The delightful breakfast of raw Hungry Ghost steak was over.
Yerin, probably feeling a little guilty about indulging in sweet marshmallows for breakfast, had ordered room service. She nibbled on them while cradling the mini Hungry Ghost in her arms, her eyes glued to the TV.
Well, I guess a marshmallow as big as an adult’s head might be a bit much for breakfast.
I slowly crawled over and rested my head on Yerin’s lap. From my vantage point, I could see the tiny feet of the Mini Hungry Ghost dangling just above .
My mouth watered as I leaned in, ready to sneak a bite, but Yerin was quicker. She whisked the white Hungry Ghost away, just out of reach.
“This is mine. I’m not sharing.”
You’re just going to play with it anyway, Yerin!
Pouting, I summoned a new mini Hungry Ghost and popped it into my mouth, turning my gaze toward the TV. The news anchor on the screen was frowning, speaking in a heavy tone about so recent disaster: a new drug that was spreading like wildfire.
Even though the drug was extrely addictive, it was completely undetectable and dirt cheap, causing all sorts of trouble.
Hmm, it must be a drug made from Objects.
Munching on my marshmallowy Hungry Ghost, I listened as the TV droned on about how, when tested in the lab, the drug was found to be mostly burned protein. It was so charred they couldn’t even tell what kind of at it was.
Because of that, the Narcotic Control Bureau concluded that this drug had sothing to do with Objects and requested help from the Object Association.
Then, pictures of people who had taken the drug flashed on the screen.
Their skin looked like dry, cracked bark, and their bodies were as skinny as mummies. But their eyes… they glowed with a creepy, ominous light.
It reminded of sothing…
Oh! Now that I think about it, it kind of looked like those monster n I saw in Seoul Forest back in the day.
As I mulled it over, the TV clicked off, and Yerin’s voice filled the room.
“Ugh, that’s so creepy. I’ll probably dream about it…”
She hugged tight and added, “Reaper! Let’s go to the swimming pool in this hotel! Since there won’t be any other guests, we’ll have the whole place to ourselves. It’ll be fun!”
With that, Yerin scooped up and carried out of the hotel room, off to our next adventure.
*********In one of the relatively fine conference rooms inside Jas City, Jas, the deputy mayor, and the officials monitoring the mini-moon were gathered.
“You look tired. Why don’t you take a break, Jas.”
Jas, wearing his usual indifferent expression, barely glanced at the deputy mayor, who was still sporting an escape-prevention collar around his neck—briefly released from quarantine but still very much under watch.
“It’s better to suffer now. I can’t keep the guests from Korea waiting,” Jas replied, as if the idea of taking a break was beneath him.
Without waiting for a response, Jas turned his attention back to the footage projected on the screen.
“Now, let’s talk about the gray moon.”
At his cue, the ‘Mini-Moon Observation Plan’ staff switched the slide.
“These are photos of the moon we took yesterday.”
The slide displayed a large moon, proudly standing out among the mini-moons—a moon that was completely gray.
“As you know, the color of the moon is affected by both weather conditions and ti. However, since yesterday, no matter when or where we observed it, the only thing we saw was that the moon always has the sa color.”
Photos taken from various locations and ti zones flashed on the screen in quick succession, but to everyone’s surprise, the moon looked exactly the sa in each one.
“Right now, only a few people have noticed the anomaly because of the blue moon’s appearance, but soon, many more will catch on.”
“I hope it doesn’t turn into sothing big like the Red Moon.”
Everyone nodded slightly at the deputy mayor’s murmured concern.
When the Red Moon first appeared, it unleashed a wave of doomsday theories, chaos, and a surge in suicides. The aftermath was so severe that many envied Korea, where no major incidents occurred.
Once the discussion on the Gray Moon wrapped up, the slides began to show a docunt of a slightly different nature—a handwritten report.
The deputy mayor stood up and cleared his throat.
“It’s my turn now.”
The report contained an eyewitness account and an interpretation from a scholar who majored in Objects and physics.
There was ample room for skepticism, given that the deputy mayor, the pri eyewitness, might have suffered from mind corruption and hallucinations.
After flipping through the slides and delivering a detailed presentation, the deputy mayor added a brief remark before sitting down.
“In conclusion, I can say that it really happened, not a hallucination. Even though space-ti inside the space was distorted, it was not an illusion. I saw both the blue moon and the Gray Reaper who was destroying it.”
“Finally! I can be 99% sure that the mini-moon was a phenonon caused by the Gray Reaper,” Jas declared, satisfied.
He’d been convinced that the Gray Reaper was behind the mini-moon ever since the Red Moon incident, and this confirmation was a relief.
They then moved on to discuss the future observation schedule and whether or not to relocate the research institutes within Jas City.
“Let’s end the eting here,” Jas announced, bringing the session to a close.
After Jas declared the end of the eting, everyone left the conference room with tired faces.
The room emptied quickly, the officials leaving with tired faces.
“This thing is uncomfortable,” the deputy mayor grumbled, fiddling with the escape-prevention collar around his neck.
“Ah, that collar’s supposed to be uncomfortable. According to the regulations, you have to wear it for a month since it’s suspected that you have level two mind corruption,” Jas comnted casually, adding that he’d also worn one for a week when suspected of level three mind corruption.
With a dismissive wave, Jas bid the deputy mayor farewell as he was led back to containnt.
“Then let’s et in a month.”
“Okay,” the deputy mayor replied, resigned to his fate, while Jas, with much more on his plate, went about his business.
*********Even though the atmosphere at the hotel pool was quiet, it was surprisingly charming!
Since there were no other guests, I got to enjoy splashing around in the water with the Reapers all by myself in this peaceful, quiet pool. It was like having my own little slice of paradise!
Of course, it would have been even better if the security guards from the Jas Research Institute weren’t lurking around, looking all nervous and tense, but hey, you can’t have everything, right?
The gentle sound of water hitting the edge of the pool and the splashing from the Golden Reapers jumping off the 10-ter diving board felt like the perfect background music for our little pool party.
Splash-! Splash-!
The Reaper I was holding under its little armpits was splashing around in the water with the most indifferent expression, its feet swinging slightly as if it was all just so… h.
The rides at the hotel pool weren’t as intense as the ones at the Jas Research Institute, but the Golden Reapers seed to be having a blast anyway!
Lately, though, I’ve noticed sothing a little strange about the Golden Reapers. They always look… happy. Like, all the ti.
You’d think they’d show a bit more excitent when they’re having fun or eating sothing yummy, but nope, the Golden Reapers are just… content, I guess? It’s weird, but also kinda cute!
But that doesn’t an they don’t have their own likes and dislikes. Maybe their reactions change depending on who gives them sothing? Hm, that’s sothing to think about later.
Just as I was pondering all this while playing in the water with the Reapers, Jas showed up at the hotel pool, looking super tired.
“I’m glad you’re resting well.”
“I think you need to rest, Jas. Your complexion is really bad.”
But Jas just brushed it off, saying he was fine (typical Jas), before asking us to head to the hotel’s central hall.
*********Jas showed up, looking like he could collapse at any mont, and called Yerin and over.
Poor guy, he really needed a break! But I figured this had to be about Relic Number 0, so I put on my serious face (well, as serious as I can get).
After finishing our swim, we headed to this huge hall filled with all sorts of antiques. It was like walking into a museum!
There were ancient relics, old-fashioned trinkets, and even a fountain pen that looked like it had written its fair share of secrets.
Oh, and there were these strange murals that looked like they’d been ripped right off the wall of so mysterious temple.
But… none of them had the sa energy as Relic Number 0. I could just feel it.
And just like I suspected, none of these items reacted to . Not even a little tingle!
“Nothing is reacting, huh? Strange,” Jas said, sounding a bit surprised. Honestly, I was too, but then sothing else caught my eye.
It was this huge marble mosaic on the floor. It was so pretty! The mosaic showed a sky with seven moons, a massive spire, and animals as big as the spire.
I found myself just staring at it, trying to take it all in. Yerin seed intrigued too, as she started looking at the mosaic from different angles.
Then Jas began explaining, “Oh, that’s a mosaic I brought from Korea. It was found in the house of the director of the Trinity Third Research Institute.”
He continued, though he sounded a bit unsure, “I brought it because the style and patterns in that mosaic were similar to what we found in Relic Number 0. But after examining it, we discovered it was made with modern technology, so it’s considered an imitation of Relic Number 0.”
For so reason, it reminded of those bloody blobs that kept repeating…
< mortals="" struck="" down="" the="" divine="" one.="" yet,="" in="" their="" ti="" of="" need,="" they="" yearned="" for="" its="" return.="">
< though="" divine="" one="" raged="" with="" fury,="" it="" shielded="" the="" wayward="" mortals.="">
*********There was no trace left of the majestic mountain range that had once been filled with towering trees. Now, the land was choked with a black liquid, thick and viscous like petroleum, stretching endlessly beyond the ruined peaks.
The ordinary plants and animals that had once brought life to this place had vanished without a trace. There was no chirping of birds, no rustling of leaves, no whispering winds—only a silence that pressed down on the land like a suffocating shroud.
In this desolate wasteland, a monster of mythic proportions road. It was a massive pig, its size rivaling that of the very mountains that had once stood here.
From its gaping maw, the beast breathed fire, scorching the black liquid that pooled across the ground. With every thunderous strike of its hooves, the earth quaked, sending echoes of dread through the still air.
This burning pig was the ruler of the abandoned mountain range, cursed to wander in a state of unending hunger.
Its blazing eyes lifted to the sky, calculating the ti.
Above, three moons hung ominously—the orange, yellow, and green orbs glowing like sinister suns, casting their eerie light over this twisted world, deepening the shadows that lurked in every corner.
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