Surviving Among the Entities

In the slums on the outskirts of Mumbai, India.

“Huff, huff!”

Carl Hackness, a C-rank agent of the Foundation, staggered through the alleyway shrouded in darkness.

“Huff, huff!”

His formerly confident demeanor and laughter had long since vanished, and his neatly tailored suit was crumpled beyond recognition.

‘Damn it! Maria! Samson! Hummel! Victor!’

His accompanying colleagues were nowhere to be seen.

‘Just what went wrong!?’

One of the entities that had escaped during the Foundation’s near-destruction by the Constellations, the 「Shadow Hunter」.
When he and his colleagues arrived here to recapture and re-isolate this hazard-grade entity, its irregularities were all documented in the Foundation’s database, so the mission seemed straightforward if they just had the proper countermeasures and effective weapons.

[“Hey there! Let’s have a drink and leave!”]

But everything went wrong, and the Shadow Hunter mocked and devoured them.

[“How dare some untouchable vermin talk back to me!”]
[“My son! It is you who must feed us all!”]

Now only Carl remained.
Climbing over a wall to the factory warehouse entrance, he forcibly broke in only to see a 5-meter shadow pursuing him over the wall.

“Damn it!”

He immediately drew his handgun and fired at the shadow. The palm-sized pistol could inflict severe damage on the formless entity and was the most suitable weapon for this mission.

[“Oh, oooh!”]

Upon being shot, a silhouette of an ordinary person tore from the shadow like dried leaves scattering.

[“Carl, why did you shoot me?”]
“I’m sorry, Maria.”

Carl hid inside the warehouse. While the entity was fast on open ground, it slowed considerably in cluttered areas so this was an ideal place to drive it off.

‘Just my rotten luck. To be the first witness of a new irregularity.’

This rarely occurred, but there was one immutable rule.

‘Most first witnesses of a new irregularity die.’

90% of dealing with entities was information.
Without information, the chances of survival were extremely low.

[It seems the entity was unable to properly consume victims under the Foundation’s management until now. But currently, it is judged to have consumed over 500 victims in Mumbai. Did this cause a new irregularity to manifest? Or did it possess this existing irregularity that has only now been discovered?]

Without pause, Carl recorded the Shadow Hunter’s new irregularity in his notebook.

[The physical bodies of victims hunted by it assimilate with the victim’s own shadow. Afterwards, the Shadow Hunter devours that. However, in this previously unobserved irregularity, the Shadow Hunter can avoid fatal injuries by discarding one of the victim shadows it has consumed.]

Even if he died here.

[The discarded victim shadows separate from the entity, but if 10 to 20 minutes pass they are reabsorbed. In other words, to capture the Shadow Hunter now would require unleashing enough firepower to kill it over 500 times within 20 minutes.]

He hoped this information would reach the Foundation.

[“Oi, there you nerd-looking guy.”]

It had arrived. Gripping his gun at the voice from the darkness, Carl replied.

‘I can’t prolong my life and inconvenience my successors.’

He gently pressed the trigger with his brow.

[“What are you doing in such a gloomy place?”]
“This is as far as you go.”

The moment he was about to pull the trigger.

Bang-!

[“When asked a question, you should answer.”]

His gun shattered, scattering pieces into the air.

“!?”
[“Your accent is similar to those California hillbilly folk. Say, let me ask you one question.”]

Carl saw it. A redneck in a cowboy hat reflected on painted steel rebar.
The [Make America Great Again] phrase emblazoned on his T-shirt.
Beyond the reflection, the barrel of a double-barrel shotgun pointed at him.

[“Who did you vote for in the last election?”]

He was a lifelong Democrat and had voted for Harris in the last election.

“Trump.”

But he was also quick-witted enough to be the final survivor.

[“Good answer.”]

[“Seems you’re being chased by some gooey monster, so as a fellow Republican I’ll lend a hand.”]

The other party was an entity. An entity with the outward appearance of a Republican redneck, seemingly residing within reflections.

“No, it won’t work……”

But perceiving it as an entity friendly to humans, he tried to inform it of the Shadow Hunter’s irregularity, only for it to find him first.

[“Look at that! That guy is eating with his left hand!”]
[“So damn noisy. I have no interest in untouchable Indians. Raise the barrier! Trump!”]

The double-barrel shotgun’s bullets spewed flames. The Shadow Hunter’s upper body scattered, but another shadow emerged nullifying the damage.

“That entity makes victims’ lives its own! Unless you kill it over 500 times in a short span, it won’t die!”
[“Then I’ll kill it 500 times.”]

He lowered his shotgun.

[“……But that’s such a rural method. As a great American, I should handle this more wisely and cleanly.”]
[“My son! You must get into IIT! I even sold our home for your tutoring fees!”]

The Shadow Hunter ignored Carl and attacked the redneck’s reflection. Its hands became sharp sickles, slashing at the steel rebar, but the Republican redneck evaded the attacks by moving to another reflection.

[“You know, there were plenty of other mutants of the Original besides us? The female Original, the six-armed Original, the cross-eyed Original, the balding Original, but they all vanished when the mirror dimension collapsed.”]

Amid the Shadow Hunter’s rampage, his voice was the only one audible.

[“Only three of us remained, including myself. The reason we survived is because we are mutants unworthy of being called replications of the Original.”]
[“Kill those Pakistani scum!”]
[“How to put it, if the other guys had a parent-child relationship with the Original, our relationship to him would be like bananas to humans? Bananas share 60% of human genes but no idiot would call that a close relation, right? That’s how far we mutated. One guy was even a dog!”]

Constantly moving between reflections, but his gaze never left the Shadow Hunter.

[“In other words, we have no 「Origin」. We were born from the Original but are completely different from him. From birth we couldn’t even harbor murderous intent toward the Original like that guy, let alone have his peculiar psychic power, desire for dialogue, or thirst for knowledge.”]

Eventually he reloaded his shotgun with new shells.

[“Anyway, people crave what they lack, don’t they? So do I. Maybe because I lack an 「Origin」I’m quite sensitive about it. For instance, I can clearly perceive the 「Origin」 of a freak like you to the point of being able to shoot right through it.”]
[“Ooh! That is life! That is enlightenment!”]
[“There’s only one reason I’m telling you this.”]

He aimed at the Shadow Hunter and pulled the trigger.

[“For America to be great again, it needs romance, and ranting and shooting at someone who can’t hear is an age-old romance.”]

Bang-!

The Shadow Hunter’s upper body vanished. Soon after, unable to regenerate, the entity itself vanished.

‘……Vanished?’

Dazed after witnessing the supposed demise of an immortal entity, the Republican redneck spoke to Carl.

[“So my Republican friend, since we met by chance like this, let’s curse out Harrison together.”]

In a Tokyo apartment, Ishiori Gon spent another day immersed in online communities from his room.

[I’m so going to Comiket this time! Definitely attending!]
[Tons of famous cosplayers will be there too! So hyped!]

A freeter with a monthly income of 150,000 yen, estranged from his parents, 40 years old, this middle-aged man with no thoughts for the future did nothing but consume anime, manga, and novels as hobbies. As usual, before going to sleep he smoked while gazing at the night sky.

‘It would be nice if I could really go to another world.’

Maybe get hit by a truck? If he was just going to live like this until eventually succumbing to illness, grunting in agony until death, why not try it once?

As he entertained such half-hearted thoughts, someone spoke to him.

[“Oi oi! You there! You wanna go to another world?”]
“Who’s there!?”
[“Over here!”]

On the surface of an emptied water bottle he had placed in the room, a man was waving at him.

[“Huhu, I came because I sensed a kindred spirit!”]
“A Korean!? A Korean ghost!?”
[“Ah! I was speaking in Korean!”]

The Korean ghost cleared his throat and introduced himself in Japanese.

[“My apologies. My name is Satoshi, and sensing a similar vibe from you I shamelessly came calling this late at night. I sincerely apologize for this great impudence.”]

Though his tone was elegantly refined like a nobleman’s, his gestures were too casual and unfitting.

“So, why did you come looking for me?”
[“Don’t you wish to go to another world?”]

The one introducing himself as Satoshi relayed an unbelievable tale.

“A Korean Resolver named Seung-hoon Lee can send people to other worlds……”
[“Go and see for yourself. You can trust me. As a fellow Korean, I would never betray another Korean.”]
“Um……”

It was an unbelievable story, no different from a child’s fantasy.

‘But then again, the existence before me itself is implausible……’

Though unable to trust him, he decided to take a trip to Korea under that pretext.

“So this is Korea.”

Having received Satoshi’s location, it was not difficult to find him.

“Welcome, as Satoshi’s introduction.”
“Ah, thank you.”

Fortunately he knew Japanese, so communication was not an issue.

“I can only send you all to a medieval fantasy world.”

The subsequent experience was bizarre. Whether it was an education on awakening magic power or studies required before departure, the effort put in made it unclear if this was an elaborate scam or a sincere attempt to transport him.

“Then I’ll send you tomorrow. Let’s all meet again tomorrow.”

It would be nice if he could really go.
That night, Gon slept at a low-cost motel. In his dream, he found himself on a cloud and was unknowingly led into a gigantic temple there.

[“Ishiori Gon.”]

In that place, an indiscernible existence whose form could not be perceived as human or not extended a set of dice.

[“Everything rests on chance, so roll them.”]

He rolled dice with numbers from 1 to 100 written on them.

[“25.”]

The indeterminate existence spoke in a regretful tone.

[“You will be sent to a harsh world and easily face threats to your life in difficult environments. Your life will never be easy, something you can only overcome through grueling effort.”]

Just as the dream was ending:

“I object!”

Someone entered the temple. Satoshi, dressed like a lawyer, respectfully bowed.

“So this was the 「Origin」 of the Other World Transfer Series. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Satoshi.”

Though Satoshi spoke in Japanese, the indeterminate existence understood everything.

[“You……. Hmm, state your business.”]
“The client originally had no possibility of coming here. It is only through my efforts that he has been led this far, so I too have a stake in this.”
[“What is your request?”]

Satoshi pointed at the dice.

“With my stake, please allow the client to roll the dice once more. And for all those I will send in the future, I request the same method applying my stake for two rolls of the dice.”
[“Two dice rolls?”]
“Yes, and please select the higher number between them.”
[“Is that your only request?”]
“That is all.”

Adjusting his glasses that lacked lenses with his finger, he spoke.

“I simply wish for everyone heading to another world to live like a protagonist. So to increase the odds even slightly, this is what must be done.”

After a moment of silence, the indeterminate existence agreed.

[“As I am indebted to Seung-hoon Lee, I shall grant your request.”]
“Thank you.”

The fallen dice rose back up.

[“Roll them once more.”]

Ishiori Gon threw the dice again.

[“3.”]
“Dammit.”

Satoshi let out a Korean exclamation of shock and vanished from the temple.

“I helped as much as I could!”

At a hospital in Austin, Texas.

“Elsa, are you feeling alright?”

The girl who would turn 4 years old next new year spent another day in the hospital connected to an oxygen machine and IV drip.

“You’ll get better soon. Our Elsa is a good girl.”
“Yes! Elsa is good!”

Born premature, the girl who had spent her entire life in hospitals could only occasionally gaze down at the city outside with her parents – that limited view was the entirety of her world.

“Santa will definitely bring you a present, won’t he?”
“Santa Claus!”
“Elsa, want to secretly tell mommy what present you want?”
“Puppy!”

Unfortunately it was an unattainable wish for Elsa with her weak immune system, but the girl’s mother nodded anyway.

“That’s right, he’ll bring a puppy. Mommy will come back tomorrow.”

As the mother who worked multiple jobs with her husband to pay Elsa’s medical bills left while searching for a stuffed puppy, Elsa joined her hands in prayer.

“Santa Claus, I was a good girl. I didn’t cough much and took lots of medicine, and only cried a little when getting shots.”

Fervently praying until drowsiness gradually overcame her and she closed her eyes, Elsa discovered something in the IV bag connected to her.

[“Woof woof!”]

It was a puppy. An undocked Welsh Corgi puppy.

‘Puppy.’

Upon spotting the puppy, the girl immediately fell into a deep sleep, and when she awoke she was standing in a beautiful flower field.

“Puppy!”
“Woof!”

The girl chased after the frolicking puppy across the flower field with her stubby legs.

“Caught you!”
“Woof woof!”
“Hehehe! Tickles!”

Amazingly, the girl could understand the puppy’s words.
No, the puppy’s words were conveyed to the girl.

“You want me to follow?”

Diligently crossing the meadow, at some point the lush field abruptly transitioned to an arid plain.

“I’m scared here.”

Dry leaves rolled about, the ground was devoid of life and crumbly, and any flowers had withered and fallen.

“Woof!”
“Heeeng, puppy! Let’s go together!”

Undeterred, the puppy entered that place and the girl mustered her courage to follow.

“Pretty.”

There the girl saw a glittering gemstone. The gemstone shone like a tiny sun, but its light was so faint it seemed to flicker out at any moment.

“Woof woof!”
“Hm? What’s an 「Origin」?”
“Woof woof!”
“This is my 「Origin」?”
“Woof!”

The puppy licked the gemstone. Each time it was licked, the gemstone’s light grew stronger and the surroundings changed accordingly.

“Woah!”

Life returned to the ground, flowers bloomed anew, and trees regrew.

“Amazing!”
“Woof woof!”

The girl nodded at the puppy’s words.

“Yes! I’ll be a good girl!”

At that moment, Elsa awoke from her dream.

“Puppy!”
“Elsa? You’ve come to!”
“Oh, our daughter!”

Her parents who had been keeping vigil by her bedside burst into tears. The previous night, the girl’s heart had stopped and she had fallen into a coma, only to awaken a day later.

“Pardon?”
“It’s a miracle! Elsa’s illness has been completely cured!”

And the two cried once more.

“Mom! Dad! Don’t cry! If you cry Santa won’t give presents!”
“Oh, God!”
“Thank you!”

Hugging her parents, Elsa let out a cute snort.

“Not God, puppy!”