Chapter 367

The James Explorer Ship was slowly advancing, cutting through the endless blue waves.

I stood near the deck railing, gazing at the sea sparkling like diamonds under the blinding sunlight.

The sky was perfectly clear, a deep and rich blue stretching to the horizon.

The warm sunlight wrapped around my skin, while the gentle sea breeze softly caressed my hair.

The sound of calm waves gently tapping against the ship’s hull reached my ears.

That rhythmic sound was like the heartbeat of the ocean itself.

Was there an island nearby? A pair of seagulls danced elegantly in the distance, performing their own graceful ballet.

As I kept admiring the sea, before I knew it, I had stuck my head between the railings to get a better view.

“The railing’s too high…”

Normally, people just lean on the railing when looking at the sea, but since I’m shorter than the railing, I had no choice but to stick my head through.

Looking at the blue sky and sea gave off such a peaceful atmosphere, but for some reason, a small sense of unease kept clinging to my heart.

“Hmm. Well, since I’m on this ship too, everything will probably be fine.”

Pushing aside that unresolvable uneasiness, I headed toward my special seat on the deck.

And I laid down on the soft marshmallow, pulling out the TV I’d brought from the Mini Reaper Garden.

When I turned it on, a familiar broadcast began to play.

Thanks to the TV signal flow connecting [Sehee Research Institute] – [Mini Reaper Garden] – [James Explorer Ship].

This was truly a party trick only I could pull off.

Hehe.

As soon as I turned on the TV, a few Golden Reapers started sluggishly approaching me.

Then they stuck themselves all over my skin.

No matter how you look at it, these guys don’t seem interested in actually watching TV…

“Well, whatever.”

Ignoring the Golden Reapers staring blankly at my face, I turned my gaze back to the TV screen.

The TV was showing a story about the case I solved recently.

[An astonishing truth has been uncovered regarding the mysterious island discovered in the Pacific Ocean.]

[The James Research Institute announced that this island is connected to the recent large-scale abduction incidents in Europe.]

[The scale of the victims is beyond imagination. According to the institute, the estimated number of victims is over ten thousand, with only dozens of survivors.]

[Currently, the survivors are being transferred to the Korean James Tower for comprehensive checkups and treatment, and their future plans will be decided after observing their recovery status.]

[It has been confirmed that this incident was resolved by Korea’s special-grade Object, ‘Gray Reaper’.]

Afterward, interviews began airing suggesting I should be classified as a new Object.

‘Beneficial Object Class’ or ‘Guardian of Seoul Class’, among others.

Various class names were mentioned.

Hehe.

I couldn’t help but feel secretly proud.

There’s something satisfying about having my work acknowledged, isn’t there?

Actually, I didn’t really care what humans called me, but hearing these praise-filled nicknames made my heart warm up somehow.

At first, I worried that being called a ‘nice object’ might lead to annoying requests.

But thanks to the things I’ve done in the past, those bothersome issues never came up.

Well, even if they did now, I could just ignore them, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem.

“Mom, you’re amazing!”

“You’re amazing!”

When my image appeared on the TV, the Golden Reapers asked a Purple Reaper to interpret, then started cheering wildly after listening to the translation.

They acted as if they were the ones being praised.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re amazing too. Hehe.”

Just as I was laughing “hehe,” another topic came up on the TV.

[However, some experts argue that this discussion is premature and priorities need to be reconsidered.]

[“While the Golden Reaper tirelessly serves humanity across the globe, debating the usefulness of the Gray Reaper makes no sense.”]

The scientist’s voice carried intense emotion.

[“The intentions and tendencies of the Gray Reaper remain somewhat ambiguous. How about the Golden Reaper?”]

The scientist pointed to the Golden Reaper sitting on his shoulder.

The camera zoomed in on the tiny Golden Reaper on his shoulder.

The little one, who had been munching on jelly, looked up and flashed a toothy grin.

[“The goodwill of the Golden Reaper is beyond doubt!”]

Hmm…

When I stayed silent with my mouth closed, the Golden Reapers tilted their heads as they looked up at me.

“?”

Maybe they don’t understand what’s on the TV, but it feels like they’re teasing me.

Feeling irritated for no reason, I started putting the Golden Reapers around me into my mouth.

“Ack!”

“Mom’s angry!”

“Angry!”

Thus, an unwarranted disaster struck the Golden Reapers.

***

Once the air shimmered with tranquil blue light, but now it’s dyed crimson like blood.

The sweet yet bitter smell of caramelized sugar filled the air.

That smell wasn’t just any ordinary scent.

It was a harbinger of the downfall of the White Hungry Ghosts’ paradise.

Huddled on the underground common room floor, the Jelly Earthworm looked upward.

What was once their safe haven had now transformed into a red inferno.

The earthworm’s body was slowly melting away.

Flames licked its jelly-like body, causing it to shiver in discomfort.

Aiming for a better life ended up summoning a worse hell…

The Jelly Earthworm melted slowly in the corner of the underground common room.

Kung. Kung. Kung.

The heavy footsteps of the golem burning the underground common room echoed through the ground.

The golem, which used to burn only White Hungry Ghosts, is now indiscriminately harvesting Jelly Earthworms and White Hungry Ghosts alike.