Chapter 8

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 8

Chapter Title: Save & Load

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Chiik—!

The sound of meat sizzling somewhere.

Where the hell was it coming from?

It had already been ten years since she got trapped here—a full cycle of prosperity and decline—yet she'd survived thanks to the steady supply of cafeteria food and the anomalies that acted just like 'real' humans.

Of course, the early days had been beyond tough; pure agony.

Still, what kept her going were the other 'humans' who'd been kidnapped and brought here with her.

"Looks like we're the only real humans here."

"What do we do now?"

"Our only shot is to keep pretending to be like them while we figure out an escape."

"Let's start with a passphrase."

"How about '[Dismissal time]'?"

"Sounds good."

With thirty people in the group, it made sense.

She figured they'd crack the escape method in no time. Even if some of them died, as long as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she made it out alive, that was all that mattered.

But the twist came the very next day.

One of those 'humans' had been an anomaly in disguise.

Everyone except her—who'd been hiding her face with a mask—and a few others too terrified to come out had transformed into something else entirely.

In the end, after ten years, she was the only human left alive.

What had kept her sane all that time? The 'Gallery,' of all things.

'Right, that newbie was the trigger.'

Amid the endless parade of gallery users dying off over those ten years.

A newbie who burst in out of nowhere, smashed a bunch of anomalies in less than a day, and even tracked down her hiding spot.

Her mind finally clearing, she lifted her head and looked straight ahead.

And there he was.

"Oh, you're finally awake?"

"……"

The newbie, using the delinquent's lighter to sear his own finger.

Grinning brightly even as he burned himself.

It was far more bizarre than the anomalies who treated humans like livestock.

"Hehe, I found a chocolate bar in the drawer and ate it—hope that's cool? I don't usually snag food like that, but it was my first real bite in three years, so I kinda... lost control."

"Anomalies taste kinda salty, but something's off about them. Like how humans can't live on salt alone? Ah, of course, if there's normal food around, you'd go for that!"

The man before her was undeniably 'human.'

A human who could smile over a single cafeteria chocolate bar.

The anomalies she'd spent time with might've looked human,

But they ate their meals through their noses,

Drank water through their ears,

And relieved themselves through the crowns of their heads.

Not one acted remotely human.

Of course, asking if he was human-like was a bit iffy too.

But her ten years of survival instincts told her something else:

"You're Yubungi, right?"

At the very least, he was trustworthy.

Now that his humanity was confirmed,

Palm Ham shifted from potential threat to ally—someone to escape with.

She'd considered doing something harsh if he kept insisting he was an anomaly to the end,

But no need to spill blood unnecessarily.

'No point in seeing more blood if I don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have to.'

Unlike her shaky start, he tidied the classroom with practiced ease.

A veteran's vibe, totally unlike her smash-and-grab style.

And the moment it registered that she and he had 'talked'...

Jiiing—!

An unmistakable pure white blanketed everything, freezing the 'space' like time had stopped just for them.

"Palm? Palm...? Palm!!"

She called out several times, but he remained rigidly still.

And floating in midair was a screen so infuriating it made her want to curse.

The exact screen from those old 'RPG Maker' games she'd played as a kid.

It was obvious what it was prompting.

Abilities granted via points, infinite lives, and the power to periodically save her current state.

"This fucking bastard sees me as a game character...?"

She had no idea who designed this hell,

But whatever it was, it treated her like a mere 'player character.'

It had been a hunch before, but now it was blatant: pure malice aimed at tormenting her.

She wanted to smash the screen right then,

But there was that tiny "(15)" next to the spent points.

Curiosity drew her gaze, and...

What the actual fuck was she supposed to do with this asshole?

With achievements galore, it clearly drew from Earth knowledge.

The 'Achievements' tab was packed—999 in total.

She'd unlocked 15.

'So that's the 15 points? Nah, not given yet—'gonna give' them. Escape condition? Or suicide?'

No clue.

All she could do was ponder how to survive most efficiently.

There might be a time limit like last time.

So their esteemed game dev got her decision: follow the scripted path.

Save complete.

Now, allocate those 15 points from the girl-rescue?

Sruruk!

The list lacked 'Abilities' or 'Items' like in the White Room. Instead, it offered far more useful stuff for a place like this.

Top picks:

There were talisman-like items that recharged every 24 hours, but using one left you useless for the next day.

'Spawnkill risk makes those amateur moves.'

She'd never faced one, but

If a smart anomaly existed, spawnkill was a threat.

Hence, the three basics.

"Mind/ki/body, but grabbing mind/body first. Who needs ki if the weapon's good? Just smash 'em all!"

Hesitation was a luxury.

No repeating past mistakes. She bought the two enhancements immediately.

That instant,

A sensation worse than biting her tongue to death surged through her brain and body—like needles stabbing her very 'soul'! Fucking hell!

"FUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It hurt!

Hurt like absolute shit!!

And not passing out made it worse!!!

"Brain goop! Burn your goddamn brains ooooout!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kwang! Kwang! Kwaaang!!

Bashing her head didn't help.

Desperate to escape the pain, her mind raced through memories, experiences—anything for a solution.

One memory surfaced.

"This assignment is fucking bullshit. Even for med school, memorizing brain anatomy? Might as well smash my skull with a hammer and knock myself out... If not for senior year, I'd have dropped out or transferred ages ago..."

A med school classmate who'd hated their professor.

His grades sucked too, so the advice was dubious,

But

"I fucking believe you, you bastard!!!"

With a roar, she drove the wooden bat through her pain-wracked skull.

Kwajik—!

Her mind flickered out.

When sanity returned, the pain was long gone.

"What the...?"

No lingering agony.

World still frozen, so minimal time passed.

"Anyway, nice!"

Her eyes flicked to [Enhance].

Normally you'd juice a badass sword or gun, but she had her trusty wooden bat. Into the black void it went.

50% success?

Screw odds—grit wins!

Finger channeling her soul clicked [Enhance].

Weeeing—!

Cool effects later, out popped the bat—intact, tougher, with a perfect hand-grip groove. No longer just a 'bat.'

"Durability: pass. Sturdiness: pass. Style: pass. You're promoted to partner. Nice to work with!"

Clutching her pimped-out bat,

Even after ages, no reset.

"Eh, probably that again?"

1 hour.

2 hours.

10 hours.

Puwook—!

Sharpened bat through the skull.

"My name is Shin Yu-na."

Only then did the world resume.

Whoa, this dev's insane?

White Room was suicide too—same drill?

Would've been trapped years more, fuck.

"Like Nick, I've been trapped here for real 10 years, sorry but still no escape meth—"

"Shh, quiet."

"Pardon?"

He shoved her into a classroom corner.

"I respawn on death, but you're perma-kill, right?"

"Ah, yeah?"

"Might get dicey, so hide a few hours. Oh, ever been to the rooftop?"

"Rooftop... Per the 'rules,' should be fine. Never gone myself, but survivors said the vice principal was there..."

"Vice principal, got it."

Info secured.

First, sharpened mind and bat in hand, she sliced every anomaly in [Bathroom] and [Hallway].

"Alright, let's go."

To see the friendly one on the [Rooftop].

Steps toward the upper floor.

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