Chapter 254

All people living on this land were blessed.

No, all people living on this land were cursed.

About twenty years ago, the blessing of a star descended upon Southern Italy.

The starlight shone so brilliantly it covered the night sky, and it descended to the earth. It’s said that every object touched by that light fled in great haste.

Though the world was falling apart due to these objects, not a single one appeared in Southern Italy from the moment of that blessing.

Thus, the blessing of the star.

But anyone who entered the land where the star’s blessing had fallen, even for an instant, could never leave again.

The moment they tried to step outside its boundaries, they turned to ashes.

Just like vampires caught in the sunlight.

Thus, the curse of the star.

But the true curse brought by the star was something else entirely.

It was those humans chosen by the star.

***

Deep night, a pier glowing under beautiful starlight.

A man in a black coat, as if about to blend into the night sky itself, stood atop a building near the docks, gazing downward.

The man was using a telescope treated with special glass that didn’t reflect light to observe what looked like an abandoned warehouse.

‘Two guards outside, one inside. Just as the intel suggested.’

One might say the number of guards protecting such an important item was too small. But when one of those guards is someone chosen by the star, things change.

You could even argue it’s excessive manpower.

Because a chosen one has combat power equivalent to at least ten regular humans.

It was difficult to breach their protective barrier, called “Yakjang,” with firearms unless it was a surprise attack, which justified the exchange ratio.

But now that there was an opportunity to take out the chosen one inside with a sniper shot, all other assumptions became meaningless.

With a precise aim, the man fired three silent shots from his sound-suppressed gun.

Three muffled sounds echoed consecutively.

Not a single bullet missed its mark, piercing through the heads of the targets.

An absolutely unbelievable shooting skill.

And with that, the man descended from his hiding spot on the rooftop and cautiously approached the warehouse.

‘Now, all I need to do is retrieve the target item and deliver it; then this mission will be over.’

Midway through his cautious approach, he noticed something translucent extending toward him from nearby walls.

‘!’

Like observing swirling currents underwater, the moment he saw the spinning traces, the man twisted his body away from the trajectory.

In the blink of an eye, everything the trajectory passed through began to warp.

Steel walls were forcibly twisted into spirals, and the concrete beyond shattered as something passed through.

And just as quickly, countless more trajectories sprang up and filled the area around him.

The man tumbled and rolled, avoiding them, before slipping behind a container on the opposite side.

“You managed to dodge all of that? Lucky break, gunslinger.”

While listening to the voice coming from behind the wall, the man processed his thoughts.

A power that fires something based on line of sight.

Capable of rapid fire. Can target even unseen areas.

Judging by the fact that the man had never even heard rumors of such an ability, it was highly likely the opponent had been chosen recently.

Still, why deploy two chosen ones?

“To be honest, I didn’t quite get it.”

Thud-thud.

Confident footsteps without any hint of caution helped the man gauge the opponent’s position.

He began slowly climbing up the building.

“Why someone as frail as you, who only knows how to use guns in ambushes, gets rated so high…”

The moment those words ended, the man dropped from a stack of containers above, aiming his gun at the enemy.

The opponent must have anticipated such an attack because they immediately turned their head.

But the man needed only the briefest moment it took to turn one’s head.

The smug expression on the face of the young punk, presumably protected by “Yakjang,” was clear.

From the eyes of that punk, countless trajectories were already targeting the man’s entire body.

But before those trajectories could materialize, a single bullet fired by the man pierced through the Yakjang’s weak point, smashing straight into the punk’s forehead.

***

Courtyard near the Sleeping Room of Sehee Research Institute.

“Alright, I’m going. Stop rushing me.”

Late at night, long past quitting time, Seoah was slowly walking toward the sleeping room after being urged by Sprout Reaper.

Sprout Reaper was pulling on her hair, urging her to hurry up.

Carefully opening the door to the sleeping room, the first thing she saw was Sprout Reaper’s pot tucked away deep inside.

The gentle moonlight shining down on the small pot created an incredibly mysterious atmosphere.

As if enchanted by that mysterious ambiance, Seoah slowly approached the pot. There, sitting on top of it and looking up at her, was Sprout Reaper.

It was extremely rare to see Sprout Reaper awake since they spent most of their time asleep.

“Did you call me because the Sprout Reaper in the pot woke up?”

Seoah whispered softly to the Sprout perched on her shoulder, but the little reaper shook their head vigorously in denial.

Hm?

Upon closer inspection, Seoah noticed a small fruit growing on the sprout of the pot-bound Sprout Reaper.

She’d heard that Sprout Reapers shared these fruits with a few people, but seeing this tiny fruit gradually grow was something new to her as well.

“Did you want to show me this fruit?”

But once again, the sprout shook their head.

Then the sprout leapt off her shoulder and tapped on the Spirit Camera.

“?”

Confused, Seoah started looking at the Sprout Reaper in the pot through the Spirit Camera.

“Huh?”

A startled expression escaped Seoah’s lips.

Through the lens of the Spirit Camera, she could see something small cradled in the arms of the Sprout Reaper.

It was a Mini Sprout Reaper, much smaller than the usual Sprout Reaper.

Even cuter and tinier than the already adorable Mini Reapers!

This Mini Sprout Reaper resembled a newborn animal, evoking strong protective instincts.

“So, you wanted to show me this?”

When Seoah asked, the sprout finally smiled and nodded.

Aware that Seoah was watching through the camera, the pot-bound Sprout Reaper lifted the Mini Sprout Reaper as if to proudly display their younger sibling.

It made Seoah smile instinctively.

Seoah opened her notebook and began jotting down notes about the Mini Sprout Reaper.

[The Sprout Reaper fragment visible after eating the fruit seems to already exist from the moment the fruit begins to grow.]

[Contrary to the previous assumption that it forms only upon eating the fruit.]

[Currently observed to be significantly smaller than normal Sprout Reaper fragments, likely changing size depending on the fruit’s growth.]

[Further observation required.]

Closing her notebook with a snap, the pot-bound Sprout Reaper offered the Baby Sprout Reaper to her as if inviting her to hold it.

Lifting the tiny sprout onto her palm, the Mini Sprout Reaper waved its little hands in the air.

As Seoah extended her finger, the Mini Sprout Reaper grabbed onto it like hugging a doll.

“Warm.”

Gazing at the Mini Reaper, Seoah smiled happily.

***

A few days after Purple Reaper set out to find their Attached Human.

I was playing with the Light Sword, repaired sometime ago, in the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute under the warm sunlight.

Being careful not to break it like last time, I handled it delicately, as if it were a child’s plastic sword.

Of course, if an adult swings a toy sword with full force, it would naturally break, wouldn’t it?

Playing with me was the 5th Sword of the Golden Reaper.

Despite the massive size difference, we were managing a decent fight.

Every time I swung hard, the 5th Sword spun wildly in the air to block my strikes.

Like a rotating baseball, twirling rapidly.

Each time, the golden glow of the blade spinning at high speed looked incredibly cool.

Trying to mimic it myself proved futile, given my lack of physical talent in this Gray Reaper body.

Rather than spinning at high speed, I’d often end up face-planting on the ground after barely completing one rotation.

I used to exercise somewhat back when I was human, so it must definitely be this ‘Gray Reaper’ body causing the problem.

The Alchemist who repaired this sword was chatting with James in a corner of the courtyard.

James initially seemed skeptical upon meeting the Alchemist, but upon seeing the stone-hungry ghost (Color Hungry Ghost) made of rock, he suddenly became very friendly.

Now, they were discussing various topics with the Zero Book spread open.

The Alchemist’s ability to decipher the language written in the Zero Book seemed to excite James greatly.

I also had some expectations for their collaboration.

James, with plenty of money and resources to create large-scale projects.

The Alchemist, lacking funds but capable of creating Object-like items.

Wouldn’t their combination result in something like a Mech-Tyrannosaurus?

I’m already working on strategies using the Golden Reapers.

Hehe.

***

One of the scattered Purple Reapers managed to arrive at a land emanating an unsettling aura.

Ordinary Objects would never dare approach such a place, but a higher-tier Purple Reaper could enter simply by enduring slightly.

Plus, resisting the energy trying to repel them actually replenished their Purple Reaper energy, making it a win-win situation.

There, the Purple Reaper encountered a man.

The man had a hardened expression, as if carrying some heavy story within.

That stiffened expression contained something that stimulated the Purple Reaper’s preferences.

Unfolding their small palm, the Purple Reaper began applying the criteria for an Attached Human taught by the Golden Reaper.

Golden Reaper’s conditions were simple—just two:

At least 50% human.

Not an evil human.

This man was purely human—check.

Moreover, there was no sign of malevolence or harm toward humanity—check.

Check?

But it felt too easy, so the Purple Reaper tilted their head in confusion.

Weird.

Deciding to judge with their own eyes, the Purple Reaper quietly followed and began observing the man.