After the head guard’s arrival,
I focused on gathering as much information as possible while intensifying my practice with my ability.
The events from before had made me keenly aware that I needed to know how to use my ability to escape this place.
After all, the only thing that could counter an ability was another ability.
Yet, my ability still refused to activate.
Was I misunderstanding something?
Perhaps… due to variables I hadn’t accounted for, the very nature of my ability had changed.
Maybe, since the core essence had shifted, a completely different supernatural power had emerged.
Or perhaps, since Quaker’s past was only briefly mentioned in the original story, his initial ability might have differed from the one he eventually used.
Either way, I had reached my limit trying to awaken my ability on my own.
I needed help here.
“How did you first use your ability?”
“…Are you seriously asking me that?”
Seeker stared at me from across the cell with utter disbelief.
Yeah, of course she’d be dumbfounded.
If I were a person from this world, I’d be too embarrassed to even bring it up.
The question I just asked was no different from asking, “How do you learn to walk?”
For humans, using abilities was supposed to be natural, something they awakened instinctively.
Though the exact mechanism wasn’t clear, at least in the Hero Project world I knew, that was how it worked.
Even if someone’s ability was barely functional, they could still use it to some extent.
“Maybe it’s because I keep eating this bland porridge, but my ability just won’t manifest properly…”
“…You’re going to die anyway, so does it even matter?”
“Do you really think I’ll die?”
“There’s no way anyone could survive that insane experiment. They’re digging around in people’s brains to artificially enhance abilities… Anyone can see it’s a death sentence.”
Ah, so they were running some mad-scientist-style experiments here.
That explained why none of the people dragged away had ever returned.
There’s no way anyone could survive such experiments.
If this were some near-future sci-fi setting, maybe the outcome would be different, but unfortunately, this world was one step away from being Gotham City—
A place overrun by villains where heroes were forced to intervene.
“Even so, I have to do what I can.”
“…Even though there’s no point to what you’re doing?”
“When have humans ever been creatures that acted only when there was meaning to it?”
Humans have always thrived on pursuing stupid things that don’t work.
I closed my eyes and stretched my arms forward.
“…Why are you so fixated on that method? Is that how you’ve always manifested it?”
“…Maybe?”
“That’s a strange answer.”
But this was the only way I knew how.
Still, Seeker’s words made a lot of sense.
Even so… if I tried a different posture or movement, how would I even go about it?
Lost in thought for a while, I realized there was something I hadn’t yet tried.
Maybe it could work.
I picked up one of the few objects in this place. A pillow.
A completely ordinary pillow.
I held it tightly and concentrated on channeling the power into my hands.
“…Oh.”
The pillow became slightly lighter. It felt as if it were suspended in midair.
It wasn’t floating enough to be noticeable, even if I bent down to check, but the fact that I had activated it was what mattered.
The problem had been my fixation on Quaker all along.
A young Quaker, whose abilities hadn’t fully matured yet, wouldn’t have been able to use their power so effortlessly.
Maybe I should just blame the situation for clouding my judgment.
Even in a rush, I should have taken things step by step, starting from the basics.
“Thank you, kid.”
“…I have a name. It’s Ryu Mina.”
That was news to me.
In the original story, she was only ever called Seeker until she attempted a mutual death with the protagonist, so her name was never revealed.
Did sharing her name mean she was feeling a bit closer to me?
Well, that seemed like a positive sign.
If no one came to rescue us, we would have to escape this place on our own, and for that, I would need Seeker’s help.
“Thanks, Mina.”
“…Just focus on practicing.”
I watched Mina whip her head away in embarrassment for a moment, then went back to honing my abilities.
I kept at it until I was too exhausted to stand.
***
It had been about a week now.
Of course, that was just a rough estimate based on how often I slept and woke up, but quite a bit of time had passed.
During that time, I had watched countless people being dragged away, which only strengthened my determination to escape.
I didn’t want this place to be my end.
“…But my ability still isn’t quite…”
Was it because it hadn’t been long since I became able to use my ability?
Or maybe Quaker had passed the experiment?
My ability was extremely limited in scope and weak.
It could only push or pull from a point centered on my body.
If I put it in slightly scientific terms, it felt closer to manipulating attraction and repulsion.
Still, I could feel the power gradually strengthening the more I used it. With enough time and practice, I might be able to handle gravity itself like Quaker.
If I could get to that point, living a quiet life somewhere wouldn’t be too much to ask.
Of course, that plan would only matter once I got out of here…
Alright, let’s give this a try.
I raised one finger and started channeling all my power into it.
A sensation like lukewarm air wrapping around my fingertip began to form.
Carefully, I brought my finger to an inconspicuous, shadowed section of the wall.
And then—
I slowly pushed against the wall while alternating between repulsion and attraction.
Normally, the force would have pushed me backward as well, but I focused the attraction on the soles of my feet and anchored myself as much as I could while continuing to push.
“These government lackeys really know how to get things done.”
If they were going to kidnap people in secret and build a facility like this, they could’ve at least made it sturdier. Slapping it together with cement like this only made it easy to punch holes in.
I crouched near the hole I made and carefully called out.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
“……”
“Hello…”
“…Who’s there?”
A middle-aged man, maybe.
I paused briefly before quietly stating my purpose.
“Don’t you want to escape?”
“There’s no way that’s possible…”
“If we all work together, we have a chance.”
He sounded drained, steeped in despair.
But if we were going to survive, we had to overcome this kind of hurdle.
“Don’t you have family waiting for you outside?”
“Without me… they might have starved to death by now.”
“That’s why you need to get out and find out, isn’t it?”
“…Do you really think that’s possible? And maybe… maybe it’s better to die here. Finding out what happened to them… sometimes it’s better not to know.”
So he’d rather cling to this pitiful hope and die than face despair head-on.
Maybe he was right. That might be the easier option.
But still…
“So, what? You’d rather let your brain get scrambled and die like this?”
“……”
No response came back.
He didn’t want to die, did he?
He must want to see his family, too.
However, since there seemed to be no hope of escape, he was merely convincing himself with a convenient lie to find peace.
I didn’t like it.
“Your corpse will be used for experiments until there’s nothing left, and then it’ll be thrown into the incinerator, leaving no trace behind. Your family will never know what happened to you.”
“…Stop it. What am I supposed to do?”
His voice, filled with anguish, struck me in the chest.
Speaking so harshly wasn’t something I enjoyed; it left me feeling uneasy and disgusted. But even so, I hated the thought of simply giving up and dying even more.
So, gritting my teeth, I answered his despair.
“There’s a kid among those captured here who can gather information about what’s happening outside the camp. With that kid’s help, we could greatly increase our chances of escaping this place.”
“…Even if that’s true…”
“…How old is your child?”
“…about high-school age.”
“That kid is about the same age.”
Right now, I had no power, no wealth, and no strength to rely on.
So, I had to stake everything on one thing. That is emotion.
“……”
“Please. How many people here willingly came to die? If everyone here works together, we’ll have a real chance at surviving.”
“You’ve only managed to convince me, haven’t you?”
“From now on, I’ll convince everyone.”
Unlike the place I once lived, both the inside and the outside of this world were like hell.
But that didn’t mean I had a reason to give up on my life.
“…You’ve got quite the spirit.”
“All I have is youthful energy, nothing else.”
“I see. When I was your age, I’d also charge forward recklessly without a second thought. I got beaten down plenty of times, but I still managed to accomplish things. Like when I proposed to my wife to spend our lives together during a time when I couldn’t even take care of myself…”
I took the first step successfully.
I said with a satisfied smile.
“In three days, I’ll come up with a plan for everyone to escape.”
In a place where three people were taken away at regular intervals, we couldn’t afford to take too long.
But escaping in a shorter timeframe was equally impossible.
Just three days.
Everything had to be prepared within that time.
“…Fine. Let’s give it a shot.”
Who am I, after all?
I’m in the body of the mastermind behind all of this.
Even if I can’t show off the full extent of what I could be, shouldn’t I at least try to do what I can?
Without hesitation, I pressed myself against the opposite wall and started digging a hole.
Leave a Reply