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As I reveled in the spectacle of missiles and shells forming a captivating fireworks display, I realized the sun had already begun to rise.

The acrid smell from the explosions was intensifying, and the sparks from the shells barely stood out against the sunlight.

I was starting to grow tired of the shell explosions.

Having enjoyed the show thoroughly, it was time to head into the walls of Dobong-gu.

The path towards Dobong-gu was an untouched trail of snow.

The first steps into the snow felt delightful.

Hop hop

I left footprints on the pristine snowfield as I entered through the walls.

Little footprints, completely out of place in a war zone, trailed behind me.

*

Ten years had slipped by since humanity departed from Dobong-gu, and it felt refreshingly unique in its own way.

Concrete debris lay low, shattered by the relentless Ice Soldiers, and the fierce cold and blizzards had obliterated any plant life.

These elements combined, giving Dobong-gu the atmosphere of a city in a post-apocalyptic winter wasteland.

There were also many peculiar animals I had never seen before, though they were probably objects.

With the core temperature reportedly at minus 100 degrees in Dobong-gu, it seemed unlikely any ordinary creatures could survive.

If a place was really minus 100 degrees, surely the surroundings and climate should be utterly wrecked, but seeing it intact made me wonder if this too was a mystery of the objects.

Even from the perspective of the objects, I couldn’t understand these aspects well.

In fact, isn’t ghosting somewhat suspicious too?

Ghosting is as physically bizarre a power as the ability to stop time.

Even if ghosting disregards physical force, what about gravity? Inertia?

As a layperson, I couldn’t help but be puzzled by such abilities.

Well, to be frank, scientists must be busy researching this in their research institutes.

*

Inside the transport vehicle heading to the Dobong-gu walls, an eerie silence loomed.

Looking around at the employees inside the transport vehicle, I could see their tense expressions.

The more we learned about the objects, the greater the fear became; it was unavoidable.

After all, we were the elite agents of the object department, the experts who knew the most about them.

I surveyed the employees and said,

“Everyone, pull yourselves together!”

At my loud shout, the agents inside the vehicle lifted their heads.

“The war with Dobong-gu has begun.”

“It’s a much better situation than the infiltration scenarios we’ve simulated countless times.”

“Since the attack began with the Ice Throne, most of the Ice Throne’s soldiers are already outside.”

“Moreover, the most threatening temperatures have dissipated and almost diluted into the surroundings.”

“The bombardment and missile attacks happening now are merely bait for us.”

“We are the main assault.”

“If we execute our training as usual, we can achieve our objective.”

“Remember that our failure is the nation’s failure, so straighten your backs and hold your heads high.”

“If it feels burdensome, have faith. Trust in the object data humanity has accumulated and the training you’ve undergone thus far.”

“We will surely destroy the Ice Throne and return!”

As I heard the employees’ resounding replies, I closed my eyes.

The operation was about to commence.

*

I set out, using the distant view of the Ice Throne as a checkpoint, making my way forward.

The Ice Throne was a gigantic chair, about 20 meters high, visibly standing out from afar.

It wasn’t particularly a tall structure in general, but the Ice Soldiers had flattened all the surrounding buildings, making it really stand out.

During my journey toward the throne, I stumbled upon an intriguing area.

As I walked directly towards the throne, I discovered a space that felt oddly reminiscent of a baseball field.

A circular, flat snowfield surrounded by ice sculptures resembling animals stood before me.

Mirrors, looking like shattered glass, were lavishly arranged around the snowfield.

While the mirrors reflected the central snowfield, the scene in the reflection was an ordinary snowfield.

Except for one thing.

A Jangseung.

A gigantic Jangseung, estimated to be about 5 meters tall, existed only in the mirror.

In the actual snowfield, there wasn’t a Jangseung in sight.

The Jangseung seemed to track moving objects with its head, exhibiting traits you would expect to see in a horror movie.

Every time something moved, it turned its head to look, freezing any living creature with a freeze beam.

However, it reacted to stones and small animals, yet showed no response to me.

Whether I sprinted across the snowfield or dashed slowly, it remained unresponsive.

It almost seemed to be avoiding me.

Even when I pressed my face close to where its face should have been, it absolutely refused to acknowledge me.

It was as if I was the only one not being entertained.

No matter how much I tried to grab its attention, the stubborn Jangseung, determined to ignore me, was itching to shatter it.

But as soon as I checked the destruction conditions, my motivation rapidly evaporated.

The conditions looked tedious and time-consuming at first glance.

It seemed like it could take days if luck were bad, so I decided to ignore it and move on.

*

Our triumphant advance hit a snag when we encountered an unexpected ambush.

One of our agents was taken down by a beam that came from somewhere.

“!”

One agent’s face froze instantly, leading to their immediate death.

From afar, on the snowfield, an agent was caught off guard by a sudden beam attack.

I gritted my teeth.

Every one of their lives was a future for Korea.

Losing them to such senseless circumstances was unacceptable.

I tossed a beacon to indicate the source of the attack and alerted my team.

“Everyone, pay attention! The enemy’s attack appears to occur after confirming the target. Ensure thorough cover! The exact source of the attack is about 5 meters above where the beacon is placed!”

If you don’t expose yourself, you won’t be hit by the beams.

Everyone dashed stealthily from cover to cover, heading toward the enemy object’s location.

Upon arriving at the circular snowfield, mirrors were laid out abundantly.

“Everyone! Look at the mirrors; the object is a Jangseung. It seems to shoot beams using its gaze!”

To fight an object, observation is crucial.

Failing to observe means death.

In the snowfield thick with mirrors, the identity-defying Jangseung stood unveiled in the reflections.

Although the speed of its head-turning wasn’t incredibly swift, it wasn’t slow enough to cross an open snowfield completely unchallenged.

Bang.

Following the protocol for encountering an object, the agents threw grenades to test the destruction potential on the Jangseung and mirrors.

There was no effect on the Jangseung.

It seemed as though there was no substance.

While the mirrors shattered, they regenerated almost instantly.

It was a type of object that couldn’t be dealt with through physical attacks.

What a headache.

Should we bypass the Jangseung?

Then the time lost would be too great.

Besides, there was no guarantee that another route wouldn’t have an object either.

Should I have requested help from the Yellow Detective just in case?

I thought they might be too reliant on instincts and not suitable for this mission, yet here I was, wishing for their involvement.

With instincts that rival those of objects, they were indeed top-class when it came to uncertain choices like picking routes.

No matter how many times I mulled it over, it seemed there was no choice but to tackle this object head-on.

If I couldn’t manage this object, dealing with the Ice Throne beyond would certainly prove even tougher.

To confront an object, observation must come first.

There must be hints hidden somewhere.

In cases of objects arranged with regularity, a puzzle-like solution is often required.

In the center of the empty open lot stands an insubstantial Jangseung.

Mirrors are densely arranged around it reflecting its surroundings.

The mirrors, fragmented like broken glass, obscure the whole view of the Jangseung.

I circled around using cover, peering into the mirror reflections of the Jangseung.

There must be a reason for the arrangement of the mirrors.

*

I hear gasping breaths filled with pain.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

Another agent fell victim to the beam.

My comrade screamed in agony, writhing, with virtually no chance of survival.

Though the beam merely struck their leg, the resulted freezing spread throughout their body, and they would perish within minutes.

How many times had this happened already? In this area devoid of cover, the agents’ sacrifices were mounting.

Fortunately, with the loss of those agents, valuable information came to light.

There was precisely one spot from which I could see the Jangseung’s whole form.

It was where the broken mirrors converged into one view.

However, even watching the Jangseung directly brought about no change.

To find this location, three additional agents had already succumbed to this object.

I had to resolve this before we incurred any further losses.

To move the explosives meant to destroy the Ice Throne, we needed at least five people, meaning our margin for error was slim.

Mirrors, Jangseung. And the mirrored reflections.

Right, the mirrors.

As I examined the mirrors, one peculiar detail stood out.

Some mirrors did not reflect the Jangseung at all.

How had I overlooked the existence of such mirrors!

It was evident that I needed to utilize the unused mirrors.

*

Oh! I involuntarily gasped at the enormous scale of the throne that came into view.

Standing at a towering height of 20 meters, the massive Ice Throne was supported by four massive Ice Soldiers like a palanquin.

If the path was clear, I could feel that the soldiers would rise and carry the palanquin down that very road.

However, for now, it sat in ostentatious stillness, not moving at all.

I had come to smash the Ice Throne to liberate Dobong-gu but faced a new dilemma.

It wasn’t that the conditions to destroy it were difficult.

In fact, it was a problem precisely because they seemed too easy.

At this point, I could destroy it with just a stone.

The Ice Throne isn’t an ‘object’?

Then who is the object I need to deal with?

Could it be that Jangseung I saw back then?

Indeed, the conditions for destroying that Jangseung I checked before seemed daunting.

Was it to reflect the entire form of the Jangseung in a single mirror?

Should I go back to where the Jangseung is located?