Chapter 78

At the ambiguous time when day turns into night, a large man strode confidently toward a giant mansion located on the outskirts of Seoul.

Despite being clearly decorated with opulence, the mansion emanated an eerie atmosphere as if shrouded in thick shadows.

The towering man, sporting a short and stubby golden horn shaped like a cone protruding from his scalp, was someone who made a living by kidnapping people and selling them.

Contrary to his bold strides, the man’s mind was incredibly conflicted.

Normally, requests came through the mansion’s butler, who would contact him for jobs.

But strangely, this time they insisted on meeting face-to-face before placing any request—an unusual demand.

Such suspicious requests were typically ignored outright.

However, since it was from one of his biggest clients—and given the reputable business card of the Trinity Research Institute—he couldn’t bring himself to refuse and ended up visiting the mansion.

Bang bang! After knocking at the entrance, the butler appeared promptly to greet him.

“The master is waiting. Please follow me.”

It was the same voice he’d always heard over the phone.

The butler was a frail old man radiating an unsettling tension that naturally heightened his anxiety.

The large man followed the butler past the mansion gates.

What greeted him beyond the gate was a black garden.

The ground was covered with black soil, and strange black plants sprouted everywhere.

And there was the smell of petroleum in the air.

It was truly a ghastly garden, but due to the eerie presence of the butler, the large man didn’t dare show his discomfort.

Fortunately, once inside the mansion, the petroleum smell disappeared.

The interior contrasted sharply with the unpleasant garden, appearing even more luxurious by comparison.

In the center hung the massive logo of the Trinity Research Institute, and the windows were adorned with intricate stained-glass mosaics.

Rich tapestries lined the walls, and elegant chandeliers emitted soft light from the ceiling.

Passing through the high-class lobby, they arrived at a grand reception room.

There stood a neatly dressed man who rose to greet the large man. This middle-aged gentleman was the owner of the mansion.

“Ah, you’ve come. I’ve heard about your recent efforts on my behalf. I simply had to meet you.”

Rising from his seat, the middle-aged man continued while walking around the reception room.

On the walls were various forms of golden horns mounted like deer heads, all delivered by the large man.

Each horn was magnificent in size and complexity.

“Thank you for consistently providing such splendid horns. Indeed, the larger and more intricate, the better they look.”

“Ah, yes…”

From the moment the large man entered the room, he felt uneasy.

Something wasn’t right, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

All he wanted was for the conversation to end quickly so he could leave.

“Don’t you feel something? I find comfort in this room. Though research on golden horns is banned, there must be some effect.”

The large man gave a half-hearted response while glancing around nervously.

“Sorry, I’ve talked too much. The reason I called you here is curiosity.”

The middle-aged man approached the large man and handed him a round jewel-like object, its surface swirling with apricot and black hues like a mix of pearls and black pearls.

“Eh… What is this?”

“It’s a new nutritional supplement developed by our institute. Try it.”

“But, do I really have to eat it now?”

“Of course! It’s a highly confidential product from our research. Come on, hurry!”

At this point, the large man regretted accepting the invitation to visit this suspicious place and being pressured to consume mysterious medicine.

Naturally, he had no intention of putting such a suspicious drug in his mouth.

But sensing the vibe from the middle-aged man, refusing might lead to undesirable consequences.

So, the man chose to pretend to swallow it while secretly hiding the pill inside his clothes.

“I’ve taken it.”

Upon hearing the reply, the middle-aged man just stared blankly.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll take my leave.”

As the man turned to leave, a voice came from behind.

“That’s odd.”

Ignoring the comment, the man started walking back the way he came.

But the butler, waiting outside the reception room, blocked his path.

“You need to take the medicine, sir.”

Trying to shake off the butler’s grip, the man found it impossible to break free.

The butler’s face was unnaturally pale, with black veins bulging grotesquely across it.

Crunch!

“Aaaaaaah!”

With ease, the butler crushed the man’s arm bones.

Subduing the writhing man, the butler retrieved the hidden pill from his coat.

“Hmm, that was strange. No matter how suitable the subject, seeing no change at all doesn’t make sense.”

Taking the pill from the butler, the middle-aged man forced it into the large man’s mouth again.

“Sleep well then.”

As his vision faded to black, the man saw the butler melting away into a pool of black mud.

***

The Kachisan Conference was well-organized.

The lineup of participating research institutes included many prominent ones in Korea, and the government ensured everything flowed smoothly.

“Yeahyeah, don’t get so angry. You’re fine.”

But focusing on the presentation was impossible.

The Golden Reaper was extremely agitated—appearing both sad and angry.

No amount of petting or giving candy seemed to cheer them up.

The only relief was that they weren’t trying to escape.

Instead, they clung to my neck or head for some inexplicable reason.

The cause of the Golden Reaper’s abnormal behavior was quite clear.

Trinity researchers often ate some mysterious snacks, and these seemed to be the culprit.

Initially, I thought they were just whining because they wanted a taste…

Until I got one from a Trinity researcher, and then the Golden Reaper went ballistic.

They lunged forward with a swift punch, destroying the snack instantly.

Then they slumped down looking incredibly depressed.

It was a small cube-shaped snack in apricot color, resembling tiny cheese.

It smelled delicious, so why did they hate it so much?

Curious, I asked the researcher what it was.

“Ah, this thing?”

After sizing me up and down, the researcher smirked and replied,

“It’s synthetic food we’re experimentally developing at Trinity. All famous institutes are researching this nowadays: Object Food. Didn’t think there were still labs unaware of this.”

With that, the man turned and walked away.

As he left, faint insults about Sehee Institute kept coming out.

‘Thieves only after government subsidies.’

‘Obsessed with isolating objects but incapable of utilizing them properly.’

Stuff like that.

While infuriating comments, I had to restrain the Golden Reaper from charging at him.

They genuinely looked ready to punch a hole through him, so calming them down was exhausting.

Apparently, the Golden Reaper dislikes that snack.

Not surprising—it’s suspicious food made from Objects, and I wouldn’t want to eat it either.

Crisp. Crisp.

Listening to the sound of the Golden Reaper biting candies, expressing their frustration, I tried to focus on the presentation.

Crisp.

Suddenly, the candy-eating sounds stopped.

Already finished?

Looking down, the Golden Reaper still had more than half of the candy left.

Instead, they were staring intently at something.

Before I could react, they vanished in the blink of an eye!

Did they ghost like the Gray Reaper?

A sharp sound, like glass shattering, echoed through the hall.

Followed by a scorching wind sweeping through.

Paper flew everywhere, chairs shook violently under the strong gusts.

The air split apart like shattered glass, and endless streams of red sand poured out.

Space began warping as if viewed through a fisheye lens.

Everyone shouted in confusion, drowned out by the roaring winds.

Then with a ‘bang,’ fist-sized rocks scattered everywhere.

These lethal rocks pierced straight through people, and one zipped dangerously close to my face.

Oh no.

***

In the cozy isolation chamber of the Sehee Institute, the Gray Reaper was enjoying a nap.

Around the sleeping Gray Reaper, multiple Golden Reapers suddenly popped into existence with a *poof*.

They immediately began assaulting the Gray Reaper.

Punches to the cheeks!

Hits to the eyelids!

Jumps on the stomach!

Similar attacks were happening in the Golden Reaper’s garden, where they also assaulted the sleeping Gray Reaper.

The Golden Reapers seemed unusually urgent.

Like they were shouting, “Wake up quick!”

***

A black agent stood at the back of the conference hall, witnessing the chaos unfold.

When everyone panicked, the agent swiftly picked up a blonde girl and fled from the cracks forming.

His quick reaction upon the onset of the heatwave was commendable.

“Uncle, what’s happening?”

“Seems like an Object-related incident. Let’s move to safety first. We need to get out of Mount Kachisan at least.”

Clutching the girl tightly, the agent ran despite the odds.

The shockwave from the glass-shattering impact knocked him rolling across the floor.

Amid relentless heatwaves and falling sand, the agent shielded the girl within his arms.

Once the storm subsided, the agent emerged from the debris to see an entirely different landscape.

An endless horizon of desert.

An infinite stretch of red sand.