Chapter 5

The room I entered was an extremely peculiar place.

A room without a single window.

On the floor, there were emaciated monsters lying around everywhere.

And scattered all over the floor were snacks, drinks, and various food items that looked delicious.

The monsters were drooling endlessly, their eyes glazed over as they mumbled incoherently.

Even when I dispelled my Ghosting and waved my hand in front of them, they just lay there with those hazy eyes, seemingly already out of their minds.

There were plenty of doors sealed with chains and locks, each one having at least one monster nearby.

‘What kind of house is this? Why are there so many monsters, and why are they locked up in every room?’

Gurgle Gurgle

As I wandered through the house, I faintly heard the sound of something scratching against wood coming from somewhere. Though it was a small sound, it persisted nonstop.

When I strained my ears, the source seemed to be upstairs. The staircase leading to the second floor was covered in thick dust, clearly unused for a long time, and every step creaked unpleasantly underfoot.

Looking back, I noticed small footprints trailing along the dusty staircase. If only I had thought to use Ghosting before coming up here…

Upon reaching the second floor, the persistent scratching noise had ceased.

Fortunately, there was only one attic room on the second floor, making it obvious that the source of the sound was in there.

After using Ghosting to enter, the attic room differed slightly from the ones downstairs. In the pitch-black room devoid of light, a single monster leaned against the door, slumped over. Its glowing red eyes were the only source of light in the dark room, clearly distinct from the other listless monsters.

Gurgle Gurgle

The monster began scratching at the door with weak but relentless force. Blood oozed from its fingertips as it continued without pause, staining the door red. It appeared to be trying desperately to escape.

Thinking this monster might respond, I dispelled my Ghosting, creating a soft thud as my feet touched the ground, almost drowned out by the gurgling sounds.

Suddenly, the endless gurgling stopped.

An eerie silence filled the air.

The monster, which had been staring at the door, now turned its head toward me. Despite its desiccated, gnarled skin, its two shining eyes radiated unmistakable intelligence.

“Who are you?”

After turning its head 180 degrees, the monster slowly rose to its feet, towering over 2 meters tall despite initially appearing hunched and frail.

“You don’t breathe. Are you not human?”

“How did you get in here?”

“Able to appear suddenly in a room like this—do you possess abilities that defy physical limitations?”

Mid-conversation, the monster suddenly stopped, opened its mouth wide, and began frantically scratching at what should have been its ears. The previously intelligent red eyes dulled, transforming its expression into something resembling the other monsters downstairs.

From how often it must have scratched, there was no longer any trace of ears where they once were, only grotesque wounds.

“Then then can bring fire can bring fire to me fire please hungry hungry hungry need food hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry”

Spewing incomprehensible words rapidly, the monster soon curled up and began smashing its head against the floor. It continued until blood erupted from its forehead, then stopped and stood up again.

“Ah, sorry about that. I couldn’t help myself; I’m too hungry.”

Hungry? There were plenty of canned goods and snacks scattered across the room. When I picked up a fallen snack and offered it, the monster shook its head.

“My hunger cannot be satisfied by such things. Hmm, so you don’t breathe, huh? Interesting. Why would an Object incapable of speech be given the ability to understand language?”

Unable to eat it, I took a bite of the snack the monster refused.

It tastes fine, yet for some reason, it seems cursed, unable to fill its stomach.

If you’re famished enough to go berserk, wouldn’t anything taste delicious? Having become an Object over a year ago, I’ve lost the sensation of hunger and thirst, making it hard to empathize.

“Sorry, but could I ask a rather impolite favor of you? If you could do it, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

“Go to the basement and bring fire bring fire can you can you?”

With a loud “AAAAAAAAH, NO!” the monster went berserk, violently clawing at the walls reinforced with steel. Bloodied and bruised, it showed no signs of stopping.

Of course, seeing the danger, I had already retreated using Ghosting.

“Ah, sorry. Sorry. But I can’t see you anymore.”

“Ah, I see. Are you a Specter-type ghost Object?”

When I dispelled my Ghosting and re-entered the attic, the monster nodded.

“While I’m still sane, I’d like to ask a favor. Could you take my life? For some reason, I feel you could do it easily.”

At first glance, the monster appeared mentally unstable.

Had it encountered an Object that affected the mind?

While methods to deal with Objects are largely unknown, it’s common knowledge that elimination is often the solution in such cases. However, the desperation in its request was palpable.

With that, the monster closed its eyes.

“Hmm, troubling.”

Though known as the Gray Reaper, I lacked the direct ability to kill anything.

Why am I called a Reaper then?

I possessed the ability to easily perceive ways to end a target’s life, though this was only truly effective against non-Objects. Against Objects, it merely provided vague hints.

Unfortunately, while the attic monster desired death, it was already near-Object status, making its demise appear as follows:

[Destroy the source of the rice dumpling made of fire]

Rice dumpling made of fire? What is that?

In fact, all the monsters in this house shared the same condition for death. Even the one causing chaos outside was the same, likely derived from the same Object.

Though I wished to grant the attic monster’s wish, I couldn’t without knowing what the “source of the rice dumpling” was.

After leaving the attic, I thoroughly searched the strange mansion, uncovering little information.

Total number of monsters in the mansion: 8.

The mansion has two floors and no basement.

The rooms where the monsters are confined always have plenty of food, but none of it is eaten.

All the monsters are skeletal thin, yet they don’t seem close to death.

Sehee must surely be somewhere in this house, yet she remains undiscovered. Now that I think about it, the monsters did mutter something about fire earlier.

Did they say to get it from the basement?

But there’s no basement in this house, right? Is it hidden somewhere?

***

A smell wafted through the air.

An incredibly delicious smell.

Despite the terrifying and unsettling situation, the aroma emanating from the pig roasting the person was irresistible.

If an Object possesses something alluring, you must never succumb to its charm.

Any Object researcher should know this.

Yet even knowing this, the smell was undeniably appetizing. I forced myself to close my eyes and sit as far away from the pig roast as possible.

Every time I let my guard down, I found myself reaching through the iron bars, fully aware it was impossible to reach.

Grrrrrrk

The rough sound of stone being scraped echoed. Thinking it was the old man again, a different set of footsteps began instead.

The sound of bare skin against stone reverberated.

‘This sounds familiar…’

It was a rhythm I’d heard countless times daily.

Impossible.

Impossible Impossible Impossible.

Grasping the bars tightly, I strained my neck toward the staircase.

Under the dim lamplight at the top of the stairs, a familiar silhouette cast a looming shadow.

“Reaper!”

Overwhelmed with joy, I shouted.

Though it’s unclear why the Gray Reaper, who should be at the research facility, is here, I was simply glad. Despite the obvious trouble of escaping quarantine, the overwhelming relief of possibly surviving filled me.

Upon hearing my voice, the Reaper’s footsteps quickened.

“The Reaper is here!”

Filled with anticipation, my heart began to race faster.