Chapter 10

Unlike the chaotic research institute, the isolation room was calm, save for the gentle sound of the TV echoing through the air.

The TV was ranting about how dangerous The Gray Reaper was, and how irresponsible it was to entrust such a hazardous object to a private research institute.

According to what they were saying on the broadcast, I was depicted as an entity capable of turning Seoul into a fiery sea and luring people into becoming monsters.

Even though I barely did anything in this incident.

Still, I did gain something from this event. I managed to acquire one ability from the Steel Pig King.

But it’s not exactly a useful ability or anything.

“Today, there’s strangely a pleasant fragrance coming from you, reaper.”

Yerin, who was cuddling me while absentmindedly watching TV, suddenly spoke up.

“It doesn’t smell like anything in particular, but somehow this scent is here. Did something change?”

Yerin looked puzzled, pulling me closer as she wondered aloud.

Instead of driving people insane like the Steel Pig King used to, I now just radiate a “nice fragrance.” A significantly weaker version of the original power.

Honestly, all the abilities I’ve gained so far are like this. They’re degraded copies of the powers held by the objects I’ve destroyed.

Aside from my original ability to get hints on how to kill things, every other ability comes from the objects I’ve eliminated.

Including ghosting and physical immunity.

With just these two abilities, I’m already more than enough. I don’t go around hunting for new powers by chasing down objects—it’s neither fun nor worth the hassle.

“Should we head to the lab and analyze what this scent is?”

Yerin kept carefully analyzing the mysterious fragrance, trying to figure out its source and whether it had any substance.

I let her bring a portable analyzer close to my head, but when she suddenly licked my scalp to taste-test it, I panicked and ghosted away.

Does she have no basic understanding that most tempting elements from objects are extremely dangerous?

Yerin’s endless pursuit of the fragrance only ended when Kim Jungrwi arrived to fetch her back to work.

As soon as he noticed the strange scent, Kim Jungrwi rushed out of the isolation room and came back with an oxygen mask.

He put one on himself, then forcibly placed one on Yerin before dragging her out of the room.

He then completely banned anyone from entering or leaving the isolation room until the danger was clarified.

Of course, such restrictions eventually fell apart as usual when I ghosted out and happily wandered around the institute.

***

My goal is a peaceful, stress-free object life, but lately, my days have been anything but tranquil.

The aftermath of the Seoul Forest Village fire didn’t fade as quickly as expected, and today another protest group appeared, shouting into megaphones and causing chaos outside the institute.

The constant protests and public pressure have dampened the mood inside the research institute.

Even vibrant Sehee Research Institute isn’t immune to this prolonged atmosphere of unrest.

It seems Sehee Research Institute is determined to keep me around, but it doesn’t seem like a wise choice.

Handing me over to Central Research Institute like the protesters suggest might actually be for the best.

After all, there’s no physical way to contain me since I can ghost. Once I get bored at Central Research Institute, I can always come back. Simple as that.

Expressing this intention is easy. All I need to do is subtly hint to Yerin, who believes I can communicate.

“Want to transfer to Central Research Institute? Why?”

She interpreted my gesture toward a picture of Central Research Institute right away, but her near-tearful expression was unexpected.

“Really? You’re going?”

A firm nod left Yerin looking deflated like a sad cabbage.

It took multiple hugs and back-pats before some life returned to her wilted form.

It’s quite challenging to console someone when you can’t speak.

“So, you want to leave because it’s too noisy here, huh? There’s no need to worry about that. Sehee Research Institute is large enough to handle this!”

Though I’m pretty sure it can’t handle much longer, especially Director Sehee herself.

“I’ll tell Director Sehee then.”

Upon hearing the news, Director Sehee gathered everyone for a grand announcement, then dropped a random bombshell.

“Let’s have a farewell party!”

At the director’s command, the courtyard was quickly transformed into a makeshift party venue. And there I sat, perched high like a baby during a Doljabi ceremony.

To top it off, they stuck a cone-shaped party hat on my head, which Yerin found hilarious enough to take countless photos with her phone. Some people even gave me farewell speeches despite thinking I couldn’t understand them.

Thus passed my somewhat noisy final day at Sehee Research Institute.

***

The early morning was tinged with a faint bluish hue. The usually noisy front of Sehee Research Institute was eerily quiet today.

On one side stood the employees of Sehee Research Institute, while on the opposite side lined up the heavily armored personnel from Central Research Institute, their reinforced protective suits gleaming under the pale light.

Compared to the casual attire of Sehee Research Institute, the transparent riot shields carried by Central Research Institute gave off an overly dramatic impression. Yet, I could sense a familiar tension from their rigid postures.

Recalling Seoul Research Institute, everyone there exuded the same vibe—a palpable sense of impending doom. Though there seemed to be a fundamental difference between the two.

They grabbed me with tools resembling Sasumata and started dragging me along. The device tightly clamped around my neck and limbs—wasn’t this designed for capturing wild animals?

I could easily escape using ghosting, but I decided to endure it and follow their lead, curious to explore Central Research Institute.

Once they shoved me into a cage made of thick iron bars, we set off in a vehicle, leaving the grounds of Sehee Research Institute behind.

Employees surrounded the cage, staring at me through their transparent goggles. Their expressions finally revealed the distinction.

While Seoul Research Institute’s staff appeared exhausted and fearful, these people harbored hatred beneath their fear.

Their hardened faces reminded me of the terrorists who bombed me during my human days.

Looking at those stiff expressions, I began to suspect this Central Research Institute tour might turn out to be quite dull.

Well, if it gets boring, I’ll just leave early.

***

Inside an office at Central Research Institute.

“What a mess! Is this supposed to be a report? There’s nothing useful here! Just a bunch of useless rambling!”

“But sir, it’s still an official written report submitted by Sehee Research Institute. Maybe there’s something usable in it?”

The deputy director of the National Central Special Research Institute was losing his temper while reviewing the “Gray Reaper” report sent by Sehee Research Institute. The subordinate employee nervously awaited the deputy director’s wrath.

“Categories are all over the place, no experiments conducted! Are you telling me they received funding from the government to manage important test subjects without doing proper management?”

The lengthy report from Sehee Research Institute contained plenty of words but lacked almost all the critical information valued by Central Research Institute.

“No mention of removal possibilities, no real containment experiments, and not even an attempt at expulsion! And look at these ridiculous warnings!”

The warnings from Sehee Research Institute listed the Gray Reaper’s favorite foods, furniture, and TV programs instead of anything practical.

The deputy director gritted his teeth as he finished reading the report and reached a conclusion.

“There’s only one piece of useful information here: Ghosting is possible.”

“Huh? Ghosting is possible? Isn’t it prohibited for private institutes to handle ghost-like entities that are hard to contain?”

“Not prohibited, per se. It’s just that most of them get transferred to Central Research Institute since we have special containment cells for ghosts.”

The deputy director pulled out a card-sized document from his pocket, scribbled a signature on it, and issued an order.

“As soon as the Gray Reaper arrives, transfer them to our special department. To truly contain an object, sometimes you need to trap it within itself.”

As the subordinate left with the signed card, the deputy director turned his gaze to a framed newspaper clipping on his desk.

[Dozens killed after mysterious object appears in Seoul Plaza; Is the current system of private research institutes sufficient?]

The deputy director’s eyes glinted with hatred as he stared at the article.