Seoul Object Story

‘RS’, the city where I lived, was a joyful place.

In this hopeful and lively city, the newly constructed buildings appeared to symbolize its ongoing development.

Children played freely in the well-maintained park, their laughter echoing against the backdrop of lush greenery.

Such a vibrant and dynamic city might sound unbelievable to someone who only heard about it and didn’t see it for themselves.

After all, in this day and age, a city where Object-related accidents rarely occur is indeed a rarity.

However, perhaps as a price to pay, our city also saw its share of psychopaths who committed heinous acts and drew ominous red circles. Safety-related accidents, like gas explosions, were also not uncommon.

Still, it was far better than the desert Object that massacred people or the lake Object that kidnapped them in Seoul. Unlike Objects, psychopaths and safety accidents were threats that could be managed.

The city’s residents worked together to create a safer environment by forming a community to prevent accidents and report any suspicious behavior.

Although the community’s efforts had yet to show results, there was still hope.

Then, out of nowhere, the city full of hope seemed to become the setting of a disaster movie. Roads that once seemed sturdy suddenly collapsed, and many people’s neighbors turned into Objects that devoured people.

“Oh, I’m dying.”

While fleeing from an attacking Object, a building collapsed toward me, and I lost consciousness.

When I came to, I was buried in rubble. My mouth was dry, and my lower body, trapped under the debris, ached. Surviving this was nothing short of a miracle.

But it seemed like there was no way forward from here. I could still hear screams and the sound of crumbling concrete, signaling that chaos and destruction still reigned in the city.

I might die from dehydration or be killed by a murderous Object. As I lay there, waiting for my final moments, something strange caught my eye.

A golden Object resembling a small Gray Reaper leaped around the rubble, gesturing energetically.

Following its lead, an Object with an indignant expression that looked like a plushie stumbled over and devoured the debris. Miniature Golden Reapers carried rubble on their tiny backs and feet.

Were they conducting a rescue operation?

It was fascinating to see Objects trying to save people.

Still, I didn’t think I would survive.

Exposure to the hot sun during my unconsciousness left me with a severe fever, and I felt parched and dizzy.

Suddenly, something emerged from the shadows of the rubble.

It was an Object in the shape of a girl made of clear, water-like substance, reaching out to those buried and conjuring water out of thin air.

The blue child spotted me and slowly approached. When it saw my eyes open, it flinched in surprise and hid behind the rubble.

Moments later, it peeked out through a gap and looked at me with a serious expression.

Is my condition that dire?

The blue child then pulled its hat down tightly, as if to avoid looking forward, and approached me slowly.

It gently shut my eyelids and enveloped my body in a refreshing, water-like energy, which brought me great relief.

When I peeked with my eyes still closed, I saw the blue child writing unknown symbols in the air.

< Scars get healed! Please! >

< Don’t lose to the sunlight! Please! >

After writing its message(?) in the air and giggling like a mischievous child, our eyes met. Its face showed such surprise that it quickly dissipated like mist and vanished.

So, there are fairy-like Objects that helped people, too?

I finally felt a glimmer of hope for survival.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the cute appearance of the blue child.

*******Strangely enough, as soon as the chase began, the whole city seemed to just fall apart.

The people living here were helplessly swept away by a disaster that hit out of nowhere. It was like the city itself was saying, Let’s make this chase as difficult as possible!

From the Garden of the Mini Reaper, loads of Golden and Blue Reapers popped out, spreading all over to help. They were buzzing around, trying to save the day.

But tracking down our target with the White Hungry Ghost in a city that had crumbled into chaos was no easy task.

It was like the universe decided to throw every obstacle it could think of in our way!

The once-sturdy roads suddenly turned into a minefield. The crumbling asphalt seemed to twist and turn in ways that pointed right at us.

The ground the White Hungry Ghost tried to step on would collapse at the worst possible moments, making us tumble down.

Gyuu-!

Every time that happened, the Hungry Ghost would make this sad little noise.

And as if the environment wasn’t enough, there were even more sinister things mixed in with the people. Objects disguised as humans, hiding among the crowd, began to attack us.

The Golden Reapers, ever vigilant and sensitive to any malice towards humans, were dispatched immediately to deal with these threats. They were quick to handle the Objects, but it felt like the whole city was conspiring against us.

It was almost like the city was twisting fate and probabilities just to make things harder.

Yet, the fluffy and persistent Hungry Ghost refused to give up. It kept the pursuit going, undeterred by the chaos.

The chase finally ended when we cornered the man we were after. He was wearing this ominous red suit and holding a lamp that looked like something out of a detective story.

The moment he raised the lamp, madness spread like wildfire. It didn’t affect me or the mini Reapers, but Junior Number 2 suddenly pulled out her knife and tried to stab herself.

At the tip of her knife, the Golden Horned Reaper was desperately clinging on, trying to stop her. It was like watching a brave little warrior in a tight spot.

Just as I was thinking, Do I need to destroy her limbs to make her stop?

because she showed no signs of coming to her senses, the Golden Horned Reaper’s horn started glowing with this brilliant light.

What was it trying to do, using up its own firewood at such speed?

Thanks to the Golden Horned Reaper’s efforts, Junior Number 2 snapped back to her senses. But the Reaper quickly fell limp from the strain, barely hanging on.

“Reaper? Are you okay?”

Junior Number 2 looked at the Golden Horned Reaper with a helpless expression.

The Golden Horned Reaper’s body was drying out and losing color, like it was about to fade away. I quickly went over to Junior Number 2 and touched the Reaper to transfer some firewood to it.

Seeing the Golden Reaper in such pain was new to me. Even though they were tough enough to endure their limbs being ripped apart, they seemed to be suffering deeply.

After I topped it off with energy, the Golden Horned Reaper fell asleep with a peaceful expression.

Then, I turned my attention to the man holding the lamp. I stomped forward with the force of my tiny feet.

Since he had hurt one of my Mini Reapers, I wasn’t about to let him off easily.

He was going to feel every bit of my revenge, slowly and thoroughly.

*******The Gray Reaper approached with an unsettling calm. Its face was a blank mask, yet there was a palpable sense of anger emanating from it.

Despite the menacing aura, I felt no fear. My confidence was absolute.

“I am invincible in this city!” I declared, lifting the lamp high.

Flames erupted from a nearby car—an explosion that had claimed many of my rivals.

It was meant to obliterate any obstacles, but could it even shield that human in the midst of such chaos?

Clap-!

The Gray Reaper\'s hands met with a resounding clap.

Instantly, the explosion veered away, leaving only a cloud of black smoke and charred marshmallow-like Objects wailing in agony.

This defied all logic!

I am the god of this city!

Suddenly, the ground quaked violently, trembling like a leaf in a storm.

Clap-!

With another clap from the Gray Reaper, the earth gave way beneath us.

A sinkhole opened up, swallowing only me and the Gray Reaper. It was meant to be a trap for my enemies, yet the Gray Reaper stood unfazed.

The lamp’s red flames blazed relentlessly, but the Gray Reaper\'s advance was unimpeded.

Clap-!

The Gray Reaper drew closer, its movements as methodical as its expression was indifferent.

Clap-!

It approached with an almost leisurely pace, clapping its hands with a chilling detachment. At that moment, the lamp’s light extinguished, as if snuffed out by a gale.

“W-what!”

The lamp is broken?

A wave of familiar madness washed over me.

My vision bled into red, a sign of impending doom.

This had to be because I hadn’t drawn a red circle.

No!

Why didn’t I draw the red circle?

No!!

The paint—it’s inside me!

No!!!

*******The lamp wielded by that man had a funny way of reminding me of my own abilities.

Well, it wasn’t exactly my power that let me see how an Object was about to meet its end; it was my knack for twisting probabilities to make things go pop.

And oh boy, interfering with that lamp’s power? A piece of cake! All it took was a single clap from me.

As I pranced over to the man, making the lamp’s flames flicker and die, I could see him starting to go a little wobbly.

Instead of getting scared or something, he began acting like Junior Number 2—digging out his own organs and squishing them around, trying to draw red circles on the ground.

But that wasn’t even the weirdest part.

The more circles he drew, the more he started looking like an Object himself. Blood gushed from his belly, and the red circles on the floor greedily sucked up the crimson flood.

Then, without any warning, the clear sky turned a deep, alarming red, and blood started raining down like it was auditioning for a horror movie.

The man, now as dry and frail as a mummy, got up and wobbled around, staring at me with those empty eye sockets. It was like the lamp’s light was still shining from within him.

Suddenly, the world around me was drenched in blood.

It bubbled and fizzed like it was boiling, and out of it came all these blood-drenched Reapers that looked just like me but all twisted and wonky.

Their mouths opened, and a creepy, metallic scraping sound filled the air.

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

< Though the Divine One raged with fury, it shielded the wayward mortals. >

The strange language felt oddly familiar, like déjà vu with a side of the weird. Even though it was my first time hearing it, something about the story rang a bell.

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

< Though the Divine One raged with fury, it shielded the wayward mortals. >

The distorted Reapers kept blabbering on, repeating the same eerie message over and over like a broken record.