Chapter 108

After dealing with the Blue Moon and stepping out of the cave, the lake looked perfectly fine.

It was calm, clean, and as mysterious as ever.

To be honest, this lake itself was such an absurd phenomenon that I naturally assumed it would disappear if the Blue Moon was destroyed.

I thought either it would dry up because it couldn’t maintain its water level anymore…

Or the submerged city would rust and decay, polluting the pristine lake.

But neither happened.

It just transferred ownership… to me.

The Lake Yangcheon-gu remained intact—and now it belonged to me.

The Object’s ability to create mental pollution favorably towards the lake was also fully inherited by me.

Though it did degrade slightly—subtly enough that it wasn’t too noticeable.

The Blue Reapers seemed incredibly happy that the lake existed.

When the energetic Blue Reapers asked me to entrust them with managing the lake, I agreed, and they were overjoyed.

They were already gathering together and dividing up their assigned districts.

Why are they so excited about this?

Is the lake really that great?

Ultimately, defeating the Blue Moon gave me two abilities:

A bit of mental pollution capability, plus a new territory I could control like my own personal garden.

As dawn approached, the sky began to turn blue.

With the incident resolved, the researchers who had been evacuated to the garden were brought back onto the lake in their cruise ship.

There’s a faint smell of hot cocoa, but nothing serious.

The early morning light illuminated the scattered members of the research team.

People were sprawled everywhere in various sleeping positions, looking like they’d enjoyed a fun party before dozing off.

Thinking about it, it’s been quite some time since all this started—I’m starving!

But checking on everyone’s condition, they seem relatively unharmed.

Did the Mini Reapers take care of them?

Maybe the Golden Reaper fed them something like hot cocoa or the Blue Reaper used magic to keep them safe.

As the sunlight grew stronger, bathing the deck in warm golden light, the researchers began waking up one by one.

Sehee, who had been lying at the center of the deck, woke up muttering groggily,

“Ughhh… Is it morning already? When did I even fall asleep?”

Stretching her arms while shaking off sleepiness, Sehee looked slightly confused as she gazed at the lake shimmering brightly under the rising sun.

Still looking sleepy, Sehee pulled out her phone to check the time and exclaimed with surprise after seeing the screen.

“What’s going on? Why has so much time passed?”

She seemed genuinely perplexed after realizing how much time had slipped away during her slumber.

Sehee reported the incident caused by the Object and instructed Kim Jungrwi to prioritize checking everyone’s safety.

“There are no injuries or missing persons. Fortunately, everyone is just asleep.”

“Huh, what a relief. Nothing ruins a vacation faster than accidents.”

Because of the sudden passage of time, the atmosphere aboard the deck became increasingly chaotic.

However, since nobody was hurt, the overall mood wasn’t too bad.

“Reaper-san, we were planning to have a blast at the lake, but time flew by!”

Yerin looked somewhat downcast, saddened that her vacation plans were ruined.

Despite being affected by the Object incident, Yerin remained unchanged.

While there was nothing we could do about the lost time, discussions arose: either make the most of the remaining hours or quickly return to the research institute for safety.

But the resolution came from an unexpected direction.

“Are you from Sehee Research Institute? We’re from the Object Association. We need your cooperation regarding the investigation into the Lake Yangcheon-gu incident.”

Including Sehee, all the institute members were taken away by the association inspectors.

Leaving behind only me, I stared at the unusually despondent Yerin through the temporary isolation room window while munching on pudding.

Since everyone will probably arrive late, I should head back to Sehee Research Institute first.

Hehe.

***

[Over 780 confirmed deaths near Lake Yangcheon-gu. Including uncounted missing persons, thousands are estimated to have perished.]

On the TV inside Sehee Research Institute Security Room, news flashes were chaotically reporting about the Lake Yangcheon-gu disaster.

It made sense.

Right now, the entire country of Korea feels like it just woke up from a trance.

As though the whole nation had been dreaming.

Thinking back, it seems almost incomprehensible now.

[Anyone living in Korea wanted to visit Lake Yangcheon-gu for fun.]

[Anyone living in Korea loved Lake Yangcheon-gu.]

[Anything related to Objects felt completely normal no matter what happened.]

How terrifying when everyone thinks the same way.

[You can see here that many boats are completely empty. The joyous traces left behind make it even more heart-wrenching.]

While watching broadcasts showing the abandoned cabins still filled with party remnants, a Security Room Employee commented.

“It’s strange people actually wanted to go to such a dangerous lake. Should we feel relieved we didn’t go?”

“We’re lucky. Even though so many died this time, our institute stayed safe—but it’s still horrifying.”

An employee munching potato chips while watching TV suddenly asked,

“Come to think of it, something did feel weird. Didn’t it seem odd to you, Senior?”

“What?”

The security staff grimaced as if recalling something frightening.

“If you came home to your single studio apartment after showering and found all your laundry mysteriously folded, what would you do? I’d probably scream first, call the police, and then stay at a friend’s house.”

“I’d probably grab a baseball bat and search the place thoroughly.”

“Exactly! That’s terrifying, right?”

Continuing while scrolling through their phone, the employee added,

“On the bright side, there was one good thing about the ‘Lake Yangcheon-gu Incident.'”

“A good thing?”

“Think about it. Now we know it’s the Blue Reaper doing these things, so it doesn’t scare us—it’s kind of cute instead. But without ‘Lake Yangcheon-gu,’ wouldn’t we’ve been utterly shocked and panicked?”

The man nodded after pondering it.

“Of course we would.”

“Then imagine how tender-hearted the Blue Reaper must’ve felt seeing our fear. So, there’s a silver lining.”

“Hmm… really?”

The man gave a bewildered expression but played along anyway.

The senior member of the security team was growing uncomfortable with how much the junior admired the Blue Reaper lately.

Lately, the junior’s main activity involved wandering around searching for the Blue Reaper everywhere.

But catching sight of a figure that appears and disappears into thin air seemed next to impossible.

“Senior, Senior! Look at this!”

“What is it?”

Om…

Approaching, the senior discovered the junior holding out their palm where a tiny Blue Reaper sat calmly eating pudding.

Its face hidden beneath a tightly pressed cap, but it was undoubtedly the Blue Reaper.

“How did you manage that?”

“Sincerity pays off! The Blue Reaper understood my heartfelt feelings!”

The junior wore a proud smile.

“The Blue Reaper is slightly cold, like water, did you know? So cute~”

Gently petting the Blue Reaper’s hat, the junior looked blissfully happy.

Watching this, the senior decided maybe he should stock up on pudding too.

***

The battle scene between the Hydra and the Gray Reaper was playing on TV.

For incidents in Korea to reach the U.S., it clearly indicated something extraordinary was happening.

An Object capable of influencing an entire nation—far scarier than any physically destructive Object.

In the midst of this, the fight between the Gray Reaper and the Hydra gained immense popularity.

The overwhelming destruction.

In a place where survival seemed impossible, the Gray Reaper moved around nonchalantly, even appearing bored.

And then effortlessly subdued the Hydra.

Such feats of suppression and destruction were rare among Objects, highlighting the Gray Reaper’s uniqueness.

Especially since numerous Objects previously handled by the Gray Reaper had been identified, increasing its notoriety.

This led to discussions in the U.S. about acquiring the Gray Reaper.

Though cautious voices advocating thorough investigation remain dominant, the Gray Reaper’s cool demeanor and composed nature have certainly attracted fans in America too.

Upon seeing this video, James immediately contacted Sehee Research Institute using the contact details Yerin had given him.

Eventually, after consultations with the Deputy Director, they reached a favorable agreement.

To feature the “Gray Reaper” as the spokesperson for pudding.

Catchphrase: [The pudding Gray Reaper loves!]

They designed packaging featuring a photo of the Gray Reaper enjoying pudding.

Given the recent stagnation in sales due to skepticism surrounding Object-based pudding, they decided on a bold marketing strategy.

Of course, it carried significant risks.

From public criticism against Objects to potential government regulations, there were plenty of concerns. However, James decided to accept those risks.

In his hand, James held the latest product—a pudding package featuring a picture of the Gray Reaper holding and eating pudding.

Named: [Gray Reaper Pudding]!

James planned to visit Korea soon since he had business related to the Gray Reaper Pudding.

Plus, there was something special he wanted to show the Gray Reaper.

James glanced meaningfully at the bag containing another Class-0 Artifact.