Seoul Object Story
Chapter 258: The Blessing of the Stars (5)

In a conference room deep within Sehee Research Institute, the tattooed alchemist and James were having a conversation.

It was a time for exchanging information about Objects interpreted from the perspective of modern science and grimoires interpreted from the alchemist’s perspective.

“I see, so all Objects, no matter how benevolent towards humans, eventually become harmful due to their distorted perception?”

James summarized the alchemist’s explanation with an interested expression.

Hearing this, the alchemist nodded and replied.

“Yes, even if one has strong mental power, they might be able to resist to some extent, but meaningful resistance is impossible.”

He added that no matter how much one resists, there’s no way to prevent it since the perception itself becomes distorted.

From the alchemist’s perspective, all they could do was take mental pollution suppressants and pray that the mental pollution wouldn’t worsen.

“Then, do these tool-type Objects also eventually become harmful?”

James asked while holding up a crystal that reflected spirits.

“No, that’s not the case. There are quite a few tools that are evil from the moment of their creation, but I’ve never heard of cases where they degrade.”

The alchemist continued while lifting his sword.

“And if you look at it ultimately, even ‘alchemy’ is close to a pure tool-type grimoire with extremely controlled moment of creation.”

James nodded in agreement with these words.

“Certainly, hearing it from the person involved makes it clear. There definitely seems to be something that spreads mental pollution only to Objects.”

James said, waving a report stating that most Objects were in a state of being eroded by mental pollution.

It was a report that was hard to give much meaning to until hearing the alchemist’s words.

“But it was difficult to schematize the degree of mental pollution in Objects with self-awareness. How did you judge it in your world?”

James asked, comparing cases where high-grade Objects were strongly eroded by mental pollution and cases where very weak Objects were barely eroded.

The alchemist’s answer to this was simple.

Just as one’s perception becomes distorted at some point no matter how many suppressants they take.

Just as a powerless human is doomed the moment they catch a demon’s eye.

It was simply, luck.

It was truly happy.

The Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper was truly happy.

After arriving at the researcher’s home, they shared delicious food together.

Afterwards, the researcher continuously stroked the Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper to the point where it dozed off in their arms.

Then they sat together watching TV, laughing together.

Finally, it was a perfect day ending with falling asleep listening to a fairy tale read by the researcher.

But the Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper woke up in the deep of night.

A small studio apartment bathed in soft moonlight.

The researcher sound asleep on the bed.

It should have burrowed back into the researcher’s arms and fallen asleep, but red starlight was descending from the sky.

Raising its head to look at the ceiling, beyond it was a red glowing star.

And that starlight spread, dyeing the world red.

In that red-dyed world, a small whisper was heard.

Like the sound of a radio with mismatched frequency, the faint whisper couldn’t be heard clearly.

But strangely, that whisper remained stuck in its head, refusing to leave.

And at some point, that sound became clear language.

But the Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper shook its head vigorously.

It refused, saying that was opposite to the wish it was born from.

It didn’t know at the moment of its birth, but now it could clearly understand.

It was born to be loved by humans and to give love, like the Golden Reapers.

Then, the red voice asked what it meant to receive love and give love.

…

This was a bit difficult for the Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper to understand.

Then, the red voice declared.

Killing humans is giving love, it said.

No!

The Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper shouted loudly in its heart as it got up.

Then, in the mirror placed by the bedside, the Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper’s reflection appeared.

But there was no longer the image of a Golden Hungry Ghost Reaper reflected there.

The Purple Reaper expressed its anger as it looked at the muscular man who had revealed himself, Wrecking Ball.

A dangerous Object!

An Object that killed a pure old human!

An Object that is hostile towards its attached human!

Though in human form, this Wrecking Ball was truly the worst Object filled with malice towards humans.

It wanted to rush out and slice him up with shadows right away, but the man raised his hand to stop the Purple Reaper’s charge.

Silently, without a word.

He looked down at the Purple Reaper with an expression that seemed to say, “This is my fight, leave it to me.”

And the man put a new cigarette in his mouth and slowly began to approach Wrecking Ball.

The Purple Reaper’s eyes sparkled at the somehow cool appearance of the man as it hid in the shadows.

But even while hiding, it didn’t take its eyes off the harmful Object.

More precisely, it didn’t take its eyes off the blue glowing star beyond that harmful Object.

The man was not a Chosen One.

Just an ordinary person who had made an artificial eye from the piece of star his little sister had left behind.

It was an artificial eye made to commemorate his little sister, but like an Object, it could see the flow of power that Chosen Ones handled.

And not long after he started contract work, he realized he had a truly innate talent.

The ability to quickly snipe targets with a gun, no matter how far or difficult they were to hit.

When this heaven-given talent combined with the sight through the artificial eye, magical things would happen.

Bang bang.

The man fired his gun into the air.

The target was neither the steel ball flying freely through the sky like a drone, nor the steel ball flying towards him while plowing the ground like a field.

It was the flow of power gripping those steel balls, and the part of that flow that looked most vulnerable.

Then the steel ball that had been flying through the sky with an ominous sound fell straight to the ground, and the steel ball that had been digging up the ground stopped as if nailed in place.

“Im-Impossible!”

As the sixth steel ball escaped Wrecking Ball’s control, fear began to seep into the expression of Wrecking Ball, who had looked so confident.

All that remained were two steel balls orbiting around Wrecking Ball, protecting his body.

The man put a new cigarette in his mouth and began precise aiming with his pistol.

“Do you think you can block bullets with just those steel balls?”

The flow of steel balls rotating at high speed like a fan.

And the flow of the barrier field protecting ‘Wrecking Ball’s’ entire body.

The moment the gaps in these two aligned, the man pulled the trigger.

The inner courtyard of Sehee Research Institute was bustling with people as lunchtime arrived.

I was resting, cradled in the arms of the soundly sleeping Yerin.

Come to think of it, Yerin has been looking quite tired lately.

She’s been like that ever since she gave me a doll that looks exactly like me when I went to her house at the Golden Reapers’ call.

Considering how she was running around trying to find clothes for the doll, it seemed she was tired from dressing and playing with the doll.

When I checked last time, she was adding a mountain of clothes to the list.

Hats, shoes, tops, bottoms, pants, skirts, underwear.

Just looking at the list was terribly overwhelming.

Still, it was really good that the doll was wearing those clothes instead of me.

Perhaps because she was playing by dressing the doll, the amount of firewood Yerin produced had increased quite a lot.

If I had known this would happen, I should have given her the gift earlier.

Hehe.

I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of the firewood spreading.

And I also felt Yerin munching on my antenna.

Master!

As I was enjoying this rest, the Hungry Ghost Reaper approached me.

In the Hungry Ghost Reaper’s arms was a golden Object.

A warm-looking golden color like the Golden Reapers.

Red glowing eyes.

And a size several times larger than a Golden Reaper, still slowly swelling.

A distorted Object emitting weak mental pollution, trying to deceive itself into thinking it was a Golden Reaper.

And its presence was clearly felt even by the mini Reapers, as they all turned their heads to look towards the Hungry Ghost Reaper.

As soon as I saw that Object, I projected my will.

Ack, it’s a harmful Object!

It was such a harmful Object that if the Hungry Ghost Reaper hadn’t been holding it, the Golden Reapers would have rushed to tear it apart immediately.

Why on earth did it bring that Object to me?

Ah, could it be that it brought it to me to torment because that Object hurt its attached human?

Hmm hmm.

I do have a knack for torture and pranks.

As I was thinking about various possibilities for the Hungry Ghost Reaper’s request, the will coming from the Hungry Ghost Reaper was completely different from my expectation.

Master, please heal this Object.

The will projected by the Hungry Ghost Reaper contained a truly desperate wish.