Chapter 145: The Burning Drug (4)

“Haaaaa.”

As I let out a deep sigh, Seoah who was sitting in front of me frowned.

“Director Lee Sehee. Why are you suddenly here? If you don’t have any business with me, please go back quickly.”

I sprawled across the large table in the deputy director’s office and answered with all the drama I could muster.

“I’ve been so busy lately. When is Yerin coming back?”

“...”

Seoah’s eyes sharpened at that. Well, I get it—she works three times as much as I do. But!

Seoah has always worked a lot. Meanwhile, I’m trying to work after not working for ages, so it’s infinitely harder for me...

In other words, it’s mathematically harder for me!

I glanced up at Seoah, hoping for some sympathy, but she’d already turned her gaze back to her work.

Then, something on her desk caught my eye—a glass case with a fluffy cotton quilt and a blue fruit on top. It didn’t look like an ordinary decoration.

“Seoah, what’s that on your desk?”

I pointed at it with my finger, curious, and Seoah replied in a calm voice.

“You remember the new Object I mentioned in the report last time, the Navy Bud Reaper, right?”

“O-of course I do.”

To be honest, I had no idea what she was talking about. But judging from Seoah’s expression, it seemed like something I should know, so I pretended I did.

“It’s a product of an Object. The Navy Bud Reaper gave it to me and told me to eat it. But I’m still debating what to do with it. I wrote down the details in the report I submitted last night.”

“Ah... I see.”

At first, I didn’t think much of it, but maybe since it was a Mini Reaper who gave it to her, the blue fruit suddenly looked... delicious.

“If you’re that worried, should I try it instead?”

“No.”

Seoah just shot me down without any hesitation.

Tsk.

*********When I got to my hotel room, I stretched my arms high above my head, trying to shake off the tiredness clinging to me.

As I did, the Golden Reapers that were swarming around on the table mimicked my movement, putting their tiny hands together and stretching up too. Then they looked at each other and burst into giggles.

So cute!

I couldn’t help but grin, thinking that maybe Reaper was doing it too. So I leaned in to check on it.

Om nom nom-!

But nope, Reaper was just sitting there with its usual blank face, focused entirely on munching on a pudding almost as big as it was.

Even though Reaper had this cool, chic vibe, sometimes I really wished it would act more like the Golden Reapers. They were just so adorable!

I glanced at my watch and saw it was already past noon.

It felt like we’d barely walked any distance, but somehow, so much time had passed by the time we got back to the hotel. I was also feeling mentally wiped out.

Was it because I’d been staring at that massive Object all day?

Even though I saw some beautiful landscapes too, instead of feeling refreshed, I just felt overwhelmed.

It was like the secretary had predicted this because she didn’t schedule anything else for the day and told me to just rest.

But she did mention that our tour around the research institute would start tomorrow.

As I slowly walked over to the window, I noticed how the world outside seemed divided into two. On one side, there was a cluster of research institutes, all sleek and stylish, while beyond them, there was a group of old, shabby buildings.

It wasn’t quite a slum, but the atmosphere was definitely different from the research complex.

Suddenly, I got an idea. I scooped up the sitting Reaper and lifted it to the window.

The Golden Reaper must’ve noticed it too because it suddenly spat out my squirming antennae and looked around, all alert.

The smell was unmistakable—the delicious smell of charcoal and something more... Yes! The Burning Steel Pig Statue!

Hmm, if I wanted to ask Yerin to treat me later, it’d probably be better if the area was safe first, right?

I gently placed the Golden Reaper in my palm and shared my thoughts. It nodded in agreement, its little face all serious.

Plop-plop! Plop-plop!

Following the smell of charcoal through the maze-like streets, I felt a bubbling excitement in my chest.

The Golden Reaper, bouncing along ahead of me, seemed just as eager at the thought of defeating an Object.

The narrow alleyways twisted and turned, each one revealing a new, strange scene. Finally, we arrived at an old, worn-down church, the exterior crumbling and neglected.

But despite the shabby appearance, there were lots of people going in and out—well, not exactly people.

They were like the monster men I’d seen before in Seoul Forest—humans turned into Objects. So, there must be a Burning Pig Statue here too!

The Golden Reaper sensed the ominous aura, its little face set in a serious expression as it scanned the area.

I followed the smell into the church, passing by the old wooden chairs and the altar, all the way down to the basement.

The basement was huge and much more spacious than the shabby exterior suggested. But then again, it made sense—this was a place meant to hide an Object, after all.

There were guards down there, lots of them, but they couldn’t see ghostly Objects like me. So, I just floated by, unnoticed!

When we finally reached the Burning Pig Statue, the scene was eerily familiar—a giant iron pig, charred skeletons piled up beneath it, and the air filled with desperate, endless screams.

The Golden Reaper kneeled by the skeletons, tears streaming down its little face as it gently touched each bone.

It always amazed me how sad the Golden Reapers got when they saw dead humans, even though this world was so full of death.

I checked the statue’s killing conditions—

< indigestion="">

And, phew, it was the same as the one in Seoul Forest. A tricky little riddle, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

I slipped inside the Steel Pig Statue, feeling a strange, new sensation. The space inside seemed to connect to somewhere else.

This is new! Must be my new space-time powers kicking in.

The space was wet and squishy, like the inside of a giant intestine. Ew. It reminded me of the scene back in Seoul Forest, but something was different this time.

The charred skeletons were just standing there, watching me from a distance.

They were the same ones who’d attacked me before, pouring out their resentment. But now? They seemed... scared?

I took a step forward, and they all backed away, startled. They didn’t have faces, but I could totally feel their shock.

The closer I got, the more they retreated. It was like a game of tag, and somehow, that made it fun.

After a bit of playful chasing, I decided it was time to get serious and started using my powers to catch the skeletons. As I did, the space around us began to distort.

The < indigestion=""> condition was met!

The whole place twisted with the roar of a giant pig, and suddenly, I felt a powerful force pulling me somewhere.

Nooo, my game of tag!

I fought against the force, but it eventually pushed me out of the narrow intestines and sent me flying into the sky.

Below me, I saw a herd of pigs marching across the ground, which was covered in black gooey stuff.

The intestines of the pig I’d been in burst open, killing it in the process.

The pig was a gigantic monster easily over ten meters long, but looked so tiny compared to the rest of the herd.

But the thousands of other pigs didn’t even notice. They just kept marching, paying no attention to their fallen kin.

At the front of the herd was a pig straight out of a myth—a gigantic beast with steps that shook the earth and fiery breath that scorched the black muck.

A pig larger than a mountain was leading the charge toward a spiraling hole in the ground.