"Yawn…"
In the cold dawn air, I yawned so hard it felt like my mouth might tear as I blinked wearily on the bus.
Given the early hour, most people on the bus looked utterly exhausted.
Whether it was the student dozing off in the seat in front of me or the middle-aged man next to me checking the morning news on his smartphone.
Even the bus driver was no exception.
Screeeech!
As if my yawn was contagious, the bus driver, who'd been sighing lethargically, hit the brakes hard after misjudging a signal.
"Whoa!"
Startled by the abrupt inertia, a cry of surprise erupted here and there, breaking the silence.
People were patting their chests in shock, and the man next to me, who seemed to have dropped his smartphone, wore a troubled expression.
"Excuse me… young man, I'm sorry to bother you, but could you pick that up for me?"
"Ah."
It had rolled into an awkward spot in front of the seat in such a way that it was difficult to pick up.
I leaned over appropriately to reach for the man's smartphone.
『One year after the appearance of the massive towers around the world, things quietly continue.』
When I stretched out my hand, the smartphone's screen displayed an article about the towers that had been heating up the internet over the past year.
Swoosh.
"Thank you, young man."
After quietly handing back the smartphone, I turned my gaze out the bus window to the towering structure standing tall.
The mysterious towers that had appeared worldwide.
They pierced the clouds, rising so high that their ends were beyond reach, but strangely, no one had witnessed their actual emergence.
According to the buzz online, the first to discover a tower was an ordinary facility manager in Washington D.C.
'Did he say he just walked in for cleaning and found it there?'
After that, towers began to be discovered all over the world, not just in America.
Of course, renowned scientists, internet conspiracy theorists, and numerous self-proclaimed prophets were fervently debating, but despite their efforts, they had learned nothing.
"Hmm."
I turned my head and averted my gaze from the tower.
What mattered to me at the moment wasn't the inexplicable pillar that had suddenly sprung up.
Today was the day of job interviews for a new position at Sky Games.
To be late to such an important event in a large corporation after barely securing a job, well, that was something that simply couldn't happen.
I arrived at the company on time and stepped inside a towering building that seemed capable of easily exceeding fifty floors.
The entrance was reminiscent of a temple you might see in a fantasy game.
In fact, aside from the entrance, the entire first floor was basically a wall of glass, which felt a bit plain up close.
Whiiirr.
The automatic doors opened, and as I entered the building, I saw men in suits busily moving to their interview locations.
As I walked through the automatic doors, I saw groups of businessmen bustling about – presumably here for interviews.
The lobby on the first floor was getting noisy.
The bustling lobby on the first floor… was already making me dizzy.
"Welcome. Those here for the interview, please come this way…"
A female employee at the information desk was gesturing for people to follow her.
As I passed her by, she started to repeat the same scripted greeting but saw my employee card and let out an awkward laugh.
"Oh, please, come in. It's been so hectic since we have a lot of guests early in the morning."
"It is quite early, but it's already so crowded."
"Well, it's a major company."
We exchanged a laugh as she replied. Landing a job with a big corporation could be a turning point in someone's life.
Wishing to prepare thoroughly for such a potentially life-altering opportunity was perhaps understandable.
It must have been the same for the reception desk employee before me.
"Excuse me… Claire Evans?"
I glanced at her name badge and awkwardly called out the name of the female employee I'd seen every morning for a year, but whose name I was using for the first time.
"Yes?"
I glanced at the crowd in front of the elevator and frowned slightly.
Even the thought of breathing seemed a burden.
"By any chance, is the stairwell renovation finished?"
At my question, Claire tilted her head in brief confusion but, after seeing the tight group queued for the elevator, she nodded quietly.
"It was completed two days ago. There should be no problems if you use it. But, the HR department is on the 20th floor, are you sure you'll be alright?"
Of course, it was alright.
Between squeezing myself into that elevator crowd and walking up forty flights, the latter option seemed much more appealing.
"It's better than over there." "…Are you sure?"
Claire quickly scanned me from head to toe.
I wondered if I should've done more leg exercises, but it was too late for regrets now.
"Well, I should get going. I'll never hear the end of it if I'm late and the manager comes in."
"Oh, wait…"
Claire seemed to have something to say, but without further delay, I made my way towards the stairwell.
Damn it, should have taken the elevator.
"Are you here for the interview? To this side, please… huh? Ethan Cross?"
As I swung open the emergency stairwell door, the first person I encountered was Leonard Briggs, the deputy manager, calling my name with a half-sour expression.
"Why did you come up the stairs?"
As he scanned me up and down, loading up ammunition for a lecture, I responded with a forced smile.
"I don't like crowds."
"Wow, I guess Ethan has extra energy to spare? Lucky you. Some of us have been busy running around like a headless chicken since morning."
Leonard Briggs.
A parachuted hire from the higher-ups and my immediate boss known for his skill at buttering up those above him.
"Anyway, just follow those people over there to the auditorium. Don't loiter around the office unnecessarily."
"Got it."
I decided not to rile him further, despite the irony of being called a loiterer by the biggest one of them.
Following his instructions, I began moving along with the other employees.
After all, there wasn't much for a lowly staff member like me to do besides menial tasks like directing people around.
Endless corridors stretched across the large building.
After a short walk down the corridor, the guiding employee shared some instructions.
"The interviews will start at 9. Please help seat the interviewees according to their numbers and alert security if you notice anyone suspicious."
Following the brief, we naturally passed through the doors.
'It doesn't seem that busy?'
Inside the spacious auditorium, many people awaited their interviews with tense expressions.
But that was it. It didn't seem like there was enough work to warrant the lecture from the deputy manager.
However.
"Excuse me… sir?"
"Y, yes?"
A low voice caught me by surprise as I turned my head nonchalantly.
"Sorry if I startled you. You work here, right?"
The man was well-groomed with a tidy pompadour haircut and prominent features.
Underneath his suit, which hid it slightly, there was a sense that he kept himself fit with diligent exercise. He was looking at me.
"It's alright. What can I do for you?"
"Sorry to bother but may I borrow your phone for a brief call? I had to hand in my own phone…"
"Ah… sure. Here you go."
"Thank you."
He bowed his head slightly and took my phone, quickly dialing a number and pressing it to his ear.
After a moment, with no answer on the other line, he looked at me apologetically.
"Sorry, they're not answering… And thank you for your patience."
"No worries. I've only just arrived myself."
Distractedly fiddling with his interview lanyard, he continued.
"I didn't expect there to be so many applicants. I've always wanted to work in the gaming industry since I was young, but with this much competition…"
"Don't worry about it. It's impressive you're pursuing your childhood dream. It's not very common."
"Well, it's no big deal. I actually used to work in education but recently quit. It wasn't a good fit, haha."
No wonder.
The way he'd called out to me with 'sir' seemed like a habitual leftover from his previous profession.
"Thanks for letting me use your phone."
The man returned my phone with a bittersweet smile, having been unable to make his call.
"You can use it a bit longer if you need to. It seemed like your call wasn't going through."
"No, it's fine. It wasn't an urgent call."
I considered lending him the phone again due to the unease I felt, but judging by his expression, he wasn't all that bothered about making the call.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, the man caught my gaze and stretched out his hand to introduce himself.
"Ah, by the way, my name is Marcus Hale."
Marcus Hale.
The name seemed to match his dignified appearance.
"Ethan Cross."
"Oh, your name is Ethan? That's a strong one."
"I get that a lot. It's not a common name."
Contrary to the reserved first impression, Marcus turned out to be quite talkative.
Our conversation flowed endlessly, seemingly unwinding the strain of his own nerves.
A peaceful conversation.
For someone like me, who usually spent days buried in work, such mundane chatter seemed to be an effective stress reliever.
"Anyway, I need to go get to work. If I stand around too long, the old-timers will start nagging."
The delightful conversation was coming to an end.
"Haha, I get it. Well, if I get hired, maybe we'll chat again…"
But just as Marcus was about to finish his farewell—
Beep-beep-beeeep!
"Huh?"
A harsh vibration accompanied by an unpleasant noise sprang from the phone in my right hand.
Eyes scattered around the auditorium, seeking out the source of the noise, but soon it was clear that the search was pointless.
Beep-beep-beeeep! Beep-beep-beeeep! Beep-beep-beeeep!
The same sound that started with my phone was now ringing from all the employees' phones in the auditorium.
A familiar alarm signaling danger.
And the man in front of me, Marcus Hale, looked at me uneasily, as if he was now recalling someone who hadn't answered his call.
"Is it an earthquake?" "It doesn't seem like an earthquake…"
There were no announcements within the company urging evacuation, so I quickly read the text message I'd just received.
"National Disaster Alert (Level 4 Critical)" – As of this moment, the national disaster alert level has been raised to 'critical.' – Citizens are advised to stay in a safe place until the situation is fully assessed.
"A national disaster…?"
Not a safety announcement but a national disaster alert.
It didn't seem like an ordinary natural disaster.