Chapter 160

When I woke up, a soft and squishy floor was hugging my body.

Still half-asleep, I slowly regained consciousness, and gradually, a sweet aroma began wafting from all directions.

The delightful scent of sugar and the velvety aroma of chocolate filled the air.

When I finally opened my eyes, it was as if I had stepped into a fairytale.

“Wow!”

What met the blonde girl’s gaze was an ocean of hot chocolate rippling over a floor covered in marshmallows as white as snow.

She had clearly fallen asleep in the mysterious village of cloud fish, yet here she was waking up in this fantastical place!

With her vision still blurry from sleep and her mind drifting like in a dream, it was obvious to anyone that this was indeed a dream.

With joy in her heart, the blonde girl got up and began to explore this dream world.

As she walked a little further, she spotted a small red creature happily bouncing on round marshmallows like they were trampolines.

Its expression radiated pure happiness.

She crouched down to get a closer look at the cute little thing.

And just then, the red child seemed to notice her presence, turning around with a bright smile.

To her surprise, the face of the red child looked eerily familiar.

[The Gray Reaper]

Apart from its red color and twin braids, it resembled the Gray Reaper so much that it could have been his mini-me.

Though it felt a bit strange, since it was a dream, she decided not to dwell on it too much.

The moment the red reaper made eye contact with the blonde girl, it grabbed her pinky finger tightly, as if it had been waiting for her for a long time.

Even though it didn’t utter a word, it felt like it was conveying that exact message.

Then, seemingly unsatisfied with something, the red reaper suddenly let go of her hand, crossed its arms, and turned away dramatically.

Yet, it kept glancing back at the blonde girl with half-closed eyes, checking her reaction.

‘So cute!’

Unable to resist the adorable behavior that laid bare its feelings, the blonde girl picked up the red reaper and rubbed her cheek against it vigorously.

Was it because of its red hue?

The red reaper felt incredibly soft and warm, like a cozy hot pack.

Despite trying to push her cheek away as if annoyed, there was an unmistakable hint of happiness in its smile.

After some time spent together, the red reaper broke free from her grasp and started walking off somewhere.

“Does it want me to follow?”

The red child nodded slightly, then confidently strode ahead.

Tubthumping along.

Where the red reaper led her was to the colossal Marshmallow Colosseum.

Upon entering through the towering gateway that dwarfed her height, various colored mini reapers came into view.

These mini reapers greeted the blonde girl with cheerful jumps and bright smiles, even without speaking.

Their joy was palpable.

Was this the ability of these mini reaper objects?

Or was it simply because it was a dream?

It felt as if the mini reapers were trying to communicate with her somehow.

Following the red reaper through a long corridor, they continued onward.

This corridor seemed to lead straight to the central plaza of the colosseum.

As they walked, a black reaper and golden reaper cheered them on, waving marshmallow skewers.

Thanks to their cheering, a peculiar tension filled the corridor as they walked alongside the red reaper.

At the cookie-made iron gate dividing the colosseum center from the corridor, the red reaper stopped.

With a serious expression, it clenched its fists tightly, as if saying “fighting spirit.”

Confused by this apparent cheerleading stance, the girl could only stand there perplexed.

Once inside the colosseum center, the dark corridor gave way to a bright square bathed in light.

The cookie iron gate that had opened now descended behind them, and from the opposite direction approached a gray reaper made entirely of water, making heavy footsteps.

Ker-thud. Ker-thud.

Huh?

Wha-what?

Is this… a fight? Do I need to battle?

Unable to keep up with the sudden change in situation, the girl could only look around frantically.

The water reaper took a boxing stance and approached with flashy footwork before launching a lightning-fast punch.

Poomf!

Feeling the impact of a giant water balloon exploding against her face, the blonde girl lost consciousness.

***

“Big sister! Big sister! Come outside quickly!”

Drawn by her younger sister’s voice calling out while watching TV, the woman, who had been grinding herbs, hurriedly went outside.

Outside, her younger sister was pointing far away with her finger, creating quite a commotion.

Following her gaze, she saw a massive cloud mass piercing through the horizon.

It was the cloud whale descending onto the ground.

“It seems like Sehee Research Institute is being attacked by an object right now.”

Her younger sister handed her a mobile phone displaying the news.

On the screen, the enormous cloud whale lay sprawled on the ground like a beached whale, its eyes closed and lying lifelessly.

From above via helicopter, footage showed streams of vehicles fleeing from the cloud whale, while journalists and spectators gathered around it in large numbers.

As scenes were captured, the anchor’s voice played on the screen.

[It appears that the flock of cloud fish hovering above Songpa District has descended upon Sehee Research Institute.]

[This is unusual behavior from the cloud fish, which were considered safe and non-threatening.]

[The Korean Object Association is currently investigating the situation but advises against approaching recklessly.]

The tattooed woman watched the news, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

“Sis, should we go check out Sehee Research Institute? I’ve never seen cloud fish up close, but it might be okay?”

Though cautious in her inquiry, expecting rejection, the older sister’s response surprised her.

“Cloud fish are pretty harmless, so it should be fine.”

“Really?!”

Adding “Let’s prepare quickly,” the tattooed woman returned inside the house.

Having planned to visit Sehee Research Institute soon after the Gray Reaper’s return became public knowledge a few days ago, she hadn’t anticipated such a sudden visit.

Holding her guardian in her arms and packing several alchemical items into her bag, the woman, ready to go, moved toward her younger sister waiting outside the house.

“Sis! Let’s hurry!”

Though not as excited as her younger sister, the thought of meeting someone from her hometown filled the woman with slight anticipation.

***

Everything turned stark white, obscuring all sight.

Though the mini reapers seemed tense due to the sudden ambush, nothing happened.

All that remained was a pristine white fog enveloping Sehee Research Institute.

Voices of confused people echoed through the white haze.

In response to the growing unease, the golden reapers dispersed in all directions, increasing the luminosity emanating from their bodies.

Golden reapers shining like the sun!

They burned brightly, guiding people through the fog like burning logs.

The black reaper, unable to do the same, watched the golden reapers enviously.

Tubthumping along.

Leaving behind the glowing golden reapers, I continued walking forward.

I felt as if someone was calling me.

As I ventured deeper, the surrounding noise gradually faded, and the clouds around me began to acquire a physical texture.

Pushing through the fluffy clouds, I found patches of dark clouds floating ahead, while a faint orange moon hung in the sky.

A serene, non-hostile moon.

Unlike previous moons, this one wasn’t adversarial.

Surprisingly intrigued, I gazed upward at the orange moon when a faint will reached me.

“Please help.”

It was like a letter transmitting intent, similar to how mini reapers express themselves.

“Please help.”

The orange moon earnestly pleaded for assistance.

“Please help.”

Intertwined within its desperate cry was an unbearable agony.

The distant cry originated from the east.

The orange moon endured excruciating pain as if its entire body were rotting.

Even though relief would come instantly if it ceased resisting, it yearned for death instead.

Helping wouldn’t be particularly difficult.

Moreover, it involved black liquid matters, so it was something that needed addressing.

Though unclear why, I had a gut feeling that letting the black liquid spread unchecked could lead to disaster.

But for some reason, I hesitated to agree immediately.

A cat-like curiosity surfaced: “Why should I help?”

A hidden frog-in-throat mentality screamed within me.

However, as if anticipating my reaction, a fragment of memory began replaying within the letter.

An old, grainy black-and-white memory unfolded.

Under an ominous sky, a purple moon floated, oozing streams of black blood.

Black sticky liquid cascaded like waterfalls, resembling a weeping heaven and moon.

Slowly but surely, it filled the land and painted the seas black.

Endlessly. Relentlessly.

Dark rain fell from the heavens, and the black liquid infiltrated underground, contaminating drinking water.

No habitable land remained for people there.

The extinction of firewood.

That cryptic memory ended there.

The ‘black liquid’ situation appeared far more severe than I initially anticipated.

I had assumed it was merely corrosive acid, but limitless replicating acid was beyond reasonable limits.

“Alright, I’ll help.”

Deciding to assist, the illusion of the orange moon grew faint and disappeared.

Simultaneously, the massive cloud whale soared powerfully back into the sky.

Following the whale, smaller cloud fish also ascended in flocks.

Looking up from Sehee Research Institute, where the view had cleared, rivers flowed across the sky.

The cloud fish swam in lines, guiding the way like lanterns.

A celestial river of blue, white, and orange hues.

The river of cloud fish originating from Sehee Research Institute stretched endlessly toward the east, reaching the horizon.

The white cloud fish glowed faintly with enchanting orange light, as if cradling the last embers of twilight.

Beautiful lights that guided paths under the dark skies, unyielding to starlight.

Like stars swallowed within, the cloud fish shimmered in orange, forming a galactic stream.

Witnessing the eastern-bound galaxy of cloud fish, my path became clear.

***

Taptaptap.

The sensation of a small hand repeatedly slapping her cheek awakened her.

Upon opening her eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted her.

“Ah, the cloud fish village, right?”

The girl remembered renting a room in the mysterious village of cloud fish before falling asleep.

But who woke her up?

Wondering if it was the uncle who had woken her, the blonde girl scanned the empty room but found the black agent absent.

While searching the vacant room, a tapping sensation on her palm drew her attention downward.

There, with a joyful expression, was the red reaper.

Snap.

Thinking it might still be a dream, she slapped her cheeks hard with both hands, but the red reaper remained.

The red reaper tilted its head curiously, looking up at the blonde girl who had just slapped herself.