Chapter 61

To my surprise, the Ghost Cat had quite a bit of guts.

Leaving behind words of embarking on an adventure, it truly set off down the road.

Though it loved adventures romantically, I didn’t expect this much.

Hmm.

Since it can ghostify, there probably won’t be much danger, right?

But since there are objects that can attack ethereal forms, I was slightly worried.

If I’m worried, what am I supposed to do about it?

I should go check.

Deciding to secretly follow while killing time and also observing the cat’s adventure, I moved forward.

It wasn’t clear if it was really heading toward the “Temporary Camp at Incheon Gayangsan,” but in no time, it left Seoul and advanced toward increasingly desolate areas.

As the sun completely set, during the late night, the cat stopped and stared at something.

It was a building dyeing the sky red.

A ruin of a building burning endlessly with flames.

Flames dangerous enough to burn even spirits when observed through object senses.

Surely it’s not going in there, is it?

***

Even after leaving Seoul in search of adventure, a heart-pounding one didn’t appear for quite some time.

Ordinary ruins, ordinary villages, peaceful daily lives.

Despite wandering for quite a long time, I couldn’t find anything satisfying.

If I could have just one adventure before entering the camp, that’d be nice…

Then, I spotted a ruin that caught my eye.

A building where unextinguished flames flickered faintly across its entire structure!

A place covered entirely in red oil, with the oil constantly burning.

The burning oil shone eerily like blood, obscuring the view with acrid smoke.

This is it!

These ruins were exactly what I had been searching for.

A place that looked dangerous at first glance and brimming with thrilling adventures.

And right in the center of these ruins was a mysterious glowing red gemstone.

Treasure, the ever-desired reward of adventure!

If I had this gem, my story would become even more vivid.

Something I hadn’t obtained in any of my previous adventures.

Lowering my body as much as possible, I sneaked into the flame-filled ruin.

Through the acrid smoke, I could vaguely see frogs bloated like pigs.

Pig Frogs oozing red oil.

Using ghostification as a shield, I leisurely approached the building, but I could feel the frogs noticing something and staring.

!

I was startled and quickly hid behind the ruins.

Who knew the frogs had the ability to see spirits.

Their shiny large eyes weren’t just for show.

Keeping my body as low as possible, I slowly advanced, hiding myself in the smoke rising from the red oil.

Since the frogs had good eyesight, I moved as much as possible under cover.

Thus, circling around the broken parts of the ruined building, I gradually approached the jewel shining in the center.

After moving slowly for several minutes, I finally reached the gemstone.

The gemstone was located in the central open lot of the smoke-filled building.

Red gemstone! The final destination of this adventure.

Just as I thought this adventure was about to end, someone was waiting in the open lot.

A massive frog looming through the hazy smoke.

It was obviously a situation where I should run away.

But I didn’t want to retreat with the treasure right in front of me.

So I puffed up my chest and shouted.

“Bring it on!”

Swallowing my fear and shouting, the ground began to shake.

Flames and smoke flowed into the frog, and the sound of boiling oil echoed.

The ruins trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and dust rose.

Scary!

But I gritted my teeth and held on.

Staring at each other for a few seconds.

The giant frog slowly turned around and started retreating.

I had driven away the monster with courage and determination!

Kung-kung. As the frog retreated, shaking the earth, the ruby necklace in the center of the lot was revealed.

The treasure of the adventure refined amidst smoke and flames—the red necklace was now mine.

***

The cat hid surprisingly well.

Well, if even 10% of the tall tales told to me were true, then this level of skill isn’t unexpected.

Here and there, hiding, throwing pebbles to distract attention, the cat slowly advanced toward its destination like a hero in an action movie.

I watched it all unfold inside the ruins, as if watching a movie.

There was no popcorn, but instead, I had frog balance balls and aromatic oils.

Behind the invisible flames and smoke, the cat played with the round, inflated frogs, rolling them around.

Jumping on frogs inflated like balls!

Doing backflips using their bloated bodies!

Sliding over rows of frogs lined up neatly!

Smooth and well-textured balance ball frogs, subtly scented with rose-scented red oil.

A perfect combination.

Though I ended up completely covered in sticky red oil, it was somewhat fun.

A joyful game with the frogs who were supposed to repel intruders!

Frogs that didn’t want to play?

Unfortunately, they popped like burst balance balls—wonder who did that?

Still, the cat’s current adventure seemed destined to fail.

Would it get scared and run away upon reaching the goal?

Because there was a giant balance ball frog in front of the gem.

Upon arriving at the destination, the cat saw the giant frog and looked utterly despairing.

But contrary to expectations, the cat took an entirely different action.

Meow!

It cried out with firm resolve.

Infuriated by the cat’s provocation, the frog swelled up as if ready to spew fire at any moment.

But…

Seeing me glaring from the side, it deflated again, shuffled pitifully, and retreated from the clearing.

That’s how the cat’s grand adventure ended successfully.

The victorious cat gleefully put on the gemstone necklace and happily bounced around.

Watching the cat frolic for a while and then leave the building, I thought:

Ah, it’s finally time to return to the research institute.

But it wasn’t heading toward the research institute.

I expected it to return to the research institute after obtaining adventure and treasure!

***

Om.

The Golden Reaper is devouring cake.

While mindlessly eating cake, it still stretched out a hand to hold onto my pinky finger.

Ah, so cute.

The Golden Reaper wouldn’t usually let go of people.

“Yerin, it’s time to go to work!”

Ah, already this much time has passed…

Regretfully petting the Reaper once, I stood up from my seat.

In the lounge of Sehee Research Institute, a mini Golden Reaper recently appeared.

Of course, it was due to the incidents caused by the Reaper.

The Gray Reaper has ‘once again’ gone missing.

Although the disappearance of the Gray Reaper was a common occurrence, this time it was different.

He left something behind where he disappeared.

What he left behind was a Mini Golden Reaper.

As if replacing himself, he left a single Golden Reaper in the isolation room before departing.

Unlike the Gray Reaper, the Golden Reaper couldn’t endure being alone in the isolation room.

Thus, the frequently visited lounge was chosen as the Golden Reaper’s isolation room.

The result was successful.

The Golden Reaper happily enjoyed lounge life with a contented expression.

However, there was a side effect of too many residents in the lounge, so usage time was limited.

Usage time limits?

Abolish the usage time limit for the Golden Reaper’s lounge at Sehee Research Institute!

***

Darkness settled over the camp, blurring the boundary between sky and land.

A night completely contrasting with the lively daytime full of people and vitality.

Strangely enough, this space, which could appear eerie, felt oddly comforting.

At least, this atmosphere doesn’t give me goosebumps.

Normally, I’d feel burdened by such silence.

Relying on the stillness and darkness of the night, I quietly got up.

I should’ve left much earlier.

Exiting during the day, pretending to be a tourist, would’ve been best.

But I couldn’t move because I felt like someone was watching me.

Moving stealthily, I tiptoed forward.

The dark streetlights were out.

In the oppressive silence without insect or animal sounds, only my soft footsteps echoed through the camp.

Breathing as softly and deeply as possible.

Though it was so dark I couldn’t distinguish objects, the path I grew up on was familiar.

When I was almost out of the camp, lights appeared far away from the camp.

“Sister, where are you?”

“Sister, are you mad because I was joking?”

Lights from flashlights appeared in all directions.

Voices murmuring around.

Those voices remembered me.

The butcher called out my name kindly, inviting me closer.

The new landlady said she wanted to meet me once.

My younger brother talked about memories with me while walking around.

Hearing those voices gave me goosebumps.

These people aren’t the ones I know.

What happened to my real younger brother?

My heart raced.

Dizzy, nauseous, and uneasy feelings welled up inside me.

Unable to bear it, I ran wildly.

Tripping and falling, I got up and kept running.

With the single-minded desire to escape the camp, I continued running.

***

The dawn sky began to paint itself with various colors.

Into the old police station at the start of the day, a mud-covered girl entered.

Tired-looking police officers greeted her after finishing their night shifts.

“I’m here to report a missing person.”

The mud-covered, scarred girl, with faint tear marks, spoke clearly despite her appearance.

“A child who lived in the Temporary Camp at Incheon Gayangsan.”

“Oh…”

The young officer sighed sorrowfully upon hearing her words.

Then, he handed her a piece of paper.

[Directive Regarding Temporary Camp at Incheon Gayangsan Operations.]

[Directive Details.]

[Do not accept any cases related to the Temporary Camp at Incheon Gayangsan.]

[Includes kidnappings, terrorism, and disappearances.]

“A few days ago, they declared abandonment of the area nearby. Even though the situation hasn’t deteriorated to the point of abandonment, why is this happening…?”

The police refusing to take cases.

Faced with such an absurd situation, the girl tried to shout but gave up after seeing the officer’s expression.

Even this young officer feels regretful about this state of affairs.

In the face of such an unreasonable situation.

The disheartened girl headed outside the police station with weak steps.

“Isn’t something strange here? With missing person reports coming from near the camp, official directives come down as if predicting them.”

“Association directives have always been odd. If you want to live long, don’t worry about it.”

From within the police station, conversations questioning this situation were heard.

Walking listlessly, the girl crouched down in front of the police station wall, lowering her head deeply.

“How can I possibly fix this?”

A small, damp sigh escaped the girl’s lips.

Thump-thump.

At that moment, confident footsteps echoed.

Looking up at the sound, a man in a yellow suit stood against the backdrop of the sun, looking down at her.

“Hello. Do you perhaps have any requests?”