When wended at James Airport in James City, I immediately noticed something was different. It wasn’t like the Korean airports I was used to—it had its own distinct vibe.
The structure and interior weren''t too different, but the atmosphere was totally unique!
<em>Maybe it’s because I can’t hear Korean anywhere?</em>
<em>Or maybe it’s the signs—everything’s in English!</em>
Even if you ignored thenguage thing, there was something definitely different about this ce.
It was fascinating how everything wasid out differently, from the design to the tiniest, most insignificant details.
James, who was strutting a little ahead of me with all the confidence in the world, nced back and said, “Wee to America and James’ City.”
He looked so much more rxed and bold than he did in Korea—it was like he had totally transformed!
As we crossed the airport gate, the hustle and bustle of people moving about hit me all at once. It was lively, almost buzzing with energy.
The stores and restaurants were filled with brands I had never seen before, and the air was thick with unfamiliar yet mouthwatering smells.I couldn’t help but wish that Sehee unnie and Seoah unnie hade along with me...
Meanwhile, Reaper was chillingfortably in its transparent containment room, curiously observing the airport.
Its antennae wiggled gently, reacting to everything it saw!
I sooo wanted to rush inside the containment room and give it a good pet, but, duh, I couldn’t do that right in the middle of the airport!
If we were in Korea, I would have been inside the containment room with Reaper the whole time.
As soon as James led us out of the airport, we were greeted by a vastndscape that unfolded before our eyes.
A ridiculously wide road stretched out in front of us, and at the end of it, this massive structure called ‘James Tower’ soared into the sky like it was trying to reach the heavens.
The heart of the city was smack dab in the middle of this gigantic road that seemed to go on forever.
James Tower wasn’t just tall—it practically screamed—"Look at me!"
It was the ultimatendmark of the city.
“Let’s unpack first and talk about our future ns!”
He led Reaper to this big vehicle that was set up with a simple containment room just for it.
As we drove toward <strong>‘James Tower’,</strong> the car gently shook, making the ride feel oddlyforting.
*******The tattooed woman and her little sister navigated their vehicle through the remnants of what was once a lively neighborhood.
They observed their surroundings as they wove through abyrinth of decaying buildings.
Some of the structures bore cracks resembling spiderwebs, while others leaned precariously, revealing their crumbling foundations.
The area was littered with signs of abandonment, likely after a catastrophic event—perhaps an earthquake.
Yet, despite the decay, there was a curious sense of renewal in the air.
It was as if new skin were growing over old wounds; freshly built structures and roads emerged among the bombed-out shells of buildings.
These new buildings were pristine and immacte, a stark contrast to the ruins around them.
The roads, too, were freshly paved with smooth asphalt, a marked difference from the shattered and worn paths they reced.
The tattooed woman remarked as she studied the area, “It’s not as bad as I expected.”
Her voice carried a mix of surprise and relief as she stepped out of the truck.
Given the footage she had seen of the Songpa-gu sinkhole disaster, she had anticipated far worse, but the infrastructure had endured better than she had imagined.
The streetlights flickered on at dusk, indicating that electricity still coursed through the power lines, and the water pipes continued to supply water.
The woman had chosen Songpa-gu as her next home after leaving the tranquil Seoul Forest.
There were two reasons for this decision: practicality and alchemy. The former was the affordability of the area, while thetter was the favorable location.
After the copse of the Central Research Institute, Songpa-gu had been reported aspletely destroyed by the massive sinkhole, but the outskirts remained rtively unscathed.
However, the looming presence of the sinkhole had cast a shadow of unease over the local poption, leaving many residents wary and anxious.
It was this anxiety that drew her to Songpa-gu. With real estate prices plummeting due to the sinkhole teeming with Objects, it became possible to purchase a home at a surprisingly low cost.
From the perspective of someone with a guardian capable of subduing most Objects, the area was ideal for settling down.
Another factor in her decision was the proximity of the <strong>''Sehee Research Institute.''</strong>
The institute''s location near the <strong>''Gray Reaper,''</strong> which seemed to be connected to alchemists, was another enticing reason for her choice.
As she surveyed the area, she suddenly heard the soft meowing of a cat.
<em>Meow-!</em>
When she looked in the direction of the sound, she saw a pure white cat crying softly while looking at the woman.
It was a cute kitten, too pristine to be a stray.
<em>Ah, it must be someone’s pet,</em> an ordinary person might think upon seeing such a cat.
But the woman’s thoughts were different.
<em>It doesn’t smell like a living creature; it must be an Object.</em>
She examined the kitten closely, noting itsck of fear, when her sister’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Unnie, help me with this!”
She nced at her sister, who was struggling to lift arge dresser, and then back at the cat. But it was gone—the white cat had vanished without a trace.
Well, it didn’t matter.
In her old world, Magic Books were destroyed on sight, but this world wasn’t hers. She had to abide by its rules.
At first, she found thex attitude toward Objects in this world absurd, but her perspective had shifted.
Korea was far more advanced than her kingdom and had fared much better. Perhaps coexistence, rather than extermination, was the wiser path? She had begun to entertain such thoughts.
The news she asionally watched always seemed to suggest as much.
With the sheer number of Objects escaping from the Research Institute, it felt almost deliberate.
Was this a scheme by the ruling ss to promote coexistence, using people’s mistakes as a pretext?
No matter how challenging Object containment was, the frequency of these escapes was unnaturally high.
“Unnie!!”
Her sister’s urgent call snapped the woman out of her thoughts. She walked toward the truck, where their belongings were piled high.
*******The Sehee Research Institute, left in disarray by the departure of the Gray Reaper, was teetering on the edge of chaos.
New Objects were being transported into the facility inrge alloy containers, sending everyone except the security room staff scurrying to manage the influx.
It was the day when the institute, long starved of new acquisitions, finally received a fresh batch. Ideally, the transfer would have urred when the institute was more stable, but the timing had been set long before James had reached out.
A security room employee, his expression one of utter boredom, stared at the newly arrived Objects through the containment room cameras.
He sighed and muttered, “Wouldn’t it be fine if we stopped taking in more Objects? I heard the Gray Reaper figure sold really wellst time…”
“Even so,” the senior member of the security team replied, feeding pudding to the Golden Reaper cradled in his arms, “if we want to keep up our reputation as a research institute, we’ve got to keep epting new Objects. If we didn’t and just catered to tourists, we’d be the Sehee Object Zoo, not the Sehee Research Institute.”
The senior security officer looked utterly content as he watched the Golden Reaper daintily eat the pudding, slowly lifting the spoon to its tiny mouth.
“Honestly, this ce doesn’t feel like a research institute anymore. All we do here in the security office is feed the Golden Reaper. It’s more like a <strong>‘Baby Reaper Kindergarten’</strong> than a research institute.”
As he continued to check the CCTV footage, something caught his attention—a containment room stood empty.
“Sunbae. The ghost cat containment room is empty right now. Is that okay?”
“Oh, that? No worries… It’s an Object that doesn’t cause any trouble. We just need to look for it if it doesn’te back in a few days, like with the Gray Reaper.”
And so, life at Sehee Research Institute continued its strange, peaceful routine.
*******As soon as we entered the Research Institute, tucked away in the grand, off-limits James Tower, I couldn’t resist ying a little. I slipped into my phantom form and breezed right through the containment room. So sneaky, right? Hehe.
I figured it was okay toe out now, right? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?
A bunch of researchers stared at me like I was a naughty kitten caught with its paw in the fishbowl, but James just pped his hands, all cool and collected.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said with that calm, reassuring voice of his. “The Gray Reaper is harmless and too slippery to catch anyway, so it’s fine to let it be.”
The researchers didn’t seem entirely convinced, though. Their suspicious looks made me giggle.
Then, one of them, all sneaky-like, crept up behind James, pulled out this fancy Object stick, and—<em>Zap!</em>—Stabbed him with it.
A burst of blue electricity crackled from the stick, zapping poor James. I stifled augh as he yelped and iled around.
“Stop! Stop it!” James protested, wriggling like a fish on a line. “I’m in my right mind! Zapping me won’t change anything!”
Eventually, he managed to wriggle free, coughing dramatically.
“Wow, not even the employer gets a break, huh?” Yerin said curiously.
“Of course,” James replied, rubbing his side where he’d been zapped. “Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you’re immune to mind corruption. In serious cases, they’d even consider… you know, taking more drastic measures.”
<em>So if you don''t want to die, you should be careful,</em> James added.
Yerin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as James handed her this thick rulebook. It looked so heavy! I bet it could double as a doorstop.
“Wow, they have rules for everything!” Yerin marveled as she flipped through the pages. “Are you sure it’s okay to show me all this?”
“Sure,” James said with a shrug. “These rules are already online. Objects are a threat to humanity, and keeping this stuff secret would only speed up our extinction.”
His mindset was quite different from the usual hush-hush attitude of Korean research institutes, where everything was about secrecy and profit. I found it refreshing.
“Before I give you the grand tour,” James continued, striding confidently down theb’s wide hallways, “let’s take care of the most important thing first.”
The hallways were so tall, they made me feel tiny! The design was sleek and modern, with crisp, clean lines and elegant simplicity.
It was so fancy that I almost felt badparing it to the Sehee Research Institute. Poor Sehee.
The walls were painted a pristine white and dotted with digital disys showing off the insides of the containment rooms. So high-tech! I had no idea what half of the equipment did, but it was fun to guess.
After winding through a maze of gadgets and gizmos, we arrived at this massive, open space.
The ceiling soared above us, and the room was so beautifully decorated it felt like stepping into a luxury hotel lobby. Except… there were barely any people around.
In the center of the room floated this huge ck sphere. It looked like a giant, mysterious sculpture, just hanging in the air, all dark and enigmatic.
< immutable="" ck="" ball="">
That’s what they called it. An Object that couldn’t be moved or destroyed. It didn’t seem to do much, just floated there, but it was so big and shiny! I had to take a closer look.
<em>Plop-! Plop-!</em>
As I drifted closer, I noticed the surface looked soft, almost like it was rippling. I reached out and touched it, and it was like pressing my hand into warm, still water. The surface swayed gently under my touch.
James and Yerin were making a fuss in the background, but their voices felt so far away. All I could focus on was that warm, inviting ckness in front of me.
And then, before I knew it, the sphere began to pull me in.