Chapter 231

The Deep Place of the Mini Reaper Garden.

This place had transformed into something resembling a Hospital.

Through the Courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, there was constant commotion as the Black Reapers busily transported both the Mini Reapers and those who had turned into Lead Dolls.

While Mom was fighting, the Black Reapers worked tirelessly to move all the injured Mini Reapers, eventually succeeding in relocating everyone.

However, the Black Reapers only knew how to transport the Mini Reapers but had no clue about how to treat them.

“What do we do!?”

The Black Reapers looked at each other nervously, panicking.

Then, one of the Black Reapers who had been enjoying TV with Mom suddenly raised their hand with determination.

“Bandages!”

“??”

Though many Black Reapers didn’t know what bandages were, those who did quickly spread the information.

Soon, countless Black Reapers scattered to gather bandages, and they began wrapping the Mini Reapers, turning them into Mummies.

Thus, inside the Mini Reaper Garden, numerous round orbs wrapped in bandages started appearing.

***

Thud-thud.

I slowly approached the Green Jade Person who was muttering to themselves, realizing nothing would work against them, hoping to terrify them with fear.

The Green Jade Person seemed ominous but not overwhelmingly powerful. No matter what they tried, it felt like they couldn’t harm me.

“Return to your original form, Lead Doll.”

A deep voice accompanied by a wave that neutralized the Mini Reapers swept over me.

Creeeeak. Creeeeak.

My skin reverted to lead, producing an awful grinding noise from every part of my body.

“Return to your original form.”

“Return to your original form!”

“RETURN TO YOUR ORIGINAL FORM!!”

As I kept walking without hesitation, the Green Jade Person grew increasingly flustered, unleashing waves repeatedly.

It was useless.

I burned massive amounts of firewood to reverse the effects of the lead transformation.

And continued walking forward.

Thud-thud.

With every step closer, the faint feelings of helplessness and confusion grew stronger.

But it wasn’t enough yet.

They hadn’t suffered enough despair after what they did to the Mini Reapers.

Just as I thought everything was going smoothly, the Green Jade Person suddenly changed their attack method.

A colossal orb made of jade appeared.

And immense power gathered within it.

Anyone capable of sensing energy could immediately understand the purpose of this orb—it was designed for widespread destruction.

An explosion meant to kill every Human around.

Since it was a physical explosion, I had several options: isolate the space to block the blast or summon the Mini Reaper Garden to reverse its flow.

There was also an option I preferred not to use—the Halo, which nullifies all abilities.

But since the explosion prepared faster than expected, I panicked and used the most reliable yet least desirable option: the Halo.

As the Halo enveloped me, the unbearable pain returned—a sensation that never got easier no matter how many times I experienced it.

My entire body felt like it was burning and shattering into pieces.

But the effect was undeniable.

Instead of exploding, the jade orb hovered silently in the air, emitting intense light.

And instead of obliterating everything around, the intended explosion transformed into White Flames falling like adorable snowflakes across Seoul.

These white flames were purely visual, intangible, and unable to accumulate.

The dim night sky gradually brightened as these gentle flames drifted down, creating a serene ambiance.

“Why… why is this happening?”

The Green Jade Person stared at the falling white flames, utterly bewildered.

I glared at them with the same intensity as the pain caused by the Halo.

***

Seeing my expression, the Green Jade Person took a small step back, seemingly frightened.

Then, attempting to shake off their fear, they stepped forward again and began manipulating the Green Jade.

Transforming jade into walls and firing numerous beams, or condensing the jade into hammers and smashing them down.

Wave after wave of attacks rained down on me.

Ignoring them with a blank face, I found myself contemplating something else.

Doesn’t the Halo erase existing abilities rather than preventing new ones from being used?

This Green Jade Person can still use abilities within the Halo’s range.

But the abilities manifest as White Flames and are nullified.

What’s different?

While pondering this, the scale of the Green Jade Person’s attacks grew larger.

Initially targeting small areas, the beams expanded until they now threatened to collapse the entire Research Institute.

Though none of the attacks had broken through my Halo yet, I decided to stop.

Since the Halo wasn’t functioning as expected, unexpected situations might arise.

Even if it wasn’t as high-grade as a Giant Jellyfish attack, the sheer destructive radius was significant.

Humans die even from low-tier attacks.

We aren’t in a distant place like America; Yerin is nearby, so it’s dangerous.

To prevent further nonsense, I extended my hand and firmly grabbed hold.

Crack.

With a solid sound of breaking jade, part of the Green Jade Person vanished into the void beyond space.

Crunch. Crunch.

Each time I clenched my fist, more jade shattered and disappeared.

“No! No, no!”

The Green Jade Person frantically touched their vanishing wounds, as if trying to recover the lost jade.

At first, I thought their rapid regeneration meant it wasn’t valuable…

But apparently, it mattered a lot to them.

Smirking slightly, I continued tearing apart the space around them.

Until the massive green wall behind the Green Jade Person completely disappeared.

When the wall was gone, the Green Jade Person collapsed onto their knees, overwhelmed by despair.

“…”

They began babbling incoherently, their mouth wide open like a madman.

Just as I decided it was time to finish things, another presence suddenly manifested.

It existed seamlessly, as if it had always been here.

[Insufficient.]

[Totally insufficient.]

It was ominous and grotesque.

Even though it stood right in front of me, I couldn’t fully sense it.

Like a Ghost, it existed in front of me yet remained unseen.

A monstrous humanoid figure composed of mashed flesh and sinister red jade.

Its aura was so menacing that I instinctively activated my “Eyes.”

<■ ■ ■ ■ ■>

But its destruction condition didn’t appear properly in my vision.

***

If destruction conditions don’t show up…

So far, destruction conditions have been mysterious, but the methods were always clear.

Like the Steel Tower’s [Nostalgia] or the Hungry Ghost’s [Starting Object Stone].

This was only the third time I encountered an object whose destruction condition didn’t show:

The altered destruction condition of the Steel Tower,

My own non-existent destruction condition,

And finally, this ominous entity with its destruction condition obscured by ■.

What should I do with an object whose destruction condition doesn’t appear?

While contemplating this during the standoff, the situation took an odd turn.

Gnaw-gnaw.

The sound of something hard being chewed filled the air.

The strange, crimson entity that seemed like a companion began devouring the Green Jade Person.

Starting from the head.

“Why… why is this happening?”

The Green Jade Person clutched their head, looking utterly disbelieving.

“Please forgive me! Oh mighty god!”

At first, they thrashed wildly, but as more of their head was consumed, their movements slowed until they finally lay motionless.

“Save… save me.”

In their final moments, they weakly reached out to me, pleading for salvation.

Once their upper brain was eaten, the Green Jade Person transformed into a lifeless statue, devoid of any essence.

[Insufficient.]

[Totally insufficient.]

Having devoured the Green Jade Person’s brain, the crimson monster turned toward me, muttering about insufficiency.

“I need your blood and flesh.”

Then, it slowly shuffled toward me, zombie-like.

Stretching its arms forward, moving steadily despite its blurry existence.

Suddenly, it vanished from sight.

[Insufficient.]

It reappeared directly behind me, muttering again.

The moment I felt it grab my head, I let out a scream, opening my mouth wide in shock.

Startled so badly that I forgot I couldn’t make any sound due to lacking lungs, I almost screamed aloud.

Of course, no sound emerged from my mouth, but the Spatial Grasp I instinctively used tore apart the surroundings.

Yet, the monster remained unaffected even as the space fractured.

It lingered unchanged, like a Hologram or Illusion, existing undisturbed amidst the collapsing dimensions.

Out of all the techniques I used in panic, only one had any effect.

Summon Mini Reaper Garden!

As the garden unfolded beneath my feet, the monster was pushed away into the void.

Phew, that was a close call.

Once some distance was created, the frenzied firewood settled down a bit.

I placed my hand on my heart, calming myself.

Then, I stared silently at the indestructible monster.

The monster wandered aimlessly, as if unable to perceive me within the Mini Reaper Garden.

It moved as if the garden didn’t exist, entering from the west side only to reappear on the east.

What exactly is this thing?