In the fog that seemed alive and writhing, I came face to face with the Old Woman.
Her spine was twisted unnaturally, creating a grotesque figure.
Her eyes were hollow, bottomless wells of endless darkness, and her skin clung tightly to her skeleton like an ancient corpse.
The deck was eerily silent, and the Old Woman and I locked gazes, silently staring at each other.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
The Old Woman’s voice rasped like dry leaves scraping against stone.
Without answering her, I took one step forward.
This made the Old Woman raise her voice angrily and begin issuing threats.
“Child, a child who looks like an Object. What business do they have provoking me? Since I’m in a good mood today, if you back off now, I’ll forgive you. Get lost!”
She seems like a fairly Strong Object… It’s surprising she doesn’t fear me.
With a playful grin as if discovering an interesting toy, I took another step closer.
At this, the Old Woman began chanting curses from her mouth.
“Foolish one. Your eyes will be burned by fire, your flesh will fry in boiling oil, and in all that agony, you will neither die nor live.”
The words spilling out of the Monster’s mouth were filled with malice, taking on physical form like black smoke.
The tangible curse swept through my body once.
Though intense heat tried to consume me, it was ultimately ineffective.
Is a curse considered a physical attack?
I took another step forward.
“Your eyes will be gouged out and you’ll never see again!”
One step.
“Your bones will twist, your flesh will melt, and you’ll suffer eternally!”
“Turn into a frog and lose your true form forever!”
“Every single hair will be plucked from your head…”
When I reached right before her nose, the Old Woman bared her sharp teeth in a forced smile.
A groveling kind of smile.
“I’m sorry! It was all my fault!”
And she prostrated herself on the floor.
Continuing while rubbing her hands together awkwardly, “Let’s negotiate. There’s no need for you to kill me, right?”
Just appearing harmful to humans is enough reason to kill, isn’t it?
There’s no particular need to keep her alive.
Seeming to sense this from my demeanor, the Old Woman hurriedly continued.
“Reward. I’ll give you a reward. If you spare me, I’ll lend you the power of the blue moon!”
But I had no intention of letting her go.
Not responding to her at all, the Old Woman suddenly dispersed into mist and started to escape.
The expression on the Old Woman transforming into fog looked triumphant.
With a self-satisfied tone, she spat out one last curse.
“You’ve let your guard down! From now on, you and everything precious to you will forever fear the night and shadows!”
However, the fog couldn’t fly away.
No matter how fast it tried to escape, the Old Woman remained in place.
The eerie fog-filled lakeside had somehow transformed into a space filled with colorful cushions and hot chocolate.
No matter how quickly she tries to flee, she can’t escape my domain even a single step.
Between the hot chocolate and cushions, the heads of the Golden Reapers appeared with fierce expressions.
The destruction condition confirmed by my ‘Eyes’ was <to turn her into ash and bury her in the ground>.
“‘Eyes’? ‘Eyes’, you say? Ah… No way!”
Giving the order to attack, the merciless Golden Reapers descended upon the Harmful Object and tore it apart.
“My sisters will never forgive this!”
With venomous curses, the Old Woman was torn apart as death approached.
An unexpected visit from an Object Association agent began James’ tense journey, continuing until boarding the military aircraft.
Deploying a military aircraft indicates something much bigger than James anticipated has occurred.
The atmosphere among the Object Association agents wasn’t ordinary either.
Even when addressed, they remained silent.
For reasons unknown, the highly-strung agents focused solely on escorting James without uttering a word.
The military aircraft James boarded was starkly different from the passenger planes he usually traveled on.
The humming sound of the military jet engine, the bare metal walls, the sparsely placed seats…
Designed with purposes far removed from the luxury and convenience of James’ private jet.
Sitting in the stiff, uncomfortable seat, memories of the plush seating, in-flight meals, and abundant entertainment options of his private jet surfaced.
Was there really a need to take a military aircraft?
No matter how much he asked, the guiding agents stayed mute.
Tense and tight-lipped agents.
The rigid, controlled atmosphere seemed like it would only ease upon reaching America, but surprisingly it dissipated sooner.
The moment the agents confirmed they’d left Korean airspace, the previously frozen atmosphere began to thaw.
Catching this change in atmosphere, James directed a question to the man sitting rigidly in the front seat.
“So roughly, what’s going on that’s causing such an urgent evacuation?”
“The Object Association considers Korea to have lost its ability to respond to Objects.”
Finally, a response!
“And does this situation require such haste? This isn’t the first time the Korean government has responded strangely.”
“Though we haven’t received detailed reports, there have been confirmed cases where Objects killing people were treated as normal occurrences.”
Like not investigating disappearances deemed related to Objects…
Or the massive number of missing persons around Yangcheon District’s lake going unnoticed…
These absurd examples poured out from the agent’s mouth.
“Ah… I see. That level of abnormality justifies this urgent evacuation.”
Basically, even if a bear-like doll goes around smashing skulls, it could be perceived as everyday life…
A cold sweat ran down James’ back as if escaping from the brink of death.
“Is this the end for Korea this time?”
James’ defeated muttering quietly seeped into the noisy interior of the military aircraft.
As the Blonde Girl and Black Agent entered the beautiful cave by the Yangcheon District lake,
“This way, sir.”
The Girl continued forward guided by her Heart.
To walk freely under the Sun.
The Heart provided one clear objective.
Destroy the Object at the end of the guidance.
“Miss, I think it’s best to retreat.”
“No.”
“It’s likely the root cause of the current situation in Korea. Extremely powerful Object. Waiting for a better opportunity might be wiser.”
“…”
Ignoring the Black Agent’s advice, the Girl marched determinedly toward the Deep Place of the cave.
The Black Agent’s concern was justified.
Destroying an Object affecting the entire country?
Surely too much for a girl who can merely breathe fire.
Finally, the Blonde Girl reached the end of the Heart’s guidance.
A deep pool within the cave.
Where stunning Women awaited the Blonde Girl beneath the moonlight.
“We heard a desert dweller was coming, but it’s just a kid?”
The central Woman spoke.
The Blonde Girl tensed her whole body in anxiety.
There was absolutely no chance of winning.
The gap between the Woman and herself felt insurmountable.
“Hmm.”
The Woman, alternately eyeing the Black Agent and Blonde Girl, slightly raised her lips as if realizing something.
Looking at the Girl and Man like toys, the Woman casually waved her hand.
The water geyser erupting from the pool struck the Girl and Man forcefully.
The Black Agent immediately lost consciousness, and the Girl was knocked to the ground by the powerful force.
“Gasp…”
Clutching her stomach in immense pain, the Blonde Girl struggled to rise.
“If you can’t even stand properly, how do you plan to fight?”
“I will fight!”
Though the Girl tried her hardest to stand, her legs trembled weakly, threatening to collapse at any moment.
The Beautiful Woman leaned close to the Girl’s ear and whispered,
“What you desire… Is it the red moon? Or walking under the Sun?”
Startled, the Girl turned to look at the Woman, who continued with an amused expression.
“Surprised? We often get kids like you. Totally predictable.”
The Woman murmured softly,
“If you contract with me, I’ll restore you to your original human form.”
It was a sweet offer, like a demon’s whisper.
“How about it? Interested?”
*
By the Yangcheon District lake shore,
The Golden Reapers were diligently digging holes.
And supervising them, I held a pudding container.
Inside wasn’t pudding but ashes.
The remaining ashes after collecting and burning the suddenly appeared Old Woman’s corpse.
Carefully burying the ashes in the freshly dug hole, I could feel a new ability manifesting.
A blue Reaper popped out of my palm with a “Puff!”
