ALL NOVEL Reaper (MC) POV:
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A sleepy-looking cat sat on a moss-covered wall, blinking heavy eyes.
The cat, which seemed to have been wandering all day, kept yawning without rest, yet its two eyes were scanning the surroundings in search of a new adventure.
However, contrary to its notorious reputation, the temporary camp appeared peaceful on the surface.
The wildflowers held dewdrops that glistened, with butterflies fluttering above them.
"Wow, a cat!"
And there were fake children running across the wildflower-filled field.
Surrounded by the friendly children, the cat seemed quite accustomed to their attention, looking rather annoyed.
Well, being a pretty white ghost cat, it must have received a lot of such attention.
However, it seems that the cat is aware of the forks held by the people surrounding it, even though they are showing kindness. Could it be that the cat finds it bothersome?
Although those forks couldn't harm a cat capable of ghostification even if struck, it seemed like the right timing to intervene.
Standing on the fence and undoing the ghostification, I picked up the cat.
Meow!
The cat was startled and scolded me for coming.
'It just looked interesting, so I came to see.'
Meow.
The tired cat didn't seem too interested, meowing and snuggling into my arms.
A peaceful reaction from the cat.
In contrast, the fake children reacted violently.
They hastily backed away, staring with frightened expressions.
Slowly, slowly, they retreated while watching me cautiously.
Then, seeing that I didn't seem to pay them any mind, they scattered and disappeared into the nooks and crannies of the alleys.
Meow.
'Really? I wonder why they suddenly ran away like that?'
Carrying the cat in my arms, I strolled around the camp.
A merchant piled goods on a street stall, calling out to customers.
A butcher sat at the counter watching TV.
Children played jump rope in groups.
Elderly men played baduk, placing stones on the board.
T/N: Google it if you don't know what baduk is.
A peaceful daily scene.
Though the cat didn't notice, the fake humans here seemed quite afraid of me, pretending not to be.
Strange, I wonder why?
Meow.
Bored? It doesn't seem like a dangerous place like on TV?
'Indeed, this place doesn't seem as ominous and filled with violent 'people' as described on TV.'
Meow meow.
TV exaggerated too much?
Well, that's just how TV is.
Meow...
The cat, bored with the peaceful camp, closed its eyes and snuggled to sleep in my arms.
***
??? POV:
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Concrete walls soaked in blood surrounded the basement.
In the dim basement, a reddened chair sat alone, contrasting with the darkness.
On the chair was a headless corpse tied with rough ropes.
The neckless body was covered in all kinds of wounds, and where the ropes were tied, there were bruises from struggling.
Below the chair, a pool of blood dimly reflected light, emitting an eerie glow.
In the pool of blood under the chair were carelessly discarded tools used for torture - rusty saws, pliers, hammers, and more.
Looking at the shattered corpse on the chair, the director spoke:
"Oh, how unfortunate. 'Nameless' has appeared."
The association man was tortured over and over until he finally called out the director's name to die peacefully.
"Come to think of it, even if I hear the name this way, I can't verify it. No matter what name is given, 'Nameless' appears, so I can't be sure if it was really my name."
Chuckling an unpleasant laugh, the director left the basement with the man's corpse, saying,
"At least it's certain that I'm not the same kind as a Parasite Object."
Only the gruesomely dead man's body remained in the isolation room the director left.
***
On the large monitor in the deputy director's office, CCTV footage from the lounge was playing.
Filling the screen was the Golden Reaper.
It was slowly munching on a snack it held, eating bit by bit.
"Huh, it's kind of cute."
Seo-ah, with a slightly relieved expression, opened a notebook and scribbled down notes.
<Golden Reaper Analysis Report>
<Golden Reaper Characteristics - Lack of knowledge. Fondness for humans. Primitive Reaper.>
We will rely solely on your kindness! Click here!
Donate now
<Comparison and analysis of differences with the Gray Reaper.>
It was a report she had thought she would have to analyze someday.
The Golden Reaper appeared suddenly, then disappeared quickly, making analysis difficult.
She had given up on the report because obtaining data was hard, but now that data was in her hands.
Footage capturing the Golden Reaper that had lasted over 48 hours!
One distinct characteristic that could be confirmed from the footage,
It absolutely does not want to leave humans!
Even when eating, it stays close to humans or tries to cling to them.
When resting, it rolls around on human palms.
When bored, it climbs up clothes to cling to faces.
The Gray Reaper and Golden Reaper seem very similar, but their differences also appear greater than expected.
For one, the Gray Reaper liked any kind of video media.
It especially liked leaving the news on while doing other things, but disliked having something else on besides the news when doing those other things.
In contrast, the Golden Reaper showed no interest in video media at all.
Even if people appeared in videos, it paid no attention.
As if real humans were the only thing that mattered.
Their attitudes toward humans also differed slightly.
Both liked humans, but the Gray Reaper pretended not to care and preferred being alone, while the Golden Reaper expressed interest directly. Still, their fundamental behavior principles seemed similar.
Outwardly, the Golden Reaper appeared more foolish than the Gray Reaper, but this seemed due to lack of experience.
Could the gray Reaper be older than it looks?
Just looking at its unclear history before being isolated at Sehee Research Institute made that probability seem high.
So the conclusion was,
<There is no difference in the behavioral principles between the Gray Reaper and the Golden Reaper.>
<The Golden Reaper is actually closer to a young Gray Reaper with limited experience.>
<Continuing the analysis of the Golden Reaper would lead to a better understanding the Gray Reaper, an Object of Special Hazard Level. Therefore, we should not neglect the analysis of the Golden Reaper!>
***
Yellow Detective POV:
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The camp residents who had been suspicious of our sudden appearance were quickly able to accept us as friends visiting on the client's guidance.
The barrage of questions from the client's fake little brother and the flustered client.
The client requested this because something seemed strange, but I still can't quite sense what's off.
"Sis, why did you suddenly leave yesterday?"
"I...I don't know?"
The client seemed to have a pretty good reputation, as every passerby was joining the vacant lot and welcoming her.
More and more people were gathering in the vacant lot in front of the shabby building, but it was a bit strange that no one mentioned the client's name.
Strange... Should I ask about it?
"It seems you've been close friends for a long time?"
I approached the owner of the butcher shop who said he had known the client since childhood.
"Oh yeah, we're close. I've known her since we were little kids! Especially even though our camp is a bit cramped and inconvenient, we rely on and help each other out, so it's alright to live here."
While saying this, he started telling stories about memories with the client, going all the way back to when the client was a baby.
"Yuri! Come over here. This uncle doesn't believe my stories at all!"
Naturally, while listening to the stories, I was able to hear the client's name.
But Yuri?
The client's name I heard was 'Sua'...
The client, still not looking well, just smiled as she approached when called by the butcher shop uncle.
"Senior, wasn't the client's name Sua?"
"It was Sua."
"Then what's the situation now?"
"What else could it be, it's a troublesome situation involving an Object."
It's clear there's some kind of problem, but I can't figure out what exactly the problem is.
It didn't seem like much time had passed since arriving at the camp, but the sun had already started slowly descending near the horizon.
They said they were holding a simple welcoming ceremony for the client, but the preparations looked like quite a grand festival.
In the middle of the vacant lot, a campfire was lit with stacked logs.
Around the fire, charcoal grills were set up to grill seasoned meat skewers, vegetables, sausages and more.
People swarmed around the client, and a joyful atmosphere filled the air.
"Senior, doesn't this seem suspicious?"
Junior 1 asked while holding 8 chicken skewers, one on each finger.
"What's suspicious about it?"
"The client is suspicious. No matter how I look at it, it's clear there's no problem with the camp, right?"
"So?"
"If there's no problem with the camp, but the client says the camp is strange, then couldn't it be that the client is the one who's gone crazy? So she requested to find her normal little brother?"
Junior 1 stated confidently while munching on the chicken skewers.
"How's my deduction this time? Perfect, right?"
"It sounds plausible, but my intuition tells me the camp side is stranger."
I fidgeted with the revolver in my pocket, deep in thought.