Chapter 360

A cave filled with fake starlight, in a corner of an antique mansion, the sound of smacking echoed out.

In the dim light seeping through the windows, the shadow of a man moved eerily.

The moment you entered the room, the overwhelming stench of raw meat and blood made it hard to breathe.

On the table, mountains of raw meat dripped red liquid, creating grotesque shapes.

The man sitting in front was tearing into the meat like a starving beast.

With his head buried deep into the table, he continued without pause.

His fingers trembled but his movements were rough and fast.

“I’m hungry… I’m hungry…”

Even with his mouth full of meat, the man muttered these words endlessly.

His voice echoed as if coming from the depths of a basement, hollow and eerie.

Then, as a candle tilted, the sight revealed was shocking.

Bones sticking out of his emaciated body.

Pale, shriveled skin.

Eyes sunken deeply into his skull.

He looked like a walking corpse.

Gurgle.

Under the candlelight, something wriggled beneath the man’s skin.

It seemed to avoid the light.

As if another creature lived inside him, his skin moved irregularly, creating a grotesque spectacle.

The man continued devouring the meat.

Every time his jaw moved, the things under his skin moved too.

Each lump of meat that went down his throat seemed to bring joy to whatever lurked below his abdomen, making it squirm with pleasure.

The room filled more and more with the smell of blood, and amidst the oppressive silence, only the man’s chewing and muttering continued endlessly.

What seemed like an eternal bizarre meal suddenly came to an end.

The man’s hand paused mid-air.

A piece of meat destined for his mouth hovered frozen.

A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

Slowly, like putting down a heavy burden, he placed the meat back on the table.

“It’s time to fetch the sheep.”

Though still hollow, his voice had changed significantly.

Like a transformation from beast back to human.

The wriggling under his skin grew more violent, as if resisting his decision.

But the man paid no mind and slowly stood up.

His back was still hunched, his skeletal body looking like it could break at any moment.

With trembling hands, he picked up a towel by the table and carefully wiped the bloody mess off his hands.

His movements were slow but precise, like performing an ancient ritual.

After finishing this reverent ritual, the man walked toward the corner of the room.

There hung a neatly arranged suit, out of place in this grotesque space filled with blood and raw meat.

Even while dressing, the thing inside him continued to wriggle violently.

But the man’s expression remained unchanged.

Instead, as he put on the suit, life seemed to return to his eyes.

Tidying his tie, the man glanced around the room.

The lonely candle still burned, its light casting grotesque shadows from the piles of meat.

The man stared at the scene for a moment before turning away.

As he opened the door and stepped out, his silhouette seemed almost like someone else’s.

The once-bent back straightened slightly, and strength returned to his steps.

The door closed, and silence reclaimed the room.

The candle continued to burn, illuminating the human meat piled on the table.

***

Deep within the cave, thick fog swallowed everything.

Amidst the darkness where not even an inch ahead could be seen, the faint breathing of two girls could be heard.

From the dense fog, a man appeared, blocking the path of the silver-haired girl and the brown-haired girl.

Standing crookedly, his presence was overwhelming.

Even in the fog, his figure was disturbingly clear, making the surrounding air heavy.

At that moment, the Sprout Reaper hanging from the silver-haired girl’s budding sprout emitted its will.

[Harmful Object!]

The silver-haired girl also sensed the dangerous aura emanating from the man.

The smell of blood—thick, pungent blood—wafted from him.

Yet the Sprout Reaper’s reaction was far more intense than she expected.

The silver-haired girl gently raised her hand and stroked the Sprout Reaper.

“It’s okay. We’ll be fine.”

The fog began to clear gradually.

As if signaling the prelude to a tense duel.

As the man slowly straightened his bent waist.

The silver-haired girl and the brown-haired girl exchanged glances, silently confirming their resolve, then simultaneously charged at the man.

But neither of their attacks landed on him.

Not the silver-haired girl’s swift blade powered by accelerated time.

Nor the heavy punch infused with the brown-haired girl’s enhanced physical strength.

With one hand behind his back, the man blocked and deflected their attacks with movements so quick and precise it was like watching a martial arts demonstration.

“One of you is livestock level.”

The man’s indifferent voice rang out.

Before his words even finished, the brown-haired girl flew through the air.

The sound of her bones snapping echoed as if she’d been hit by a truck.

She crashed into the cave wall.

“The other is barely above livestock level.”

This was his evaluation of the silver-haired girl.

As his words reverberated through the cave, the silver-haired girl watched the slow-motion approach of the man’s fist in her accelerated time.

Everything around her seemed frozen except for the fist steadily heading toward her cheek.

At that moment, a voice audible only to her sounded.

[Human, you mustn’t get hurt!]

Time slowed down again, as if the world took another breath.

In this slower time, the impossible became possible.

Her body twisted gracefully, like moving underwater, evading the man’s punch.

Simultaneously, her sharp blade cut through the air, aiming for the man’s neck.

The moment the blade touched his skin, time returned to normal.

The silver-haired girl lost her balance and tumbled across the ground.

Her first thought upon stopping was to check on the Sprout Reaper.

She now understood where her enhanced abilities came from.

Worry etched her voice as she lifted the Sprout Reaper.

Its once vibrant indigo skin was now nearly gray.

“Are you alright?”

The Sprout Reaper weakly smiled and nodded.

The silver-haired girl then turned her gaze to check on the brown-haired girl.

‘Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any fatal damage.’

Meanwhile, the man slowly caressed his regenerating neck.

Surprise and interest flickered across his face.

“To double your speed like that…you’re no longer comparable to livestock.”

Recognition tinged his voice.

He slowly lowered his hands from behind his back.

Both of his fists clenched, and his posture lowered.

The tension in the air heightened further.

“If you’ve doubled your speed, then using both hands should suffice.”

The silver-haired girl took a deep breath.

Carefully placing the Sprout Reaper back onto her sprout, she raised her blade once more.

***

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a solitary rock island stood tall against endless blue waves.

Following the procession of Mini Reapers, I cautiously set my first step on the mysterious island’s solid surface.

“Object!”

“Object Island!”

Mini Reapers darted around the fairly wide island, emitting their will.

Security Team Employees soon arrived, followed by researchers who started examining various aspects with their equipment.

“Mental Pollution Index is within acceptable limits!”

“This island floats on water yet feels incredibly heavy.”

“No connection found with Blue Mist or the ‘Submerged City,’ but it might still be related to Objects.”

Passing by the researchers busy with their investigations, I continued walking toward the center of the island.

At the heart of the island lay a cavernous pit, resembling the entrance to hell.

Lightning struck anyone who ventured too deep into the cave.

“Zzzt zzt!”

Apparently, the Mini Reapers enjoyed standing in lightning strikes with their arms spread wide, laughing “hehe.”

‘Thunder!’

‘Lightning Strike!’

‘Electrical Fun!’

While fun for Golden Reaper or Black Reaper types, it was merely amusing for others like the Blue Reaper or Cloud Fish.

I gazed silently into the dark depths of the chaotic cave entrance.

‘Space seems broken here.’

The cave’s interior felt unnaturally disconnected, not letting even a sliver of light escape.

***

Inside the cave adorned with fake starlight, the battlefield shrouded in fog.

The indigo-sprouting Sprout Reaper, once vibrant, now clung weakly to the silver-haired girl’s sprout, its color fading to gray.

One of the girl’s arms hung limp, broken, and she gasped for breath, barely holding on.

Her sharp blade trembled in her grip.

The girl appeared close to her limit.

But the man standing before her remained unscathed, showing no signs of fatigue.

‘Just a little more. A little faster.’

Despite the desperate situation, the girl didn’t give up.

‘With the Sprout Reaper, I can move even faster!’

She kept accelerating.

To keep up with her increasingly rapid movements, the man had summoned fog back onto the battlefield.

“Now, let’s finish this.”

As his low murmur reached her ears, the man disappeared into the fog.

At that moment, a burst of indigo light shot from the girl’s eyes.

Simultaneously, time began to slow down.

[Human…!]

With the Sprout Reaper’s help, time slowed even further.

Through the fog, the man emerged, charging with his fist extended.

The girl’s blade aimed once more for his neck.

Simple and honest, yet precise.

But it wasn’t fast enough to reach him.

‘Just a little faster!’

Right before his punch connected, as if responding to her fervent wish, a soft glow emanated from her sprout.

Then, a surge of indigo light exploded from the Sprout Reaper’s body.

“… …”

The man’s punch met the girl’s abdomen.

But she smiled brightly.

“Excellent.”

The man’s low voice.

His neck bore a blade driven deep into its handle.

The wound tried to regenerate, but the indigo sprout began interfering.

And from the wound, indigo sprouts began spreading, eventually covering the man’s entire body.

“Haha…”

The silver-haired girl collapsed, laughing aloud.

[We won!]

The Sprout Reaper also slumped onto her scalp, giggling “hehe.”

The silver-haired girl struggled to rise, supporting the unconscious brown-haired girl on her shoulder.

And they slowly, painfully, moved toward the exit.

The light streaming from the giant cave’s exit enveloped them like divine blessing.

A small sigh escaped the silver-haired girl’s lips.

“The exit is right there.”

As she took her final painful steps forward, the air grew heavier, pressing down on her.

Beyond the light, a man’s silhouette gradually emerged.

His presence was overwhelming.

As if space itself bent around him, shrinking everything else under his shadow.

The aura he exuded was like endless darkness, stealing the breath of anyone who looked.

The moment the silver-haired girl saw him, her strength drained away.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed.

[So strong…!]

Though obscured by backlight, the smile on his lips was unmistakably clear.

It carried the ease of a true powerhouse.

With a single step, he appeared instantly before the girl.

As if every movement defied the laws of reality.