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In the dark room, aside from the light from the projector shooting the video.

The footage displayed the horrific murder that had taken place recently.

The victim in the video looked strange at first glance. Initially, he appeared to walk normally, but after some time, he began to wave his hands in front of his eyes or mutter incoherently in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

“Hey, hey, where are you looking? No matter how tough it gets, you need to keep your wits about you.”

“Get a grip! Open your eyes wide! Where are you looking?”

Noticing the victim’s odd behavior, a colleague walking beside him grabbed his shoulder and started shaking him while speaking.

When the Gray Reaper made eye contact with the victim, the victim suddenly reached out toward the Reaper as if he believed the Reaper was the culprit.

In an instant, the Gray Reaper closed the gap and grabbed the man’s legs.

At that moment, wounds exploded all over his body, and the man’s skin shattered into pieces.

The Gray Reaper, covered in blood, glanced around before vanishing from the scene.

The colleague who witnessed that horrific event screamed and fled the scene. That was the last frame before the video turned off, only for bright light to begin illuminating the room.

“This is a truly dreadful incident. The victim was 32-year-old Jeong Dongjeon, affiliated with the security office. When found, all his skin had been peeled off, and his organs were completely missing. The only eyewitness who appeared in the video is in a state unable to carry out duties due to the shock of the incident at the time.”

After finishing the video, the presenter continued in a calm manner.

“Considering the victim’s last word was ‘Gray Reaper’, it seems certain there is some kind of connection. Especially since the victim had no known interaction with the Gray Reaper, this incident should be classified as a ‘random assault’.”

“The Gray Reaper was rated a special danger in terms of threat level and a level 4 for aggression. However, given this random assault, it appears he actively attacks humans, so we should adjust the aggression level up by three steps to level 1.”

“Accordingly, the handling from the research institute will need to be much more active and comprehensive in line with that rating.”

As the presenter concluded, the conference room erupted into a tumultuous uproar.

“The Sehee Research Institute must have known about this. We need to clarify the circumstances surrounding the cover-up and hold them accountable.”

“Are you suggesting we publicly reveal the central research institute’s failure to contain this and the resulting victimization? What kind of concrete security and oversight measures are in place for this incident?”

The presenter responded with a smug smile.

“Oh, you need not worry about that. The individuals involved in that incident have long since transitioned to other private research institutes.”

Hrumph, satisfied murmurs echoed throughout the conference room. Transitioning from the central research institute essentially meant being dead or soon-to-die.

“Basically, holding this meeting means we’re in a situation where we must utilize the ‘Hungry Ghost’, isn’t it?”

An elderly man with a long white beard spoke in a small voice. Though it was quite soft, the entire conference room fell silent at the moment he began to speak, making it audible.

“Yes, indeed. Given that the isolation room has been compromised, we don’t know when the Reaper will escape. Once the Reaper’s location is confirmed, we will evacuate important personnel and release the ‘Hungry Ghost’ within the special research institute.”

“Ultimately, it looks like there’s no other way. Go ahead with that plan.”

This was a decision made far from the central research institute, within a hidden room of the ‘National Object Management Association.’

*

A security email from the Object Association arrived. The directive was to release the ‘Hungry Ghost’ within the institute in order to eliminate the now-uncontained Gray Reaper.

“Ha, it has come to this, huh.”

To take down the ‘Hungry Ghost’ that caused the Seoul Plaza disaster, a wealth of data would be required, yet once again, useful research materials would be lost in such a manner. The email was automatically deleted within ten seconds of verification.

An excessively stringent security system, but when you think about it, it’s only natural.

If it were discovered that a monster which eats people was being raised within the institute, it would not end merely as a scandal.

“We need to evacuate the research institute. Inform the researchers and have them prepare as soon as possible. We’ll leave once we confirm the Gray Reaper’s location.”

I conveyed the instructions to the secretary brought in by the call bell. The important research personnel would escape, while all regular employees currently working at the institute would be ‘transitioned’ to other private research institutes.

“Oh, Deputy Director. Changes have been observed with the Director. It’s a minor matter, but it’s hard to consider it a mere coincidence.”

“Hm? What has happened?”

“The Director has begun including drawings of the ‘Gray Reaper’ in his research diary.”

“Oh? It’s certainly too coincidental to be a coincidence. Understood, I’ll check it later. You may leave now.”

The secretary bowed and cautiously exited the room.

It was indeed a curious incident. The Director’s research diary is random in content, but at this moment, writing about the Gray Reaper is definitely no coincidence. Even if I was busy preparing to release the ‘Hungry Ghost’, it needed to be verified.

After passing through a long corridor, I arrived at an incredibly spacious office. The walls were packed with numerous books, and there was only a large table and a single chair in the stark room. A man in a lab coat was repeatedly jotting something on paper and tossing it to the floor.

The head of the National Central Special Research Institute.

A man who had become an object, or an object mimicking a human form.

“Indeed, this is the Gray Reaper.”

The scattered papers on the floor contained illustrations clearly depicting the Gray Reaper. Although the words scribbled as annotations were utterly incomprehensible.

It must be a research diary with some significance, but the documents written by the director were impossible to interpret.

In fact, those who successfully attempted to interpret them disappear. They suddenly vanish into thin air.

No one knows where they go. Hence, no one attempts to interpret them.

Instead, this paper is used as protective gear padding by the field personnel. Since objects possess resistance to other objects, it serves as an excellent armor against them, better than any alloy. However, care must be taken regarding the leaking of padding, limiting its utility.

What if these diaries got out into the world? It would spread to society as a dangerous substance that could cause mass disappearances.

Replication is very simple, and the ripple effects are unpredictable. In some sense, it is even a bigger deal than smuggling military ammunition or explosives.

Fortunately, a method to eliminate the director, who endlessly produces such hazardous materials, has already been established.

Simply remove the director via official documents. Then the director disappears entirely from the face of the earth.

However, the director’s existence is essential for maintaining the research institute, which is why the ‘Deputy Director’ reluctantly takes over the management of the special research institute.

After placing the paper with the Gray Reaper’s drawing back on the floor, he left the room.

Will killing the ‘Hungry Ghost’ return the director to normal? That no one knows.

*

Upon crossing the wall, I was greeted by a colorless world. The walls were filled with gigantic bookshelves, and the spacious room contained only a single desk and chair, creating a desolate atmosphere.

“Oh, this is an unusual visitor.”

A man in a lab coat, with neatly trimmed facial hair, exclaimed.

“Usually, researchers come here; you’re the first visitor from an object.”

The man clapped his hands and smiled cheerfully.

“You are ‘KR – 897’.”

The man summoned a file from thin air, flipping through the materials while speaking. As I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term ‘KR – 897’, the man continued with additional explanations.

“Oh, you prefer being called ‘Gray Reaper’? Honestly, that term doesn’t sit well with us. Isn’t it odd to label something that way?”

“It’s inconvenient for classification, and the widespread use of names that could cause various issues seems strange, doesn’t it?”

“Humans living in this reality have even had the freedom to name objects stripped away from them.”

The man murmured with a meaningful expression before adding with a smile.

“But, what good is discussing this with you, an object? Here, in this place detached from the restrictions of the reality, you can freely assign names, number 897 discovered in Korea.”

The man stood up from his chair, opened his arms in a welcoming gesture, and began walking out of the room.

“Come now, as the first object to arrive here, I, your institute director, will be your guide.”

“Welcome, number 897, to the eternal research institute trapped in the Time Gap.”

With exaggerated gestures, the man greeted me with a meaningful smile.

The moment I met the shining passion in his eyes, it dawned on me that the research institute director referred to was without a doubt that man, hinting at helping fulfill his wish.

 

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