WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving Among the Anomalies ◈

Chapter 7: The Girl with Closed Eyes (1)

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Human memory isn't accurate. Just as America was thrown into an uproar in the nineties when daughters accused their fathers after counselors distorted their childhood memories, human memory is easily altered.

Even déjà vu, something everyone experiences at least once in life, is one of the representative errors produced by memory. Memory is absolutely uncertain, and I am no exception.

"The memories I have will fade and change too, becoming something far removed from the original."

Memories are romanticized. I think that saying came about because memories become distorted.

"Therefore, my memories of 「Surviving Among the Anomalies」 are no different."

It had already been half a year since I quit the game. Even before that, I hadn't played it obsessively. It was nothing more than a way to kill time, so by the end of the year, there would probably be plenty of gaps in my memory.

"Unfortunately, I'm not the protagonist of a web novel."

I didn't have perfect recall, the kind that let someone remember not only a novel's title after years or even decades, but the protagonist's name, every event that occurred, and even the names of insignificant extras.

'Until now, anyway.'

I opened the notebook, took up my pen, and closed my eyes. About a minute later, the memories I had called to mind were corrected, and I wrote them in the notebook.

[Anything written in this anomaly is permanently remembered by the person who wrote it. This memory is unaffected by distortion from other anomalies and remains until the writing is erased.]

That wasn't its only effect.

[It is presumed to have a function that restores memories when the writer cannot remember what they wish to write. As a notepad, it appears to force the user to recall what they want to write down.]

I could recall even memories that had already faded during the half year since I quit the game. That was how I recalled what I was writing now.

[When a drawing is made, that drawing also remains in one's memory. Reproducing the remembered drawing elsewhere poses no problem, and according to test subjects, it becomes imprinted on the mind to the point that it feels as though 'the drawing has been drawn inside my head.']

I didn't know where I could use that, but I wasn't bad at drawing. It might come in handy someday.

[Very occasionally, a written question receives an answer. It is unknown whether the notebook possesses a will of its own or is connected to somewhere else through an unknown path, allowing someone to answer through it.]

Creepypasta uses the unknown as a source of horror, so this clue had never been explained. Often, it wasn't even a clue, just something written to sound plausible with no real meaning behind it, but that wouldn't be the case now.

'It'll be fun finding out.'

Quietly, I wrote the equation 「1+1=?」 at the top of the first page.

'I hope an answer comes someday.'

I recalled more information and wrote it down.

[If a name is written on the cover, the book returns to the home address of the person who wrote the name within twenty-four hours if lost. Erasing the name from the cover removes this function, and every record written in the anomaly can be erased with an eraser, regardless of what it was written with.]

From what I remembered, losing it wouldn't be a problem.

[The delivery fee for the returned anomaly is cash on delivery, and a bank account number is written on its first page. Payment must be transferred to that account within thirty days. If payment is not made, the anomaly disappears. The delivery fee is fixed at 1,000 won regardless of how many times it has been lost.]

Notebook in My Head wasn't an especially important Anomaly, so all I had done was look over its wiki page once. Still, it was remarkable that it could vividly restore something I had seen only once.

[An investigation into the transfer account number revealed [CENSORED]. Tracing this account is strictly forbidden.]

I'd also underestimated the notebook's ability. In the game, Notebook in My Head simply displayed a white window in the corner of the screen. You could write text in it and check it at any time during the game. That was all.

[This anomaly does not run out no matter how continuously it is used. Its pages appear to increase according to use, but the anomaly does not grow thicker. Several attempts have been made to determine its total number of pages, but none have succeeded.]

Its current abilities had been nothing more than setting-based wordplay that had never been implemented in the game. Yet now that those settings had become reality, it couldn't have been better.

"All right, then..."

After loosening up, I gripped my pen in earnest.

"Starting now, I'll record everything I remember about every Anomaly."

＊＊＊

"Finished."

A week passed. At last, I had recorded all the information on the Anomalies I had seen and experienced.

'At least I wrote down everything I know.'

It wasn't perfect. Even before I quit the game, the developer had continued releasing updates.

'At least once a month, sometimes twice.'

Updates didn't always add new Anomalies, but there had probably been at least six updates in half a year. It was safer to assume there were new ones.

"I hope the Anomalies I don't know about are safe."

Knowing the developer's tendencies, that was unlikely.

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. After staying in the motel room for a week, it felt like home.

'Only one so far.'

When I decided to survive in this world, there were five things I needed to secure.

Knowledge about Anomalies.

The minimum fighting power needed to survive a crisis.

A way to identify future dangers.

An identity that would let me go anywhere without trouble.

And enough money to support myself and easily obtain what I needed.

'Of those five, all I have right now is knowledge.'

Even that wasn't perfect, though it was useful enough.

'The next thing I need is fighting power.'

Not the power to kill Anomalies. I meant the minimum power needed to resist them and survive.

'How could humans defeat a Destruction Grade Anomaly, or one capable of destroying a city, through force?'

There was a reason the game was called 「Surviving Among the Anomalies」.

You could exploit their weaknesses to incapacitate them briefly, draw their attention elsewhere, or avoid them temporarily, but killing them was impossible.

'What I need is the Physical Ability to run away, stun them for a moment, or lure them away.'

Positive events could improve such things, but they appeared at random. The one I could reach right away was...

"It's right above me."

I left the motel that had grown familiar.

"Goseong, Gangwon Province."

＊＊＊

"That'll be 30,000 won."

"Keep the change."

"Oh, thank you!"

As I got out of the taxi, I drew in a deep breath of the refreshingly clear air.

'The air in Gangwon Province is always so clean.'

Yangyang was also in Gangwon Province, but I had only stayed in the city and the motel there, so I never had time to enjoy air this fresh.

"One mocha latte and a chocolate cake, please."

No matter how busy I was, I needed to make time to relax. I had left without eating breakfast, so I went into a nearby café and ordered a light brunch.

[Next in the news, a traditional festival in Gangwon Province will soon begin. Recently, excessive prices at traditional festivals have caused much controversy. In response, a festival official...]

The owner must have been interested in current events, because despite this being a café, they had the news on instead of the usual music. I hadn't been able to keep up with the news lately, so I welcomed it.

[As unusual temperatures continue across the southern regions, this autumn is expected to be the shortest on record.]

There was one problem, though. Now that the game had become reality and my knowledge had returned so clearly, I suspected every incident was caused by an Anomaly.

[Three fishermen in their fifties died after falling below a breakwater while fishing. At around 3 a.m. yesterday, Mr. A, who was fishing on top of tetrapods...]

The short autumn might be caused by an Anomaly. The fishermen falling to their deaths might be caused by an Anomaly. At this rate, I might become consumed by the idea that everything was caused by Anomalies.

'Once I obtain fighting power, I need to get a way to identify dangers right away.'

I could see the mountain whose location I had checked on my phone even from the café.

"Unbongsan."

A Safety Grade Anomaly capable of giving me fighting power lived there.

"That was good."

After finishing my meal, I bought a cucumber and some ice water, then headed for Unbongsan. On the way up, I recalled the event scene that appeared when encountering the Anomaly I was looking for.

[The weather in Goseong was clear and cool, so I climbed a mountain to rest. Upon reaching the mountainside, I found two paths branching off.]

I passed the entrance to the hiking trail and reached the mountainside. At the Mireukam Hermitage three-way intersection, there was only one path I needed to take.

[I didn't like either path. Driven by a spirit of adventure, I headed straight toward the summit.]

Straight toward the summit. There was no path, only rugged rocks and brush waiting for me.

[Something was strange. It wasn't a particularly high mountain, but no matter how far I went, the summit never appeared. When I tried to return to the original hiking trail, the intersection was nowhere to be found either.]

I checked the time regularly. Before I knew it, twelve hours had passed. My entire body was drenched in sweat, so I stopped to rest and ate the cucumber.

[Quite some time has passed, but the sun still hangs high in the sky. It feels as though time has stopped, and I begin to believe I will never reach the summit.]

Just as I was beginning to tire, a valley finally came into view.

[Then, I discovered a valley. There was no valley in the satellite images, so why is there one here? Cautiously and filled with fear, I entered.]

When I entered the valley, there was a girl.

[I met a girl there. The girl stood with her eyes closed. No matter how much I called to her, she did not answer, and she did not react when I poked her. What should I do at a time like this?]

The girl, who looked six or seven years old and had pigtails, wore a pink dress. Just as in the game, her eyes were closed.

[Take the girl's hand and descend the mountain.]

[Carry the girl on my back and descend the mountain.]

[Hold the girl in my arms and descend the mountain.]

A Safety Grade Anomaly that enhanced the player depending on how she was treated.

"The Girl with Her Eyes Closed."

If I took her arm and descended the mountain, my Dexterity would improve. Dexterity increased the chance of surviving manipulation-type Anomalies.

If I carried her on my back and descended, my Spiritual Insight would improve, increasing my chance of surviving ghost-type Anomalies. If I held her in my arms, my Physical Ability would improve, increasing my chance of surviving physical Anomalies.

"Hey, kid."

I intended to carry The Girl with Her Eyes Closed down the mountain in my arms.

"Can I carry you down on my back?"

I asked just in case. In the game, she had never shown any reaction, and text had appeared saying she moved mechanically, so I didn't expect anything.

"No."

Then the girl asked me.

"Who are you?"

Footnotes:

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