Chapter 32
"By the way, why isn't she answering either?"
I muttered while turning off my smartphone screen. I tried calling our No. 2 because coming here with just Raphael felt awkward, but she's not answering.
Both No. 1 and No. 2. They seem to need some discipline training. I mean, maids should answer when their master calls.
They should answer before the first ring even finishes.
"I think they might have run away because you overwork them so much. You should have been more moderate."
No. I don't think I overworked them that much. I only gave them tasks they needed to do? Just that there were a lot of them.
"I don't think so? Probably."
"The 'probably' already makes it a fail."
Raphael made an X with her hands. Really? I think I'm being quite restrained? If I wanted to, I could sit around doing nothing all day.
Anyway, what can we do? They're not answering calls, and the wraith incident is progressing. Honestly, I really don't want to get involved. The bigger it gets.
Life becomes endangered, things keep getting weird complications, actions I took without much thought keep calling me back.
"At this rate, incidents will happen just from breathing."
"How about not breathing?"
Yes, I'm a CO2 emission machine. With such an expression, I walked as the navigator's voice was heard.
[Turn right when you see the sign a bit further ahead, meow.]
"Yes, yes~"
Answering halfheartedly, I turned right at the destination, and an empty lot appeared. I can see what looks like a silhouette in the distance, probably Ishia─
"Huh? Hey, Seonghoon. Something's flying this way? It's big? What is it? Eh? What is this?!"
Raphael shakes my arm violently. I can see too. Stop shaking, it's making me dizzy. Black robe, snow-white bones visible through the robe, emanating an eerie aura.
Yes. It's the wraith I designed. But something's strange.
It's holding a scythe in one hand. A scythe. That is, a weapon. It's holding a weapon.
Hmm. Looks cool. It has a completely different style from my shabby practice scythe. Yeah yeah. Wait a minute.
A weapon?
"A WEAPON??!!"
Wraiths don't hold weapons. More precisely, they can't. There's a setting that they can't use weapons because their hands only act to devour souls.
Using weapons means it's a higher species? Why is something like that─ Before I could finish that thought, I hurriedly took out my smartphone.
"It's coming!! Let's run!!"
"Hey. You're making it shake. Stay still. STILL!!"
Though Raphael's shaking makes it hard to focus, I managed to take a picture before it arrived.
Click─
Along with the cheerful sound, the photo was taken, and then the screen changes.
------------
Entity Name: Grim Reaper
Rate: (Unknown)
Skills: "Ghost Summoning(B+)", "Soul Digestion(C)", "Soul Detection(A)"
Note: The final destination reached when wraiths consume the souls of the living. King of wraiths. Death itself that guides life to death.
Those whose eyes meet the Reaper cannot return.
------------
"Haha."
Reading the text, a helpless laugh escaped without my knowing. Why is something like that here? Originally, the wraith incident was supposed to have weak wraiths that couldn't even trigger the magic circle.
But now this isn't a weak wraith that can't trigger the magic circle, no, a Grim Reaper has come.
Why on earth?
I don't know such things. There's no time to think. Before it comes this way, I turned and ran at full speed.
"Huh? Suddenly running? Let's go together!!"
Raphael followed behind. But you know. Airplane and car.
Which do you think is faster?
"Obviously the airplane!!"
"What are you suddenly talking about?!"
A contemplation on life's absurdity. I made a crying face while watching the approaching Reaper. What should I do? One wrong move and I'll die? I'll really die?
It's different from mere wraiths, you know. The Reaper is a higher being that evolved from wraiths continuously eating souls. It's not an opponent we can handle right now.
Even a truckload of current Kim Taehyun couldn't win. Yes, therefore I run.
While running for quite a while, I felt something off. It's clearly a dangerous situation. Soon there will be combat and life-threatening situations, but.
"Magic Eye" isn't activating. Finding it strange, I looked back. The Reaper is approaching in a straight line. Yes, looking at only one place while moving in a straight line.
I slightly changed my running path to the side. No, I completely deviated. But the Reaper's path doesn't change.
"?"
I stopped while tilting my head. Raphael also stops, tilting her head the same way.
I lifted up the stopped Raphael. She's light enough for even my weak muscles to lift.
"Huh? What are you doing? Let go!"
"Wait a moment."
The flying Reaper stops. Stares intently at one spot. It seems to be looking at me, but I moved Raphael I was holding to the left.
Its gaze follows to the left.
Move to the right.
Its gaze follows to the right.
Lift high into the sky, upward.
Up. Down. Up. Left. Right. Diagonal back─ not this one.
When I spin Raphael around, the Reaper's head spins around too.
"I got it."
"Seonghoon. You want to play around even in this situation?"
"No. That's not it."
Don't be shocked, Raphael.
"That thing seems to be targeting you."
"What?! Has my beauty reached the level of seducing monsters? This is troublesome."
I don't think that's it, but I looked at the thing standing still after putting Raphael down. While thinking what to do about this─ a voice was heard.
"Repentaaaance"
"What?"
As if answering my question, the voice is heard again.
"Repentaaaaaaance"
"Angel? Me? Why are you calling?"
Raphael's and my eyes met. Raphael pointed at herself with her index finger and I also pointed at myself with rounded eyes.
Then.
Shake shake.
The Reaper shook its head. When I pointed at Raphael.
Nod nod.
Yeah. Got it. I slowly walked. I went behind Raphael who was still standing there dumbfounded.
Monster-type wraiths crave the living. All undead are the same. They catch and eat the living to raise their rank of existence.
Zombies eat flesh, vampires drink blood, wraiths consume souls.
The stronger the soul, the more it attracts wraiths. Yes, then here's a question.
"Raphael. How high is the rank of a highest-ranking angel's soul?"
"Huh? Suddenly? Probably in the whole universe except God, no one has a higher─ oh?"
Yes. That's what she says. Therefore, execution.
"Huh? Seonghoon wait a minute? What are you doing? Don't tell me you're holding a grudge because you lost earlier? You're making a big mistake─"
"Instead of getting angry at me, look behind you."
Eek─!!! Raphael's scream is heard, and hell's game of tag begins.
In the end, it's a story of Raphael's high-ranking soul attracting a Grim Reaper, stronger than the wraith that should have been attracted originally.
Thanks to that, Yang Minji's soul was stolen, the incident twisted, and a monster that current Kim Taehyun absolutely cannot handle has appeared.
Wow~ Applause~ Clap clap. I clapped and then offered a prayer.
"Enjoy your meal."
"Aaaaaahhh!! Seonghoon?! Seonghoon!! If you save me now I'll pretend this never happened!! Only now!! Only now!! After this passes, even if the statute of limitations expires, I'll definitely put you in jail!!"
Amen.
***
"Lee Seonghoon, you won't get away with this!! Just wait until I get back!! You don't know King Yama is close to me!! If I ask, you're definitely going to hell!! I'll make you shake hands with Asmodeus!!"
What's with that Asmodeus. Do you have a grudge against him? Why do you keep saying you'll make me shake hands with him?
While watching Raphael who runs well without getting tired, I decided to make a plan for how to kill that thing.
Calling the faculty would be the simplest solution but.
[Currently there are too many calls, please wait. If you wait a moment─]
Keep getting such messages so I hung up. Then should I fight directly?
Would beheading through surprise attack be possible in this situation? Impossible. Even if the surprise succeeds, I don't think the head would fly off.
Then steel beams? No good. Obviously it won't do damage and will just fall off or break, and I already broke several recently with Park Shinwoo.
Then. Is it finally time to use this?
I blankly looked at my [Inventory] list. The brilliantly shining text. [Demon Sword X12].
It's a demon sword. If I don't touch it directly, there shouldn't be mental corruption right? If a demon's sword can't even pierce monster skin, is it even a sword? No way.
Okay. Let's go with this. I've been hesitant to use it because it's creepy, but now's not the time to be picky, right? I thought about taking out the demon sword. However.
[Item "Demon Sword" cannot leave the inventory due to magic "Space Severance(EX)".]
"....."
What did you say? For a moment I couldn't understand what that meant. But soon I understood. This is obviously Benia's doing.
If I ask she'll probably say something like [It's an item humans shouldn't use] so I quickly gave up.
As I wracked my brains looking for another solution, I saw people in the distance. Running this way.
A black-haired man and woman, one with long hair, one with faintly glowing blue hair. Seems Kim Taehyun saved them.
Ishia waves her hand while coming toward me, and Kim Taehyun looks alternately between the fleeing Raphael and me before running toward Raphael.
His glare was kind of scary. Please don't look at me like that. That one is being punished. Have you heard of karma?
Seems not.
"Why is Raphael like that?"
"Karma. Reaping what you sow. Well. Something like that."
"??"
Ishia tilted her head but I ignored her and watched Kim Taehyun running. Honestly, you know. My responsibility only extends to Ishia. Because I sent her.
But thinking that this incident happened because of Raphael, I can't just stand by with a clear conscience.
"Can't help it."
At my words, Kim Taehyun jumps between Raphael and the Reaper. His knives block the scythe and he coolly rescues Raphael─
Failed to.
The moment the scythe and knives touch
BOOM─!!!!
With an explosion sound, Kim Taehyun flew far away. As expected, the Reaper is strong.
"Eh?! Is that person okay?!"
Of course he's okay. That guy's the protagonist, he won't die from something like this. Even if he dies he'll fight Hades in hell and come back.
"If he dies we can revive him with Dragon Balls."
"What does that mean?"
Ignoring the questioning reply, I wrack my brains again.
How to kill it.
That monster is the pinnacle of wraith-type monsters drawn by Raphael's powerful soul. A monster that should appear in the mid-to-late story that current Kim Taehyun can't kill even if he dies trying.
Even active heroes would need a truckload to barely catch it.
Firepower is lacking, and when the skill gap is too big, there's only one thing to aim for.
Compatibility.
Wraith-type. That is, necromantic monsters' weakness is that commonly known thing. Light, holy magic power, holy water, prayer.
You know, things that make you think of crosses. And when you think of such things, there's one person who comes to mind.
Who? Why ask when you know?
"Seonghoon!! Just now!! That person just made an explosion sound?! I was wrong!! Please save me!!"
Yes. That person.