Chapter 370

In the heart of an island, blanketed by thick blue mist.

The sky was covered with ominous clouds, twisted as if hundreds of snakes were entangled.

Below it, the mountain stretched out, its form grotesque, like a giant monster had crushed clay into bizarre shapes.

This place was rampant with madness, mental pollution, and object mutations.

I met a man halfway up that distorted mountain.

What? A ‘human’ in a place like this?

Amidst the scenery shimmering with faint blue light in the air, a man slowly approached.

It was the human I had seen in Italy.

He still looked like he’d stepped out of a movie.

Perfectly tailored suit, shiny shoes, and a sophisticated coat.

A look that would appeal to the Purple Reaper—reminding one of a stylish mafia from films.

The man paused briefly, staring at me sharply before a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He then relaxed and spoke.

“Truly fortunate. To meet the Gray Reaper in such a desolate place.”

His voice was soft and low but carried clearly even in this eerie atmosphere.

‘…’

Ignoring his fluent Korean, I remained silent.

“Where is the Purple Reaper?”

I scanned around for any sign of her.

If the environment could sustain this man, surely the Purple Reaper must be nearby.

But she wasn’t visible.

“The Mini Reapers’ location isn’t clear… troublesome.”

Ever since being enveloped by the blue mist, I couldn’t sense their positions anymore, leaving only visual confirmation.

Though opening or moving to the Mini Reaper Garden posed no issue, the Mini Reaper Network connection was utterly chaotic.

“Let me guide you to where I’m staying first.”

Without caring about my silence, the man turned and started walking somewhere.

‘Hmm…’

Oddly, I barely remembered him speaking fluent Korean earlier.

Had he even spoken in front of me?

Uncertain, I clenched and unclenched my right hand repeatedly while observing his back.

‘Should I smash this guy to pieces? Or not?’

Despite looking foreign, his fluency in Korean made him seem suspicious.

Still, I lowered my raised hand.

If he were truly the Purple Reaper’s attached human, it’d be catastrophic.

And teleporting him to the Mini Reaper Garden felt uneasy too.

Something about this man seemed off, though he appeared human.

Better to observe further.

Following him, we moved along spiraling, twisted paths upward, yet strangely deeper into the Deep Place.

“This island’s blue light…”

“There are quite a number of objects here…”

The man kept talking incessantly.

‘Feeling dizzy.’

As we continued forward, occasional dizziness hit me.

Was it because of his constant chatter or due to venturing deeper into the island? Unclear.

We eventually arrived at a village filled with people.

Blue light swirled around the entire village unnaturally.

It wasn’t of this world—strange and foreboding hues tainted everything.

On the streets, people sat on the ground, contorted as if in agony, yet also entranced by something.

The windows, darkened by the fog, resembled deep abysses.

In the alleys, something wriggled in the shadows.

[…]

[…]

Unintelligible muttering echoed, whispering seeds of madness.

Reality and fantasy blurred as decayed cobwebs filled my vision momentarily before vanishing.

“Feels dizzy.”

It somewhat resembled the sensation of mental pollution.

***

Late night, outskirts of Songpa District.

In a detached house where the Alchemist Sisters lived, the younger sister’s voice called out from a room.

“Sis, hurry!”

“Just wait a bit longer.”

After hearing this repeated response, the younger sister sighed softly, then lunged toward the pink girl lying nearby to console her broken heart over her sister’s tardiness.

Startled, the pink girl—who had been playing hand-clapping games with two fingers pretending to be the Blue Idol Reaper—jumped.

The pink girl was living temporarily with the sisters, preparing for school entrance exams and studying alchemy.

Though centuries old compared to modern techniques, the sisters’ alchemy was genuine.

Of course, the older sister was improving her skills using information provided by the pink girl about “future” alchemy.

Smiling, the younger sister pulled away and said,

“It feels nice having a younger sibling.”

At this, happy cries of color hungry ghosts reached her ears.

“Ho ho.”

Turning her head, she saw colorful hungry ghosts resting beside her bed.

The pink hungry ghost was created during the pink girl’s lessons and shocked the older sister when she saw it.

“A monochrome hungry ghost!” she had exclaimed, though the younger sister didn’t see much difference.

To her, the colorful ones were cuter.

Plus, they were now soft like cushions—feeling like marshmallows.

Probably related to the older sister transforming into a roll cake recently.

While poking the squishy hungry ghost with her finger, the younger sister handed a flyer to the pink girl.

“Let’s go together once it officially opens!”

Confused, the pink girl tilted her head and unfolded the flyer.

[Gray Reaper Theme Park, coming soon!]

Unfamiliar with Hangul, she read slowly.

“Gray Reaper Theme Park?”

The Gray Reaper—an object the pink girl knew well as the source of her beloved Blue Idol Reaper.

“Big sis, when will you finish?”

Still came the reply: “Just wait a little longer.”

Meanwhile, the alchemist gazed at the stars, dropping reagents onto a large dish which mirrored the starry sky perfectly.

“Same results again.”

Around her lay numerous dishes replicating the same starry skies.

Using alchemy discovered from James’ Artifact Number 0, similar to fortune-telling astrology.

“Something’s in the east… unsure what it means. Tomorrow, I’ll check the artifact with James.”

She took a picture of the dish’s starry sky with her phone and saved it.

***

The sound of waves echoed.

Initially peaceful, it soon turned ominous.

Mixed with unpleasant noises akin to scratching chalkboards.

Awoken by the sound, the man bolted upright.

Around him stood a shabby shack, walls cracked revealing a beach cloaked in blue mist.

Strange and unsettling.

Looking elsewhere, visibility was obscured as if by fog.

Rubbing his temples, he recalled fragments of memory.

“Ah… On the cruise ship heading to America, the blue mist surged…”

Memories returned gradually.

Examining his surroundings again, clarity improved.

Next to him lay his younger sister, Cheong, and the mini reapers on the same bed.

Shaking his sister’s shoulder urgently brought no response.

Creeeak.

Suddenly, the door opened with a loud noise.

A woman appeared against the backdrop of the restless sea.

Surprise widened the man’s eyes.

“You… weren’t you dead?”

Smiling slightly, she replied,

“No, just went into hiding because I got tired of contract work.”

“Is that so…”

Relieved but still cautious, the man exhaled.

Danger warnings screamed in his instincts honed over years of contract jobs.

Continuing slowly,

“But why show up now, here?”

Taking another step inside, the woman gazed warmly at him like meeting an old friend before answering.

“Maybe the same reason as you guys. I was heading to America but woke up on this strange beach.”