Chapter 201

Under the ominous moonlight, right in the middle of Mapo District, there was a small one-room apartment radiating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Though not large, the gentle glow of the lighting and the cute furniture created a contrasting vibe to the eerie night streets.

The lighting emitted a calm beam, reflecting softly off the wallpaper with its soothing hues.

Despite the room being filled with warmth, a woman sat on the fluffy sofa, tightly hugging a blanket.

She had built herself a fortress of blankets, tucked away while watching the noisy TV and sipping a warm drink in small gulps.

Although the TV blared with chaotic sounds, the woman paid no attention to it, instead focusing on the snacks and a golden object on the table.

“Warm enough?”

The woman cheerfully smiled as she carefully dressed the Golden Reaper in a tiny knitted sweater.

The Golden Reaper happily returned the joyful expression, smiling back at her with delight.

Meanwhile, a broadcast warning about strange Golden Reaper behavior played on the TV.

[We continue to receive reports of dangerous actions by Golden Reapers.]

[Many cases indicate they are melting in unsettling shapes or glaring with hostile eyes.]

[If your friendly object starts acting differently, this is a very dangerous sign—please exercise extreme caution.]

As usual, the broadcast stirred up fear, hinting that the Golden Reaper might be dangerous.

Even though the woman trusted the Golden Reaper’s safety, these broadcasts always made her heart race and feel uneasy.

Seeing her anxiety, the Golden Reaper gently grasped her fingers, looking up with a worried expression.

The woman felt her unease fade as she slowly petted the concerned Golden Reaper.

“How can something so adorable cause such chaos?”

She placed the Golden Reaper on her palm and began feeding it snacks one by one.

While doing so, a faint sound came from the table as something climbed onto it.

Tink-tink.

A slightly blank-faced Golden Reaper, identical to the knitted one, slowly approached.

The knitted Golden Reaper leapt onto the table upon seeing the newcomer, standing face-to-face with it.

Huh?

Its head practically had a question mark floating above it as it tilted curiously.

‘Who are you?’

‘I’ve never seen you in the Mini Reaper Garden.’

Every time the knitted Golden Reaper moved with curiosity, the new one mirrored its actions like a reflection in a mirror.

“Wow, they’re exactly alike.”

Watching the two identical Golden Reapers move in sync, the woman could only marvel.

While the knitted Golden Reaper radiated confusion, the new one simply mimicked its actions without any apparent will of its own.

The imitating Golden Reaper then slowly advanced toward the human.

But the knitted Golden Reaper blocked its path, shaking its head disapprovingly.

It was as if saying, “You shall not pass!”

The woman thought the Golden Reaper must have quite a strong sense of possessiveness.

“Golden Reapers should get along!”

She scolded the blocking Golden Reaper by placing it on her palm.

Unable to understand her words, the Golden Reaper looked dejected and lowered its head.

“Come here!”

Sitting on the sofa, the woman clapped her hands and opened her arms wide, waiting for the new Golden Reaper to approach with tiny steps.

The Golden Reaper looked up at the woman and smiled broadly, its grin stretching unnaturally wide.

Something felt…off!

Before anyone could react, the bizarre-smiling Golden Reaper lunged at the woman at high speed.

In its hand was a lightsaber emitting an ominous yellow glow.

“!”

But just in time, the knitted Golden Reaper leapt forward, taking the stab meant for the woman.

Whoosh.

The heated lightsaber instantly set the knit ablaze, and the wounded Golden Reaper stared at the woman with an urgent look, as if saying, “Run quickly!”

Then it began emitting light so intense it was hard to open one’s eyes.

From anywhere in Mapo District, this brilliant yet warm-hearted glow could be seen, protecting humanity.

Thud.

After releasing a burst of light, the Golden Reaper collapsed lifelessly onto the floor like a corpse.

The fake Golden Reaper, its ambush thwarted, furrowed its brow like a walnut, expressing anger.

“A…no. Reaper…”

The woman picked up the limp Golden Reaper with a bewildered expression, but it remained motionless with its eyes closed, appearing lifeless.

***

Was this a Golden Reaper rebellion?

To investigate further, I pretended to be unconscious, but the Blue Reaper started panicking and spewing strings of text.

[Please heal quickly.]

[Protect us.]

As the text vanished, a healing mist enveloped my body, pushing away the golden spear that pierced me.

‘Revolution if successful!’

The Red Reaper mimicked the determination I whispered daily into my ear, proudly exuding red resolve.

Though its expression was too cheerful to fully grasp the meaning, it instinctively understood I wouldn’t die so easily. Armed with a red hammer and sickle, it stood ready against the Golden Reaper.

Taking the opportunity to examine the Golden Reaper closely, I noticed some oddities.

Its flame-like core resembled firewood but lacked emotion.

Moreover, I couldn’t sense any connection to it.

A fake.

But so intricately crafted that other Golden Reapers might easily fall for it.

No worries for fakes.

I healed the piercing wound instantly, opened my eyes, and slowly rose.

As I stood up, the mini reapers gleefully clung to my face.

The fake Golden Reaper wore a confused expression but quickly masked it, raising its lightsaber confidently.

It was as if declaring itself stronger than me.

Could it have studied my fights with the Golden Reapers?

Martial arts, swordplay, running, hide-and-seek.

During my stay in Mapo District, we played various games, though I rarely won.

So did I seem weak?

Well, let me enlighten you.

When fighting kids, I held back!

With both hands dyed black, I extended them and unleashed ‘it.’

A massive sphere of darkness appeared in the air, consuming everything.

Despite displaying sword techniques akin to the First Sword, the fake Golden Reaper was no match for the black sphere fueled by firewood.

No matter how skilled its blade cuts were, it couldn’t overcome the power within the sphere.

‘Even if ants learn boxing, they can’t defeat an elephant!’

I bit into its confident smile and tore the fake Golden Reaper apart.

[Mom is strong!]

The Red Reaper jumped joyfully in place, while the Blue Reaper quietly applauded with tiny claps.

Simple enough.

‘Still, are the other Golden Reapers safe?’

The intricacy of the fake Golden Reaper made me worry if others had fallen for it.

Just then, beams of golden light erupted across Mapo District, piercing the sky—a rescue call from the Golden Reapers signaling danger to humans.

Amidst the glowing suns scattered across the ground, a colossal silhouette emerged from the street shadows.

Unlike the warm-hearted golden glow, this shadow exuded a sinister aura.

Standing tall as if to block my focus on other Golden Reapers, the enormous shadow towered over nearby buildings.

Resembling the fake Golden Reaper, it differed only in size—building-sized—and its ominous black hue.

Two golden beams shot out from its smooth-shadow face.

Its golden eyes glowed like a true Reaper’s but radiated a menacing presence.

The fake entity, shining gold only in its eyes, slowly gazed down at me.

***

Darkness engulfed the giant fake Reaper as my clenched fist summoned a black sphere, devouring its upper body without a trace.

The giant’s attempt to swing at nearby buildings ended in failure.

Dangerous.

If its massive fist struck even once, countless people would perish—it was far too perilous.

Especially since every death would reset the countdown to seven days.

And failing now would make the next cycle far harder.

What if terrifying fake Reapers appeared from day one? Surviving seven days would be impossible.

Squeal-squeal!

The regenerated giant fake Reaper let out a horrifying screech akin to scratching metal on a chalkboard.

This sound unsettled nerves and carried mental pollution, instilling fear.

An incredibly effective form of mental pollution.

Each scream poured waves of human terror and despair into me.

And the more people feared, the more grotesque the fake Reapers became.

Initially identical to real Reapers, their appearance now bore only faint traces of imitation.

A grotesquely stretched mouth.

Sparse, jagged teeth.

Decaying skin exposing protruding ribs.

The more monstrous they became, the faster, tougher, and stronger they grew.

Now it was clear.

The Yellow Moon fed on human fear, manifesting objects with that ability.

What to do?

Should I teleport everyone to the Mini Reaper Garden?

But intuition warned against it.

Without sacrificial humans, the Yellow Moon might relocate like the Snowfield Moon.

Using ‘it’ excessively drained too much firewood.

The Golden Reapers were nearing their limits.

They overlapped efforts to erase fake Reapers, but respawning after death took time in the expansive Mapo District.

Frantic Golden Reapers darted underfoot, but even their speed couldn’t cover the district fast enough.

Filling the gaps were the Heroic Golden Reapers led by the First Sword.

But the overworked lightsabers flickered dangerously, and there was only one First Sword user.

It was almost miraculous that no humans in Mapo District had died so far.

Should I give up?

At that moment, a familiar voice and emotion reached me.

“Reaper, hang in there!”

A familiar silhouette in a lab coat.

Yerin, sneaking into the sealed-off Mapo District.

‘Here comes my battery!’

Seeing Yerin, I grinned brightly.