NOVEL NEXT WORLD After the tremors that felt like the building was collapsing ended.
The enormous debris that had been falling from above had stopped, and only small fragments now fell like morning dew.
In that place, where the only movements were the shattered fragments colliding and rolling around.
“—Tuduk”
Suddenly, a large piece of debris began to squirm as if it were alive.
“Huff…!”
With a grunt, the debris was shoveled aside.
With a thud, the massive stone fell to the ground.
“…Is everyone okay?”
From within the rubble, a figure emerged.
It was a masked man. Elijah.
He turned his head, examining the small pit he had just emerged from.
Then, he assessed the conditions of the others inside.
“Cough! Still… intact!”
“I-I think I’m alright too…”
In the dense dust.
Two more figures popped out from the pit.
Despite being far from the elevator, they couldn’t escape the collapsing floor.
However, by coincidence, they had fallen into a cleverly positioned gap, avoiding the falling debris from above.
Ignoring the complete mess around them, they were fortunate enough to find themselves in this situation without any serious injuries.
“Just wait until we get out; I’ll demand extra pay or something…”
Due to the thick dirt and dust, Cooper kept coughing out complaints.
This was already the second time they had fallen today.
Going through a series of events that would make any regular human’s heart stop, it was bound to build up stress, even for trained staff of the Abnormal Phenomena Management Office.
Even though he knew it wouldn’t help solve the current situation, he couldn’t help but mutter those words.
“But it’s a relief. The place we were in was the last to be affected by the tremors.”
“That’s true. If we hadn’t gotten out before falling, we probably wouldn’t have survived like this.”
Eleanor brushed the dust off her clothes as she spoke, and Elijah added his agreement.
That was exactly it.
The place where they had been moments ago had suffered the most significant impact from the tremors.
It was a wreck; there was no safe ground, not even a place to grab onto, and it looked like the world was crumbling around them.
If they hadn’t managed to escape from there, there was no way they would have survived.
And even if, just maybe, by some stroke of luck, they had survived…
It was pretty obvious that dying would have been the better option.
“Right, if that girl hadn’t helped us, we’d definitely—”
Hearing that, someone who wasn’t present crossed Cooper’s mind.
Just before the floor collapsed, there was a voice amidst the pressing chaos.
The shock that came from behind, the dizzying sights swirling through the air.
And the image of the girl, sent plummeting into the endless abyss due to their push.
“Wait, speaking of which, where is she…?”
As that image flickered in his mind, he abruptly stood up.
The very spot where the elevator had been.
The place where he had seen the girl fall into the darkness without an end.
He charged towards that place, pushing through the thick dust around him.
“…Oh no.”
But it was already completely blocked by fallen debris from above.
“Damn it, it’s not budging at all…”
After a few tries of pushing against the rubble, he muttered in resignation, gazing at the unmoving mountain of debris.
Even if he could clear the rubble…
Finding the girl who had fallen into the endless abyss was, for all intents and purposes, impossible.
“Doesn’t matter. She’ll probably find her way back anyway.”
But for some reason, there was not a hint of worry in his voice.
“…She’ll come back?”
“Yep.”
When he turned towards the source of the voice, he saw the masked man standing there.
His face was hidden by the mask, but the usual bluntness was evident in his voice.
He showed no signs of panic whatsoever.
“…”
A brief moment of silence settled.
As if deep in thought, Cooper’s gaze fell to the ground.
“Hey, big guy. Just be honest with me.”
“About what?”
Turning his head away and trying to say something but closing his mouth multiple times.
Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he turned to Elijah.
“About her identity. She’s not a specialist.”
This was the question that had been lingering in his mind for a while now.
“…I can’t tell you.”
“Oh, come on… But just so you know, keeping her identity hidden won’t last forever.”
The man’s response was the same as before, just like when they first met here.
However, unlike that time, they had experienced and seen so much more by now.
“Initially, I thought it was some kind of unusual phenomenon, but I’ve just confirmed it. That’s pure physical power.”
He recalled the shock that felt like a kick from behind.
The force that distinctly traveled from body to body.
A law of nature that was so clearly present in the world, far from being an abnormal phenomenon.
“As a person, you can’t possess such power. That also goes for specialists. Especially to exert that level of force with such a small body—”
But that power couldn’t have come from the girl.
Ironically, this truth proved she was not just another ordinary specialist.
Kicking through the door blocked by an abnormal phenomenon, halting the falling elevator, and sending three adults flying with a single blow.
And the way to refer to an entity capable of such power is typically—
“So, what’s that got to do with anything?”
While Cooper continued, Elijah interrupted him.
“…Do I take that as a confirmation?”
“Do as you want. I’m just following the orders given by the Management Office; how you take it is none of my concern.”
It was a statement that could indirectly be seen as an answer, yet he still maintained his previous attitude.
Without formal clearance, the girl’s identity shouldn’t be carelessly revealed to anyone outside of Base 17.
And he too had been ordered by the Management Office to keep her identity confidential, making it impossible for him to speak about it.
“But whatever the truth may be, if it weren’t for that girl, you would already be dead. You know that, don’t you?”
But that didn’t mean he could allow any misunderstandings about her to spread.
Regardless of her identity, the girl had saved his life.
And knowing that it stemmed from a simple act of kindness would naturally breed respect.
That’s why he had supported this perilous operation.
“…”
Cooper fell silent.
A more fundamental question was being tossed around in his mind.
Can one believe in abnormal phenomena?
Well, most likely not, but there could certainly be those who do.
Among the abnormal phenomena, there are types that don’t harm people, and others that can help.
“Hey, Cooper. While it’s true that it’s hard to ascertain the girl’s identity, I believe her help was simply an act of goodwill.”
But just as he was contemplating such thoughts for a moment, Eleanor emerged from behind Elijah, calling his name.