Chapter 205

Giant button-eyed blue reapers were flying through the sky on broomsticks.

Realizing there was much to do with blue reaper doll outfits, they suddenly became all the rage among the mini reapers.

But their actions were quite different from those of actual blue reapers.

Instead of sitting neatly on brooms and flying, they rode them like snowboards.

And the button-eyed blue reapers were enjoying wildly reckless play that no real blue reaper would ever attempt.

A game somewhat akin to jousting.

Each reaper crafted large shields and lances, then charged at one another head-on.

Countless button-eyed blue reapers flew swiftly on brooms, thrusting their lances at opponents.

Thud!

The sky echoed nonstop with the clash of shields and lances.

And every time the sound rang out, a defeated button-eyed blue reaper fell from the sky.

To me, it seemed purely luck determined the outcome—could this really be fun if they kept going?

“Mommy, let’s play!”

Suddenly, a 1-meter-tall button-eyed blue reaper waved a giant doll outfit in my face, enthusiastically inviting me to join.

While I don’t know what’s inside the others, I recognize who’s in this 1-meter one.

It must be a cluster of black reapers.

As I took the doll outfit sized for me, I thought:

If it’s a game decided by luck, I might have a good chance of winning.

I was fairly confident in my own luck.

Unless it’s an orange reaper manipulating probabilities, I’d probably beat a mini reaper in a luck-based contest.

“Alright, let’s do it!”

When I agreed, the button-eyed blue reaper threw its hands up joyfully in celebration.

With so many mini reapers around, why does playing with me seem so entertaining?

As I awkwardly slipped into the doll outfit, a suffocating feeling began to creep over me.

Unlike other clothes, this doll outfit wasn’t as comfortable as I’d hoped.

Still, I felt a strange sense of wonder.

I could feel my capabilities expanding.

Now I could shape water and use string-based magic.

The black reaper waiting for me to put on the doll outfit stood excitedly atop a broomstick.

Then the black reaper and I soared into the sky on a water-made broomstick.

Hovering at an appropriate height while precariously balancing on the thin broomstick with spear and shield in hand, I suddenly had a sinking feeling I’d made a big mistake.

This is hard!

How did everyone else manage to zip around so effortlessly on these flimsy broomsticks?

The water-made spear and shield were heavier than expected, and keeping balance on the narrow stick proved difficult.

Watching me wobble on the broomstick, the towering button-eyed blue reaper standing across from me grinned broadly.

It was a smile of pure joy at simply playing with me.

But I gritted my teeth and steadied myself.

This time, I’m going to win!

Just as I resolved this, the sound of splashing water signaled the start.

And in an instant, I tumbled off the broomstick and crashed onto the ground.

“Mommy, let’s play again!”

The little one beside me laughed cheerfully.

This has nothing to do with luck!

It’s a game that heavily favors physical coordination!

At the moment I tried to pierce my opponent with my lance, I keenly realized this game had nothing to do with luck.

The skillful movement of the shield deflecting my lance tip.

The nimble footwork absorbing the impact of the collision between spear and shield while balanced on the narrow broomstick.

Thus, I was utterly defeated by the tremendous skill gap and plummeted from the air.

What annoyed me even more was that the black reaper seemed to be having fun regardless of winning or losing, unlike me who gave it my all.

You can tell just by how it didn’t come over saying “Mommy’s weak!”

Tossing aside the stifling doll outfit to signal I wouldn’t play anymore, the black reaper looked incredibly disheartened.

Piiiiiii…

The black reaper emitted a sorrowful cry as it gradually dissolved.

From within the doll outfit, the black reaper melted out like slime.

Never again will I participate in broomstick jousting.

While munching on a white hungry ghost as a stress reliever, I saw a startled black reaper rushing toward me from afar.

“Mommy! Mommy’s eyes!”

“?”

The words were incomprehensible even to me, a mini reaper language master.

***

After the golden reaper incident in Mapo District, many things changed in Mapo.

And the man’s life and attitude underwent significant changes as well.

Stepping outside his studio apartment and looking up at the sky, he spotted a gigantic pinwheel.

A pinwheel as large as a wind turbine used for wind power generation.

This enormous pinwheel was one of the changes brought about in Mapo District.

Still early in the morning, the streets were slightly chilly.

Though merely a part-time job, the man walked the streets early in the morning to earn money.

Before the Mapo incident, such a thing was unimaginable.

Had he been his usual self, he’d likely have been preparing to go to bed around this time.

But now, the man resolved to take even small steps forward earnestly.

Because the rest of his life was a gift from “the golden reaper.”

“Pudding?”

“Not cold?”

The man glanced at the passersby with a bitter expression.

Happy people accompanied by golden reapers.

Even after the Mapo incident concluded, many golden reapers remained in the district, but none stayed by the man’s side.

“It’s only natural, isn’t it?”

He had committed the grave error of throwing the golden reaper out the window.

Walking slowly, before he knew it, he found himself passing by the large pinwheel installed in the middle of the park.

The park partially consumed by marshmallows and the towering candy pinwheel above it.

A meeting square where golden reapers who disappeared nightly to sleep reappeared.

Every day on his way to work, the man passed here with faint hope but never encountered the golden reaper who saved him.

The area in front of the pinwheel was filled with cheerful laughter.

Golden reapers happily running and laughing, greeted by delighted people.

Such scenes were impossible for someone who had committed terrible acts.

A place that brought hope but caused even greater anguish.

“This is the last time.”

Listening to the joyful laughter became too painful, so the man thought this.

Looking around with this mindset, he couldn’t find the golden reaper he longed to meet.

“Guess it’s not here after all.”

With a sad expression, the man turned and took heavy steps.

“Even though I may never meet again, I’ll cherish it in my heart and live earnestly.”

Thus, the man silently bid farewell to the golden reaper in his heart.

As he moved away from the pinwheel, the sun began to rise, piercing through the forest of buildings.

Blinded by the light, he covered the sun with his palm when he heard a familiar footstep.

A sound like a hamster walking.

Tubangtubang.

Thinking it couldn’t be, he looked toward the source of the sound.

Bathed in sunlight, a smiling golden reaper appeared.

“Sure enough. It’s definitely ‘the golden reaper’ who was with me.”

Standing against the sun, the golden reaper looked as if adorned with a radiant halo, waving happily upon seeing the man.

***

Following the black reaper’s guidance, we arrived at the interior of the “unchanging black sphere” located in the mini reaper garden.

It had been truly a long time since I visited the place where numerous black reapers had perished, as entering was cumbersome.

Black reapers surrounded me closely.

Since the other mini reapers weren’t interested in the corpse inside the black sphere, ultimately, only the black reapers followed me until the end.

All holding hands and tubangtubang.

Marching in a line and tubangtubang.

The black reaper whose hand I held floated dangling in the air without touching the ground but wore a joyful expression.

They seemed to find pleasure in walking together in a group.

As we slowly approached the massive corpse, a peculiar sensation began to arise.

Upon arriving above the colossal corpse of the black reaper and looking down, two faint rings of light were drawn in the empty eyes.

“The eyes.”

Upon seeing this, the black reapers seemed to sense something and started patting each other’s cheeks in surprise.

Their expressions conveyed both fear and joy.

As I gazed at the corpse, I clearly understood the nature of the strange sensation.

“My connection to the corpse has grown stronger.”

I could feel that the amount of firewood needed to move the corpse had decreased slightly.

Perhaps now, if I tried to move this corpse, it would be smoother than before.

Of course, moving it properly is still impossible.

Even hugging Yerin tightly, the amount of firewood consumed would be overwhelming.

Seeing the black reapers getting overly excited, I decided to play a small prank.

Consuming a lot of firewood, I subtly moved the eyes connected to me.

Slowly moving them to gaze at the nearest black reaper.

“!”

The black reapers who noticed leaped high into the air like startled cats.

Seeing so many black reapers jump simultaneously was rather amusing.

Hehe.

The black reapers who didn’t see the eyes looked bewildered, while those who did witnessed them were quietly retreating from the corpse.

“Mommy’s weak!” How terrifying are these children that they react so strongly? What exactly did this corpse do while alive?

Whenever their attention waned, I slightly moved the eyes, startling the black reapers and secretly laughing to myself.

Their reactions were diverse and entertaining.

Jumping high.

Bouncing away like rubber balls.

Sprouting spines like sea urchins.

The black reapers reacted in a myriad of ways.

However, this enjoyable game ended sooner than expected.

One black reaper noticed my firewood consumption skyrocketing.

And thus began tutshitutshi.

The black reapers swarmed me, punching furiously.

Yet, realizing it was me moving the corpse, the black reapers wore quite relieved expressions.

***

Inside the [Unchanging Black Sphere], where the lively gray and black reapers had all departed.

In the pitch-black, lonely space devoid of any sounds, only one corpse lay motionless.

In this silent space, a faint grinding sound resonated.

Ggggekk.

It sounded like a millstone turning very slowly.

An ominous vibration emanating from the already deceased corpse.

In rhythm with this sound, the slowly moving eyes stared intently at where the gray reaper had vanished.

For a long while.

***

Under the warm sunlight in Sehee Research Institute’s courtyard,

Many visitors fed pudding to the golden reapers, exchanging joyful smiles.

Not long after the Mapo District incident, Sehee Research Institute’s courtyard buzzed with visitors.

Delighted golden reapers reciprocated by offering the pudding they made or played together riding white hungry ghosts.

Suddenly, the tranquil Sehee Research Institute became bustling.

“Hurry up and prepare! The association president is coming!”

“Why is the association president visiting suddenly?”

Rarely seen, the security team members of Sehee Research Institute began scurrying around, checking the security status.

The golden reapers, uninterested in the commotion, focused on playing with the visitors.

But as the sound of a rigid cane striking the ground and footsteps approached, all mini reapers halted their actions and unanimously stared at one direction.

Their expressions resembled those upon discovering an extremely harmful object.