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As I looked up closely, there was indeed pudding floating above our heads, bobbing about lazily.

“Flying pudding?”

It was completely out of place with the factory atmosphere.

Sad Golden Reapers scattered all around.

Shattered corpses strewn across the cold concrete floor.

Puddles of blood gleaming slickly, dark and congealed, sticking to the floor.

Decorative items made from all sorts of human flesh, with a peculiar stench, and flesh pudding.

Amidst this grim ambiance, the pudding was floating around cheerfully.

Under the dim factory lights, it sparkled with a creamy custard-like texture.

A bizarre lightness amidst the bleakness?

That dissonance made me wear a strange smile.

The bubbles that wrapped the dessert reflected light, sparkling in rainbow colors.

Yet, every now and then, they would twist and distort the horrific scenes inside the factory as they passed by.

As the Gray Reaper and I gazed up endlessly, James also followed suit, tilting his head to check the skies.

“Seems like there’s some pudding left uncollected.”

James spoke nonchalantly, as if he were seeing something familiar.

Such a reaction after witnessing something so miraculous?

As I looked at James, harboring such feelings, he responded.

“Oh, I see you two are seeing this for the first time. The pudding produced in this pudding factory all comes wrapped in bubbles like that.”

“Why on earth do they do that?”

Is it really necessary to produce it in such a way?

No matter how I think about it, there seems to be absolutely no need for that.

“Oh! The way pudding pops out like that is obviously not intentional. The object that makes the pudding does that on its own. Well, I suppose the charm is that objects can’t be designed to do what you want.”

If the object is just acting on its own, then so be it.

It’s already impressive that they can design machines to put intent into objects.

Considering how South Korea is busy isolating or removing things, there seems to be quite a disparity.

“Well, since it comes out wrapped in bubbles like that, quite a few factory employees have had to fish those puddings out of the air with nets.”

Perhaps because the pudding is made by an object, James’s pudding factory seemed quite peculiar.

The Gray Reaper was still gazing longingly at the pudding,

Was it that longing to eat it?

At some point, the Gray Reaper had a Golden Reaper in hand, and the way it was cradled looked a bit unsettling.

The Golden Reaper seemed utterly happy, basking in the attention from the Gray Reaper, smiling brightly at it.

It strangely looked like the way someone would hold a ball to throw it?

No way, that can’t be it.

*

Ninja pudding was floating in the air.

It seemed too high to grab.

I could maybe do it by ghosting up the wall and hanging from the ceiling…

But that sounds like a hassle.

Would tossing the Golden Reaper help me reach it?

Unfortunately, it seems too much for my strength.

I placed the Golden Reaper, who was looking at me with a bright smile, on my shoulder.

I noted the remaining rabbit objects were surprisingly few.

There should have been at least ten times the number of the first rabbit doll I killed, but it was a similar level of quantity.

The mass production plan for the Golden Reaper pudding had failed.

Now, hope rested solely on the machine that produces pudding in bubbles.

Walking away from the floating pudding, I headed to where the pudding production machine was situated.

I continued down the dark, blood-smelling corridor.

Thud, thud.

After a short walk, I noticed the dim exit of the building.

Beyond that, across an open lot, was the building that housed the “Hungry Ghost.”

However, the increasingly intense stench was making me feel nauseous.

As I approached the center of the pudding factory, the foul odor intensified, far worse than the monster I encountered in the desert.

The Golden Reapers, who had been bouncing behind me, had already fled to the Golden Reaper garden.

In the spacious lot located at the building’s exit, there was a rather pricey-looking sports car parked.

It seemed somewhat out of place in the lot filled with Hungry Ghost teeth marks.

Watching that scene, James was impressed, while the timid man was overjoyed.

“Surprisingly intact. I thought the Hungry Ghost would have wrecked it.”

“Oh! Thank God, my God!”

Seeing the intact sports car, the timid-looking man was shedding tears while thanking God.

“Good to know that the sports car you invested your entire advance salary in remains unscathed.”

James patted the shoulder of the man who was praying to the sky, congratulating him.

“You spent your entire salary on the sports car? That was from your advance salary?”

Yerin looked somewhat puzzled.

“It’s not just any salary; when compared to what this friend originally earned, it must be equivalent to ten years’ salary.”

“?”

Yerin’s expression changed to one of even more confusion.

As the somewhat relaxed and disheveled atmosphere started tightening back up with heavy footfalls.

Thud. Thud.

The low and heavy footsteps echoed ominously.

The steps of a Hungry Ghost.

As the unmistakable sound of a monster’s footsteps reverberated, everyone fell silent and turned to glance toward the open lot.

The sound was too heavy to belong to a Hungry Ghost.

The steps sounded distinctly different from my memory of fighting the Hungry Ghost directly.

That “Hungry Ghost” subclass was behind the steel door, yet its weight and power were felt even through the steel door.

A monster with a weight and power that made the thick steel door feel like a translucent glass door.

Bang!

With a tremendous noise, the steel door burst apart, and a gigantic monster revealed itself.

Its eyes shone bright red, glimmering.

It boasted a pumped-up body, like a Hungry Ghost on steroids.

It appeared to be double the size of the Hungry Ghost I encountered at the Central Research Institute.

Its skin was covered in black ooze.

Can I even call this a Hungry Ghost?

Thud. Thud.

Every time the Hungry Ghost subclass took a step, its muscles rippled, splattering black liquid everywhere.

The Hungry Ghost subclass roared, as if to showcase its strength.

And the target of that display was some vehicle.

“No!!!!”

It shredded the sports car right before my eyes.

The Hungry Ghost subclass disassembled the sports car into pieces, chewing it as if it would turn it to powder.

“No, no! My year! My dream car!”

The man, overwhelmed with emotions, fell over as if he witnessed his parents being torn apart by a Hungry Ghost.

Tears streamed down, arms outstretched before him.

Unable to withstand the intense mental shock, he fainted away.

Thud, thud.

I stepped into the center of the lot to face the Hungry Ghost subclass.

Definitely big.

I hated the Hungry Ghost for being grotesque, and now this one was twice as bad, given the awful stench.

The eyes of the Hungry Ghost subclass glinted with ridicule.

It had been a while since I encountered an object looking down on me right off the bat.

Because of its size, strength, and impressively pumped-up physique, it seemed everyone feared it more than the Hungry Ghost.

But it looked weaker instead.

Quite strong, but far inferior in presence compared to the Steel Tower or the Hungry Ghost.

With a lack of presence, the destruction condition becomes simpler.

The destruction condition for the Hungry Ghost was [The stone created by the object of beginnings.].

What would this one’s condition be?

[Deplete its regenerative power.]

Hmm, that’s simple.

With a slight smile, I charged at the Hungry Ghost subclass.

*

The Hungry Ghost chased while the Gray Reaper ran away.

The fight between the Gray Reaper and the Hungry Ghost that I had seen on broadcast played out here once again.

When I first saw it, it was a fresh shock.

It seemed like an object striving for humanity’s sake.

Though objects appearing to help humanity is a well-known myth.

While the South Korean broadcast seemed to depreciate it as a territorial dispute between special-grade objects, it was a ridiculous statement.

The Gray Reaper undeniably led the Hungry Ghost away from the empty areas.

Like in the broadcast fight, the Gray Reaper fought skillfully while directing the Hungry Ghost.

Yet, I worried whether the Gray Reaper could win against the more powerful Hungry Ghost subclass.

From the footage in Songpa District, the Gray Reaper had superior regenerative ability and agility.

The Hungry Ghost had overwhelming size and strength advantages.

“This is bad. It seems more difficult than I expected.”

However, the Hungry Ghost subclass exhibited regenerating powers that were incredibly fast, far beyond that of the Hungry Ghost.

In fact, it was regenerating faster than the Gray Reaper by several times.

But the researcher, Yerin, who was watching the battle with excitement beside me, seemed utterly unbothered.

Why on earth?

Even the Gray Reaper’s actions puzzled me a little.

“Why isn’t it summoning the Golden Reaper? Could it be that it’s useless against strong foes like the Hungry Ghost?”

Yerin, with sparkling eyes watching the Gray Reaper’s fight, answered.

“Oh no. It’s probably just a whim. Looking at its expression, it seems the Reaper is just having fun.”

Having fun?

To me, it looked expressionless, just like any other day…

The busy Gray Reaper stopped in its tracks and ignited golden flames from its body.

Could it be? A sinkhole?

The brightly burning Gray Reaper clapped twice then tapped the ground thrice with its little feet.