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The fake starlight filled the ceiling of the cave, and the sound of chewing echoed from a corner of the old mansion.

In the faint light seeping in through the window, a man’s shadow moved ominously.

As he entered the room, the overwhelming stench of raw meat and blood muddled the air, making it hard to breathe.

On the table lay heaps of raw meat, dripping with red liquid, creating a grotesque sight.

The man sitting in front of it devoured the meat like a starving beast.

He hunched over the table, burying his face in it, continuing to chew relentlessly.

His fingers trembled, but his movements were rough and swift.

“I’m hungry… I’m hungry…”

The man mumbled these words with his mouth full of meat.

His voice was hollow and eerie, echoing as if from a deep cellar.

At that moment, the candle tilted, revealing his shocking appearance.

A body that was nothing but skin and bones.

Pale, withered skin.

Deeply sunken eyes.

He looked like a walking corpse.

Gurgle.

Something squirmed and moved beneath the skin exposed by the candlelight.

It appeared to shy away from the light.

As if another creature was hiding within him, his skin wriggled irregularly, creating a bizarre display.

The man continued to stuff his face with meat.

Every time his jaw moved, the thing beneath his skin moved as well.

Whenever a chunk of meat slipped down his throat, something seemed to squirm joyfully beneath his belly.

The room filled increasingly with the stench of blood, and in the stillness that felt like time had stopped, only the man’s chewing sounds and mutterings continued.

That grotesque mealtime, which seemed like it would go on forever, came to an abrupt end.

The man’s hand suddenly froze.

The piece of meat heading to his mouth stopped mid-air.

A momentary hesitation flickered across his face.

Slowly, as if laying down a heavy burden, he placed the meat on the table.

“It’s time to retrieve the sheep.”

His voice was still hollow, but it was clearly different from before.

It was as if he had transformed from a beast back into a human.

The squirming beneath his skin intensified.

It was as though it was protesting his decision.

But the man paid it no mind and slowly rose.

His back remained hunched, and his bony form looked ready to crumble at any moment.

With trembling hands, he picked up a towel placed beside the table and meticulously wiped his blood-soaked hands.

His movements were slow but precise.

It was as if he was performing a ritual he had repeated for a long time.

After finishing his solemn rites, he slowly walked to the corner of the room.

There hung a neatly organized suit.

An object that did not fit this grotesque space full of blood and raw meat.

Even while putting on the clothes, something inside him continued to squirm.

It seemed to move more vigorously, as if trying to thwart his decision.

But the man’s expression remained unchanged.

Instead, the more he donned the suit, the more life seemed to return to his gaze.

Finally, adjusting his tie, he looked back at the room.

The candle still burned lonely, and the pile of meat on the table cast grotesque shadows.

He gazed at the scene for a moment before turning away.

As he opened the door and stepped out, his silhouette looked like a different person.

His hunched back straightened slightly, and his steps gained strength.

With the door closing, silence returned to the room.

The candle continued to burn, illuminating the human meat pile on the table.

*

Deep inside the cave, it seemed as if the thick mist swallowed everything.

In the darkness where nothing could be discerned, the faint breath of two girls could be heard.

In that thick mist, a man stood before the silver-haired girl and the brown-haired girl.

His hunched posture gave off an overwhelming presence.

Even in the fog, his figure was grotesquely vivid, making the surrounding air feel heavy.

At that moment, the Sprout Reaper, hanging from the sprout atop the silver-haired girl’s head, emitted a will.

[Harmful Object!]

The silver-haired girl sensed the dangerous aura emanating from the man.

The smell of blood, a very thick and fishy odor, wafted from him.

However, the reaction from the Sprout Reaper was far more intense than she expected.

The silver-haired girl gently raised her hand to stroke the Sprout Reaper.

“You’re okay. You’ll be alright.”

Gradually, the mist began to thin.

It felt like the prelude to a tense duel.

As the man slowly straightened his hunched back, the silver-haired girl and the brown-haired girl exchanged glances, silently confirming each other’s resolve before simultaneously charging at him.

But their attacks had no effect on the man.

The silver-haired girl’s speedy blade, enhanced by her time acceleration, and the brown-haired girl’s heavy punches from her physical enhancement, were easily deflected by the man, who stood casually with his hands clasped behind his back, moving with the grace of a martial arts demonstration.

“One is at the level of livestock.”

His indifferent voice resonated.

Before his words could finish, the brown-haired girl’s body flew through the air.

With a seemingly simple strike, the sound of bones shattering echoed from her body.

Like being hit by a truck, she crashed against the cave wall.

“The other barely exceeds the level of livestock.”

This time, it was an assessment aimed at the silver-haired girl.

As those words echoed in the cave, the silver-haired girl watched the man’s approaching fist in the slowed time around her.

Thanks to her ability, everything around her appeared almost frozen, but the man’s fist continued slowly toward her.

In the unavoidable moment, with an unavoidable direction and speed approaching her,

A voice that only the silver-haired girl could hear echoed.

[Human, don’t get hurt!]

In that instant, it felt as if the world took another deep breath, and time began to flow even slower.

In the slowed time, the silver-haired girl accomplished what seemed impossible.

Her body twisted slowly, as if moving through water.

The man’s fist brushed past her cheek, and simultaneously, her pointed blade sliced through the air toward the man’s neck.

The instant the blade tip touched his skin, time returned to its original flow.

The silver-haired girl lost her balance and rolled on the ground.

When she finally stopped, her first reaction was to check on the Sprout Reaper.

She now understood where her enhanced strength came from.

With worry-filled eyes, she lifted the Sprout Reaper.

The vivid indigo hue of the Sprout Reaper’s skin had turned almost grayish.

“Are you okay?”

Concern seeped into the girl’s voice.

The Sprout Reaper managed a pained smile and nodded.

Then, the silver-haired girl turned her gaze toward the brown-haired girl to check on her condition.

‘Thank goodness. She doesn’t seem to be in critical condition.’

Meanwhile, the man was slowly touching his regenerating neck.

Surprise and intrigue crossed his face.

“To accelerate twice as much from there. You can no longer be compared to livestock.”

There was a deep acknowledgment in his voice.

The man slowly released his clasped hands behind him.

His fists clenched, and he lowered his posture.

The tension in the air heightened.

“Then, I will just need to match one more hand to that speed.”

The silver-haired girl took a deep breath.

Carefully placing the Sprout Reaper on her head, she lifted her blade once again.

*

In the midst of the Pacific Ocean, a lonely rocky island rose above the endless blue waves.

I cautiously set foot on the solid surface of that mysterious island, following the procession of Mini Reapers flowing like waves.

[Object!]

[Object Island!]

The Mini Reapers darted around the rather vast island, exuding the will of “Object.”

As the security team employees and Mini Reapers settled in, researchers began to descend to the island one after another.

“Mental Pollution Index measurement below limit!”

“This island, despite floating on water, has incredibly heavy constitutive material.”

“It seems there’s no connection with the blue mist or ‘underwater city,’ so it might not be a related object?”

Passing by researchers conducting various investigations with different equipment, I continued walking toward the center of the island.

At the heart of the island, there was a cave gaping like the mouth of hell.

Inside the cave, there seemed to be a function to repel intruders; after a certain point, lightning struck.

[Zzap!]

Because of that, the Mini Reapers entered the cave one after another, striking a victory pose while getting struck by lightning, giggling happily.

[Thunder!]

Whether it was the Blue Reaper or Cloud Fish, it was nothing more than a fun game for the Golden Reaper or Black Reaper.

[Lightning!]

[Thunderbolt!]

[Lightning!]

I stared blankly down from the noisy cave entrance.

[The space is severed.]

The cave had a break in the middle that exuded an oddity from which not a single ray of light leaked out.

*

Within the cave adorned with fake starlight, a battlefield thick with fog.

The once vibrant indigo-hued Sprout Reaper now clung closely to the silver-haired girl’s sprout, having turned gray.

One of the silver-haired girl’s arms hung limply, broken, as she struggled to hold on, breathing harshly.

The pointed blade in her hand trembled slightly.

She looked like she was nearing her limit.

But the man standing before her bore no wounds and showed no signs of fatigue.

Just a little more. Just a little faster.

It was a hopeless situation, but she did not give up.

With the Sprout Reaper by her side, she believed she could go even faster!

She kept accelerating.

In fact, to keep up with the girl’s repeatedly accelerated speed, the man summoned the fog back onto the battlefield.

“This is where I wrap it up.”

As a low mutter resonated, the man vanished into the mist.

At that moment, the silver-haired girl’s indigo light burst forth from her eyes.

Simultaneously, the world began to flow slowly again.

[Human….!]

Thanks to the Sprout Reaper’s help, the flow of the world slowed even more.

At that moment, the man burst through the fog, thrusting his fist forward.

The silver-haired girl’s blade aimed once more at the man’s neck.

Direct but sure trajectory, without any fancy moves.

But it lacked speed to reach the man.

Just a little more, just a little faster!

Just before their fists could meet, the girl’s urgent heart reached out, and the sprout atop her head began to emit a faint light.

And from the body of the Sprout Reaper, indigo light burst forth again.

“….”

“….”

The man’s fist touched the silver-haired girl’s abdomen.

But the girl smiled brightly.

“Excellent.”

The man’s low voice resonated.

A pointed blade, like a glimmering spear, was lodged deep into his neck.

The wound attempted to regenerate endlessly, but was interrupted by the indigo sprout.

And the indigo sprout that started at the wound spread out and soon filled his entire being.

“Ha, haha.”

The silver-haired girl sank to the ground, laughing out loud.

[I won!]

The Sprout Reaper also sank down on her head, giggling.

The silver-haired girl staggered to her feet again and helped the fainted brown-haired girl onto her shoulder.

And slowly, very slowly, she began to walk toward the exit.

The light pouring from the exit of the giant cave enveloped them like a blessing from the gods.

A small gasp escaped the silver-haired girl’s lips.

“We’re almost at the exit.”

As the silver-haired girl trudged toward the front, suddenly, the atmosphere around them grew heavy with pressure.

From beyond the light, a man’s silhouette slowly emerged.

His presence was overwhelming.

It felt as if spacetime itself bent around him, and everything around shrank beneath his shadow.

The aura he emanated was like endless darkness, leaving those who gazed upon it breathless.

The silver-haired girl felt all her strength slip away the moment she saw him.

Her knees buckled, and she sank to the ground.

[He's strong…!]

Though his face was obscured by backlight, the smile on his lips was clearly perceptible.

That smile held the calmness typical of a strong being.

And as the man took a step forward, he appeared before the silver-haired girl in the blink of an eye.

It felt as if every move he made altered the order of the world.