Seoul Object Story

In the distance, another building collapsed.

The buildings, coming in contact with the pulsation of the Steel Tower, crumbled like dry leaves and scattered like dust.

It was my first time seeing the boundaries of the Steel Tower expanding and contracting, like a pulsating heart.

The place where I first saw the Object was back when I was still in the Seoul Forest. So even though I could be considered knowledgeable about the Steel Tower, the current phenomenon was still unfamiliar to me.

The destructive power of its ability to transform civilization appeared to have increased as well.

If in the past it felt as though civilization had been destroyed by a mortar and pestle, now it felt like it had been ground in a blender.

What on earth is happening to the Steel Tower?

I placed my hand over my chest, feeling the flame burning within.

Beneath my soft skin, a warm heat rose in a calm manner.

The frog turned out to be weaker than I had expected it to be, so I still had an ample supply of firewood for my flame.

With this amount of fuel, I should be able to wander around the Seoul Forest for a few days.

Since the Steel Tower was located in Pyongyang, I needed to move quickly.

I have to finish this quickly so that I can rest as well.

***

With every step of mine, the surroundings changed.

It was like Shukuchi,

In the phantom form, the laws of physics became a little looser.

Even with just one step, it felt as though I had walked ten.

It was difficult to control at first, and there were times when I had no choice but to crawl on all fours, while in the phantom form.

But these days, I could move smoothly as if riding a high-speed walkway.

As I finally arrived in a dense forest, I slipped out of my phantom form and landed on the ground.

No matter how many times I came here, this forest remained unpleasant.

When I first arrived in Seoul Forest, I hated it for no apparent reason. But now, I vaguely understood why I hated this place.

It felt unpleasant because there was no one around.

After all, having people around and being the center of their attention felt good.

Seoul Forest was considered as one of the most dangerous areas on Earth, not because of any active threats but due to the sheer potential of its ability to single-handedly destroy civilization itself.

In fact, there were hardly any Objects actively trying to kill humans deep within Seoul Forest.

After all, those murderous monsters desperate to kill humans had no reason to stay in a place where people were hard to encounter.

Of course, just because they didn’t want to actively kill humans doesn’t mean they weren’t harmful.

And it certainly didn’t mean that there were no murderous monsters at all.

As I walked towards the Steel Tower with such thoughts in mind, a bizarre cry echoed through Seoul Forest.

With a stifled shout of frustration, a giant mass of flesh ran through the trees, destroying everything in its path.

The ground trembled mercilessly from its heavy steps, and white flesh was littered throughout its surroundings.

Bundled within that flesh were parasites resembling small earthworms.

This particular Object was often seen near the Steel Tower, it was called ‘Ghost Hunter.’

Of course, I was the one who came up with the name ‘Ghost Hunter.’

Back when I was a human, I had never heard of such a monster with white flesh.

Despite its grotesque appearance and its massive size, the ‘Ghost Hunter’ likely wasn’t a murderous monster.

You see, the ‘Ghost Hunter’ could only perceive ghost-type Objects.

It was because of these guys that I slipped out of my phantom form as soon as I entered the Seoul Forest.

But don’t get me wrong, I didn’t avoid them because these Objects were as strong or as difficult to kill as the Hungry Ghost.

No no no, I was avoiding them because they were disgusting to look at.

If I could help it, I never wanted to see it, as it was not good for my mental health.

The ‘Ghost Hunter’ hunted by hurling pieces of its own flesh towards its prey.

I never, ever, ever, wanted to be hit by its squishy, worm-infested chunk of flesh.

After a few more minutes, the forest filled with these white fleshed monsters came to an end, revealing a vast open space beyond.

Standing proudly in the center of the clearing was what I was aiming for.

The first object to be nuked.

The ‘hard counter’ to human civilization.