Seoul Object Story
Chapter 83: The Kkachisan Conference (9)

I squatted down near Ahjussi and stared blankly at the scorching red desert. The sun was so hot it felt like my face was burning!

Before I knew it, the entrance to the cave was already crowded with people.

“Can’t you at least take one more person in? Please let me in!!”

“No! My child! You don’t have to let me! Just please let my child in!”

So many people were begging to be let inside. It was kind of heartbreaking.

I turned to Ahjussi and asked, “Can’t we let in, like, just up to ninety-nine people on a first-come, first-served basis?” But he shook his head and said it would be difficult. And if Ahjussi said it was difficult, it probably meant no way.

I plopped down on a flat rock and watched the crowd while resting my chin on my hands.

“You! That hundred-person limit or whatever, could it just be something you guys made up?!”

“Hah! If interpreting the whims of Objects was that easy, then why are there so many research institutes around!”

“Try interpreting it again! Just look at the size of the cave. It can easily fit about a thousand people!”

People were getting really angry and flocked to the entrance, looking like they might storm in any second. It was kind of scary.

Also, was it even such a big deal? I mean, inside or outside the cave, all of us had the really important stuff—water and shade—already. So, why were they so desperate to get in?

Even the corpse of the man with the severed legs was just lying there, right at the entrance. I suggested that we should clean it up, but the adults said it was better to leave it as a warning or something. Yikes!

Ahjussi was sweating buckets, carrying back and forth pails of water and handing them out to the people at the entrance.

Hmph! I wished he would pay me even half the attention he was giving them…

“It’s starting to reach the limit,” one of the Trinity researchers mumbled softly.

“?”

Huh? What limit? What’s he even talking about?

I looked back out of curiosity, but the researchers had already disappeared.

Meanwhile, the angry finally backed off, and Ahjussi, taking a break, looked super worried.

“Ahjussi, is there something wrong?”

“The shade outside the cave is almost full. If any more people gather, there will be problems.”

“Limit?”

“Yes, miss. We have reached the limit.”

Oh, so that’s what the researchers meant!

While I was happily chatting away with Ahjussi, the cave’s atmosphere suddenly changed.

“Heeek!!! Monster!! There’s a monster!!!”

A hideous-looking monster could be seen crawling across the ceiling, staring at us with its creepy eyes. Seeing the monstrosity I squeezed Ahjussi’s hand tight.

Long whip-like arms, huge strange-looking eyeballs, blue skin with bulging black veins. It was so scary!

“What… is that?”

“Why wasn’t there any mention of something like this appearing in their interpretation!”

Faced with such a situation, the people started panicking out of fear.

Meanwhile, the monsters on the ceiling, licked their lips, as black saliva dripped out of their mouths.

Are they looking for something?

Krrrrrrrrr-!

The monsters made this low, creepy howl, almost like they were laughing.

“Young miss, please be careful to not make any noise and follow me,” Ahjussi said in a low voice.

I felt safe because he was so calm, unlike everyone else. Ahjussi and I moved to the center of the cave quickly and quietly.

“I can’t see the two researchers from Trinity,” Ahjussi said, looking around.

“Yeah, I also haven’t seen them for a while. Maybe they went deeper into the cave?”

“Even if that’s the case, we need to stay alert. Two supposedly sentient monsters and coincidentally two missing researchers. It’s suspicious.”

Being with Ahjussi was calming. Even in this scary situation, I wasn’t that scared because I was holding Ahjussi’s hand.

Scrrrk-! Scrrrk-!

The monsters crawled across the ceiling like cockroaches, then all of a sudden jumped down and blocked the entrance. At the same time, Ahjussi practically dragged me deeper into the cave.

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Screams echoed behind us, along with the sounds of blood and flesh being splattered.

Taking a look back, I saw the monsters swinging their whip-like arms and slicing people into pieces.

We ran towards the altar beyond the lake, but it was a dead end.

We were cornered and the monsters caught up to us in no time.

Ahjussi shouted at the monsters, “Why on earth would the researchers from an institute like Trinity do something like this?”

“Huh? Ain’t that obvious?” The monster spoke human language! Just as Ahjussi suspected, they were the researchers from Trinity!

But then, the talking monster got hit by the other monster. “Ah, team leader. Why did you hit me like that? I feel sad…”

“Huh?! Why did you open your mouth like that? What if someone heard you?!”

It was a little slurred, but they were definitely speaking the human language.

“Nah, I counted. We’ve killed them all. Who’s even left to hear?”

“Why can’t you use your brain a little?! Someone could come in from the outside. I told you to be careful, didn’t I?!?!”

The leader monster, turned to us and continued.

“You don’t need to know our motives. Oy, kill them.”

As if on cue, the other monster’s whip-like arm shot toward me at breakneck speed.

Even though death was near, it felt unreal.

I heard a loud crunch and saw lots of blood being splattered. But Ahjussi was there, holding me tight.

“Ah… Ahjussi…”

I lost consciousness, feeling a sharp pain in my stomach.

The team leader from Trinity shouted as Agent Black and the blonde young lady crumpled to the floor in one tangled heap.

“Hey, you idiot! Didn’t I tell you to let one of them live?!”

“But team leader! How could I have even expected that he would protect some rando he knew? Their hair colors are completely different too, so they can’t be family…”

The team member, grumbling as he examined their bodies, suddenly raised his voice.

“Team leader! The kid is alive!”

“Huh? How is that possible? Our strength should have been enough to pierce through ten people at once.”

“This girl… she’s holding quite a rare Object. From what I know, it’s from China, rumored to be made by grinding up the remains of ten thousand people. It’s said to save the wearer’s life unconditionally at least once. The effect is insanely good!”

The team member looked at the girl, now sleeping soundly after losing consciousness.

“Is she the daughter of some high-ranking official? That complicates things.”

Despite his uncertainty, the team leader placed the girl on the altar.

“Well, there’s no turning back now. As long as we don’t get caught, we’re fine.”

The researchers from Trinity reverted to their human forms and put on the clothes they had hidden in the corner.

After dressing up, the team leader lifted the dagger on the altar, preparing to strike the girl’s heart.

The team member’s voice wavered with worry as he watched.

“Team Leader… Are you sure your interpretation is correct?”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Honestly, your comprehension rate is just a little over fifty percent, so I’m a bit anxious. Why don’t we just hide in the cave and wait for rescue?”

“Well, that might seem safer, but we can’t wait for rescue after attacking the daughter of an important official.”

The team member muttered, “Ah, I see. It’s a checkmate.”

Without hesitation, the team leader plunged the dagger straight into the girl’s heart. And almost instantly, he disappeared.

“Team leader? Team leader?!”

The team member ruffled his hair, frustration boiling over.

“Fuck! This is hella annoying!”

It seemed only one person could escape with each sacrifice.

“Well, if I keep the cave clean, another living sacrifice will eventually wander in, right?”

The team member muttered to himself as he strolled toward the cave entrance.

Hmm, no matter how I looked at it, that cave made of red rocks really did look like a big, spooky, red skull.

Even when I checked with my trusty Hand Camera™, it was all I could see—a giant red skull, its mouth open wide, and shadows of its two hands looming over the ground.

It was so funny because it seemed like if I looked at its killing condition with my ‘Eyes,’ it might just jump up and make a mess of its surroundings. Heehee!

As I hovered closer to the rock that looked like a red skull, I noticed people lingering around it. They all had these super scared expressions on their faces.

“They say a monster appeared in the cave and killed everyone inside.”

“What should we do? We can’t get water anywhere else…”

I couldn’t help but get curious, so I slipped into my phantom form and sneaked closer to listen in. They seemed to be discussing something very serious and heavy. Poor things…

It seemed like the Golden Reapers hadn’t reached this area yet, so none of the people here had any Golden Reapers on their shoulders.

Unlike me, the Golden Reapers were a bit slow because they were super serious about saving people. It did make sense, but it also meant I had to handle things for now.

But wow, aren’t there just too many people lounging around the rock?! If I accidentally woke the red skull, a lot of them might get hurt.

While I was worrying about what to do, suddenly a light bulb up above my head.

Heeheehee!

I had the perfect idea!

Boom-!

The sand exploded loudly, sending grains flying everywhere.

“It’s the Gray Reaper!”

“The Reaper is here!”

The Gray Reaper suddenly showed up out of nowhere, attacking us while we were resting under the shade near the cave. Maybe it was because we had just witnessed a massacre inside, but we all ran away in sheer terror.

The Gray Reaper emerged from the sand, grabbing our feet and pulling us down. What happens if you get dragged by an Object with the highest level of danger? Probably nothing but death.

“Huff…Huff…” I panted, catching my breath. Feeling a stare I looked down, only to see the Gray Reaper glaring at us as with its head poking slightly out of the sand.

“Aaaah!!! Help me!” One of my colleagues screamed, struggling as the Gray Reaper grabbed his feet.

What on earth was the Gray Reaper even doing here?

“Hahaha, you idiots! Rock! Run to the rock!” A colleague who had climbed up the rock called to us laughing.

“No you are the idiot! Run away!” I yelled, but it was too late. Behind him, the Gray Reaper stared with only its head visible above the rock. Its hands shattered the red rock, grabbing onto his ankles.

“Aaaahhh!!” He shrieked, desperately trying to climb higher, but the rock could only take him so far. The Gray Reaper was slowly, but surely catching up.

Thanks to him, our escape continued uninterrupted until we were far from the cave.

When I finally caught my breath and looked back, I saw the head of the Gray Reaper gliding through the sand like a shark’s fin slicing through water.