Surviving Among the Entities

‘What is the core that constitutes the self?’

I wrote and wrote some more. In a world without night or day, using the sound of waves as a work song, I continued writing.

‘Is it the soul or the body? The existence of the soul has not been scientifically proven without the intervention of entities. Therefore, I consider it to be the body.’

When I grew weary, I ate bread, milk, and cheese before continuing to write.

‘But the body is constantly growing. In that process, cells are replaced, so the cells that made up my past body and those of my future body cannot be the same.’

I fainted several times.

‘What’s important is not the cells, but the memories stored in the brain. Past memories accumulate to form the self, defining who I am now.’

I instinctively realized when and how much I needed to sleep.

‘The reason dementia is terrifying is because you lose yourself. And according to Dial-A-TV’s prophecy, the entity kidnaps 99 people including myself by using dreams as a medium, making us forget ourselves through the dream’s inherent obliviousness and become mere actors killing each other.’

Time passed like that.

‘I know what that entity is, but the game’s method of survival by selecting choices – back then I could easily choose the choice leading to escape by watching from outside while relying on my accumulated experience. But this time, as an actual participant, I will lose my memories so I cannot use that method.’

By the time a large callus had formed on my right index finger from gripping the fountain pen, I realized I had achieved my goal.

‘Therefore, if I don’t forget my memories, I can escape.’

After finishing the last page, I set down the fountain pen.

[Therefore, if I don’t forget my memories, I can escape. With that thought, I set down the fountain pen and completed my means of preserving my memories through the Shattered Ark.]

After confirming that final paragraph, I closed the notebook. Since time had not yet expired and the ark’s door remained closed, I quietly observed the sea while eating the now familiar bread, milk, and cheese.

“I wonder what kind of fish live in this sea?”

I tossed some bread towards the sea. Numerous schools of fish greedily rushed up to the surface to eat the fallen pieces.

“Hmm.”

As the fish gathered, sharks appeared behind them to greedily devour the fish.

“I was thinking of going for a swim, but…”

As the sharks gathered, something even larger the size of a whale with dozens of eyes emerged and swallowed the sharks whole.

“Never mind.”

I blankly gazed at the horizon.

“I should rest instead.”

It’s said resting by blankly staring at something without any particular thoughts is effective, right?

“I suppose this would be sea-gazing? Water-gazing? Or maybe wave-gazing.”

After what felt like several days had passed, the ark’s door opened. Passing through the open doorway, the sea vanished and I returned to the original warehouse.

“You’ve returned. It’s been a year.”
“Has a year really passed in the real world too?”
“No, only ten minutes have elapsed.”

Inside the warehouse, there was now a table that hadn’t been there when I entered, along with tea and various cakes prepared.

“A tea party, you kept your promise.”
“You remember. I thought you might have forgotten after a year.”
“I spent that time recalling my memories.”

The merchant took a break from the outside world by sharing tea with me.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“Ask me anything.”
“What did you do inside?”

It seemed the merchant was curious that I had emerged unscathed.

“I recounted the memories of my life. Every single memory from the moment I was born until now.”

The 9,125 days from when I was born crying in my mother’s arms until I turned 25.
And the 285 days of this year when entities became reality.

“I wrote down all 9,410 days in their entirety here.”
“I see. But was that enough time? A year doesn’t seem sufficient.”
“Humans don’t remember their entire past. We only accept impressionable, distinctive memories that accumulate to form our personalities, so I only wrote down my impressionable memories.”
“Is that so?”
“At least, that’s how I see it.”

I reproduce past memories through My Mind’s Notebook.
Of those, I record the impressionable parts in diary format within My Mind’s Notebook.

“Now I will not forget who I am.”

This is the sole and absolute countermeasure against oblivion that I devised.

“I see. I was just curious.”

The merchant offered the teapot. I gladly accepted a refill and took a bite of Battenberg cake.

“Some guests who needed time would occasionally enter the ark. However, most of them did not fare well.”
“What happened to them?”
“For every ten that entered, six emerged insane. Three threw themselves into the sea, leaving only one who emerged unscathed.”

This time I split a scone in half, spread jam and cream, and ate it. Quite delicious, making me understand why the English enjoy cream tea.

“Guests, or rather human guests, always tend to overestimate themselves, entering without issue. But unable to perceive the flow of time on the boundless ocean, they quickly descend into anxiety and restlessness, driving them insane.”

Next, as I ate a cucumber sandwich, I followed along with the merchant’s story.

“Those without purpose cannot help but go insane.”

The various choices that appear in the game before entering the ark:

[1. One year of physical training! Let’s bring lots of supplements!]
[2. One year of spiritual cultivation! Let’s bring spiritual texts!]
[3. One year to learn various skills! Let’s bring related books!]
[4. Forget training, let’s just rest for a year.]

Choosing the first three options would raise the corresponding abilities, but selecting the last option 4 would trigger a bad ending.

[You have fallen into the boundless sea. Unable to distinguish night from day, with only bread, milk and cheese for food. After one week, you begin talking to yourself. After one month, you go insane and start running around naked. And before even half a year has passed, you lose the will to live and throw yourself into the sea.]

“Purpose, indeed, having a purpose prevents insanity.”
“That’s just how humans are. With purpose, even withered elders live like vigorous youths. Without purpose, even brilliant youths die in solitude.”
“Then what is your purpose?”

The merchant opened his mouth wide and stuffed an entire unsliced Victoria sponge cake inside.

“To live like a human. And even when dying, to keep squirming until the very last moment.”

In that open moment, I saw that the merchant had twenty-seven tongues.

“That is the purpose of my life.”
“A splendid purpose.”
“Then what is your purpose?”
“My purpose is simply to live as I am now. I’m satisfied with my current life.”

Suddenly, as if recalling something, the merchant smiled.

“How amusing.”
“What is?”
“That someone so inhuman wants the purpose of living like a human.”
“I am more human than anyone.”
“Yes, I’m aware. I’ve seen your deeds.”

-Quack!

Along with a quacking sound from the bag in the corner, the merchant spoke:

“You are human.”

The merchant emptied his teacup.

“But if a human accomplished something impossible for humans, are they still human then?”
“Even so, I am human.”
“Why is that?”

I too emptied my cup.

“Because making the impossible possible is what makes one human.”

After concluding my trade with the merchant, I returned home.

[If you wish to trade with me again, simply act as you did this time while holding the invitation, and I will look forward to our next meeting.]

I received a new invitation more elaborate and with a nicer texture than the original, though I didn’t know what the difference was.

‘I should meet him again after acquiring more entities or rare items.’

The moment I returned, I took out the items I hadn’t sold.

“Rubber Rubber Duck, Peace to the Big Toe, WK Special Tumbler.”

And the Childu-sa too.

“You didn’t want to leave me either?”

The Childu-sa was valuable, but I couldn’t sell it because it didn’t want to leave me.

“I must have tamed you without realizing it.”

If I tamed it, I had to take responsibility.

-Quack!

‘The prophesied time is approaching soon.’

The date of the prophecy was only a few days away. Until then, I spent my days ordinarily.

“You prefer live mice over frozen ones, huh.”

I experimented by purchasing various foods to see which the Childu-sa preferred.

[DebateKing: Why do Koreans avoid and shun anyone trying to discuss politics despite being a democratic nation, as if hostility towards political discourse is no different from communism? What are your thoughts? Let’s discuss this based on the current ruling party and Korea’s political system.]
└[Ah fuck off political troll]
└[Talk politics in the politics gallery you dumbass, this is the spicy ramen gallery.]
└[DebateKing: I’m permanently banned from the politics gallery. And this discussion doesn’t stray too far from this gallery’s topic.]
└[How does it not stray?]
└[DebateKing: Just as we seek out spicier ramen as we become accustomed to the heat, doesn’t our generation’s political apathy of not voting and only criticizing national corruption resemble spicy ramen?]
[Damn it please come quickly.]

I got permanently banned again after trying to lead a discussion in a newly created community.

[Uwahh! I’m really living the dream these days! That I, a third school graduate, have become this successful, it feels like a dream.]
[Congratulations. What will you do now?]
[I was smart but couldn’t afford Final School, you see? I’m going to try attending this time.]

I also exchanged notes with Singu Hwerang after a while.

[Olden & Sweets Pharmaceuticals to soon begin selling diabetes treatment Oldenwitz.]
[A con artist’s con, or a miraculous treatment?]
[A treatment for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes? The medical field says such a thing cannot exist.]
[Fierce debate in current medical circles, whose words will prove true?]

I had invested my entire fortune in Olden & Sweets Pharmaceuticals’ stocks too.

‘I should sleep now.’

An ordinary, peaceful daily life.

[All participants, wake up.]

And the extraordinary suddenly arrived.

[We will now begin Act 999 of the Dream Theater’s performance, the Battle Royale.]

[For those unfamiliar with the concept of Battle Royale, allow me to explain. Currently on this island, there are 99 participants. From now on, you will fight to the death until only one remains.]

Though it was a sudden kidnapping, I didn’t panic much. Having seen Dial-A-TV’s prophecy, I already knew what this entity was.

‘The Dream Troupe.’

An unidentified entity that invites people into dreams and makes them dance on the script it desires.

[The first day will be for rest. To give a good performance, you must have good rest. Participants, please get acquainted with each other or rest as you prepare for tomorrow.]

Death in this place signifies death in reality, as well as becoming an eternal member of the troupe, a mere puppet dancing at their whims.

‘That’s how it was described in the wiki.’

And while not entirely accurate, that was the gist in the game’s ending too.

[As death, you were unable to leave the stage the troupe created within the dream. You became an actor acting according to their intentions, bound to behave as they wish for eternity.]

Since they mentioned rest, I surveyed my surroundings and found a vacant lot a short distance away. It seemed all participants had been summoned to similar places, as the others were also gathering at the vacant lot.

“Where is this place?”
“No, what was that voice from the sky just now?”
“I clearly fell asleep at home……”

While observing from afar, I too headed in that direction.

“……Hm?”

Until an inexplicable noise appeared in my vision.

‘My right field of vision is acting strange.’

Like white noise from a disconnected cable.

‘My right eye.’

The first thing that came to mind was the Blue Moon.
The eye I had received from the Blue Moon, whose purpose I hadn’t known until now, had activated.

“This is……”

The meaning behind it naturally etched itself into my mind.

“The Blue Moon is an entity that observes human lives.”

And in that instant, my right eye too observed their lives.
Not their entire lives, but the futures they would face in parallel worlds where I did not exist.

‘Didn’t the Blue Moon’s power only let you see that person’s past?’

Then why did it show not the past or present, but the future of a world without me?

“Is this due to the Girl with Closed Eyes’ influence?”

If it was the influence of the girl transcending all space-time, then such a change could be explained.

‘One thing is certain – I need to change my plan.’

Escaping this place alone was no longer meaningful.

“It’s showing me something good.”

Because if I didn’t rescue them…..

“But this is different from the game too.”

The world will be annihilated.