Seoul Object Story

Thump—! Thump—!

I felt a strange thumping pulse from the ominous eyes on the ground. It was a surge of power reminiscent of the energy from the white flames. Suddenly, a shock wave erupted from the giant’s torn body, and it began to stand up again, slowly but surely.

“Pain. Death. Eyes. Guidance.”

The giant, seemingly unconscious, was struggling to spit out each word, one at a time.

Now that I think about it…

Watching the giant regenerate its body, I realized my fatal oversight. It had been ages since I’d been physically injured, and I was too focused on that. I should have checked its killing conditions with my eyes!

As I watched the giant slowly regain its form, I finally managed to execute my plan.

< Collect the eyes from inside the eyes. >

The conditions definitely made it tricky to kill it with space cutting alone. However, it wasn’t as complicated as the killing condition of the Hungry Ghost, which was < The stone created by the Object of the beginning. >, so I considered myself fortunate.

Now that I had a rough idea of what needed to be done, it seemed manageable. The “eyes” must have referred to the magic circle on the ground that was fueling the giant. Even though I had a hunch it was a window when I first saw it, it now appeared to be more like a passage.

I chuckled, watching the Cult Leader nearly finished with regeneration.

Let’s put his rapid regeneration to the test when he has no flesh left!

With that thought, I spread my hands and clenched them together as if crushing something. The space around me crumpled chaotically, and a large black sphere emerged, swallowing the giant whole.

Hihi, it’s done!

Of course, since I hadn’t met the killing condition, he would regenerate soon. But he wasn’t the type to regenerate instantly, so it would probably take a while. As long as I could use my ability, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

However, contrary to my expectations, the black sphere failed to tear the giant apart. Instead, it exploded, spewing out white flames.

“Behold, the flesh is but a fleeting vessel, bound by the mortal chains.”

The giant’s appearance as he uttered those words was clearly different from before. His clothes were tattered, revealing a muscular upper body covered in strangely shaped eyes. Those eyes were shedding white flames as if they were crying.

“If you let go of this vain world, your soul will fly beyond the eyes.”

The giant, who appeared quite human except for his colossal size, had completely transformed. White flames shot from both of his eyes, and flames shaped like footprints erupted with every step he took.

It was a truly transcendent sight!

Unlike my cute self, he looked like a real Object, which made me a tad envious.

***Rachel didn’t run away.

Even when the Golden Reaper charged forward, its entire body glowing like a lighthouse, and the Gray Reaper appeared to roll around and protect it, she stood there as if nailed to the hill far from the fighting area.

Rachel knew she should run. Perhaps the Golden Reaper had sacrificed itself to allow her to escape. But after seeing the Golden Reaper smiling brightly, despite being tattered, she couldn’t move.

The battlefield between the Gray Reaper and the giant cult leader was chaotic. The cult leader, now a monster, belched fire from his mouth, while the Gray Reaper was busy evading danger.

The Golden Reapers were scattered, jumping around, while the Gray Reaper, just like when it first appeared, leaped toward the Golden Reaper’s distant location, trying to protect it from the giant.

After watching for a while, a small fist flew toward Rachel’s cheek.

Bam—! Bam—!

The unusually angry Golden Reaper was punching Rachel in the face. After a flurry of hits, it placed both hands on its waist and puffed out its cheeks, looking furious.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t move for some reason.”

Rachel cradled the Golden Reaper in her palm and gently stroked it, expressing her apologies. With each stroke, its puffy cheeks deflated, and eventually, with a helpless expression, it giggled.

But it was still too dangerous to linger there, so the Golden Reaper urged Rachel to run away quickly.

Hastily, she began to descend the hill at the Golden Reaper’s insistence. When Rachel glanced back one last time, she saw the expressionless Gray Reaper battling the cult leader.

With a small cheer in her heart, she left the battlefield.

***A brilliant white light erupted across the forest. Amidst the flames that consumed only Objects, the lush, vibrant greenery felt eerily threatening.

“The path to the sacred truth will be paved with fragments of pain.”

The white flames, capable of nullifying Object abilities and sent out by the giant cult leader, were exceedingly irritating. They didn’t completely block attacks like space cutting, but since most of the giant’s wounds healed quickly, time was slipping away.

I darted around with my small feet, teleporting to the scattered Golden Reapers when the giant got too close. Probably thinking it was just a slightly dangerous game of tag, the Golden Reapers looked genuinely happy.

The more I glanced at the flames that adorned the vibrant forest in white, the more certain I became.

If I consume that fire, all my problems will vanish.

Furthermore, that giant’s abilities would become mine.

Those thoughts kept swirling in my mind.

“The awakening of the soul begins with suffering.”

Just as the giant muttered, a massive flame suddenly enveloped me, tightening around my body. Startled, I quickly teleported to where the Golden Reaper stood far away.

Though I had only briefly touched the flames, my left hand turned to ash. The area on my shoulder, singed by the white flames, emitted an awful smell of burning wood.

Had it not smelled so foul, I might have already devoured those white flames, but the odor was so unpleasant that I couldn’t muster the appetite to eat.

Now that I thought about it, the Black Reapers seemed to have dealt with white firewood too…

Wouldn’t they be able to digest that white flame without difficulty?

I summoned a Black Reaper to my palm and asked if it could consume that flame.

Shake—! Shake—!

The Black Reaper shook its head violently, refusing.

I like the kind mother.

The Black Reaper’s response made no sense to me.

Should I really eat it and kill it?

While pondering this, the Black Reaper looked at me with a mournful expression.

Then, conveying its will as if saying, ‘Mom, look carefully!’, it suddenly attempted to flee, and I hurriedly grabbed it.

Stop! I got it, so stop!

Its expression reminded me of the black mucus incident, so I quickly restrained it. It squirmed to escape my grip, then tilted its head, looking up at me.

This little one was definitely trying to communicate something by sacrificing itself… It must mean that I absolutely must not eat that white flame.

I lifted my gaze just then.

“In the shadow of pain, we will discover the true god of salvation.”

The giant, who had begun spewing fire at some point, now sported white flames on his head.

If I couldn’t consume the white flames, what was I supposed to do?

I needed to somehow immobilize that giant so I could leap into his eyes.

The Black Reaper, who had been quietly listening to my thoughts, tilted its head again, as if wondering why I was even considering that.

Then, a massive number of Black Reapers swarmed from beneath my feet. They gathered in one spot and formed a large figure.

What emerged was a giant Black Reaper, complete with cute shark teeth, standing five meters tall.

***Boom—!

The sound of a massive wave of water crashing into the ground reverberated through the cave.

< The World’s Strongest Mom Golem punch! >

< Golem punch! >

The mom golem, towering at five meters, swung its fists with incredible speed, effectively dispatching the cult leader’s army. No matter how many clones there were, the size and speed disparity was so immense that they couldn’t even approach the golem.

< Mom is strong! >

< Strong! >

The mom golem, already powerful, had grown even stronger. The Blue Reaper’s manipulation skills, refined in the Colosseum, had progressed to the point where they could be considered martial artist-level.

< Weaker than the Black Reaper! >

Compared to the Black Reaper, who had always fought them in the Colosseum, the cult leader’s clones were feeble and small.

< Mother Golem Consecutive Punches! >

The clone army relentlessly advanced, but the Blue Reapers felt confident they could match them.

***A Giant Black Reaper, cloaked in white flames, battled the fire-breathing giant.

It was performing far better than I had anticipated.

Rumble—!

The giant’s flaming fist unleashed a massive shockwave, akin to an exploding bomb. It was a blow capable of nullifying Object abilities, with explosive force like a tank shell. An unreasonable attack that even erased physical immunity and struck directly with an explosion.

Yet, as the white flame explosion dissipated, the Black Reaper took the brunt of the heavy fist with its shoulder and smiled brightly, flashing its adorable shark teeth. The Black Reaper seemed to be relishing the thrill of battle rather than feeling any sense of crisis.

I had sensed a difference ever since that ‘Evolution Liquid’ incident, but could it be that the Black Reaper’s innate ability wasn’t physical immunity?

Thud—! Thud—!

With graceful footwork, it lightly kicked the ground, stepping as if dancing like a ghost whose feet didn’t touch the earth.

Though the giant was a formidable foe, with massive, solid muscles resembling a mountain, compared to the Black Reaper, he appeared slow and dull.

Despite looking exactly like me, the Giant Black Reaper emanated an aura of a disciplined and powerful warrior.

The moment the giant could no longer contain its frustration and prepared to unleash more fire at the Giant Black Reaper,

Whoosh—!

A sharp sound pierced the air like an arrow.

Bang—!

Immediately afterward, a heavy impact echoed as a powerful straight punch landed squarely on the giant’s face.

It was a direct hit, aimed with split-second precision. The giant’s jaw received the devastating blow, as if time had slowed down.

The giant lost consciousness from the impact and collapsed forward. It was a fight reminiscent of an amateur versus a seasoned professional. Even though the giant seemed to understand martial arts, it was simply no match for the Giant Black Reaper.

The Giant Black Reaper, having knocked down its opponent, turned its head toward me and smiled brightly. Its expression radiated triumph, as if seeking praise.

Since it looked just like a five-meter-tall baby, it was oddly adorable.

Good job! Keep doing that!

The Giant Black Reaper, hearing my praise, smiled faintly and resumed its martial arts stance. Its skills, honed from countless fights in the Mini Reaper Colosseum, had reached master-level proficiency.

As soon as the Black Reaper took its stance, the giant staggered like a zombie and rose again.

“I will awaken from my sleep in this mundane world and advance to the realm of eternity.”

The giant seemed unstoppable until the killing condition was met.

Well, now I must do what needs to be done.

< Collect the eyes from inside the eyes. >

While the Giant Black Reaper held the giant at bay, I had to fulfill the killing condition.