Chapter 43

Flap flap.

The Reaper was flailing both legs around excitedly as if having the time of their life.

The Reaper’s gaze was locked onto the sky like a moth to a flame.

Their arms were reaching out into the air as if trying to grab hold of something invisible.

Tyrannosaurus!

There the Reaper and I stood, face-to-face with a towering dinosaur.

I thought the Reaper wouldn’t really be into this kind of thing, but they seemed to enjoy it way more than expected.

Dinosaurs revived through Objects are actually pretty common discoveries.

However, currently living specimens aren’t all that many.

Between lifespan issues and getting gunned down, there aren’t too many left.

If the Reaper likes dinosaurs so much, maybe next time I should take them to ‘Mars Research Institute’—you know, where they’ve got tons of dinosaurs quarantined?

It’d be nice if we could get approval for the Reaper’s transfer to Mars Research Institute.

***

Hmph.

It’s impossible not to get distracted by dinosaurs.

Who doesn’t love them, young or old?

But Yerin’s expression while looking at me seems even more insolent than before…

Our sightseeing went on longer than expected, and lunchtime had passed without notice.

While I don’t need to eat anything, Yerin must be starving.

Looking around for somewhere to eat, I spotted a research institute booth.

It was set up like one of those performance arenas you see in zoos, though it was rather pricey. But they did have plenty of food laid out.

We sat down and munched on some hot dogs while watching a performance prepared by the research institute.

Instead of dolphins, a Yeti was performing.

A Yeti leaping through a flaming hoop.

A Yeti swinging on a giant swing.

A Yeti messing around before getting zapped by electricity.

A Yeti riding a huge ball.

A Yeti falling off a unicycle and getting fried by electricity.

A Yeti being launched toward a target from a cannon.

Despite some odd moments, it was quite entertaining.

It was closer to a circus than a zoo, but it was worth watching, so no complaints.

After finishing our meal and enjoying the performance, we resumed sightseeing. There were still plenty of fascinating Objects to discover.

Sejong Research Institute’s booth was showcasing just one Object.

[Unbreakable Cube.]

[Makes any surrounding objects physically indestructible.]

[No side effects reported.]

“Wow, an immunity-granting Object!”

Even though I’m supposed to lack human emotions, I couldn’t help but marvel at this Object.

Just thinking about its potential uses made my mind race.

This should be a famous Object, yet it was new to me.

Turns out it was discovered only a month ago—a fresh find!

Woo, brand-new!

The isolation facility built by the government, the event’s organizer, also caught my eye.

Being the host, it was flashy and on a grand scale, but one Object looked particularly dangerous.

[Invisible Thief.]

It had limbs like a person, but its facial features were unclear.

Sitting idly in the center of the isolation room, it made you wonder why it was called a thief.

[Disappears if out of sight for more than 10 seconds.]

[Reappears in front of the nearest locked door or lock.]

[Instantly unlocks it and disappears again.]

[No locked doors or boxes it cannot open have been reported.]

After reading the description, the name made perfect sense.

To keep it within sight, over a hundred employees were taking turns keeping watch.

Of course, if this thing slipped out of sight, it would unleash chaos, setting all exhibited Objects free across the fair.

Still, this shouldn’t have been allowed in such an event in the first place…

Thinking they judged correctly by bringing it here feels dangerously complacent.

***

As we wandered following the Reaper’s flapping movements, we came across the booth of Trinity, a recently popular research institute.

The largest and top-tier research institute in Korea.

On the research institute community forums, Trinity researchers often act all high-and-mighty.

One of their exhibits was once an Object that plunged Korea into fear.

Commonly referred to as Fake Steel Tower.

When it first appeared, it caused as much damage as the Steel Tower.

[Self-Magnet.]

Its shape resembled several hemispherical steel plates clumped together into a sphere.

Being so famous, it rarely leaves containment, so seeing it in person was a first.

The Reaper looked intrigued, perhaps because it was their first time seeing it too.

[Absorbs civilization’s electric currents within a 1km radius.]

[Rotates at high speed proportional to the amount of absorbed current.]

[Cannot be destroyed by physical means.]

[Will teleport after a brief warm-up period if not properly contained.]

Like the Steel Tower, Self-Magnet was an Object hostile to human civilization.

Though its range was incomparably smaller and less threatening compared to the Steel Tower.

Rather than removing all electrical currents indiscriminately, it only targeted those used by civilization.

If this Object teleported around causing chaos in Korea, it would’ve been disastrous—but luckily, a solution was quickly found.

A researcher discovered that applying a magnetic field easily nullified Self-Magnet’s abilities.

Looking at Trinity’s isolation room, you could see numerous electromagnets placed near Self-Magnet to prevent any accidents.

“Hey Reaper, shall we head to the next booth?”

When the Reaper showed no reaction, I grabbed their tiny feet and gave them a shake.

Still no response.

They were just staring blankly at a corner of the exhibition hall.

The Reaper’s expression was unusually serious.

There, slowly flickering in golden light, stood the Golden Tree.

This was the Bucheon Research Institute booth we briefly visited in the morning—an odd spot given how little they’ve accomplished yet they occupy such a vast area.

The tree was glowing brighter…and brighter.

It became unbearably bright.

As everyone turned their attention to the strange phenomenon, an unexpected event occurred.

Vrooom.

A low vibration sound accompanied by an invisible wave emanated from the tree.

People who came into contact with the wave collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut.

Like a wave at a sports stadium, people fell in perfect synchronization.

The wave wasn’t extremely fast but moved quicker than humans.

When it reached us, my consciousness began fading.

My knees buckled, and I toppled backward.

No matter how hard I tried to regain strength, it was useless.

I desperately clung to my fading awareness.

If I fall like this, the Reaper might get hurt…

Everything grew dark, and sounds faded away.

Someone gently caught the back of my head as I fell.

The last thing I felt was the soft touch of the Reaper’s chubby hands on my cheek before my memory faded.

***

The Golden Tree emitted a wave.

A wave that put people to sleep.

Checking Yerin, who fell forward, she appeared perfectly healthy.

She simply drifted into an unknown slumber.

Slapping her cheeks didn’t wake her up at all.

The situation was grave.

Even exhibitions like zoos can’t escape bad luck.

I needed to return to Sehee Research Institute’s booth, but I lacked the strength to carry Yerin.

Leaving Yerin here would obviously result in her death.

If I stayed by her side, this time many Sehee Research Institute employees might perish.

The sleeping fairground was already changing.

Clang.

As the lights dimmed, darkness enveloped the previously well-lit exhibition hall.

The cheerful music from the speakers stopped.

All that remained were the growls of biological Objects.

The power in the exhibition hall had gone out.

Did Self-Magnet escape containment?

Object escapes continued one after another.

The blood-soaked Yetis were the beginning.

Feasting on the blood of their handlers, these Yetis poured out onto the streets, hunting for new prey.

From afar, we heard the loud roar of a Tyrannosaurus.

Who in their right mind is opening isolation chambers?

The Yetis were sneaking closer to where Yerin lay.

I blew their foolish heads apart.

Lacking physical immunity and regenerative abilities, the Yetis noticed me and hastily fled.

If only I had two bodies, there’d be no dilemma…

Should I have learned the art of shadow clones earlier?

Speaking of which, one ability came to mind.

Mini Golden Reapers.

Even though I can’t control them at will, I decided to summon the Golden Reapers regardless in this dire situation.

One.

Two.

…

I filled my surroundings with countless Mini Golden Reapers.

These doll-like creatures lifted their heads simultaneously and looked around.

The Mini Reapers stared at me, then one hopped and clung to me.

Only one?

Last time, they clung to both me and the cat…

And another one attached itself to Yerin’s cheek while she slept.

After that, the Mini Reapers took no particular action.

So, this ability isn’t helpful in this situation, huh?

After glancing around for a few seconds, the Mini Reapers suddenly scattered in all directions like sparrows.

As if flowing like a golden tide, the Mini Reapers dispersed everywhere.

Each Mini Reaper latched onto one person.

One person, one Reaper.

One Reaper per person.

Every person who had collapsed in the exhibition hall now had a Mini Reaper clinging to them.