Surviving Among the Entities

“Ah, morning has come!”

Dr. James Ron, in charge of the 7th District Hospital at Foundation Headquarters, stretched as he gazed at the three dimensional suns rising. With his Friday overnight shift nearing its end, his mind was filled with thoughts of hurrying home, taking a shower, having a light drink, and getting a good night’s sleep.

“You’ve worked hard.”
“We all did. But it was manageable compared to before the recent crisis, right?”
“Haha, compared to then the present is heaven.”

James and the other medical staff recalled the Foundation’s prolonged dark period when it had nearly collapsed due to the Constellations.

“The flames never went out. At least it was bright day and night.”
“We had burns, dismemberments, curses, mental contaminations, even living corpses flooding in.”
“That was the first time I ever took special stimulants to stay awake and work.”
“Ah yes, me too. I had only heard rumors, but I never imagined I could stay awake for an entire month. If it was commercialized they could make a fortune, so why not do it?”
“Has the Foundation ever struggled financially? They have more money than they can spend, even now.”

30 minutes before the end of his shift, a new recruit spoke up.

“It’s quiet.”
“……”

The new recruit had broken the emergency room taboo of uttering “It’s quiet”, drawing piercing glares. Belatedly realizing his mistake, he awkwardly smiled while pointing at the emergency room entrance.

“Ah, that’s just superstition. Look! No one……”
“Emergency patient!”

Before he could finish speaking, the emergency room doors burst open.

“Check vitals! Describe injuries and symptoms!”
“Grrrrrr!!!”
“Pulse 250! Brainwaves unstable! Mostly bruises and abrasions! Severe foam in respiratory tract! Suction! Suction!”
“Oh no! No! Brake! Brake! Aaaaaah!”
“Kwick, the patient is convulsing! Hold them down!”

Everyone rushed to restrain the patient as James checked their information.

‘Kim Dong-ook, C-rank agent, 20 safety-grade, 14 hazard-grade, 1 extinction-grade, total of 35 entity-related missions completed.’

A veteran. After suctioning the foam from their mouth with a machine, they managed to insert a respirator into their airway.

“Are the brainwaves still unstable!?”
“Yes! Seems like severe post-traumatic stress disorder!”
“Damn, what did this seasoned veteran go through!”

While the specifics were unknown, it was clear they had repeatedly brushed against the boundary of death, mentally afflicted by horrific entities humans should never encounter.

“Accelerate! Accelerate no! Hyyt! Grruuuk! Steering wheel! Kkwook! Please! Aaaaaah! Kkwook! Gear! Gearrrgk! Bwak!”
“Administer sedatives!”
“Injected! No response!”
“Double the dosage!”
“Doubled! Still no response!”
“Oh! Dear God! Forgive this arrogant one and please bring peace to this world, sever the legs of that wicked spawn so they can never drive again……”
“Are the brainwaves still unstable!”
“Yes! It’s getting worse!”

James delivered his diagnosis.

“We cannot rule out mental contamination.”
“Then……”
“They must have received the Reality Restructuring vaccine, being an agent. That should defend against ordinary mental contamination, but in this state……. there is only one recourse we can take.”

He solemnly declared:

“Bring the amnesia serum. We will erase their memories until they stabilize.”

In the hospital lobby, smoking room.
Seung-hoon Lee smoked while waiting for Kim Dong-ook.

“Excuse me, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“You seem to be receiving treatment……”
“I’m waiting for someone. I’ll receive treatment once they’re done.”

Some people spoke to him upon seeing his tattered clothes and bruises, but he politely declined.

“Are you perhaps Kim Dong-ook’s guardian?”
“Yes.”

About 30 minutes later, James came out and found Seung-hoon.

“Oh, the guardian is also injured. Please receive treatment right away.”
“Him first……”
“The patient has stabilized. This way, please.”

As James treated him, Seung-hoon asked:

“Is Kim Dong-ook alright?”
“He just received the amnesia serum and is sleeping. By erasing his last 24 hours of memories we managed to remove the mental contamination, so you need not worry.”

After the treatment, he led Seung-hoon to Kim Dong-ook.

“Your partner is now safe.”

Seung-hoon confirmed the peacefully sleeping Kim Dong-ook and left the hospital.

“Guardian, no, Agent, thank you.”

As he departed, James saluted him.

“It is thanks to all of you fighting on the frontlines for the world’s peace that humanity has survived until now.”
“……”

Seung-hoon nodded and left. His footsteps halted before a door within some building, and after taking a deep breath he pulled the handle.

“……Whew.”

Gazing at the enormous city, no, the ruins of what had been a city beyond the door, he let out a wry smile.

“Why did this happen?”

Towering skyscrapers engulfed in firestorms and collapsing, smoke staining the sky ashen gray, and intermittent explosions booming through the air.

“Ah.”

And eventually the bursting flashes followed by blooming mushroom clouds.

“There it is.”

Seung-hoon, who had come to retrieve his vehicle, spotted it soaring skyward above the mushroom cloud.

“All the energy it absorbed must have erupted at once. Metal that absorbs energy creates mushroom clouds when saturated.”

He quietly closed the door.

“At least there’s no radiation, but……”

This incident gave him one realization.

“If I get the chance, I should ask for an entity that can improve my driving skills.”

“Here are the items you requested.”

The day after the disastrous driving lesson, I finally obtained the desired entities.

“The Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt and the Void Pouch.”
“I’m truly grateful.”
“The Void Pouch has no particular precautions, but be sure to read the manual for the Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt.”
“Understood.”

The one who delivered the items was Sung Yoo-ra.

“Ah, were you able to receive driving lessons from Dong-ook?”
“Yes, I learned a great deal. I even gained some good insights.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“You didn’t try contacting Dong-ook?”
“There is no more evil existence than a boss contacting employees during holidays, is there? Unless it’s an entity-related emergency, I consciously avoid contacting him over trivial matters.”

I wonder if he would even be able to converse?
I visited him in the hospital this morning but he was still asleep.

“Ah, I’ve received an urgent call…… Another agent will escort you out. My apologies for not being able to see you off.”
“No, it’s alright. Take care.”

With the assistance of an unfamiliar agent, I returned to Earth.

“Thank you for the transportation.”

On the way back I had bought bone broth for breakfast, so after eating that I read the Void Pouch’s manual.

[This pouch is connected to the null dimension, allowing infinite storage of objects. Only objects smaller than the pouch’s opening can be inserted, and the opening will not expand no matter how much force is applied so forcibly widening it is pointless.]

The pouch’s opening could fit about one watermelon when spread, so it was suitable for inserting gold bars.

[If a multicellular organism’s body is 100% inserted into this pouch, it will be transported to a random space within 10m. This does not apply to unicellular organisms or viruses.]

So living things cannot be inserted.
I went down to the basement and inserted all the gold bars there.

‘So that’s how it works.’

[To retrieve desired objects, simply insert your hand into the pouch past the wrist. That will be sufficient.]

Following the manual’s instructions, I inserted my hand up to the wrist. Immediately a strange sensation arose in my mind, granting me the natural ability to retrieve any stored objects.

‘It feels like using an inventory in games?’

As a test, I retrieved and re-inserted a gold bar.

‘This will make trades with the Golden Ability Company much more convenient.’

Having finished experimenting with the Void Pouch:

“Finally, that one.”

I ascended to the living room and eyed the belt placed on the table.

“The Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt.”

The roughly 5cm wide leather belt had three storage compartments, each containing a vial filled with black, gray, and white liquids respectively.

‘Let’s read the manual first.’

I promptly opened the manual.

[The Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt is a safety-grade entity. Inside are three storage compartments containing the black 「Weaken Potion」, gray 「Purify Potion」, and white 「Strengthen Potion」.]

I retrieved the three vials and arranged them on the table.

[The Weaken Potion weakens any target it is dropped on.]
[The Strengthen Potion strengthens any target it is dropped on.]
[The Purify Potion returns any weakened or strengthened target to its original state.]
[The amount required to apply the potion’s effect is 1ml, a single drop, and additional drops will not change the effect.]
[Weaken cannot affect already strengthened targets, and Strengthen cannot affect already weakened targets. Therefore, if you wish to re-experiment on a target, you must first initialize it with the Purify Potion.]

It was the same content I remembered.

‘No different from the game.’

Next I read the precautions.

[The potions have no effect on living beings. However, in some cases the Weaken or Strengthen effects may cause inanimate objects to transform into lifeforms.]
[There is no limit to the Purify Potion’s quantity. Even when hung upside down and drained for 30 days, the externally observable liquid level did not change at all.]
[The Weaken Potion and Strengthen Potion each have a capacity of 10 drops. After using all 10 drops, the belt must be resupplied. 30 days later they will be refilled with 10 drops, but no additional drops are provided for any unused amounts.]
[The vial openings are designed to release one drop at a time, so unless excessively shaken there should be no issues using the proper amount.]

I read the next paragraph.

[Weakening and strengthening ordinary objects (excluding weapons, bombs, vehicles) generally does not pose danger to the user.]
[However, when using these potions on entities, it is strictly mandated to do so in a safe location.]

This paragraph detailed precautions for using the potions on entities.

[There are entities the potions work on, and entities they don’t work on. The reason for this has not been discovered, and the only way to distinguish them is through direct experimentation.]
[When used on entities, one of the following results will occur:]

[1. No change.]
[2. Direct change to the entity.]
[3. Direct change to the entity, but the effect fades over time.]
[4. A derivative entity is created.]

[No other reactions besides the above have been observed.]
[Experiments on hazard-grade and extinction-grade entities are strictly prohibited.]

After reading the entire manual, I retrieved the tumbler from the kitchen.

“The WK Special Tumbler.”

I dropped a single drop of the black Weaken Potion onto it. Immediately upon contact, the stainless steel tumbler absorbed the potion.

“No visible change in appearance.”

Then what about its function?
I poured a Zero Cola I had stored in the fridge into the tumbler.

“……How bland.”

It was a newly opened can, yet the cola had zero carbonation and was lukewarm.

“The worst outcome.”

When I dropped the Purify Potion, the tepid flat cola inside returned to normal.

“Next is the Strengthen Potion.”

I dropped the white potion and poured more cola into it.

“……!?”

The moment I drank it, an extreme refreshing sensation I had never experienced before enveloped my body.

“Ah……”

A buoyant floating feeling swept over me as dopamine surged forth. Not the crude dopamine of drugs or sex, but a pure and sublime happiness one dimension above.

“Truly delicious!”

In my entire life, I had never tasted such a delicious carbonated beverage.

“So this is the strengthening effect……”

After waiting an hour, I poured more soda into the tumbler to test it again.

“Hff! It seems even more delicious than before?”

The WK Special Tumbler appeared to have permanently applied the strengthening effect.

‘This is why I wanted it.’

The Forgotten Alchemist’s Potion Belt could weaken or strengthen specific entities like this.

‘The very act of weakening or strengthening targets to exhibit different phenomena from before is inherently intriguing.’

Unfortunately, wiki information on this was extremely scarce.
At best it only listed a few lines of experimental results, and even in-game it seemed too difficult to create interactions for everything so only five safety-grade entities could be used.

“But now it’s different.”

This is no longer a game.
So I can use it on anything before me.

-Squawk!

“Right, I can even use it on you.”

And of course on other worlds’ Transfer Series and other entities and ordinary objects.

“I have 9 uses remaining.”

Gleefully emptying the tumbler, I grasped the vial.

“It’s intellectual entertainment time.”