Chapter 138

A house with walls freshly painted in calm tones stood out amidst the residential area that had narrowly avoided the Sinkhole in Songpa District.

In the spacious living room, visible through a large window, moving boxes were neatly stacked, waiting to be unpacked.

It was the home of two sisters who had recently moved from Seoul Forest.

Perhaps due to its proximity to the Songpa Sinkhole, their new residence was surprisingly cheap and spacious. The two sisters rested close to each other in this expansive new living room.

The older sister, covered in tattoos, sat upright on a slightly worn but comfy sofa, her gaze fixed blankly on the TV screen. The light emanating from the TV cast soft shadows around the living room.

Every time she saw this thing called TV, she was amazed.

How could something that wasn’t alchemy or a magical book do such incredible things?

But whether she enjoyed watching TV was another matter entirely.

The TV continuously spewed news updates and rapidly changing scenes with reporters’ urgent voices, though it was unclear if she was actually enjoying this flood of information. It felt more like an obligation than entertainment.

She was only watching because her younger sister had urged her to at least catch up on the news after coming out of her room.

The younger sister lay stretched out on the sofa, her head resting lightly on her older sister’s lap, not paying any attention to the flickering screen but instead gazing up at her sister’s face.

“Back in Seoul Forest, you were so eager to watch TV. Why aren’t you now?”

The woman glanced over, mildly curious as to why the person who had insisted she watch TV wasn’t doing so herself.

“I’m just relaxing.”

For some inexplicable reason, the younger sister looked up with a bright “Hehe” laugh.

Feeling slightly unnerved by the prolonged stare, the woman covered her sister’s eyes with her palm.

[The director of Trinity Research Institute No. 3 has officially been confirmed dead.]

“!”

Suddenly, an unbelievable announcement came from the TV.

That man… he’s dead?

“The director of Trinity Research Institute No. 3 is dead? Who killed him? An Object shouldn’t have been able to kill him!”

“Didn’t you know, sis? He’s been all over the news. The Gray Reaper did it.”

The Gray Reaper?

An Object overcoming Black Liquid should’ve been impossible…

The woman mulled over her sister’s words, concluding there were only two possibilities: either the Gray Reaper was something extraordinary, or the claim of his involvement was false.

That arrogant man wouldn’t fake his own death, so his demise must be certain.

The one primarily responsible for nearly destroying the world met such an anticlimactic end…

Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could almost smell the foul odor of the Black Liquid that once polluted everything.

“Are you okay, sis?”

Concerned by her sister’s dazed expression, the younger sister asked worriedly.

***

Upon crossing the crack in the Barrier, a sight beyond imagination unfolded before me.

A sight so breathtaking it made me momentarily forget my mission to avenge Yerin.

Everything in my field of perception seemed to move solely for me.

As my gaze swept across the path ahead, it felt as if the Creator of the world was filling in the chaos exclusively for me.

The once ambiguous, foggy world became clearer wherever my gaze reached.

The dense fog receded toward the horizon.

The chaotic world rearranged itself into something coherent.

Yet, this newly formed world appeared incredibly unstable.

The earth and sky stitched together haphazardly—it would indeed be strange if such a world were stable.

Approaching the faintly visible tree, I cautiously extended my foot forward.

“!”

In that instant, one of my legs was violently severed by a swirling distortion of space, leaving no trace behind.

Startled by the long-unfelt pain, I hastily retreated.

Though I had plenty of Firewood, even such minor injuries were excruciating.

Directly experiencing Spatial Cut revealed its immense power.

How could physical immunity, which had always protected me, fail so easily?

Unwilling to traverse this twisted space, I checked the destruction conditions for the tree and the Indigo Moon.

The tree required [[Place your hand on its surface and convey the intent [Good job. You can rest now.]]].

And the Indigo Moon required [[Destroy the tree]].

Fortunately, these conditions were straightforward compared to their immense implications.

I wished I didn’t need to approach at all!

This inner realm, seemingly under the domain of the Indigo Moon, prevented the Mini Reaper Garden from fully manifesting, creating quite a predicament.

Gritting my teeth, I took a step forward while trying my best to anchor myself to the space.

Thanks to my grip on the space, I didn’t vanish into nothingness, but streams of golden flame-like blood still flowed from my entire body.

With every step, a part of me failed to hold on properly and got cut away.

One step—my right hand was cleanly severed.

Another step—my left ankle twisted and disappeared as if shredded by a blender.

If I could make a sound, I might have screamed.

Though the wounds healed instantly, the pain lingered, tormenting me.

My spatial manipulation abilities were clearly deteriorating and far from proficient.

Each step cost me at least one body part, slicing me apart.

One step—a shard of distorted space pierced through one of my eyes.

Another step—my sole was sliced off as if stepping on a sharp blade.

Why am I doing this?

Of course, it’s necessary.

When saving humans, compromising means risking losing all the Firewood in an Object accident someday.

There can be no compromise.

Starving to near-death once was enough.

All the Firewood on Earth belongs to me.

Thinking of Yerin, I clenched my teeth and took another step forward.

But the distance to the tree was vast, and my pace slowed with each step.

My Firewood dwindled relentlessly.

***

The Vice Mayor managed to break free from the state of limbo between reality and dreams, thanks to the arrival of a powerful presence.

In the clarified world where chaos had subsided, what the Vice Mayor discovered was none other than the uncontrollable Object, the Gray Reaper.

From the Vice Mayor’s perspective, it was infuriating.

‘Tch, James. So you’ve finally lost it. Failing to control an Object during such an emergency?’

Yet, there was also a glimmer of hope.

Could the Gray Reaper, who had eliminated countless Objects, resolve this crisis?

However, this hope vanished the moment the Gray Reaper took a single step and suffered a grievous wound.

According to his analysis, the Gray Reaper was extremely individualistic, capable of saving people on a whim but never acting against his self-interest.

But the subsequent events were unexpected.

Despite torn skin and missing limbs, the Gray Reaper continued to advance relentlessly.

Biting down on his teeth, enduring unimaginable pain.

‘Could it be… is he doing this to save James City?’

Even the Vice Mayor, who had spent most of his life dealing with Objects, had never witnessed such altruistic behavior from an Object.

Each step taken by the Gray Reaper brought about profound changes within the Vice Mayor.

Having experienced numerous Object incidents, he had come to view Objects as inherently evil—deceptive entities designed to destroy and drag humanity into despair.

But witnessing the Gray Reaper’s struggle shook this deeply ingrained prejudice.

Perhaps, just maybe, the Gray Reaper was an angelic, selfless Object.

This thought grew stronger with each injury the Gray Reaper sustained.

It was heartbreaking when an ankle was severed, causing him to collapse onto the floor.

Seeing holes pierce through his body, leaking streams of golden flame, brought tears to the Vice Mayor’s eyes.

Before long, the Vice Mayor found himself rooting for the Gray Reaper.

***

After enduring a journey stained with blood and suffering, I finally stood before the tree.

Upon reaching the tree, the violent distortions of space that threatened to shred me apart had vanished, replaced by a sweet and peculiar fruit aroma.

Though unfamiliar, the scent somehow felt nostalgic.

Finally, it’s over.

Placing my hand on the tree, it felt as if the tree trembled like a frightened puppy.

[Good job. You can rest now.]

As I infused the tree with my intent, an unprecedented sight unfolded before me.

An expansive, dark night sky filled with the sweet fragrance of ripe fruits greeted me.

But this fragrance was gradually being overshadowed by the pungent smell of oil-like Black Liquid creeping in from afar.

In the center of the orchard bathed in the light of the Indigo Moon stood a mysterious Girl with Blue Hair.

Among the trees, one particularly tall and grand fruit tree caught her attention.

Stretching her hand toward the lofty branches as if trying to touch the stars, the girl spoke to the tree.

“I’m sorry. Just a little more effort, please.”

Turning around, the girl’s eyes met mine. Startled, she widened her eyes, then smiled knowingly as if understanding something, looking down at me.

As the girl smiled, the orchard scenery began to shatter like glass.

The patchwork-like sky, puzzle-piece ground, and leaf-like fragments of space all transformed into light and scattered.

The world shattered into countless shards of light, filling the air like a sea of white illumination.

As the surroundings faded into silence, the overwhelming light gradually dimmed.

As the light receded, familiar contours and colors returned, refocusing the world around me.

The distorted world had vanished, revealing a slightly altered night sky.

A giant moon, a red moon, a blue moon, and the Indigo Moon hung in the heavens, casting their unique hues upon the landscape.

Under the moonlight, remnants of buildings and unknown objects, sharply cut as if by blades, lay scattered across the ground.

Encircling this debris-filled land was the circular Barrier of James City, stretching along the horizon like a protective ring.