Surviving Among the Letters

A week had passed, and the experiments continued to show progress.

The goal was to reach four hours—the minimum time required to attain enlightenment in the state of “Qi Deviation.” Currently, the test subjects were enduring for approximately two hours.

“How long did the latest test subject last?”

“About 2 hours and 25 minutes.”

“That’s about 10 minutes longer than the previous one.”

Despite managing to last for two hours, the test subject ultimately died, and the researchers carried the body away in a bag.

It was fortunate that the test subjects died without external injuries, making the disposal of the bodies easier. Dealing with the stench of blood and cleaning up after every experiment would have been much harder.

“Prepare the next experiment and bring in the next test subject.”

The researchers busily prepared the experiment while distant screams echoed from outside the door.

“No! Get away from me, you monsters! Aaaaah!”

Recently, there had been a noticeable increase in resistance from the test subjects.

On the first day, they had followed along to the lab without much fuss. But now, as their numbers dwindled in the living quarters, the rising fear was palpable.

“Let go of me! Let me go, you bastards!”

Since it wouldn’t do to injure valuable test subjects, it had become necessary to restrain their limbs and drag them in with the help of security guards.

That face looked familiar, though.

Where had I seen them before?

Perhaps just in passing.

Regardless, the security guard brought the test subject to the chair, and the surrounding researchers restrained them tightly.

“This is the part I hate the most. They struggle so much.”

“Same here. One of them kicked my shin last time—it hurt for days!”

“Let me go, damn it! Aaaaah!”

After a struggle, the test subject was finally secured to the chair.

The preparations were complete; all that remained was to forcefully inject enlightenment.

“Alright, let’s start the…”

At that moment, my eyes met those of the test subject.

“You! Why are you there? I know you! You were on the same truck as me, weren’t you?”

I raised my hand to halt the experiment and approached the test subject.

“You… You were sold off with us, weren’t you? From Spain, right? So how are you working with these researchers now?”

Ah, now I remembered.

I must have forgotten because I hadn’t thought about it since the first day I reincarnated.

This test subject’s name was… Eli.

“What’s the name of this test subject?”

“One moment, I’ll check.”

“Hey! Are you ignoring me?”

I asked a nearby researcher for the test subject’s name.

In seconds, they found it.

“It’s Elirin Casa.”

Right—Elirin Casa.

The protagonist’s younger sister.

The surname confirmed it. There was no room for doubt.

Hmm. What now?

The previous test subjects were mere extras, but this girl was different.

The protagonist’s sister.

Her death was the trigger for the protagonist’s awakening of psychic powers.

Losing her fueled his rage and led him to endure trials, ultimately forging the mindset of a true hero.

She was a significant character in the original story.

“Do you have any idea how much everyone’s suffered because of you? Every day, someone’s taken to this lab and never returns! You traitor!”

“How about a bet?”

I had no intention of talking to the test subjects.

But for this girl, I made an exception.

“A bet?”

“If you manage to endure for four hours, the others will be excluded from the experiments. How about that?”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Four hours is the goal. If you last that long, the experiment will be deemed a success and end completely.”

“… What do I have to do?”

As expected of the protagonist’s sister.

Heroic enough to sacrifice herself for others.

But while the protagonist had the strength to become a hero…

Did she have what it took?

I nodded to the researcher, and the enlightenment injection was administered to Eli.

“Ugh… What is this…”

“Hang in there, okay?”

Leaving those words with Eli, I sat down in a corner of the lab.

Since each experiment took hours, a small resting area had been set up.

“Ugh… Aaaaagh…”

She was holding on for now, but soon the screams would begin.

Before the noise started, I put on earplugs.

The increased experiment durations lately had left me sleep-deprived.

If Eli lasted four hours, I’d be able to sleep uninterrupted for that time.

Wearing a blindfold, I slowly drifted off.

◆◇◆◇◆

“────.”

“…?”

Someone was shaking me awake.

How much time had passed?

I removed the earplugs and blindfold, looking around.

“Team Leader, the experiment is over.”

“… How long did she last?”

“The full four hours. Goal achieved.”

Half-asleep, I rose from the chair and shuffled toward the test subject.

“Yawn…”

Still groggy, I couldn’t help but yawn.

Eli seemed to register my presence.

“… Who are you…”

“The one who made the deal with you.”

“… Four hours… have passed…”

“Yep. They have.”

“Keep… your promise…”

Completely spent, Eli fainted.

Standing before her, I lifted my gaze to the glass window on the fourth floor.

“Director Messier, you’re there, right?”

The response came through the speaker system.

[Yeah. Was the experiment a success?]

“Yes. Would you like the remaining test subjects?”

[What about the deal with that test subject?]

“Well… My experiment’s over, so I wasn’t lying.”

[Ha… You never change.]

After finishing my conversation with Director Messier, I called for a researcher waiting by the door.

“Hey, could you bring that bag over here?”

“… Me?”

“Yes, you.”

A researcher approached, carrying a body bag.

“Could you put her in?”

“This one…?”

The one I asked them to bag was none other than Elirin.

Although the researcher seemed puzzled, they followed my instructions.

“She’s in. But this test subject seems to still be al—”

Bang!

“…”

“Not anymore. You can take her now.”

The gun in my hand fired a bullet into the bag.

The recoil almost knocked me over, but I barely managed to stay upright.

At the same time, the bullet pierced the bag and hit Elirin’s body. Blood began to seep through the bag, staining it red.

“Uh… Alright then…”

The researcher, now holding the bloodied bag, left the lab.

I re-engaged the safety on the gun and tucked it back into my inner pocket.

“Ugh… My ears hurt.”

The recoil wasn’t the only issue—there were too many limitations with this twelve-year-old body.

I’d have to find an easier method next time.

Looking around, I noticed the others were frozen in shock. No one had expected me to pull the trigger.

“What are you all doing? There’s only one test left. Get to it. Prepare the drug for me, and clean up the blood while you’re at it.”

At my urging, the researchers snapped out of their daze and scrambled to get moving.

As they bustled about, Deputy Han approached me.

“Why did you kill her?”

Han was asking why I had killed Elirin.

It wasn’t without reason, of course.

“You’re aware I’m the only one who knows the full content of the enlightenment, right?”

“Yes.”

The content of the enlightenment was strictly classified.

Currently, only three people knew all ten sentences: myself, Remy, and the director.

And since the experiment had undergone revisions, I was now the only one who knew the complete enlightenment.

The reason was simple.

I had tailored it for myself, so no one else could fully grasp its meaning. But there was always the possibility of something unforeseen.

If the originator of this ability, Gray Feller, ever caught wind of it, things would get messy.

And since I had created it, I had every right to monopolize it.

“But now, thanks to her enduring for four hours, someone else knows the enlightenment, don’t they?”

“So that’s why you killed her?”

“Yes. Security must be airtight.”

Of course, there were other ways to handle it.

I could have erased her memories entirely or used magic or psychic powers to deal with her.

But I had a reason why the protagonist’s sister had to die.

If she lived, the protagonist would no longer walk the path of a hero.

With his only remaining family alive, he would focus on protecting her instead of gathering the Iris fragments to close the gates.

And that was something I absolutely couldn’t allow.

[How does it feel to take a life for the first time?]

Director Messier’s voice echoed from the speakers.

The first time killing someone?

“It’s nothing special.”

Perhaps it was because she was just a character in a story—there was no strong emotional reaction.

◆◇◆◇◆

In a vast room about 10 meters in both length and width, I sat alone.

I was in the process of unlocking my powers through enlightenment.

Black and white energy swirled around me, orbiting my center.

Rather than simply reading the enlightenment, I was now understanding it, and the process flowed more smoothly.

Even as Qi Deviation set in, with the drug’s assistance, I endured. By the time an hour had passed, the pain had subsided.

This was no mere reading of sentences—it was the comprehension of the world’s principles.

Black and white.

Within them,

A small self.

Reality and

Illusion’s

Whirlwind.

Me and

My opposite.

And then,

Reversal.

You and

Your entirety.

Spring dreams and

Truth’s

Tranquility.

White and black,

Beyond them,

I found the greater self.

I slowly opened my eyes, which had been closed.

Looking at my hands, I saw white in my right hand and black in my left.

I watched as the room became painted in shades of black and white.

Yes.

This was it—the feeling of finally standing at the starting line.