Why is it that wherever James goes, accidents always seem to happen?
The area near Trinity Research Institute, once boasting high real estate values, transformed into hell the moment James set foot there.
People poured out endlessly from the alleyways.
The sight of hundreds with wide, glowing eyes radiating madness was a terrifying scene straight out of a nightmare.
Moreover, the horrific screams of people burning under the guards’ flames stuck to my eardrums and refused to leave.
Surely, this is something I’ll never forget and will dream about in nightmares.
Please, if my prayer reached the heavens, an unexpected change occurred.
It was as if reacting to some invisible signal—an abrupt transformation.
The persistent Gwanak-gu residents suddenly scattered in all directions, gripped by an extreme fear of something unseen.
At that moment, James abruptly stared blankly at the sky.
Following his gaze, I too looked up and witnessed a scene that induced incomprehensible terror.
It was as though a monstrous claw had torn through space itself.
Though the mark vanished quickly, it was clear something dangerous lingered here.
“James, let’s evacuate Gwanak-gu now. The vibe is far from normal.”
Fortunately, James’s bodyguards seemed to share my thoughts.
What could be more foolish than staying in this hellish scene where everyone appears affected by the object?
But James had other ideas.
“No, we head to Trinity Research Institute. We need to find out what’s going on.”
James then pulled out some sort of stone hidden in his tightly closed bag and muttered nonsense.
The stone in James’s hand repeatedly brightened and dimmed in a steady rhythm.
Like a heartbeat.
A figure descended like a blade slicing through the shadows in a space saturated with darkness.
An alien being, brimming with malevolence injected into human forms, spoke confidently and leisurely.
“Ah, Gray Reaper. There you are.”
Malevolence flowed from him, desecrating humanity.
So thick was his wickedness that even the Golden Reapers and Blue Reapers glared angrily.
<Bad human!>
<Bad!>
There was no telling how many humans were sacrificed for him to fill himself with black liquid.
“I have obtained the concept of ‘indestructibility.'”
He spread his arms wide with a smug smile.
“I can’t be harmed by physical means. Unlike countless objects that modern technology couldn’t destroy, I have achieved true immortality!”
Huh… really?
I stared at the babbling man with a bored expression.
Seeing my face, the man sneered.
“You must not understand language, do you, Object?”
Yet here was a man who wouldn’t stop talking despite claiming I didn’t comprehend words.
KUHNG KUHNG.
The Agui subspecies, its maw enlarged, approached with heavy footsteps.
Simultaneously, the Golden Reapers began bounding forward.
This Agui subspecies’ destruction condition remained the same.
<Deplete regeneration ability.>
Even with physical immunity, it meant nothing against the Golden Reaper.
The charging Agui, struck by the Golden Reaper’s ramming, ended up with holes throughout its body.
With a volume equal to the Golden Reaper subtracted, the Agui collapsed onto the floor, black liquid spilling out as it tried to heal but was blocked by the Golden Reaper’s firewood lodged in the wound.
Its entire body riddled with holes, the Agui screamed in agony before falling silent.
“….”
The man wore a bewildered expression.
“Could there be something I don’t know? Is there something missing?”
Continuing to mutter, his face flickered between expressions like a lunatic.
“I don’t lack knowledge—I’ve understood all ‘Magical Books.’ That kind of ‘contract’… I know everything.”
“There’s been some mistake.”
“No, there’s no mistake.”
Ranting nonsensically, the man suddenly grabbed his head and screamed.
Simultaneously, countless objects rose from the shadows.
“So. I had this many Magical Books within me.”
The man glanced at me with a relieved expression.
Each time objects emerged from the shadows, the research institute crumbled further.
Too small to contain all the objects.
Far too many.
It would take the Golden Reapers ages to handle them all—annoyingly so.
Nothing left to do.
I grasped the air.
Grasping firmly, I swung horizontally with all my might.
KIIIIEEEEEEEK.
Space itself screamed as it tore apart, cleanly bisecting every object and the man before it.
As the director hovered on the brink of death, old memories resurfaced.
Long-forgotten pasts hidden deep in memory.
[Unfortunately, you lack the intellect, craftsmanship, and talent to become an alchemist.]
The story of the untalented alchemist meeting the Contract Magical Book.
The Magical Book manifested as a man carrying numerous gas lamps, though his face was unmemorable, giving him an odd presence.
“You make contracts with people and grant wishes, right? Let’s contract! Any price, I’ll pay!”
A dangerous contract indeed.
After all, in a world where those associated with Magical Books were eradicated without mercy, burning entire villages to ashes was common.
[You wish to become an alchemist, I see.]
[How about this contract?]
The Contract Magical Book proposed terms.
[Currently, and in the future, I’ll bestow upon you all knowledge related to ‘Magical Books’ that ‘alchemists’ of this land will uncover.]
[In return, you’ll struggle to acquire new knowledge.]
[A trade: current and future knowledge for difficulty in gaining new insights.]
[The contract ends when you die.]
[Accept, and take one of my lamps.]
A deal too good to refuse.
For the untalented director, the future knowledge held little value anyway.
Upon contracting, the director instantly became an alchemist.
Becoming an alchemist was surprisingly easy.
No one knew as much about ‘Magical Books’ as he did.
Without basis, his word became truth.
He was the answer.
Even in unfamiliar lands, it remained the same.
Here, a land of fools devoid of alchemists.
And in his final moments, he felt the contract fading.
“I… What have I become?”
Though granted the insignia of an alchemist, he was no alchemist.
A scholar unable to gain new knowledge, no matter the effort!
Over time, he grew dogmatic.
Even why he wanted to become an alchemist slipped his mind.
Clearly, becoming an alchemist was a means, not an end.
‘This wasn’t the conclusion I desired…’
In his last moments, a famous alchemical adage surfaced.
<Users of Magical Books always meet terrible ends.>
*
As they neared Trinity Research Institute, an unsettling noise, akin to reality tearing apart, echoed.
Unnatural and instinctually ominous.
The interpreter, terrified by the sound, trembled and suggested.
“James, should we turn back? Something feels off.”
But James, resolute, replied.
“The matter regarding Artifact Number 0 allows no compromise. You’ll understand.”
Contrasting the interpreter’s unease, James’s calm demeanor hinted at some premonition.
The closer they approached, the clearer the devastation of Trinity Research Institute became.
Once sleek and refined, the institute now bore no resemblance to its former self.
Slipping through cracks in the fractured building, they were greeted by a strong petroleum smell and shocking sights.
The first thing they saw inside Trinity Research Institute was the lower half of a man.
His upper torso torn away, leaving only the standing lower half.
Above the gruesome remains, the emotionless Gray Reaper gazed down.
The severed upper torso lay sprawled on the floor.
The man, though only half-remaining, opened his eyes faintly, his gaze lost, staring into the distance.
“I… What have I done?”
His weak voice dissipated into thin air.
James’s mind swirled with questions.
Wasn’t this man the Director of Trinity Research Institute No. 3? Why such a fate?
What exactly is happening here?
But these musings were interrupted by a tremendous sound.
BOOM!
Through the wreckage of the Trinity facility emerged a Giant Object.
Massive body.
Tentacles sweeping and thrashing around.
Smooth, glossy skin oozing black liquid.
Huge mouth filled with sharp teeth.
Top-tier danger-level object: Agui.
