The Reaper's Date
The blaring horn split the air as a truck burst straight through the screen, smashing clean through the movie theater.
The mental image could no longer sustain the theater. Estelle’s manifestation lost its power and crumbled away.
In the span of a single breath, the world returned to the dim, gloomy hideout of the necromancers.
System Helper Installation
- 55%
“I can’t believe it worked on the first try. That’s impressive.”
“I gave you plenty of hints. You needed an image intense enough to swallow the surrounding mental images, right?”
“True.”
Even so, pulling out something that powerful so quickly couldn’t have been easy. Usually, images that vivid were tied to trauma. If it involved a truck, then it was probably…
“……”
It must have been a memory she’d rather not revisit. I felt a little guilty for forcing her to drag it out. An image this intense couldn’t have come from an ordinary trauma.
Still, this test had confirmed one thing for certain.
Whatever was controlling that girl’s body right now wasn’t the Mother Box. It was her original personality. No matter how well the Mother Box could imitate humans, it couldn’t generate a mental image this strong.
So I could trust her enough to talk about this. Even if Lee Seong-hyun turned out to be a hunter connected to the government.
Estelle looked at me with that thought in mind.
#
It actually worked.
I never thought the isekai truck would land. Obviously I don’t have any memory of getting hit by one in this world, but by editing a few similar images I managed to create a scene that looked just like it.
I was pretty satisfied with the result when Estelle asked about the truck, apparently struck by how intense the memory seemed.
“A memory that vivid… it couldn’t have been easy to recall.”
“Well, I was a little reluctant. But I couldn’t think of a stronger image.”
I’d been worried it might come off as too much of a joke, but maybe the absurdity actually made it hit harder. It seemed a playful mental image was surprisingly effective at shattering Estelle’s serious one.
When I answered, her expression turned strange. Was she feeling guilty?
“I’m sorry for making you remember something painful.”
“Huh?”
At Estelle’s apology, I realized what misunderstanding she’d fallen into.
“Wait, did you think I pulled out a memory of a traffic accident?”
“Wasn’t it?”
“Not at all. I mean, I was in an accident, but I was really young so I barely remember it. And I wasn’t even hit by a truck.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. So you don’t need to worry about it.”
Driving made me a bit uneasy, but I didn’t have any real trauma from the accident. There was no need for her to apologize. When I told her that, Estelle’s expression grew even more apologetic.
“While I’m at it, I should apologize for one more thing. Bringing you here was a kind of test.”
“A test?”
“To confirm whether the Mother Box had taken over your personality.”
Mother Box.
So Estelle already knew about it. And “personality takeover” was far too ominous a phrase to just let slide.
“How much do you know about the Mother Box?”
“…I just found it in a basement under the church. I know it can change the color of magic stones, but that’s about it.”
“A device that converts mental images. So that’s the extent of your knowledge?”
“Pretty much.”
In truth I knew more, but I only revealed what wouldn’t raise suspicion. Estelle then spoke a name that sounded extremely dangerous.
“The Mother Box. The official name of that black box you found is a core component of a Class 1 Catastrophe Device.”
“Class 1 Catastrophe Device?”
“It refers to the single machine with the potential to collapse Shion. The Hunter Guild and the government strictly prohibit any attempts to create or excavate similar objects.”
A Class 1 Catastrophe Device. I knew it was part of something bigger, but I hadn’t realized it was that dangerous.
“How exactly does it collapse Shion?”
“I can’t tell you that. If you want to know, how about joining the Special Task Force?”
“I’ll pass…”
“Thought so. For now, just remember that it’s an extremely dangerous machine.”
Estelle smiled and continued her explanation.
“The machine that chose you as its host removes the host’s personality and installs a new one meant to restore the system in its place.”
“…Installs a personality? Wait a second.”
“Does that ring a bell?”
The moment she said “install,” only one thing came to mind.
The system helper that was still being installed inside me even now.
System Helper Installation
- 55%
Halfway done. Once it finished, would my personality be stolen?
“There’s something called a system helper that keeps installing itself. Is that okay?”
“…That’s new to me. Normally the personality is replaced the instant someone touches the Mother Box.”
Was this actually fine? I looked at Estelle with that question in my eyes, but she seemed just as confused. This was apparently new territory for her too.
“This will need an examination.”
“An examination?”
“Yes. There’s someone who knows about these things. It would be best if you got checked at least once.”
I had no desire to leave it alone and lose my body, so I nodded and accepted Estelle’s suggestion. After I did, she stepped out of the temporary building and made a call.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Who did you call?”
“The cleanup crew. Someone has to take care of the aftermath.”
True. We couldn’t just leave the place like this. Once Estelle finished the minimum necessary cleanup, she led me back into the back alleys.
“Anyway, we need to examine the Mother Box, so we’ll have to go out for a bit.”
“Ah. You’re taking me to that knowledgeable person?”
“That’s right. Let’s see…”
Estelle tore another photograph, releasing the residual image sealed inside. The alleyway before us transformed into something more cyberpunk.
When we emerged from the alley following Estelle, every light and sound in the world seemed to crash over me at once.
Skyscrapers soaring endlessly into the sky. Brilliant neon that turned night into day. Streets packed with crowds several times larger than Central Street. The deafening noise of the city. It was a scene straight out of a cyberpunk film.
Seeing me stare wide-eyed at the dazzling street, Estelle gave me a little quiz.
“Question. What is the name of this street?”
“Hmm. Corporate Street? Something like that?”
It was obviously cyberpunk, and advertisements and signs from every corporation covered the place, so I figured it had to be Corporate Street. But Estelle crossed her fingers into an X and signaled that I was wrong.
“Incorrect. The correct answer is Night Street.”
“Night Street? Hmm…”
“It doesn’t look like it, does it? You’d expect a place called Night Street to be quieter.”
“Right. Like Sleeping Street.”
“That’s why I like this place. It wasn’t created from a single person’s mental image. It’s the form created when the people of Shion came together. This street truly represents Shion.”
So these buildings weren’t made from mental images. People had built them one brick at a time, one drop of sweat at a time. This was the real Shion.
Pride shone clearly on Estelle’s face as she spoke.
“Come on. Let’s hurry. Any later and the shop will be closed.”
I followed Estelle’s lead through Night Street. Instead of the main road lined with famous guild shops like Reverse Factory or the Demon King’s Army, we headed down a narrow alley.
The moment we entered an alley that clearly had terrible public safety, Estelle navigated the winding path with familiarity and descended a staircase leading underground.
“Open up. It’s me.”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
She knocked on a basement door that didn’t look like it could possibly belong to a shop. After a moment it opened. What emerged was a headless robot.
I followed the robot, which seemed to be asking in annoyance what we wanted, and a shop that looked like a junk store appeared. But I couldn’t see the owner. Had they stepped out?
“There’s no one here.”
While I was looking around the empty shop for the owner, a birdcage on top of a display shelf caught my eye. Inside the cage was the severed head of a woman.
What the hell was this? My gaze was drawn to the grotesque decoration that looked like something a serial killer would keep in their house.
The instant my eyes met the severed head, it opened its eyes and screamed.
“Wah!!!”
“Whoa?!”
Startled by the sudden noise, I jumped in surprise. The head seemed satisfied by my reaction and laughed.
“Hehehe, that reaction never gets old.”
“Are you… a Dullahan?”
“That’s right! First time seeing a real Dullahan?”
“Seems that way.”
As the head laughed, a headless robot wearing a pure white coat emerged from the back of the shop and picked up the birdcage with one hand.
“What brings the Grim Reaper here? And with a young man at your side? This isn’t exactly a great date spot.”
“I need you to examine him, Crome. It’s about the Mother Box.”
“Oho.”
At Estelle’s words, the Dullahan called Crome changed his expression. The shop’s entrance was immediately sealed shut.
“He hasn’t had his personality stolen?”
“Not yet. But it’s clear the Mother Box is infiltrating his mental image.”
“Haha. That’s good.”
After listening to Estelle’s explanation, Crome laughed loudly and beckoned to me.
“You there, human. Hurry and get into the back room. I’m dying to examine you as fast as possible.”
Was it really okay to entrust my body to this guy? I looked at Estelle with that doubt in my eyes, but she simply nodded as if to say it was fine.
At Estelle’s urging I reluctantly entered the examination room in the back. Instead of the smell of disinfectant, the sharp scent of metal and oil stung my nose. Though it was called an examination room, it was closer to a workshop cluttered with tangled wires and machine parts.
In the center sat a single worn-out chair that looked like something from a dentist’s office. The whole scene screamed unease.
“Here, just sit down.”
Following Crome’s gesture, I sat carefully in the chair. He turned on an old-fashioned recorder and began muttering to himself.
“Right. Before we start the examination, we should take care of the formalities. I am Crome Yellow, also known as Doctor Aurum. What I’m about to do is examine a human patient… Your name? If you don’t want to give your real name, a fake one is fine.”
“Lee…”
“It’s better to hide your real name in the back alleys. There are quite a few abilities that activate just by knowing a name.”
“Then call me Helper.”
I was about to give my real name but stopped after Estelle’s advice. Crome didn’t seem to care much about the verification process and simply nodded.
“Good. Helper. I’m going to look into your mental image now. Do you consent? As a medical professional, I swear I will not disclose to anyone the scenes I witness.”
“…I consent.”
“Don’t be too nervous. It’s just a legal formality before treatment. I won’t be able to peek at your memories or discover what your abilities are. Relax.”
After I nodded in consent, Crome brought over wires that looked like they belonged on an electric torture device and connected them to my body.
“It’ll sting a little.”
The clamps digging into my skin hurt far more than “a little,” but I endured it. Soon I realized that when Crome said it would sting, he wasn’t talking about the clamps.
“Ugh?!”
An embarrassing scream burst from my mouth. A surge of electricity swept through my body, followed by a pain so intense it felt like my vision flashed white.
“Good. That’s it. You held up well.”
“…You call that a medical exam?”
“Well, I specialize in machines. It might feel a bit rough to people.”
A bit rough? That was straight-up torture. I frowned at Crome. He was looking at an old computer monitor and laughed as if something was amusing.
“This is… interesting.”
“Are the results out?”
“Let me get straight to the conclusion. There’s no immediate danger of the Mother Box taking your body.”
The words I most wanted to hear. I let out a sigh of relief, and Crome projected a photo onto the old monitor screen.
“Here. Can you see it?”
“What is this?”
“This is a monochrome image of the mental image of someone who was already devoured by the Mother Box. What do you think?”
“It’s completely black.”
“Exactly. It’s been entirely dyed in the Mother Box’s color.”
Crome then displayed a photo of my own mental image.
“Now this is yours. How does it look?”
“Hmm… it looks empty?”
“Right.”
Unlike the first photo that had been dyed pitch black, almost no color could be seen in mine. At most there was a faint black border around the edge of what looked like a map and a few gray dots.
“Looking at this, it’s clear the Mother Box will have a hard time eroding your entire mental image. It’s only managed about ten percent so far?”
“Oh…”
“Still, this is a truly fascinating mental image. Normally a vessel would be overflowing, but yours is this large?”
Crome looked at me with great interest while Estelle asked him a few more questions.
“Couldn’t the eroded mental image multiply on its own?”
“Of course that possibility remains. But even then, filling a vessel this large would be difficult. If you’re worried, there is another method.”
“What is it?”
“Fill this empty vessel with mental images of different colors. That way the Mother Box’s image won’t be able to dominate it.”
In other words, what Crome was telling me was—
“Basically, I just need to get stronger?”
“Exactly. If you fill the empty vessel with various mental images, you’ll naturally be able to suppress the Mother Box.”
Well, that was a relief. It meant I didn’t have to do anything special. Or so I thought, but Crome brought up something I couldn’t ignore.
“The examination is over, but there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“It’s equipment that will help you control the Mother Box. Would you like to test it?”
“Crome. That’s a failure.”
“Failure? It was almost a success! The only problem was that there was no one who could resist the Mother Box’s erosion. In theory it’s possible, right?”
“That may be true, but…”
“So, what do you say? In exchange for regularly providing me with data, I can supply you with a decent weapon.”
“I’m in.”
It was an offer with nothing for me to lose. When I nodded in acceptance, Crome shouted with an excited expression.
“Great! Once the adjustments are complete I’ll contact you, so come pick it up.”
“Can you at least give me a hint about what kind of weapon it is?”
“Whatever you use, it will transform to suit you. It adds functions to the Mother Box.”
“If that’s the case…”
I exchanged contact information with Crome and left the shop. For now, could I stop worrying about the Mother Box?
“It’s a relief that there doesn’t seem to be any problem.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Good. Then today’s date is over! I hope we can meet again.”
“There’s a next time?”
“Of course. How was today?”
“It was pretty fun.”
After answering Estelle, I quietly studied her face, trying to read her true feelings.
“…Honestly, you’re helping me way more than necessary if this is just for scouting.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. To be frank, you could have used much more forceful methods, couldn’t you?”
“That’s true.”
Since she had roughly figured out that I was the owner of the Mother Box, there had been no need to treat me so gently. She could have arrested me outright. When I pointed that out, Estelle quietly revealed her reason.
“First, I want to maintain a good relationship with the seed of a 5-star ability user. Shion needs even one more 5-star right now.”
“Is manpower that short?”
“It’s less about lacking manpower and more about preparing for the coming disaster.”
“Disaster?”
Preparing for an approaching disaster? Did Estelle know about it too?
“There is almost nothing in Shion right now that could be called a disaster. Most threats are under control, and we can even restrict the generation zones of gates. But there is one thing we cannot control. The monsters in the fog that devour each other and grow stronger.”
“…Fusion anomalies?”
“Correct. Fusion anomalies. It was recently confirmed that a fusion anomaly that has reached 5-star has been detected.”
A 5-star fusion anomaly. In other words, a being capable of using mental image manifestation just like 5-star hunters. No, it would possess power beyond that of an ordinary 5-star hunter.
Fusion anomalies were existences in which countless mental images were mixed together. Imagine multiple mental images, each handled at 5-star level. That would literally be a walking disaster. Was that the creature that destroyed Babel Tower?
“To deal with that thing, we need more 5-star hunters. But most 5-star ability users only care about their own districts. They won’t listen even if a disaster is coming.”
“So you chose me?”
“Yes. We’ve reached the point where we need as many 5-star ability users as possible.”
If Estelle knew about the disaster and was trying to prepare for it, that explanation made perfect sense. But she added one more thing.
“And…”
“And?”
“I simply hope you come to like this city.”
“Pardon?”
“When I first came to this city, no one helped me. It was incredibly hard, and I grew to hate Shion. Then one person helped me, and from that moment on I started to like the city called Shion. So… I hope you’ll come to like it too.”
Transparent sincerity. Maybe because I knew the feeling of wanting users to like me, her genuine words reached deep inside me.
“See you again!”
I watched Estelle wave shyly and walk away, then quietly looked down at the frog-illustrated case she had given me as a gift.
I hate Shion.
I hate this city that took my sister from me. That fact would never change no matter what happened in Shion.
But perhaps.
Even if I couldn’t like the city of Shion, maybe I could like the people who lived in it. The thought crossed my mind.
“…Maybe I should take some photos too.”
After parting with Estelle and returning to my room, a message appeared before my eyes.
System Helper
Installation completed.
