Chapter 128: Black Rust (5)

My antenna suddenly started glowing.

Well, not a real antenna, obviously. It’s just that little tuft of hair sticking up on top of my head.

But oh my, the light it gave off was so strong that even when I tried to cover it with my hand, it still shone right through!

Why does this silly head of mine always get special treatment?

I waved my antenna side to side gently, and the shadows it cast danced back and forth like they were playing tag.

While I was marveling at my bright, wiggly antenna, the Golden Horned Reaper—who was clinging to Junior Number Two—climbed up to the top of my head.

Honestly, I thought the power I got after dealing with that Hungry Ghost was something like "Ability to Attract Golden Reapers," considering how it was behaving.

The Golden Horned Reaper hopped around on my head, spreading its little arms wide, trying to catch my fluttering antenna.

Hehe! But I am not going to make it that easy!

Every time it got close, I gave my antenna a little wave, and the Golden Horned Reaper tried even harder, reaching out with all its might.

At first, I thought my new ability was just to wave this cute antenna around like an Anglerfish, but surprise, surprise—it had a hidden talent!

It was a talent for hunting, of all things.

An ability I’d wished for so badly ever since the ‘Black Butterfly’ incident.

It lets me track down the real body of an Object.

But, since what I had was probably just a lesser version, I could only sense the general direction of where the real body was hiding. Still, not bad, right?

As I shined my light on the boy's body, I could feel where the Object that caused all this was lurking.

It’s about 120° from the mouth of the alley.

But after lighting up the boy, my antenna started to dim, slowly going back to normal.

Sadly, I couldn’t track the target multiple times by shining the light repeatedly.

In a city crammed with people and Objects, trying to find the main body with just the clue ‘120° across’...

Hmm, what to do?

While I was busy fretting, the Golden Horned Reaper seized the chance and bit down on my antenna with its little mouth.

Yerin always tried to nibble on my antenna too. I guess it’s only natural since it used to be the bait the Hungry Ghost used. But when the Golden Reapers managed to catch my antenna, they didn’t just bite it—they chewed on it!

I flicked my antenna again, and the Golden Horned Reaper floated up into the air, looking absolutely delighted as it swung around with it.

It seemed like so much fun. Maybe I should ask the Hungry Ghost to let me try it later?

Just then, a thought popped into my head.

Since I got this ability after dealing with the Hungry Ghost, wouldn’t it have it too?

Even though the one I defeated was a tentacle Hungry Ghost and the one I acquired was a Hungry Ghost made of marshmallows, they were the same species, right? So maybe they shared a similar ability?

Excited, I clapped my hands and stretched my arms out wide.

When I summoned the Hungry Ghost from the Garden of Mini Reapers, a massive Hungry Ghost appeared.

But since the alley was so narrow, instead of a round Hungry Ghost, a squished marshmallow Hungry Ghost squeezed into the alley’s shape.

Gyuuuu-!

The white Hungry Ghost, looking all squished and uncomfortable, let out a pitiful noise.

Then, its forcefully squished body began to split into a bunch of round little blobs.

The blobs rolled onto the ground, sprouting arms, legs, and a tail, turning into mini Hungry Ghosts.

They were now twice as cute since they were mini-sized!

Kyuu-!

The mini white Hungry Ghosts let out adorable little cries.

*******A man was dreaming.

It was a dream from the time when his life had been violently turned inside out.

[ How about forging a contract with me? ]

That was when he had sealed his fate, signing a contract with a peculiar Object that called itself the ‘Devil of Contracts’.

Yet, the details of that contract were shrouded in an eerie fog, as if someone had meticulously erased them from his memory.

Perhaps one of the terms of the contract was to forget its very existence.

From the moment he inked that deal, the man became someone else entirely.

The building collided with the soft marshmallowy Ghost, and instead of squishing us, it changed direction and fell far away from us. Phew!

After it saved us, the big white Hungry Ghost opened its mouth super wide and let out a proud howl.

Kyuu-!!

*******A woman covered in tattoos and her younger sister walked the streets of Eunpyeong-gu, near Seoul Forest.

“Unnie, this thing is heavy!”

They had devised a plan to pass off the Colorful Guardian as a doll, carrying it around in plain sight. But for the younger sister, the Guardian, as solid and unyielding as a large rock, was too much to bear.

“I can’t help it then,” the woman murmured, her voice devoid of emotion, as she stepped forward and took the Guardian into her own arms.

“Wow, how can you lift that with only one hand?”

The younger sister's amazement was met with silence. The woman effortlessly cradled the massive stone with a single arm, as if it were nothing more than a lifeless doll.

They had gone out to buy daily necessities like food when a TV screen they were passing by caught their attention.

A huge white Hungry Ghost was howling on the screen.

The footage, likely shot with a cell phone, was grainy and unsteady, but something about it held the woman’s gaze.

“Unnie, that looks exactly like the one you made!”

“White Guardian? Were there alchemists other than me here?”

Her words were flat, more an observation than an inquiry. The white Hungry Ghost on the screen seemed unnaturally light for a Guardian, an anomaly that should have stirred curiosity. Instead, she brushed it aside—there were limits to what she could comprehend, after all.

On the Guardian’s back, she noticed the Gray Reaper, clutching its antennae with that same blank expression she’d seen countless times before.

The Gray Reaper, huh...? Could there be an alchemist at the Sehee Research Institute? Seems like a visit was in order.

As the woman turned away from the screen, she made a mental note to visit the Sehee Research Institute. There was something there she needed to understand—or, more accurately, something she needed to confirm.

*******A car sped through the outskirts of the city, the chaotic sprawl reflecting the flames of its destruction. The vehicle belonged to the man who had once wielded power over the city’s every breath.

The lamp in his hand blazed with an unholy fire, its acrid odor suffusing the confined space of the car.

Just what the hell is happening?

This lamp was his tool of fear and control, flaring to life whenever his enemies drew near. Tonight, its flames roared with an intensity that bordered on the apocalyptic.

The devastation unfolding before him was no mere inconvenience.

The havoc wrought by Objects—buildings crumbling in seismic tremors and the grotesque mass suicides—seemed trivial in comparison to the magnitude of the current crisis.

Thud-!

The car jolted to an abrupt halt, swallowed whole by an immense mass of marshmallow-like substance.

Jumping out of the car, the man in the red suit stared at the impending threat.

Before him loomed an Object: a being with searing yellow eyes and a pallid gray body, its presence oozing sheer power.

Why is the Gray Reaper targeting me? Well, it doesn’t matter. After all, my lamp is invincible!

The man went out of the vehicle while holding the lamp and confidently greeted his enemy.

*******Junior Number 2 was totally lost.

I mean, seriously, what’s happening here?

I came to this mess of a city to handle one little request, and now the client’s dead. Great start, right?

And now, I’m stuck riding this giant white marshmallow with two Reapers, tearing through a city that’s basically turned into a disaster zone. Just my luck.

So, we finally showed up in front of this guy who apparently owns the city.

He was in a red suit, holding this old-timey lamp that looked way too similar to the ‘Watson’ lamp our detective sunbae had.

Then the lamp lights up with this red glow, and suddenly my whole view is nothing but red.

It felt as if the marshmallow, the Gray Reaper, and the Golden Reaper have all vanished, and all I see is this weird, crimson fog.

Seriously, I can't see a thing. This is unsettling.

I need to draw a red circle. Like, ASAP. I know they’ll be coming soon. But the paint... Oh, shit! Yeah! Blood! The paint is in my stomach.

Just the moment I was about to use the multipurpose knife I had, trying to stab myself in the gut to get the paint out, this overwhelming feeling of panic hit me. It was like a desperate voice in my mind screaming, “Please don’t do it!”

Then all of a sudden I see this faint silhouette of the Reaper in my vision. It’s glowing all bright and looking super stressed, clinging to my stomach and holding onto the knife.

Huh? Why am I suddenly doing something like this?

The second I dropped the knife in shock, the Reaper just went limp and fell over. It was out cold, its eyes shut tight.