The city where I live, ‘RS,’ was a happy city.
As you walked down the streets, the city’s atmosphere was brimming with vitality and hope.
No matter where you looked, there was energy everywhere, with people of all ages and backgrounds bustling about, adding dynamism to the city.
The newly constructed buildings seemed to symbolize the city’s progress.
In well-maintained parks, children played freely against a backdrop of lush greenery, their laughter echoing through the air.
Scenes like these were unimaginable in places where object accidents frequently occurred.
Nowadays, it was rare to find a city where object accidents almost never happened—it was truly special.
But perhaps as a backlash, there were often sightings of lunatics who killed people and drew red circles, along with frequent gas explosions and other safety incidents.
Still, it was better than Seoul, where deserts slaughtered people and lakes kidnapped them.
Unlike objects, lunatics and safety hazards were threats that could be dealt with.
The city’s residents formed communities to prevent accidents, reporting suspicious individuals and striving to make the city safer.
Though the community efforts hadn’t yet borne fruit, there was still hope.
But the hopeful city suddenly became the center of a disaster movie.
The sturdy roads collapsed, and my neighbor turned into an object and started devouring people.
“Ah, I’m gonna die.”
While fleeing from the objects attacking people, a building collapsed on my head, and I lost consciousness.
When I came to, I was buried under rocks.
My mouth was parched, and my legs pinned under the rocks were in excruciating pain.
It was a miracle I was still alive after being crushed by a building!
But it seemed there was no way out.
The city was still filled with chaos and destruction, and the screams and sounds of collapsing concrete continued to ring out.
I’d probably either die of dehydration or be killed by a murderous object.
While waiting for death, gazing at the blue sky, I spotted something strange.
A golden object resembling a small gray reaper was hopping around the rubble, gesturing wildly.
Then, an object shaped like an unhappy-looking stuffed doll followed its gestures and waddled over, swallowing rocks.
Mini golden reapers with tiny limbs carried off boulders.
Could this be a rescue operation?
It’s amazing that objects are trying to save people.
Still, I didn’t think I’d survive.
I must have been exposed to the scorching sun for too long while unconscious because I felt feverish and dehydrated.
I was dizzy and extremely thirsty.
That’s when I noticed something sneaking between the shadows of the rocks.
It was creating water in midair and giving it to people buried under the rocks.
It was a girl-shaped object, as refreshing as water, smiling gently while watching people drink.
The blue child noticed me and slowly approached, startled when she saw I was awake, then hid behind a rock.
Peeking through the cracks in the rock, she examined me with a serious expression.
Was my condition really that bad?
She rushed over, deeply pulling her cap low over her face, grabbed my eyelids, and forced them shut.
A cool sensation enveloped me, easing the pain.
I peeked open my eyes and saw the blue child tracing incomprehensible characters in the air.
<Please heal all the pain.>
<Don't burn in the sunlight.>
After finishing, the blue child smiled at me, made eye contact, then panicked and dissolved like mist.
So, there are fairy-like objects that help people too.
Finally, I began to feel like I might survive.
Thinking about the cute appearance of the blue child made me smile.
As soon as the pursuit began, the city completely collapsed.
The people living in the city were helplessly swept away by the sudden disaster.
Upon hearing news of the city’s calamity, countless golden and blue reapers emerged from the Mini Reaper Garden to assist the people.
Trailing the white hungry ghost in the completely devastated city wasn’t easy.
It felt like the entire world was conspiring to hinder the chase!
The once-sturdy roads had become minefields.
The asphalt crumbled ‘accidentally’ and twisted unnaturally, forming sharp edges directed at us.
The ground beneath the white hungry ghost ‘accidentally’ collapsed, causing it to sink.
Every time, the stubby-legged hungry ghost would let out a pitiful cry and fall to the ground.
And even more malevolent things were hiding among the people.
Objects disguised as humans attacked from within the crowd.
The golden reapers, sensitive to human malice, quickly intervened to eliminate the objects.
It felt like the entire city was working against us.
It reminded me of when I used my “eyes” to induce death across the city, warping probabilities and drawing fate toward me.
Was it manipulating destiny and twisting probability again?
But the soft marshmallow-like hungry ghosts persevered despite the harsh conditions, continuing the pursuit tenaciously.
And that perilous pursuit ended with the encirclement of a man.
A man wearing a sinister red suit, holding a Watson-like lamp.
The man descended confidently from his vehicle, raising the lamp high.
As light erupted from the lamp, madness spread in all directions.
It had no effect on me or the mini reapers.
But Junior No. 2 suddenly pulled out a knife and began stabbing themselves repeatedly in the stomach.
A golden horn reaper clung desperately to the blade, preventing Junior No. 2 from being injured.
Seeing no signs of recovery, I wondered if I should destroy their limbs to stop them—when the golden horn reaper’s antlers began glowing brilliantly.
The golden horn reaper’s firewood was rapidly being consumed.
Thanks to the golden horn reaper’s sacrifice, Junior No. 2 regained consciousness.
But the golden horn reaper collapsed, unable to regain consciousness.
“Reaper? Are you okay?”
Junior No. 2 stared helplessly at the limp golden horn reaper in their hands.
Like before I died, the golden horn reaper’s body was drying up, losing its color.
Approaching Junior No. 2, I placed my hand on the golden horn reaper and fed it firewood.
I’d never seen a golden reaper in so much pain.
Even though they endure having their limbs torn off without complaint, this time they clearly expressed agony.
After feeding it plenty of firewood, the golden horn reaper fell asleep peacefully.
Slowly approaching the lamp-wielding man.
With tiny stomping feet.
Because he hurt the golden reaper.
He can’t die easily.
I’ll make him suffer despairfully.
The gray reaper slowly approached.
Though expressionless, the gray reaper seemed angry.
Still, it wasn’t scary.
“I’m invincible in this city!”
Raising the lamp high, flames erupted from a nearby parked car.
It was the kind of car explosion that had killed countless rivals.
Would it be able to protect this human even from the explosion?
Clap.
At the sound of the gray reaper’s clap, the car exploded—but the flames shot off in an entirely different direction.
Poor white marshmallow object lumps got scorched black, coughing out black smoke with pitiful expressions.
Impossible!
I’m the god of this city!
A sudden earthquake caused the road to tremble precariously.
Clap.
With another clap, the ground sank.
The ground that was supposed to target enemies instead trapped me and the gray reaper.
Despite the wild phenomena caused by the lamp’s crimson flames, the gray reaper’s steps didn’t falter.
Clap.
The gray reaper slowly approached.
Clap.
With emotionless claps, the gray reaper kept coming closer.
And then, the lamp’s flame flickered and went out like a candle extinguished by a strong wind.
“What… what is this?”
The lamp breaking?
Simultaneously, a familiar and intimate madness greeted me.
My vision gradually turned red.
It’s because there’s no red circle.
No, why didn’t I draw a red circle?
No!!
The paint is inside me!
NO!!!
*
The power of the lamp wielded by that man somehow resembled mine.
Both caused death and destruction, distorting directions.
Thus, interfering with it was easier.
With just one clap, I twisted its direction effortlessly.
As I interfered with the lamp’s power and slowly approached, the lamp lost its strength and extinguished its flames.
And when the lamp went out, the man began acting strangely.
Like Junior No. 2, he started carving a red circle into the ground using his own innards.
But what struck me as odd wasn’t his behavior.
As he carved the circle with his intestines, the man gradually transformed into an object.
Blood gushed endlessly from the hole in his stomach, and the circle on the ground greedily absorbed it.
The clear sky turned red, and blood rained down like rain.
The man, who had drained all the blood from his body, stood up weakly, completely dried out.
Like a mummy, the man stared at me blankly.
I could see the lamp’s flames in the empty sockets of the mummy’s eyes.
Blood surged from the red circle, flooding the world.
Blood everywhere.
The boiling blood bubbled, and numerous objects resembling me popped out.
Their distorted forms, like poorly made dolls, gave me the creeps.
The mouths of the blood-made, twisted reapers opened, emitting grating, unpleasant voices.
[Humans killed the gods. And then they needed them again.]
[The gods were cruel but protected humanity.]
Though it was the first time I heard this language, it felt oddly familiar.
Though it was the first time I heard this story, it felt eerily familiar.
[Humans killed the gods. And then they needed them again.]
[The gods were cruel but protected humanity.]
The twisted reapers repeated the same words over and over like broken radios.
