Death Cast

01.23 | Grecia Bella Theatre

The night had come for the Death Casts.

It is the state of the world that is the closest to death. That must be the reason for the appearance of terrifying creatures during the night. Just as it would in any other world, darkness crept into even the most unreachable corners of this world, which included the corners of the theatre. These shadows resembled the hobbling attempts of incomplete souls to become completely human. Then it will enter people's dreams, stealing their bodies and souls.

That must be the reason why no one should be walking around outside at night, right?

Despite this, a lofty figure appears to be walking slowly down one of the hallways near the quarters where the performers stay. It had its head bowed as if it were attempting to appear smaller. However, the contrast between its figure and the eerie whiteness of the lights only served to enlarge the figure as the shadows grew longer and longer. On its hand is a sharp, shiny object that glowed brightly when the light was brushed against it.

The strange ghostly figure made its way into the room where Jaerim was sleeping.

Surprisingly, the door was easy to open. In the empty room with only a couple of cabinets, someone is soundly sleeping. Some light snores are coming from the person, but for the most part, it's just soft hushes of breathing while he’s resting. Jaerim had undergone a lot of today. He not only collected clues but he also has been put on trial. No Wonder he would end up in this state.

However, the good night's sleep didn't last long enough. It was as if Jaerim could sense the terrifying energy surrounding him because he began to frown as he slept. His brows twitched and his lashes moved. His figure, which was only partially hidden by the bedsheet, becomes visible under the rays of sunlight that manage to pass through the narrow opening. Before the door shuts and the room goes dark once more, a shadow can be seen entering from the darkness.

This figure is the darkest of the shadows within the room. It made its way from the door to the edge of the bed, where it quietly observed the lone person of the room. Two red dots were seen blinking, opening and closing, indicating the passage of time.

A person's mental state is the trigger for their physical reactions. In his sleep, Jaerim could sense it. As someone who has a good sense of intuition and is sensitive, it's not a question if Jaerim woke up right away. He stood straight up and faced the intruder as soon as his eyes opened.

Two sets of eyes locked on one another.

His hands clenched in anxiety as he held his sheets tight against his body and stared intently at the figure standing at the other end of the bed. His mind is still a blink away from being woken up, but his body has already responded by becoming alert. He didn't yell, though. He maintained contact only until his mind began to function normally again.

"Silvester?" Jaerim cried out.

He hurriedly turned on the lamp on the bedside table to illuminate the room. Out of the shadows, the man emerged to reveal himself. Silvester raised his eyeglasses, which shone brightly due to the light bouncing off them. Under the dim light, the red eyes were visible. In this scene, the grim reaper is not smiling, and his eyes are fixed on Jaerim as if he is staring at a corpse.

In some ways, Jaerim has died.

"What's up?"

To find out why the grim reaper had come to his room, Jaerim took the risk of asking him. Silvester kept his mouth shut, which piqued Jaerim's interest. Nevertheless, the Grim Reaper stated, "Sir Barron will take my place tomorrow. I've suddenly gotten a hold of a case, and I need to get out."

'I don't want to know what business the grim reaper is in,' Jaerim said slowly, his face a mask of apprehension. Is it necessary to tell him about it? he wondered. He had no idea that the Grim Reaper was so friendly. Or was it because it was Silvester?

"Then, take care?" Jaerim commented.

Silvester continued to study Jaerim before nodding in agreement. He turned around and flung open the door, letting in some of the corridor’s lighting. After he'd opened the door, he took a breath and said, "Goodnight."

Shut. The door slammed shut. The room returned to its stillness. Jaerim rubbed his chin in puzzlement as he pondered the situation. Anyway, thinking about these things won't help him, so he turned off the lamp, drew the sheets, and went back to sleep. While he may be average at most things, Jaerim excels at sleeping. He could still lie in bed and sleep despite his predicament.

That's why it's so important to get enough sleep.

On the other hand, Silvester could be seen standing in front of the door, still clutching the doorknob. He stared ahead of him with a frown on his face and his eyes were filled with an unknown emotion. Someone is staring at him from the wall next to the door. The contrast between the person's dark skin and his white hair is stunning.

Barron's arms were crossed as he stared at the young grim reaper next to him. His eyes sparkle with mirth, and he has a wry smile on his lips. Silvester is never sure what Barron's real face looks like when he sees this side of him. Even with the grim reapers around, it's impossible to maintain a positive attitude all the time.

Because they can no longer experience joy or sorrow, these fascinating things will continue to fascinate people.

"Are you checking to see if he's still alive?" Barron inquired about it.

Silvester turned to face Barron as he released the knob from his hands. "He seems to be still alive," he said, pushing up his glasses.

Barron chuckled after a brief pause. "I suppose he's still alive." Barron has the distinct impression that he is saying something auspicious with what he just said. "Yes, that's good news."

He'd observed Jaerim's disposition and knew he wasn't the type to die suddenly. Despite being an Autumn, he has been able to make it this far. He gave Silvester a reassuring look of satisfaction. Barron is supposed to be the one keeping an eye on Jaerim, but it appears that Silvester is filling in for him. In any case, he's here to fill in for someone, so there's nothing wrong with that.

Barron took a look past Silvester in this instance. The strange figure holding the knife is also standing there. The light from the figure's back obscured the person against the silhouette, but that didn't matter to the reapers, who were more interested in the person's face. Through their souls, they are already familiar with the person.

"On the other hand, some people should just drop dead. Is it even worth it for them to continue to exist?"

Silvester's gaze shifted to Barron, then back to himself. The glasses flashed against facing the light. Despite his mild expression, it's clear that he agreed with Barron about this. Silvester walked alongside Barron, who had stopped leaning. He still has a smile on his face, but everyone in the room knows he isn't happy.

"Despite their long lives, some people just don't get it when it comes to following the rules."

Barron turned around and walked away in the opposite direction. Silvester's attention was drawn to the mysterious figure, which appeared to be on guard. The person's shoulders are straight, but Silvester could sense the anxiety in their voice. It prompted Silvester to compare this individual to Jaerim, who never cowered in the face of Barron.

Jaerim, for one, is terrified. Then again, he's not a coward, either. In front of him, he would not behave in the same manner as this person. It's only the cowards who would attack someone from the back.

Silvester remarked to the figure, "You're lucky. No harm has come to you yet, thanks to good fortune.”

Barron released a flash of light that slashed through the figure's leg. The person immediately fell to the ground, rubbing the wound on its leg with their finger while biting their lips to keep from screaming. Silvester stood there watching the figure curled up in agony with his eyes completely closed. The knife that had been lying next to the fallen object had disintegrated as if it had never existed in the first place.

The figure asked between clenched teeth, "Are you... allowed to do this?"

Grim reapers are forbidden from interfering with the world's affairs. In contrast, the violators would be dealt with differently. If the grim reaper or any officials present to find their work to be inappropriate, they may be punished. Silvester thought the character's actions were inappropriate in this instance.

The person's cries were ignored by the grim reaper, who walked away from the scene. He still has a lot to do, and he needs to leave and report to his boss.

Jaerim woke up on his own the next morning. His body quickly adapted to the time and climate of the new location, and he was able to continue working as usual. As someone who has morning classes, Jaerim is quite adept at getting out of bed in the morning. He sat up to give his brain a few minutes to wake up before removing the sheets from his body. As he sat there, recalling the dream from the night before, he cast his gaze toward the spot where the grim reaper stood.

He suddenly shuddered.

"That's so scary," Jaerim mumbled to himself.

Certainly, it is frightening. Seeing red eyes staring back at you in the middle of the night is enough to make anyone scream in terror. Had he not been restrained, Jaerim would have pounced on that gloomy reaper and punched him in the face. After all, he couldn't even imagine what Silvester would do to him in the aftermath of the fight.

It's a certainty that he'll die here.

"What is scary?" A voice asked.

Jaerim is thinking of a way on how to not let Silvester roam around the dark since his eyes light up like neon lights when someone approached him from the side. He had expected Barron to be in his room this morning after the same thing happened the day before, so he was not surprised. He didn't say anything other than to look at the attractive reaper who drinks his usual sweet-smelling tea before wishing him a ‘good morning’.

He responded as he always did, remarking on how bad his day had started. Then he found another piece of paper under his pillow as he was getting ready to leave for dinner. A similar feature to the one he found the previous day, but with different words on it. The words were read aloud to him.

「Suspension Of Belief」

"Suspension of belief?"

"Hmmn?"

Jaerim could feel that Barron is suddenly behind him. The white-haired person leaned close to Jaerim's shoulder to look at the paper he is holding. He smiled.

"You quite have some good luck, huh."

"Excuse me?"

Barron pointed to the slip of paper on Jaerim's hand. "Remember when I said about picking up some item?"

Jaerim nodded.

"This one is also an item but different - it is a skill item."

"A skill item?"

"Yes, a skill item. Its main use is to create instances to either revise the storyline, create diversions, or even replay time - it all depends on the kind of skill item you pick. It's consumable and could only be used by anyone as long they took hold of it. This time, its owner is you."

Jaerim couldn't believe that a simple slip of paper could be so powerful. He showed Barron the one he'd chosen the day before because he remembered it. The smile on the grim reaper's face has suddenly become complicated. He pondered Jaerim's luck as he examined the two slips of paper in his hand.

Since Jaerim had found one, he only went over the basics of how the skill item worked. Because of its OP characteristics, he neglected to mention that it is an extremely rare item that can only be found in a small number of worlds. What's more, this guy found two?

"Did you bribe the god of luck?"

"What?"

Barron could see the confusion in Jaerim's eyes. Such specimen, such person, is very unique. Barron is now more inclined in having the guy survive for so long the organization would be able to study his left and right.

"You should keep that thing," Barron said. "It's very important. Someone would kill for just to get one."

"That amazing?" Jaerim placed the slip on his pockets carelessly as if he didn't hear the grim reaper's words. Anyways, he could somehow understand the events that happened to him yesterday in the restroom.

「Deux ex Machina (2)」

Deux ex Machina - an existence that saves the day no matter what. It seems like he had subconsciously used the item when he was thinking of ways to escape from the jester. Ken and his friends' appearance are the chance given to them by god to survive.

Jaerim kept the idea in mind as he fixed himself and went out of his room to eat some breakfast. It is their turn to perform today. He must have a hearty meal to give his day a good start.