Chapter 149: The Burning Drug (8)

In the quiet stillness of the night, while everyone was fast asleep, something curious happened in the courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute. Out of nowhere, a bloodied Western woman appeared, lying peacefully atop a bed made of fluffy marshmallows. At the same time, several Golden Reapers—shining and ethereal—appeared beside her.

The Golden Reapers, with their bright, mischievous gazes, stared down at the woman, who was groaning softly with a high fever. Then, without a word, they scattered in all directions, leaving just one behind to keep watch.

We need to find someone to help her!

The little Reapers darted off in every direction, determined to track down someone who could summon that square car—oh, what was it called again? Ah, yes, the one that always came when someone was hurt.

But unlike the others, one particularly cheeky Golden Reaper, sparkling with a sense of purpose, went straight to the sleeping room. It knew exactly where to go: to wake up the youngest, the very one who had called for their help in the first place.

***When Reaper disappeared, I was so shocked!

Like, when it just pushed me away and vanished into that black sphere thing, my brain totally blanked out. I couldn’t think of a single thing.

I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move. It was like someone had just bonked me on the head, and I was standing there, completely useless.

What just happened?! That was the only thought floating around in my mind.

I stared at the spot where Reaper had been just a moment ago, but there was... nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But wait... tiny feet started plopping on the marshmallow floor. What even?

That weird sight kind of knocked some sense back into me. My thoughts slowly started to come together.

Oh my gosh—Reaper’s tiny feet! Reaper’s invincible, just like I thought!

Plop! Plop!

The little feet kept moving, and then—wait for it—Reaper began to regenerate! From the ankles up, it was rebuilding itself bit by bit until even the cute little antennae on its head were back!

Reaper was back!!

I couldn’t contain myself—I sprinted down the marshmallow path, practically diving toward Reaper, and when I reached the end, I threw my arms around it and hugged it as tight as I could.

I wanted to say a ton of things, but, for some reason, the words just... wouldn’t come out. So, I kept hugging Reaper, feeling all warm and fuzzy that it was back. Even though it looked kinda annoyed, it didn’t push me away.

And then—ugh—out of nowhere, that giant pig, the one that’s been lurking, decided to show up. Like, seriously?! It probably thought this was its big moment or something, and it opened its ginormous mouth to spew out a huge blast of fire.

The heat was insane! It felt like it was about to scorch the entire air around us—like, okay, am I seriously about to die right now?

But nope! Reaper, looking slightly peeved, clenched its tiny fist. And boom! A giant black sphere appeared, sucking up all the fire like it was no big deal. ṛ�

Reaper shot me a look and squeezed my hand, like it was saying, “Don’t worry about it.” And honestly? That look totally calmed my heart down. I’d been freaking out, but Reaper’s calm face made me feel a lot better.

The fight lasted longer than I expected, though. Every time Reaper stretched out its hand and clenched it, a black sphere would shoot out and tear the giant pig to pieces. It was intense!

I held my breath as much as I could because I didn’t want to interrupt Reaper’s awesomeness, and I was honestly just standing there in complete admiration.

To make sure the pig couldn’t do that annoying thing where it ate the black ball and spit it back at us, Reaper kept the spheres around for only a few seconds. Each time the black sphere popped in and out of existence, the whole space echoed with this eerie, crumbling sound.

It was, like, the roar of heaven or something. Super ominous!

The other Golden Reapers hovered around, doting on the Bud Reaper like an older sibling caring for a younger one. They stroked its head and back, gently wiping away the dirt and dust from its little body.

The Bud Reaper was clearly the center of attention.

Just then, the mini TV in the courtyard flickered on, broadcasting a news flash.

[ We have received reports that the spirit barrier in Colorado is currently on fire. ]

The screen showed images of the barrier in the U.S., flames licking the sky as fire rained down from above.

The wail of a distant ambulance began to break through the silence. The Golden Reapers paused to glance at the news for a brief moment, then turned back to wave at the security guard before vanishing into thin air.

In the courtyard, all that remained was the sound of the approaching ambulance, the unconscious woman, and the lone security officer.

***Clench-!

When I squeezed my little fist super tight, the space around me twisted and crumpled, squishing everything inside! But that big, annoying pig? It slipped right out, like some sneaky eel, and zipped away, trying to get at me and Yerin again. Ugh, how rude!

This pig was so different from that Hungry Ghost I dealt with back in Songpa-gu. The Hungry Ghost? Oh, it was like solving a puzzle with no clues—so frustrating! But this pig? Its weakness was super obvious... but it just wouldn’t die! How is that fair?!

I was getting all jittery as the battle dragged on. When I glanced over, I saw Yerin looking all pale and worn out. She hadn’t gotten much sleep, poor thing, and she’d been hurt really badly too. Of course, my energy was still in pretty good shape, especially with all the power I was borrowing from Yerin. But I couldn’t keep fighting forever.

I needed to do something—and quick! Yerin looked like she could collapse any moment, and I couldn’t let that happen. I had to finish off that pesky pig before she completely zonked out.

Hmm, maybe I could toss it into a sinkhole like I did with the Hungry Ghost? But then again, this piggy could tear through space and teleport wherever it wanted. So, yeah, no guarantee it would just stay in a hole and behave. Sigh.

Maybe... ooo! I could create a massive black sphere—so big it couldn’t even dream of dodging it! But... oopsie. I didn’t have enough energy for that. I’d need to play with Yerin for like, the entire day, to build up enough strength for something that huge.

Just as I was getting ready to call in a whole swarm of Golden Reapers to help me trap this stupid pig, Yerin suddenly pushed something toward me.

“Reaper, look at this! It’s a mini reaper! I’ve never seen one like it before!”

On her palm was the cutest little Golden Reaper holding... another even tinier reaper! It was navy blue with these two adorable little leaves sprouting from its head, all snuggled up under the Golden Reaper’s armpit.

“!”

My mind completely blanked for a second. It felt like someone had just handed me a surprise baby and told me, “Congrats, it’s yours!” When did this little thing even show up?!

I stared at the tiny Bud Reaper, totally mesmerized. After a few moments, it blinked its deep blue eyes sleepily, rubbed them, and then gave me this bashful little grin. My heart? Completely melted.

The Golden Reaper gently held the Bud Reaper out to me, and it just flopped right into my palm. It couldn’t even stand properly yet!

Yaaawwwnnn-!

Oh my gosh, it yawned! The little thing was so sleepy and adorable! Through its will, it started telling me all about what it could do and... what it couldn’t do. And let me tell you, this Bud Reaper? It was really smart!

I listened, totally impressed, as it explained its abilities. Honestly, it was amazing. I almost wanted to clap—it was even cooler than my own powers, the ones I used to take down the Navy Moon!

Surely, surely this Bud Reaper could take down that tricky, slippery pig!