Chapter 342

Seodaemun District, a space beneath the fog and a sky of grid patterns.

In such an alien place, the short-haired girl shouted loudly at the man who was slowly walking down from the sky.

“Grant my wish right now!”

As she screamed, the short-haired girl raised the orb high into the sky.

“They said if I collect ten orbs, they’d grant a wish…”

Strangely, it was only now that she realized this fact, but the girl began to understand in her mind.

“They said it would save my older sister…”

She knew that such a suspicious object wouldn’t actually grant wishes.

“It was definitely like that…”

It also became clear to her how odd it was that, no matter how desperate she was, she had believed the words of such a shady man.

“Just grant it now, please.”

But still, she didn’t want to give up.

Her older sister.

The hope of rescuing her older sister.

The short-haired girl, who had been shouting with her mouth wide open, suddenly shut her mouth and bowed her head.

And tears streamed down from beneath the bowed head of the girl.

Upon seeing this, the man with a halo stopped his steps and looked down at the girl with an expression as if observing something curious.

[Are you doubting? The slight increase in resistance is intriguing.]

The man with a halo paused for a moment but then resumed his steps.

[Was such functionality built into the lead doll from the design stage? It’s minor and useless. Worthless repeated attempts, just like her.]

The man with a halo no longer even acknowledged the short-haired girl’s existence.

As if the girl’s words or actions were irrelevant.

The golden armored reaper floating in the sky looked down sorrowfully at the crying short-haired girl, then clenched their teeth and glared angrily at the man.

[Come forth, byproduct of meaningless attempts. You’ll make a fitting decoration for the final act of the grand mission.]

At that moment, the golden armored reaper emitted a brilliant light from their entire body and charged straight at the man with a halo.

A long streak of golden light adorned the void.

The golden armored reaper reached the man’s eyes in an instant, faster than light, and collided with tremendous speed.

KABOOM!

Like a flashbang exploding, a golden flash illuminated the scene as the man fell from the air staircase into the maze-like downtown area.

At that moment, the body of the golden armored reaper, hovering high in the sky, began emitting a sun-like brilliance.

A light so intense it could burn away all the fog and erase every shadow.

And transformed into that light, the golden armored reaper dove toward downtown like a lightning strike from the heavens.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Again and again and again.

Flashes of light and surging shockwaves.

Beneath the gridded sky, the city that had replicated Seodaemun District was instantly reduced to ruins.

Crackling sounds began as the grid space started to develop cracks, unable to endure any longer.

***

Under the multicolored moons rising in Seoul’s night sky, a building in a corner of Seodaemun District buzzed with unusual activity.

That building was the temporary situation room hastily arranged by James, yet its interior was surprisingly sophisticated.

State-of-the-art equipment lined the walls, and the central large screen continuously updated data while flickering.

Sitting amidst this equipment, James slowly read through the report displayed on the monitor.

His eyebrows knitted together deeply, creating furrows, and his lips were tightly sealed.

As he read the report, James massaged his temples as if suffering from a headache.

The report came from the American Object Association and detailed the “Mass Cognitive Ability Loss Incident” occurring in Seoul.

Originally, his intention was simply to find similar cases to devise an effective response strategy, but reality far exceeded his expectations.

Under the fluorescent lighting, James’s face appeared pale.

As his gaze followed the sentences in the report, his expression grew darker.

Contrary to expectations, the report wasn’t just a list of similar cases.

It was more like a mirror reflecting identical records of incidents.

“How could such an object have gone undiscovered until now?”

James shook his head in disbelief.

According to the report, nearly identical patterned incidents were happening worldwide.

The number of victims was always 11 at most.

Considering unreported cases or accidents, it was likely there were always 11 victims each time.

They all visited specific locations for no reason and lost their cognitive abilities completely within three months.

Additionally, the report mentioned similar incidents from decades ago when the object phenomenon first began.

For such a long time, affecting such a wide range—this was an extraordinary object.

A chilling thought crossed his mind.

‘If this is truly the work of one object, it might be on the level of the Moon of the Snowfield or Namelessness.’

James stood up, resting his hand on the desk, and moved toward the window.

The night view of Seoul entered his sight.

“This time, the pattern has completely changed.”

Muttering, he rubbed his chin.

In most countries, this phenomenon occurred once and ended.

Had it happened only once in Korea, it might have been overlooked among countless strange object phenomena.

Why has the pattern changed now?

An object phenomenon that happened once in a region but for the third time in Korea alone.

This suggested two possibilities.

Either Korea was special, or this era was special.

James sighed deeply.

Both scenarios seemed likely to escalate into major issues.

He hesitated for a moment.

Were his thoughts too far-fetched and overly speculative?

But soon, he made up his mind and called his secretary.

He ordered a major broadcast about this “cognitive loss incident.”

The secretary, momentarily surprised, soon nodded and left the room.

Watching the secretary leave, James muttered softly.

“Things related to objects always turn out to be reality, no matter how absurd they seem.”

Muttering this, he began carefully reviewing the report again.

***

Deep within Sehee Research Institute, the Gray Reaper Isolation Room maintained its usual cozy atmosphere.

White wallpaper, soft lighting, and most importantly, a large, plush bed!

A bed so soft that lying on it felt like sinking into water.

Though slightly warm, the squishy mattress was perfectly countered by the snacks in my hands.

Nom nom.

I was enjoying the milk shaved ice brought from the Mini Reaper Garden’s snowfield, nestled under the fluffy blanket, watching the large TV on the wall.

Yeah, this was the paradise I wanted.

But there was one problem with my isolation room paradise.

It was the issue that arose since the Object Association disappeared.

“Lately, there’s no interesting news.”

Just the usual mundane news and boring conversations on screen.

I missed the days when the Association caused bizarre incidents daily.

While dozing off amidst the boredom, a faint sound caught my ear.

Peeking with my foot dangling off the bed, I saw mini reapers approaching cautiously.

Tip-toe.

Carefully tiptoeing closer were the Blue Idol Reaper and Golden Reapers.

“Mom’s sleeping.”

“Hehe.”

What could possibly be so funny? The Golden Reapers were giggling quietly.

The Blue Idol Reaper, for some reason, was following behind the Golden Reapers wearing a reversed halo.

Curious about what these kids were up to, I pretended to sleep, closing my eyes.

Approaching me, the Golden Reapers carefully checked if I was really asleep, then crawled onto my face and tried to lift my eyelids.

“Mom’s really sleeping.”

“Now!”

For some reason, these Golden Reapers seemed familiar, though my memory was hazy.

The Blue Idol Reaper, receiving the signal, nervously lifted their microphone.

[Great…]

[Great…]

The Blue Idol Reaper’s command still wavered with hesitation.

Anyway, what commands start with ‘great’?

While pondering this, the Blue Idol Reaper finally completed their command and fired it at me.

[Become a Ddjajjil!]

“!!!!”

Eek, a taboo command!

Startled, I bolted upright from the bed, but it was too late to dodge the command.

Pachink.

However, the Blue Idol Reaper’s command shattered into pieces upon touching my body, having no effect.

“Ack!”

“Mom woke up!”

Trying to flee as I rose, the Golden Reapers couldn’t escape my angry Ddjajjil Beam.

“Angdae!”

“Uwaah!”

The Blue Idol Reaper froze in fear, unable to run when they saw me suddenly wake up.

Seeing my gaze, the Blue Idol Reaper shyly smiled.

Hehe.

I returned the smile before immediately firing a Ddjajjil Beam.

[Ddjajjil…]

The Blue Idol Reaper touched their chubby cheeks in shock, muttering magic sadly.

Ddjajjil.

Meanwhile, the White Hungry Ghost mocked the Ddjajjil-transformed Mini Reapers from behind.

Just as I was thinking how to torment the annoying White Hungry Ghost, meaningful news began airing on TV.

[According to James Research Institute’s announcement, the current ‘Mass Cognitive Ability Loss Incident’ occurring in Korea…]

[Thus, the Object Association declared Seodaemun District a dangerous area…]

[Even the Golden Reaper appearing in Seodaemun District has disappeared…]

What would’ve been exciting news turned into an entirely different story with that last line.

“Golden Reaper missing????”

***

The world of the grid-patterned sky began collapsing.

The brilliant golden light that had appeared like a descending sun slowly dimmed.

Within the light emerged the Golden Armored Reaper, looking somewhat weary.

At that moment, a voice began resonating from the dust cloud formed by the collapsing buildings.

“Remarkable. I didn’t expect the byproduct to be this strong.”

Snap.

As the finger snapping sound rang out, wind swept away the dust clouds.

“!”

From the ruins walked the Man with a Halo, unscathed, causing the Golden Armored Reaper to clench their teeth harder.

“You’re too strong.”

But the Golden Armored Reaper didn’t give up.

If once wasn’t enough, then again!

As the Golden Armored Reaper resolved this, flames reignited within them, emitting brilliant light once more.

KABOOM!

Transforming into a golden comet again, but it didn’t work this time either.

No, it didn’t even reach him.

An impenetrable transparent barrier existed between the man and the Golden Armored Reaper.

“Why?”

The Golden Armored Reaper couldn’t comprehend.

An attack that should’ve pierced through physical immunity like Mom’s ‘Ddjajjil’ being blocked.

Would the First Sword have noticed the structure of this defense?

Or would another Golden Reaper with better senses have noticed?

Even the least talented Golden Reaper didn’t give up.

Lacking ‘Mom-level’ senses, but not giving up!

The Golden Armored Reaper transformed back into a golden comet, relentlessly striking the Man with a Halo.

If it doesn’t penetrate, keep trying until it does.

But the attempt ended simultaneously with the Man with a Halo muttering.

“Hmm, are you lacking intelligence? You don’t know when to quit.”

As the man muttered with a bored expression, the space fractured into grids, instantly dismembering the Golden Armored Reaper.

The brilliantly shining golden armor scattered, limbs were cleanly cut off, spreading golden logs.

It resembled golden blood.