Chapter 294

Deep Inside Sehee Research Institute, Gray Reaper Isolation Room.

Yerin was cradling the Gray Reaper in her arms while watching an internet broadcast on her phone. It was the same broadcast she had briefly seen during the Association Doll Rampage Incident.

The man ended the broadcast and, after whatever happened, lay in bed with his whole body wrapped tightly in bandages.

[Hello. I didn’t plan to broadcast this, but it seems many of you are curious.]

Yerin nodded slightly at this statement. Even though few people watched the broadcast, anyone who did would think the same thing.

[‘Click. Click. Click.’]

The sound of a doorknob turning three times in a steady rhythm, followed by a voice.

[“Hey there, room 405 bachelor. Open up.”]

This pattern perfectly matched what James Research Institute had announced about ‘dollified’ humans.

Moreover, the newly formed Object Safety Management Council had endorsed James Research Institute’s findings. The final scene of his broadcast left a deep impression on viewers – the eerie atmosphere and ominous clicking sounds hinting at what was about to happen.

Thus, his broadcast quickly became internet-famous, with countless people capturing screenshots and turning them into memes.

It seemed many were curious if the man had survived, prompting him to go live again.

[Many of you are right about it being a doll trap.]

[After ending the broadcast, I moved the dresser blocking the door and opened it… only to see dolls swarming behind the lady.]

[That’s when cold sweat poured down my back as I thought, ‘Ah, I’m dead.’]

Though the man in bed was explaining things coherently, Yerin couldn’t focus because of something small twitching in the corner of the screen.

A black face peeked out from behind the bed before retreating when it saw itself on camera – the Cute Object, also known as the Black Reaper.

But despite hiding, a little black finger poked above the bed’s headboard. Perhaps it was hanging there?

Every five seconds, the Black Reaper would peek out again, causing chat messages to start appearing as viewers noticed its presence.

[Right before they caught me, I jumped out the window. Six floors up, so it was all or nothing, but luckily I survived. What? The Black Reaper?]

The man turned toward the headboard after reading the chat. The Black Reaper, caught peeking, gave an awkward “Hehe” upon making eye contact.

[Ah, I told it to hide, but it popped out anyway.]

The man lifted the Black Reaper onto his palm and extended it toward the phone camera.

[Was going to show you after finishing the story, but here’s your introduction.]

[When my legs were broken and I couldn’t escape, this Black Reaper saved me!]

As he introduced it, the man gently petted the Black Reaper’s head. Looking quite happy, the Black Reaper seemed to enjoy the attention.

Then the man brought its face closer to the camera and started boasting.

[See these teeth? Quite adorable, aren’t they?]

Yerin turned off the broadcast and rested her head on the Gray Reaper’s crown.

“At least everything turned out well. It’s fortunate that man survived, and it’s fortunate the Black Reaper found its Attached Human.”

The Black Reaper wore a blissfully ignorant smile, having surely put great effort into saving that man, fighting off the association dolls from all directions in ways hard to even imagine.

Enjoying the sensation of the Gray Reaper’s feelers tickling her chin, Yerin shared a story that came to mind.

“You know, something strange happened.”

The Gray Reaper’s waving feelers paused, signaling for her to continue.

“After the doll incident, when I returned home, it was completely trashed. Strangely, there were lots of broken dolls piled around.”

It didn’t seem like the Golden Reaper’s doing, nor did it match the traces of the White Hungry Ghost’s work.

“What could have happened?”

In response to Yerin’s question, the Gray Reaper’s feelers spun around as if saying “I don’t know!”

***

At the intersection between Sehee Research Institute and Mini Reaper Garden.

Once closed due to the Purple External Being’s attack, the passage reopened after its disappearance. Likewise, windmills worldwide began spinning again, transporting Mini Reapers seeking Attached Humans.

Apparently shocked by the previous incident, Mini Reapers now constantly guarded the boundary between the courtyard and Mini Reaper Garden, ready to prevent any closure by throwing themselves at it.

While my children with firewood proved somewhat effective, whether they could withstand interference from an External Being remained uncertain.

Lying exactly across the boundary between the courtyard filled with Mini Reapers and Mini Reaper Garden,

split evenly left and right,

felt strangely peculiar.

Slightly unsettling yet fascinating at the same time.

Could it be because the wind feels different on each side?

Turning my gaze toward Mini Reaper Garden, I noticed floating spheres in the sky.

The Black Sphere, Unchanging Sphere,

and a new Purple Sphere.

However, the purple sphere appeared ghostly and translucent, invisible to everyone.

Humans couldn’t see it, nor could the Mini Reapers.

Additionally, it was smaller than the other spheres.

Must be because we killed the Purple External Being before it fully matured.

Thus, using the half-transparent purple sphere, summoning a Giant Purple Reaper was impossible.

Had wanted to collect Giant Reapers of all colors…

Kind of disappointing.

Still, there was one promising point:

The purple sphere gradually grew larger by absorbing firewood.

And though unclear, it seemed to be slowly becoming more distinct.

Like an unripe fruit that needs time to fully develop.

Will a dimension-distorting giant emerge once it’s complete?

Or will it gain the ability to enhance dolls?

Feels like a random gacha game, kind of exciting.

Instead of gaining the Purple External Being’s ability directly, I obtained a new skill from this situation.

Dipping my hand toward Marshmallow Plains caused the marshmallows to wriggle, producing something that emerged.

A marionette resembling a deteriorated Association Doll!

It had no features, just a bald face and roughly shaped limbs.

With this new ability, I can summon as many of these ugly marionettes as I want using firewood.

Their power level is equivalent to an average human.

Though unlimited in number, making them rather impressive, compared to my ability to call waves of Golden Reapers, they’re not particularly useful.

“Marionette!”

Unexpectedly, the Mini Reapers loved them.

Inside each marionette’s head was an empty cockpit-like space, perfectly sized for Mini Reapers.

Currently, in Mini Reaper Garden, numerous marionettes carrying Mini Reapers run around.

They perform spot jumps, accelerate then stop suddenly, much like athletes training.

Without instructions or manuals, how do they operate them?

The Mini Reapers use the marionettes to race in triathlons.

Circling Marshmallow Plains, swimming across the Sea of Hot Chocolate to reach the Snowfield!

Breaking through the snowfield, climbing Candy Mountain, then returning to Marshmallow Plains completes the race.

They’ve even created large water-drop screens to broadcast the event to other Mini Reapers in the plains.

Surprisingly, the current champion is Blue Reaper!

They excel at operating the marionettes, likely due to the complex button-filled cockpits.

While watching the Mini Reaper Marionette Triathlon like a marathon broadcast, something unusual caught my eye.

A golden comet streaking across Mini Reaper Garden’s sky.

Though moving too fast to see clearly, my greed radar reacted.

That must be something cool!

Standing up, I began tracking the comet.

Hehe.

***

Outskirts of Songpa District, near James Tower.

Alex trudged along, finally returning to his home after being locked away in an isolation room like some kind of Object.

Thankfully, he’d recovered his sanity after experiencing “dollification,” unlike other victims.

“My head’s spinning. And I don’t even know what happened.”

Alex remembered nothing from before and after the Association Doll Incident.

Just woke up to find himself still tied up in an isolation room moments ago.

Feels similar to getting contaminated by a heavily mentally polluting Object.

Though rare, it wasn’t unprecedented, so he wasn’t overly confused.

“Just follow decontamination protocols, rest sufficiently, then return to duty. Alex.”

What felt odd was only James CEO’s unusually serious expression and the slightly strange atmosphere whenever he passed colleagues.

Returning home after trudging along, he noticed his front door was broken.

Can’t be!

Panicking, Alex rushed inside to find only his doll lying lifelessly on the floor.

“No!!!”

With a deeply sorrowful expression, Alex placed his hand on the doll’s face.

But the doll’s face, which usually emitted a gentle warmth, was now cold.

“Elizabeth…”

Burying his face in the doll’s head against his chest, Alex quietly shed tears, feeling no warmth whatsoever.