Seoul Object Story
Chapter 80: The Kkachisan Conference (6)

Huff-! Huff-!

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw that I was being hit from all sides. Not exactly the gentlest way to wake up, huh?

A bunch of the Golden Reapers had come out of nowhere and were giving me a rather unceremonious wake-up call.

What the hell is going on here?

Hmm, why are all their little faces looking so serious? Also, were these guys always able to pop out like this without me summoning them?

As soon as they noticed I was awake, they stopped their mini-assault and started waving their hands and feet frantically.

It was quite a challenge to understand what the Golden Reapers were trying to say, but I could tell one thing for sure—the situation was really really urgent.

Well, if it was that urgent there was a way out of this, one that only we could do.

Turning into my phantom form, I opened my arms wide. The Golden Reapers also turned into their phantom forms and rushed into my arms.

I held as many of them as I could, while the rest clung to my body. As our spiritual bodies touched, I was finally able to understand what the Golden Reapers wanted to say.

It was a simple but powerful thought.

Danger! A favorite human is in danger!

It seemed like they were in a real hurry, so I immediately used my new ability, the one I gained from the black penguin.

Instantly, I felt the faint presence of a Golden Reaper in the distance, flickering like a dying flame.

I focused my abilities on that presence.

*

The place I arrived at after using my ability was utterly surreal—a desert full of blood-red sand and rocks.

There was no way for such a place to exist in Korea, so it had to be some kind of weird phenomenon caused by an Object.

Suddenly, the Golden Reaper jumped towards me with a beaming smile. When I caught it with my hand, I realized the little guy was extremely tattered. Oh no, why was it so injured?

I hugged it tightly to give it more of the flame in my heart, and the flames that far exceeded the little guy’s limit instantly regenerated at one of its lost arms.

The once-tattered and emaciated Golden Reaper instantly came back to life and hugged my cheek to say thanks. Hehe!

Now… Just who was it hurt that my Golden Reaper?

Looking at its injured arm, it seemed to be the consequence of using overlap on an Object with physical invulnerability.

Normally, the Golden Reaper would just coolly attack by throwing their whole body and get resurrected in the Garden of Golden Reapers. Well, it’s a reasonable choice since it didn’t hurt at all. Even with only one arm remaining, this Golden Reaper must have given its all in order to protect Seoah, who was its ‘favorite human’, for a long time.

Hmm, is that the culprit? The weird-ass Object who hurt the Golden Reaper.

An Object made of red rock, possibly an Object with physical invulnerability.

The killing condition of the Object was simple:

I felt a little annoyed, probably because I knew that It had hurt the Golden Reaper. I took the Golden Reaper who I had worked so hard to heal and returned it to Seoah.

As I waved my hand in the air in frustration, numerous Golden Reapers responded to my call from the Garden of Golden Reapers.

***

Agent Black and the blonde young lady finally stumbled upon the resting place they had been desperately searching for.

Well, in truth, it was not that they discovered it, it’s just that the shelter was so eye-catching that they couldn’t possibly miss it.

In the middle of a vast red desert, where the scorching sand met the horizon, stood a massive rock formation that could be seen at a glance even from afar. It was a cave with a huge entrance that looked like a gaping mouth.

The sheer size of the cave and its unique presence could allow people to use it as a lighthouse, one that could be used as a guiding beacon by anyone passing through the desert.

The vast shadow cast by the huge cave and the coolness coming from the depths soon eased their discomfort and cooled their sweat.

“Hah… we can finally get some rest now…” The blonde young lady sighed, as she sat down on a rock that seemed suitable for sitting, her well-tailored clinging to her from sweat.

Agent Black, however, did not relax. His vigilance was unwavering as he cautiously explored the depths of the cave, leading him to discover something invaluable—a massive lake inside the cave.

From a glance, it seemed to be a freshwater lake which formed probably due to groundwater rising to the surface.

Above the lake, there was a hole in the cave’s roof allowing a clear view of the night sky. The red moon and starlight reflected off the pristine surface of the lake, creating a scene that was almost calming, if not for the underlying danger from the Objects.

The water was surprisingly clear, unlike the often murky oases found in deserts. After a brief check, Agent Black concluded that the water appeared safe to drink.

“Young miss,” he said, filling his small water container with water from the lake and handing it to the blonde young lady, “there is drinkable water here. It should last us for quite some time.”

“Thank god. I was so thirsty I thought I was going to die.”

“We can now hold out until rescue arrives. Since the incident occurred in the middle of Seoul, they shouldn’t take too long to rescue us. It’s a relief.”

The blonde young lady’s face visibly relaxed at his words, her earlier anxiety melting away. She was nearing her limit, after all. The desert was an unforgiving place, not only because of the relentless heat but also because of the Objects that roamed, ready to kill. So, it was only a matter of course that her stamina drained at a quick pace.

That was why Agent Black didn’t reveal his suspicions about this place. The cave’s temperature was unusually comfortable, almost… inviting. Then there was also the presence of a source of clean drinking water; This place was surprisingly suitable for humans.

On top of that, it was also strikingly easy to find? There must be something sketchy. In an ordinary disaster, such a finding could be considered good luck, but the involvement of cunning Objects made it far from one. Was this place a trap?

However, leaving this cave based on suspicion, only to wander aimlessly through the desert would mean almost certain death within a day.

Agent Black’s worries became increasingly deeper.

***

News about the incident in Gangseo-gu flashed on the TV in the Office of the Director of the Sehee Research Institute. According to reporters most of Gangseo-gu was now encased in a transparent barrier beyond which an unidentifiable desert stretched out.

The fate of the people inside was still unknown.

The association, usually criticized for its sluggish responses, moved with unusual speed to address this situation. Some even suggested they might have finally gotten their act together.

Seoah! Just because I didn’t want to go…

As soon as I heard the news, I bolted, heading straight for the deepest part of the Sehee Research Institute—the Gray Reaper’s containment room. I had this gut feeling, totally unfounded, that the Reaper could somehow handle the barrier blocking Gangseo-gu.

It was a type of hunch only Yerin would normally have in this type of situation, but right now, the only one I could trust was the Reaper.

The association wouldn’t be able to break through the barrier easily. If they did manage, it would likely be with help from other countries, and they would arrive far too late as always.

But couldn’t Reaper snap the barrier like a twig if it just clapped and kicked it a few times?

And if there wasn’t a barrier anymore, the Association’s large-scale rescue team could get in, and the chances of saving those inside would skyrocket.

But when I threw open the door to the containment room, the Gray Reaper was nowhere to be found. Only a bunch of Golden Reapers and Yerin were there, playing around.

“Unnie? What’s going on?”

“Yerin… Where’s the Gray Reaper?!”

“Um, I don’t know? Well, considering it left so many of the Golden Reapers behind, it must have gone quite far away.”

…The containment room was indeed full of Golden Reapers.

“Uh, did something happen?” Yerin asked, her eyes scanning my face for any clues.

Instead of answering, I just turned on the TV in the room and played the news.

Coincidentally, the broadcast was showing a bird’s eye view of the Gangseo-gu barrier from a helicopter.

“Huh?! Isn’t that where Seoah unnie went on a business trip!?”

“Exactly. That’s why I tried to find the Gray Reaper, but… it isn’t here…”

Yerin stared at the TV, clearly at a loss.

“Umm, W-what should we do?”

“Hah! Is there even any way for us to do anything?”

“Ah… Wait! Is that why?” Yerin, who had been rambling, seemed to have some kind of an epiphany. I quickly asked her about it and it was a pretty interesting theory.

“Actually, this is around the time for Gray Reaper’s nap. But since it wasn’t here taking a nap, then something serious must’ve happened for it to skip its precious naptime. So, if such a dangerous incident happened just around that time in Gangseo-gu, the Reaper most probably went there already.”

“Wait, you mean to say that the Gray Reaper somehow noticed that Seoah was in crisis and might’ve already gone to Gangseo-gu?”

“Well, It’s just a guess. It might’ve even gone there on a whim for all we know.”

Pat-! Pat-! Yerin cleared the space beside her and patted it loudly.

“Well then, I guess you are waiting here with me, aren’t you Unnie?”

“Huh, what?”

I needed to get back to the director’s office to check on the association’s rescue efforts, Yerin was acting like a child.

“You should wait for the Gray Reaper to return! What if it just went out to have some fun? Then wouldn’t it be best to meet it as soon as it returns and then send it back to Gangseo-gu?”

She was clearly spouting nothing but bullshit, but somehow, her theory was oddly compelling.

“Anyway, all we can do is check in with the association about the status of the rescue operation. So, we might as well do this!”

Was it the allure of a soft bed in a warm, cozy room? Or the comfort of the cuddly Golden Reapers?

“Sigh… Guess, I can’t help it. Still, I should do the bare minimum.”

I made an announcement for all the employees of the Sehee Research Institute through my phone.

“With that, I guess we’ve done everything we can. Now all that’s left is to wait here for the Gray Reaper.”

I had no choice but to sit next to Yerin and play with the cute Golden Reapers. Since I needed to send the Gray Reaper to Gangseo-gu as soon as it returned from wherever it was, I decided to wait in the containment room.

Nothing should happen to Seoah, she must be fine!

I felt helpless knowing our research institute couldn’t do anything to save one of its own.

***

In the desert where red dust whipped around like an angry sandstorm, enormous rock cubes lay scattered across the ground, completely drained of any strength.

Scattered around us were the remains of as many as fifteen of the red spheres. It looked like a battlefield, but one where the tide had decisively turned.

As soon as the Gray Reaper arrived, the chaos was swiftly brought under control. Unlike when it was alone, the Golden Reapers did not care about their bodies and just charged in, absolutely obliterating the enemy.

They crushed the Objects with speed and accuracy, targeting only their weak points. The fifteen Golden Reapers, smug after destroying the Objects, clung to the Gray Reaper with beaming smiles.

The rest of the Golden Reapers, not as lucky to be in the thick of the action, gathered at the Gray Reaper’s feet, looking up with envious expressions.

Meanwhile, the Gray Reaper stood in the midst of the chaos, looking around with an expression as flat as a pancake.

“Woah!” I couldn’t help myself and clapped like an excited seal.

Seeing me, the Golden Reapers followed suit, clapping with their adorably tiny hands!

“Nice to see you, Reaper! Thanks for showing up and, well, saving me!” I exclaimed, overcome with a rush of relief and gratitude.

I sprinted towards the Gray Reaper and threw my arms around it. Sure, it was technically an Unidentified Object with the highest danger level, and yeah, its behavior was incomprehensible. But in that moment, none of it mattered.

I squeezed it tightly, my heart bubbling with joy, relief, and gratitude.

The Golden Reapers, not to be outdone, piled on, hugging both the Gray Reaper and me.

The Gray Reaper looked very uncomfortable, its usual aloofness replaced by a sullen expression that was just too adorable. It was so cute that I couldn’t resist—I reached out and poked its cheek!

A grumpy Gray Reaper was the cutest thing ever!!