Chapter 239

The Object Association’s subordinate research institute, the Object Management Room.

Deep within that place, there was an object emanating a strong smell resembling petroleum-based evolution liquid. It was a hermit crab whose body was mostly decayed and turned black, yet its shell maintained a vivid purple hue.

At that moment, voices came from outside the isolation room where the hermit crab was contained.

“Looks like this thing is about to die, huh?”

Since it had been discovered, the hermit crab appeared to be gradually decaying due to contamination by the evolution liquid and now barely moved at all.

“But why don’t we dispose of these objects?”

A male researcher dressed in Object Researcher attire looked around at the numerous objects scattered nearby and asked aloud. Around him lay several objects darkened and corrupted by exposure to the evolution liquid.

There didn’t seem to be any financial value or difficulty in removing them, so preserving and isolating them like this was quite unusual for the Object Association.

“It probably means the upper echelons of the association are interested in this ‘evolution liquid.'”

“But most studies related to the evolution liquid have failed, right? I thought they concluded it wasn’t very useful…”

“So now we just leave it isolated without touching it further. Too valuable to destroy but too problematic to study—it’s become a white elephant. A big useless thing.”

After considerable time had passed since the Gwanak-gu Evolution Liquid Incident, most contaminated objects were already destroyed. Among the few remaining ones, the condition of the purple hermit crab was rapidly worsening.

“We should prepare for disposal soon. It looks like the hermit crab won’t last much longer.”

“I’ll get things ready then.”

As the two researchers chatted idly and left the isolation area, darkness and silence enveloped the space once again.

Suddenly, the purple hermit crab lifted its eyes skyward.

[Final Mission.]

In its non-functional eyes, memories from long ago resurfaced—images of a girl with blue hair smiling brightly.

With its last ounce of strength, the hermit crab transported itself far away, moving toward the middle of nowhere… deep into the snowy plains of Russia.

***

A Golden Reaper who had eaten his mother’s candy was happily skipping along with a giant snack in hand.

From the Mini Reaper Garden, the softest marshmallow.

Transparent sugar dust akin to obsidian from the Black Sugar Desert.

Chocolate powder from the deepest part of the Sea of Hot Chocolate.

And fragrant chocolate sourced from the Stick Cookie Forest.

It was a colossal confection crafted from the finest ingredients collected across the Mini Reaper Garden—a heartfelt creation made by the Golden Reaper out of gratitude and apology for eating the candy meant for his mother.

Unaware that his mother even desired the candy he’d consumed, the Golden Reaper meticulously prepared this treat as an offering of thanks and regret.

“Mom will love this, right?”

Carrying the massive round chocolate snack high above his head, the Golden Reaper eagerly anticipated how his mother would react.

“Mom?”

But when the Golden Reaper spotted the Gray Reaper handing over a piece of candy to another Golden Reaper…

There were supposed to be only two such candies in existence!

Dark suspicions arose that this was all part of his mother’s plan, yet the Golden Reaper decided to investigate further. Stealthily approaching, he eavesdropped on the conversation.

“Mom doesn’t really like it. It’s fine if you don’t eat it.”

His mother was sending the same message she gave him earlier.

“!”

The Golden Reaper was struck by immense shock.

Why play such cruel tricks?

And thus, the Gray Reaper’s credibility rating plummeted one level in the Golden Reaper’s mind—from “regular object grade” down to “harmful object grade.”

Just as the stunned Golden Reaper stood frozen, a “clink” sound echoed behind him.

Turning around, he saw another Golden Reaper holding a glass-like transparent candy, dropped on the ground, looking utterly dejected.

“You too?”

When questioned by the first Golden Reaper, the second nodded slowly.

Fuming with anger, both Golden Reapers lunged at the Gray Reaper. Spotting their advance, the Gray Reaper let out a startled “Eek!” before vanishing somewhere.

***

Kung. Kung.

Through the window came the heavy footsteps of a Jelly Pig, resonating softly throughout the hospital.

Despite its massive size, vibrations caused by the Jelly Pig were absorbed entirely by its jelly-like body, leaving the hospital calm and serene.

A Black Reaper working inside glanced out the window, watching as multiple Golden Reapers frantically searched for the missing Gray Reaper.

Over twenty Golden Reapers had fallen victim to the Gray Reaper’s deception within a single day.

This meant the Gray Reaper had been continuously deceiving Golden Reapers without rest.

“Why did Mom do this?” wondered the Black Reaper silently, though no one knew the reason.

Unlike the strong mother whose actions always had clear motives, the weak mother often engaged in inexplicable behavior without apparent gain.

When no sign of the Gray Reaper could be found within the Mini Reaper Garden, all Golden Reapers collectively gazed upward at the sky.

What was once used to rescue the Gray Reaper during a labyrinth incident—the Golden Reaper Network—was now employed to track down their mischievous mother.

However, none of the Golden Reapers managed to locate her.

Shifting his gaze from the window back into the quiet hospital room, the Black Reaper observed the tranquil scene: a half-asleep alchemist being cared for by his younger sister, content hungry ghosts enjoying rare moments of peace since the White Hungry Ghost-eating Gray Reaper disappeared.

***

Two small footprints appeared on the pristine snowfield.

Barefoot tracks showing distinct toe impressions.

Walking barefoot through the snow felt strange, but I had fled here to Russia to evade the wrath of the Golden Reapers after pulling my prank.

I needed time to cool their tempers while preparing the Milk Bingsu Snowfield.

If I kept destroying snow-related objects, eventually a snowfield would form in the Mini Reaper Garden.

Strangely, despite reports of Siberia being quarantined due to object incidents, there were no visible signs of contamination here—just endless expanses of snow.

Amidst wandering through this vast whiteness, I finally detected a faint presence—an object with a suspicious “evolution liquid” scent hidden within a purple crab shell.

The crab was already long dead.

Though unclear why a crab would relate to a snowfield, finding something dead rendered the effort meaningless.

Just as I was about to discard the crab, a faint noise emerged from inside the shell.

“?

Pressing my ear against it, incomprehensible yet understandable words began flowing out.

[Broken moon. Repeating past. Twisted ending.]

A cryptic riddle beyond comprehension.

***

The girl with blue hair walking endlessly across the snowfield suddenly gasped.

“Look! We’ve finally arrived.”

She fondly patted her waist-high white guardian, lamenting, “Why isn’t our hungry ghost soft and fluffy like a marshmallow instead of hard and rough like stone?”

The white stone guardian responded with a heavy rumble, as if scolding her for such nonsense.

With determination, the Blue Girl marched forward toward a towering city bathed under the light of a luminous purple moon.

It was a beautiful city destined for tragic ruin.

Her faint premonition revealed this clearly.

***

Under the shadow of the purple moonlit city, the girl with blue hair coughed up blood in a dark alleyway.

A blade pierced through her heart, wielded by a ninja clad in oppressive black robes.

“Why has it come to this…?”

As her body grew cold, she reflected. The purple moon she sought to save was already tainted black by evolution liquid, and she herself was dying without achieving anything.

The moment her breath left her, the world rewound.

Back to the barren snowfield and the white hungry ghost.