was torn in places, and the neatly tied blonde hair had come undone, yet I recognized the owner of that voice as Sophia.
“1, Entity 19? Calm down. Everyone is just confused right now.”
Ignoring the warnings from those around her, Sophia turned to me with an earnest expression.
Her actions were clearly intentional.
After all, her gaze carried a hint of fear, similar to what I’ve been seeing from them all.
Realizing that I looked different than before, she must have intended to calm me.
“….”
But the way she had treated me before, the thoughts of being treated like a human and cared for by her, were the only things that confirmed my return to my hometown.
“Things will settle down in time, so could you please come to me right now…?”
She opened her arms.
The warmth of a fellow human, a like-minded soul. The things I had wished for before returning home.
Seeing that, I acknowledged my fleeting excitement.
Then, calming my mind, I began to walk towards her.
—
Report
Confirmed the abnormal physical abilities of Anomalous Entity 163-19.
Until precise study on the entity is completed, a temporary risk rating will be assigned, and the highest level of readiness will be activated.
Risk Level Classification: Level V (Extremely Dangerous)