Chapter 169

An underground open lot with wooden pillars stuck into the walls like an old mine shaft, barely illuminated by sporadically hung incandescent bulbs casting a dim and damp glow.

In this lot with no visible entrance or exit, countless people lay sprawled out.

They were the people abducted near the Rocky Mountains.

As the eerie flickering of the bulbs gradually filled the dark and silent underground lot with a faint energy, those who had collapsed on the floor began to stir back to consciousness.

Awakening without understanding what had happened, they were confused about where they were.

Some asked, “Where is this place?”

Others shouted, “Please let us out!”

And one person questioned, “I came here to join the Eye Cult—what is this place?”

The chatter from the various people quickly turned the lot into chaos.

As the murmurs of those regaining consciousness filled the space, a man dressed in splendid attire appeared on a raised platform set aside in one corner of the lot.

A middle-aged man with a fancy goatee, his outfit strikingly arranged in white and black, heavily adorned with gold.

“Physical bodies are prisons of the soul. Only through suffering can one escape such a prison.”

At the sudden loud voice, all eyes turned to the man in fancy clothes.

“Is that… the leader?”

This man was someone familiar to everyone gathered there—the leader of the Eye Cult.

Suddenly, a man stood up and yelled at the leader.

“Is all this happening because of you?”

“If so, release us immediately!” he bellowed loudly.

The leader slowly approached him, muttering strange phrases with a devout expression.

“Physical bodies are prisons of the soul. Only through suffering can one escape such a prison.”

Standing before the man, the leader swung a fist.

Though it seemed like a light swing, the result was anything but.

A piercing scream filled the lot, and the previously noisy area fell eerily silent.

The man struck by the fist began swelling as if his bones had shattered, collapsing onto the ground, drenched in cold sweat while letting out agonizing groans.

Only the sound of his painful moaning echoed softly in the now silent lot.

People could sense something ominous in the air.

Even though they should have been shouting and causing a commotion earlier, the unsettling aura around the ‘leader’ held them back.

The fact that they had been kidnapped to this suspicious lot, combined with the leader’s strange presence.

Approaching the fallen man, the leader tightly gripped his wound.

“Aaaahhh!”

With the bone-shattering scream as background music, the leader’s mournful voice reverberated.

“Ah, how regrettable! Unable to shed the flesh of the devil, you remain trapped in your delusions!”

And then the leader began mercilessly pounding the man with fists.

Each punch was accompanied by the chilling sound of bones cracking.

Now the man neither groaned nor moved, lying still as if dead, unconscious.

Having beaten the man, the leader dramatically spread his arms wide, adopting a sorrowful expression.

“Why?! Why do you not understand my sincerity?!”

The man in fancy clothes suddenly erupted in anger as if possessed by madness.

He wept melodramatically, then screamed in rage.

Laughed joyfully, then cast a melancholic gaze elsewhere.

His tone and expressions shifted unpredictably.

And just as he lifted his fist again to strike the man—

Bang.

A thunderous gunshot echoed throughout the closed lot.

The leader, hit directly in the head, collapsed to the ground, his skull exploding.

“Haha…”

The woman who fired the gun gave a dry laugh, her face rigid as she trembled while gripping the pistol tightly.

Behind her loomed a large shadow.

“What a truly tragic event…”

Appearing out of nowhere with a sorrowful expression, the supposedly dead leader spoke.

“!”

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Startled by the resurrection-like situation, the woman fired several shots from her handgun.

The newly emerged leader also collapsed, blood gushing from his abdomen.

“What… what is going on here?”

Looking around frantically, the woman saw two corpses.

There were now two bodies of the leader.

With no visible way out, the frozen people in the lot tried to find an escape route, but there was none.

Then, deep voices resonated through the lot.

“What a truly tragic event…”

“What a truly tragic event…”

“What a truly tragic event…”

Suddenly, leaders with clenched fists appeared among the crowd, speaking in unison.

“Ah, O Divine Eyes, forgive me!”

With those words, the leaders began indiscriminately assaulting the people.

***

In the Sehee Research Institute Security Room, a Blue Reaper sat sadly in hiding.

Although the security room employees were aware of this, they chose to ignore it due to the Blue Reaper’s overwhelming sadness.

“My attached human is gone…”

No sign of the attached human could be found in their apartment or workplace.

[Is the attached human tired of me?]

Floating text strings in mid-air, but the Blue Reaper’s magic provided no answers.

Waaaah… With teary eyes, the Blue Reaper waited endlessly for the attached human.

Seeing this, the security room employees began discussing.

“The Blue Reaper has been sitting there all day. What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure, but I have an idea. It’s only been a day though.”

Feeling pity for the sad-looking Blue Reaper, a junior employee asked the senior.

“If you have any idea, please tell me. The Blue Reaper looks sad, we should do something.”

“I’m not great at distinguishing between Blue Reapers, but I heard that the one this Blue Reaper used to follow has gone missing.”

“Missing? I thought they were resting because they were sick.”

Since the security team worked in 5 shifts and 4 rotations, it didn’t cause major operational issues, but they were generally aware.

“Yeah, I heard their younger brother joined a cult that’s been popping up in Gangdong District recently, and while trying to rescue them, the attached human went missing.”

“Oh, so that’s why Deputy Director Seoah has been busy running around with the association.”

The grieving Blue Reaper sensed an interesting conversation.

Though unable to fully comprehend the words, they could feel emotions and gather bits of information like the Golden Reaper.

‘The attached human went east. They disappeared. Is it dangerous?’

Unclear, but it was information about the awaited attached human.

‘I must save the attached human!’

Upon hearing news of the attached human, the Blue Reaper rushed off to the Mini Reaper Garden with urgency.

***

Inside the isolation room, a giant pot was bubbling on its own.

It was a super-sized pot prepared by Yerin.

Soft towels lined the rim of the pot, and water rippled within.

In the pot floated miniature wooden ladles like tiny boats.

“Alright, it’s ready!”

Yerin skillfully tied small towels together, creating a cute lamb-head towel cap.

The cap-adorned Golden Reaper raised both hands in a ‘hurrah!’ pose before happily jumping into the pot.

It was a mini hot spring made especially for the Mini Reapers.

Created at the request of the Golden Reaper after seeing a hot spring on TV.

Seeing this pot hot spring, Sehee exclaimed something incomprehensible about building a hot spring underground before disappearing.

The Golden Reaper and Black Reaper splashed around playfully in the large pot.

The Red Reaper laid contentedly floating on their back in the center of the pot with a cheerful expression.

The Orange Reaper relaxed against the side of the pot with a peaceful look, cradling the Sprout Reaper who slept soundly.

The Orange Reaper’s long white hair spread out beautifully underwater.

Occasionally, the Red Reaper emitted fire to keep the water warm.

Strangely, the Blue Reaper was nowhere to be seen.

Were the Blue Reapers gathering somewhere else, perhaps talking about their attached humans again?

Enjoying the warm pot, the Golden Reaper grabbed my finger, inviting me in.

“I’m not small enough to fit in the pot.”

Disappointed by my response, the Golden Reaper returned to the Black Reaper, splashing around.

Shifting my gaze from the pot to the TV, the screen displayed ongoing reports about the cult.

Yerin watched solemnly.

“Lately, because of that cult, Unnie Seoah has been really busy. That’s why my workload has increased.”

With a huff, Yerin rested her head on mine.

While Yerin was distracted by the TV, I dropped some pre-prepared dried shiitake mushrooms into the pot.

The Mini Reapers looked curiously at the mushrooms, wondering what they were.

As the delicious smell started wafting out, it began resembling a real Mini Reaper stew.

Hehe.

Meanwhile, the religious symbol shown repeatedly on TV—a five-eyed eyeball—strangely caught my attention for reasons unknown.

***

Rachel stealthily moved through the bushes.

Carefully avoiding nearby patrolling police officers.

Currently, the village where Rachel’s parents lived was completely sealed off.

Every road leading down was blocked by police, but since Rachel spent her childhood there, she managed to approach the village outskirts by navigating around the dense pine forest.

“What should I do? This must be a big deal.”

From atop a tree, Rachel observed the village with a worried expression.

The village roads were blocked by police, and numerous association personnel roamed inside.

And there wasn’t a single villager in sight.

Tentatively petting the concerned Golden Reaper, Rachel felt reassured when it patted her cheek with a worried look before dramatically raising its hands and charging toward the village.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

Though Rachel called out softly, the Golden Reaper had already charged straight at the association members.

Chaos ensued.

As the Golden Reaper ran around the village emitting radiant light, the association members panicked.

Some continued investigating, others chased the Golden Reaper, and yet others contacted their superiors.

Amidst the pandemonium, an opportunity to enter the village presented itself.

‘Thank you, Golden Reaper!’

Grateful in her heart, Rachel quietly infiltrated the darkened village.