Chapter 142: The Burning Drug (1)

The delightful breakfast of raw Hungry Ghost steak was over.

Yerin, probably feeling a little guilty about indulging in sweet marshmallows for breakfast, had ordered room service. She nibbled on them while cradling the mini Hungry Ghost in her arms, her eyes glued to the TV.

Well, I guess a marshmallow as big as an adult’s head might be a bit much for breakfast.

I slowly crawled over and rested my head on Yerin’s lap. From my vantage point, I could see the tiny feet of the Mini Hungry Ghost dangling just above me.

My mouth watered as I leaned in, ready to sneak a bite, but Yerin was quicker. She whisked the white Hungry Ghost away, just out of reach.

“This is mine. I’m not sharing.”

You’re just going to play with it anyway, Yerin!

Pouting, I summoned a new mini Hungry Ghost and popped it into my mouth, turning my gaze toward the TV. The news anchor on the screen was frowning, speaking in a heavy tone about some recent disaster: a new drug that was spreading like wildfire.

Even though the drug was extremely addictive, it was completely undetectable and dirt cheap, causing all sorts of trouble.

Hmm, it must be a drug made from Objects.

Munching on my marshmallowy Hungry Ghost, I listened as the TV droned on about how, when tested in the lab, the drug was found to be mostly burned protein. It was so charred they couldn’t even tell what kind of meat it was.

Because of that, the Narcotic Control Bureau concluded that this drug had something to do with Objects and requested help from the Object Association.

Then, pictures of people who had taken the drug flashed on the screen.

Their skin looked like dry, cracked bark, and their bodies were as skinny as mummies. But their eyes... they glowed with a creepy, ominous light.

It reminded me of something...

Oh! Now that I think about it, it kind of looked like those monster men I saw in Seoul Forest back in the day.

As I mulled it over, the TV clicked off, and Yerin’s voice filled the room.

“Ugh, that’s so creepy. I’ll probably dream about it...”

She hugged me tight and added, “Reaper! Let’s go to the swimming pool in this hotel! Since there won’t be any other guests, we’ll have the whole place to ourselves. It’ll be fun!”

With that, Yerin scooped me up and carried me out of the hotel room, off to our next adventure.

*********In one of the relatively fine conference rooms inside James City, James, the deputy mayor, and the officials monitoring the mini-moon were gathered.

“You look tired. Why don’t you take a break, James.”

James, wearing his usual indifferent expression, barely glanced at the deputy mayor, who was still sporting an escape-prevention collar around his neck—briefly released from quarantine but still very much under watch.

“It’s better to suffer now. I can’t keep the guests from Korea waiting,” James replied, as if the idea of taking a break was beneath him.

Without waiting for a response, James turned his attention back to the footage projected on the screen.

“Now, let’s talk about the gray moon.”

At his cue, the ‘Mini-Moon Observation Plan’ staff switched the slide.

“These are photos of the moon we took yesterday.”

The slide displayed a large moon, proudly standing out among the mini-moons—a moon that was completely gray.

“As you know, the color of the moon is affected by both weather conditions and time. However, since yesterday, no matter when or where we observed it, the only thing we saw was that the moon always has the same color.”

Photos taken from various locations and time zones flashed on the screen in quick succession, but to everyone’s surprise, the moon looked exactly the same in each one.

Lately, though, I’ve noticed something a little strange about the Golden Reapers. They always look... happy. Like, all the time.

You’d think they’d show a bit more excitement when they’re having fun or eating something yummy, but nope, the Golden Reapers are just... content, I guess? It’s weird, but also kinda cute!

But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own likes and dislikes. Maybe their reactions change depending on who gives them something? Hm, that’s something to think about later.

Just as I was pondering all this while playing in the water with the Reapers, James showed up at the hotel pool, looking super tired.

“I’m glad you’re resting well.”

“I think you need to rest, James. Your complexion is really bad.”

But James just brushed it off, saying he was fine (typical James), before asking us to head to the hotel’s central hall.

*********James showed up, looking like he could collapse at any moment, and called Yerin and me over.

Poor guy, he really needed a break! But I figured this had to be about Relic Number 0, so I put on my serious face (well, as serious as I can get).

After finishing our swim, we headed to this huge hall filled with all sorts of antiques. It was like walking into a museum!

There were ancient relics, old-fashioned trinkets, and even a fountain pen that looked like it had written its fair share of secrets.

Oh, and there were these strange murals that looked like they’d been ripped right off the wall of some mysterious temple.

But... none of them had the same energy as Relic Number 0. I could just feel it.

And just like I suspected, none of these items reacted to me. Not even a little tingle!

“Nothing is reacting, huh? Strange,” James said, sounding a bit surprised. Honestly, I was too, but then something else caught my eye.

It was this huge marble mosaic on the floor. It was so pretty! The mosaic showed a sky with seven moons, a massive spire, and animals as big as the spire.

I found myself just staring at it, trying to take it all in. Yerin seemed intrigued too, as she started looking at the mosaic from different angles.

Then James began explaining, “Oh, that’s a mosaic I brought from Korea. It was found in the house of the director of the Trinity Third Research Institute.”

He continued, though he sounded a bit unsure, “I brought it because the style and patterns in that mosaic were similar to what we found in Relic Number 0. But after examining it, we discovered it was made with modern technology, so it’s considered an imitation of Relic Number 0.”

For some reason, it reminded me of those bloody blobs that kept repeating...

< mortals="" struck="" down="" the="" divine="" one.="" yet,="" in="" their="" time="" of="" need,="" they="" yearned="" for="" its="" return.="">

< though="" divine="" one="" raged="" with="" fury,="" it="" shielded="" the="" wayward="" mortals.="">

*********There was no trace left of the majestic mountain range that had once been filled with towering trees. Now, the land was choked with a black liquid, thick and viscous like petroleum, stretching endlessly beyond the ruined peaks.

The ordinary plants and animals that had once brought life to this place had vanished without a trace. There was no chirping of birds, no rustling of leaves, no whispering winds—only a silence that pressed down on the land like a suffocating shroud.

In this desolate wasteland, a monster of mythic proportions roamed. It was a massive pig, its size rivaling that of the very mountains that had once stood here.

From its gaping maw, the beast breathed fire, scorching the black liquid that pooled across the ground. With every thunderous strike of its hooves, the earth quaked, sending echoes of dread through the still air.

This burning pig was the ruler of the abandoned mountain range, cursed to wander in a state of unending hunger.

Its blazing eyes lifted to the sky, calculating the time.

Above, three moons hung ominously—the orange, yellow, and green orbs glowing like sinister suns, casting their eerie light over this twisted world, deepening the shadows that lurked in every corner.