Seoul Object Story
Chapter 81: The Kkachisan Conference (7)

Dozens of Golden Reapers gathered together, assembling into what could be described as a pyramid. It was like one of those human pyramids children form during the annual sports meet, just in this case, it was far cuter with each Reaper holding onto the next with their tiny arms and legs.

Well, since the inside was hollow it was more like a hut.

The desert was still a scorching death trap, but thanks to the Golden Reaper hut providing some much-needed shade, it was tolerable, albeit barely.

The culprit for this relentless heat was definitely the red moon shining in the sky. It didn’t blaze with sunlight but still managed to roast everything in sight. Seriously, whose bright idea was this?

Ah, it’s so hot. I’m going to die…

A sip of water would have been lovely right about now, but in this endless expanse of sand, the only thing gushing forth was my desperation.

Next to me, the Gray Reaper flailed its arms and legs with an indifferent expression. It was as if I was looking at a child making snow angels—except we were in a desert, and the sand was hot enough to fry an egg. Or, in my case, fry my skin.

“Reaper,” I called out, even though I knew full well it couldn’t understand a word I said. Still, a little conversation never hurt anyone, right?

The Gray Reaper paused its flailing and turned towards me, staring at me with those glowing yellow eyes.

“Thanks for showing up, I really thought I was about to die back then.”

I looked around at the vast, seemingly infinite expanse of the desert. “This place is huge, isn’t it? Whichever direction we look toward we can always see the horizon. I never thought I’d see something like this in Seoul.”

I sighed again, letting my mind drift. “This is my first time dealing with an Object-related incident, and I have to say, it’s rough. Makes me never want to go on another business trip. How does Director Lee Sehee keep doing this? She’s like a magnet for disasters and yet, she’s always out chasing down Objects.”

The Gray Reaper didn’t respond, obviously. But those eyes, they were full of… intelligence? Was it possible it understood me? Or was I just projecting my desires? Either way, having it listen to me was surprisingly comforting.

Maybe this was why Researcher Oh Yerin was so enamored with the Gray Reaper.

Then all of a sudden, the Gray Reaper flicked its head toward the sky and with a swing of his arm summoned more Golden Reapers.

We made eye contact and it disappeared somewhere just as quickly as it appeared.

Meanwhile, I found myself surrounded by newly summoned Golden Reapers, each one giving off a faint, golden glow. I hugged one of them, feeling oddly calm despite everything.

Strangely, I didn’t feel anxious. The Gray Reaper had a way of conveying a sense of reassurance, even in the midst of this bizarre desert.

Maybe, just maybe, I was starting to understand exactly what Researcher Oh Yerin saw in the Gray Reaper.

***

As the TV blared loudly through the room, I let my anxiety escape into the air with a whisper.

“Will it be okay?”

No sooner had I spoken than a Golden Reaper climbed up to my shoulder and patted my cheek to comfort me. The Gray Reaper still hadn’t returned, so I really hoped that it had gone to save Seoah.

The area around Gangseo-gu shown on TV was a complete disaster zone. The association had actually done something unprecedented: they had responded quickly. Not only that, they were even making a very aggressive move that made me question if this was really the Korea I knew.

All kinds of bombs were being exploded around Gangseo-gu to inflict damage on the barrier. In the meantime, requests for support had already been made to countries such as the United States, Japan, and China.

It was an extremely unusual move from the association, which was always too proud to ask for any help.

The TV then showed the Gray Reaper pounding a transparent glass-like barrier with its fist.

“Hihi! As expected, Reaper was there!”

“Yeah… it’s a relief.”

The newscaster sounded concerned, but in contrast, we were relieved.

I had hoped Yerin was correct, but I honestly didn’t expect that the Reaper knowing that Seoah was in danger, really went to rescue her.

The Reaper, who was casually throwing a Dizzy Punch¹ towards the barrier, finally punched a hole into it.

The broadcast showed the Gray Reaper’s right arm breaking through the barrier and then being cut off by the closing barrier a moment later.

“No!! Isn’t Reaper in pain?! No!! Poor Reaper!!”

Yerin looked very sad as she watched Reaper’s severed arm turning into yellow flames before it even hit the ground and scattered into the wind.

From the momentary hole in the barrier, a strong sandstorm blew out, making the surrounding area even messier.

However, the Gray Reaper’s attack was rendered ineffective as the hole instantly regenerated.

The Gray Reaper pounded on the barrier again, but seeing no effect, soon turned around and went somewhere.

At the same time, the news screen also changed.

The announcer and the so-called Object expert panel began summarizing the events the Gray Reaper had been involved in so far. Since it wasn’t something I cared about, I simply changed the channel.

“Unnie, wouldn’t the Gray Reaper’s infamy improve this time?”

“I hope so. Seoah will be especially happy if it happens.”

“Seoah unnie? Her? Why?”

“She wanted to sell figurines of the Gray Reaper because the institute was running low on funds.”

In fact, Seoah wanted to sell not only figurines but also all kinds of goods. However, the association’s strict opposition prevented her from doing so. Their reasoning was that it risked diluting people’s awareness of Objects or something like that.

***

Near the oasis in the red desert, Agent Black’s anxiety grew more and more.

There were two primary reasons for his unease.

The first reason was the increasing number of people taking refuge in the cave. Well, the total area of the cave rivaled that of a large modern building, so accommodating them was not a problem.

The problem was the increase in the number of people itself. If the cave was an Object designed to lure prey, the danger would escalate with each new arrival.

The second source of his worries was a newly discovered structure inside the cave—a high altar made of stone.

It was surrounded by statues of grotesquely distorted humans and animals. And the walls were covered in a multitude of symbols of what seemed to be warning signs.

Unfortunately, even Agent Black couldn’t decipher them since it was the first time he had encountered such writing.

“Aaaahhh!” A sudden scream broke him from his reverie. It seemed to have come from the cave entrance.

“Ahjussi!! There’s a problem!”

Agent Black, upon reaching the entrance, was met by the blonde young lady as white as a sheet and a man with severed legs, writhing in agony.

Beyond the entrance stood a massive stone statue. What had once been a decorative statue was now alive, drenched in blood, and gnawing on the man’s severed leg with its stony mouth.

The statue spat out the mangled remains of the man’s legs—a gruesome mix of bone and flesh. The man, now legless, was left to bleed out at the entrance, receiving no aid.

The stone statue, taking one last look at the terror-stricken faces at the entrance, resumed it inert position, as if nothing had happened at all.

Phew-!

Taking a deep breath, Agent Black turned to the stunned onlookers.

“What happened?”

“Well, that guy claimed that this place was must be a trap and insisted we leave as soon as we had recovered some of our stamina,” said the pale and trembling man who appeared to be the man’s colleague. “I told him we should rest a little longer… But… B-but he then decided to go out first and check on his own…”

“I see. I understand what’s going on now. It seems we’re dealing with an Object that attacks those who attempt to leave.”

As Agent Black had suspected, the cave was a trap.

Even though It would be fortunate if it the trap only prevented people from leaving, if the stone statues inside of the cave were any indication…

No matter how much he thought about it, the prospects weren’t looking good.

***

Inside the large, echoing cave where Agent Black was staying, two researchers from the Trinity Research Institute moved with discretion.

“Team leader, when I went deeper, I found the ‘letters’ that the director mentioned,” the researcher hissed.

“Really? Okay, let’s take a look then,” the team leader replied in a chilling voice.

They slowly navigated deeper into the cave, careful to avoid the watchful eyes of others.

“Hmm, it’s pretty amazing.”

The team leader seemed to be amazed as he looked at the crimson stone statues and the lake’s surface, which glittered under the starlight seeping through a jagged hole in the cave’s ceiling.

The red moonlight cast an otherworldly glow, bathing the cave in a sanguine hue that seemed almost alive.

Engraved on the massive stone statues, bathed in the unnatural red light, were the letters that the researcher had mentioned.

“Urm, my evolution level is still too low to read them properly.”

“Well, I probably won’t be able to read it completely either, but I’ll give it a try,” the team leader replied, stepping closer to the wall, as his eyes widened in a disturbing manner.

As he stared at the engravings, his eyes swelled unnaturally, pushing against his skull until black veins the size of thumbs bulged grotesquely around them.

With trembling hands, he traced the letters, his fingers caressing the cold stone. He began to read, each word seeming to resonate deep within his soul.

“I see… this place will act as a safe ruin until one hundred people gather inside. Hmm, should we stop any more people from entering?”

“If the limit is that much, we can somehow persuade others.”

The team leader continued reading the text line by line, his bulging eyes straining with web-like veins sprouting within the whites.

“Hmmm, so… There seems to be another way to escape. All we have to do is sacrifice a person as an offering. An alive person.”

With a guttural groan, the team leader’s eyes snapped back to their normal size as he staggered back, clutching his head.

“Fuck, I’m dying… I need to quickly raise my evolution level so I can use my power more naturally…”

Soon, the veins receded completely and his eyes resumed their usual cold glint.

“Okay, so! First, let’s convince the idiots upstairs and make sure no one enters this ruin anymore. And if that becomes difficult, we will just use the second method.”

“Umm, but wouldn’t it be difficult to persuade them to sacrifice someone?”

“Are you stupid? If we’re going to sacrifice someone, of course, we will kill every single one of them here and escape on our own.”

“Ah… Well, yeah… With our strength, that would be very easy.”

Their chilling laughter echoed softly throughout the cave.

***

Shit! I can’t destroy it.

No matter how hard I pounded on the wall, the barrier stubbornly refused to budge. It was like a giant invisible bubble, but for some reason that bubble couldn’t be popped no matter what. How frustrating!!

You see, the barrier’s killing condition was < Destruction of the main body >.

Fancy, huh? In simple words, the barrier seemed to be able to regenerate over and over, endlessly, like one of those annoying boss mobs that keeps resetting itself until the main thingy that powers it is destroyed.

If only its regeneration speed was a little slower, I could just destroy a big chunk of it and bring Seoah outside. But sadly its regeneration speed was super fast.

Having used a lot of my brainpower I was tired. Sighing in resignation, I looked up at the sky, and saw the unusually large red moon.

Sigh, that must be the main body, right?

Well, let’s see… I looked at the red moon with my ‘Eyes’ this time.

So long… and detailed…

Also…

Huh? What the hell is this bizarre condition? Who comes up with these anyway?