Chapter 213

Clear and transparent skies, the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute bathed in the noonday sun.

Until now, it had been a moderately enjoyable and moderately ordinary day at Sehee Research Institute, but something incredibly peculiar was happening right now in the courtyard.

A red Mini Reaper was marching around the courtyard with exaggerated flailing of its stubby limbs.

A red reaper march?

Pretty normal if you think about it.

But the number of red reapers was anything but normal.

There should have only been one Red Reaper, yet now their numbers had swelled enough to fill the entire courtyard.

The many Golden Reapers that usually populated the courtyard were nowhere to be seen, leaving only the red ones forming a massive procession.

And leading this red reaper parade was a Gray Reaper whose skin had turned bright red.

With a red reaper perched on its head, it marched awkwardly at the front of the procession.

When Yerin came down to the courtyard looking for the Gray Reaper at lunchtime, she could only marvel at the sight.

“Who knew Reapers could change colors too? Amazing!”

And Seoah, who happened upon the scene, entered the courtyard with her notebook open, beginning to scribble notes.

[Objects capable of changing the appearance of Mini Reapers seem to exist in abundance.]

[Phenomenon observed after the appearance of the Yellow Mini Moon.]

[A connection between Mapo District and the Yellow Moon seems likely.]

Included in her notebook were photos of the golden reaper wrapping cloth found in the security room.

Then, without warning, the gray reaper stopped mid-march, changed its skin color to gold, and began jumping up and down in place.

Some of the red reapers shed their skins, transforming into golden reapers.

These new golden reapers grinned widely as they mimicked the gray reaper’s clumsy movements, jumping around with joy.

The gray reaper then began rapidly changing colors – black, blue, indigo, orange, yellow, and back to red!

This triggered the mini reapers to go into a frenzy, bouncing around and colliding with each other in wild excitement.

The gray reaper’s colors started changing faster and faster until it became like a disco ball, radiating vibrant hues in all directions.

Thump-thump.

Suddenly, lively disco music began playing through the courtyard.

Seoah narrowed her eyes and looked around at the unexpected music, only to find Yerin had turned up the TV volume, streaming the tunes.

Thus began the Mirror Ball Reaper’s party with dancing Mini Reapers.

Shaking her head, Seoah continued her observations and note-taking while the mini reapers bounced around.

What caught Seoah’s attention most was a mini reaper hiding among the golden reapers, wearing an awkward smile.

Though similar in color to the golden reapers, its eyes didn’t shine, its head was bowed, and it maintained a hunched posture.

[The connection between Mini Reapers and the Mini Moon appears clear.]

[The Yellow Moon’s Mini Reaper resembles the Golden Reaper but lacks shining eyes.]

[A possible link exists between the giant Light Ring crossing the sky and the Gray Reaper, though evidence is lacking.]

Unhappy with Seoah’s constant note-taking, the Sprout Reaper lay across her notebook, obstructing her view.

Seeing the playful grin of the Sprout Reaper lying atop her notebook, Seoah couldn’t help but smile wryly before slowly closing it.

With a joyful smirk, she pulled out her phone and began taking pictures of the dancing mini reapers.

***

In a spacious room filled with purple mirrors, the purple doll that had been lurking at the far end had suddenly appeared right before the girl.

The grotesque doll, covered in unsettling eyeballs, startled the girl just as the Black Sword reacted.

The blade stretched long, aiming to cleave the doll in two with a powerful slash.

Swish!

But the Black Sword’s razor-sharp strike failed to even scratch the doll, merely grazing its surface.

“!”

The girl had secretly believed the powerful Black Sword would handle the situation.

Yet the mighty Black Sword’s attack proved ineffective.

Realizing the truly dangerous situation, the girl felt an odd calmness wash over her.

Though her complexion remained pale, her mind sharpened instantly.

“Purple room, purple mirrors, and the suddenly approaching purple doll…”

As she thought, blinking her eyes, the doll lunged forward and swung its arm wildly.

Beep!

The Black Sword split into two streams – one embedding itself into the ground while the other struck the doll’s arm.

BOOM!

While the Black Sword held firm, the girl continued contemplating.

“That doll moves when I’m not looking…”

Determined not to close her eyes, the girl kept them wide open.

Absolutely mustn’t close my eyes.

If the doll speeds up beyond what the Black Sword can handle…

Keeping her gaze fixed on the doll, the girl pondered solutions.

Destroying the doll must be the trial of this room, right?

But how, when even the Black Sword’s strikes are ineffective?

There must be a way.

Mr. Dog Meat said so.

No monster in the labyrinth is unbeatable.

Tears streamed down her face from keeping her eyes open too long, but the girl slowly began circling the room while always keeping the doll within her peripheral vision.

Examining her surroundings, she noticed something strange.

“That doll doesn’t reflect in the mirrors.”

Though the room was filled with mirrors, the purple doll cast no reflection.

As if it wasn’t even there.

Except for one mirror where its image appeared clearly.

Pointing at that mirror, the girl shouted,

“That mirror! Break that mirror!”

The Black Sword responded with a “beep!” sound, extending its blade to pierce through the indicated mirror.

Clang!

As the mirror shattered, everything in the room froze before slowly collapsing.

The doll and all the mirrors in the room transformed into sand, flowing away.

It was the unmistakable sight of a completed labyrinth trial.

At that moment, the girl, feeling the tension release, slumped down, tightly hugging her sword.

“Finally, it’s over.”

Wiping away her tear-streaked eyes, she began boasting to the Black Sword.

“How did I even come up with that idea?”

“Maybe I have the makings of an adventurer after all!”

“I doubt Mr. Dog Meat would believe this story if I told him!”

Hugging the Black Sword tightly, she declared loudly,

“Thank you. I’d definitely be dead without you. Truly, thank you.”

Elated at having defeated such a difficult foe, she thought,

“Finally, I can return to the Labyrinth City!”

I need to visit Mr. Dog Meat’s general store and brag about this adventure!

And introduce the Black Sword too!

Thinking about showing off to her friends in the Labyrinth City, the girl beamed with excitement – until the revealed scenery contradicted her expectations.

“Eh… Why?”

The room had transformed into an ordinary labyrinth chamber.

And there was a deep staircase descending below.

Nowhere was there an exit leading back to the city.

***

I lay sprawled in bed, buried under the covers.

“Ah, I’m exhausted. We partied way too hard.”

Not physically tired, but mentally drained.

I hadn’t planned to play with the mini reapers so much, but they loved it hundreds of times more than expected, and I got swept up in the fun too.

The mini reapers clung to my body, squirming contentedly.

Having transformed into a mini reaper cocoon for the first time in a while, I turned my head to lazily watch TV.

Half-asleep, I suddenly snapped awake at the news broadcast.

“Currently in Japan, various analyses of the Red Lightning Island are underway.”

It was the same Red Lightning Island mentioned previously.

“The recent satellite image analysis revealed some astonishing elements.”

The screen showed blurry images alongside enhanced versions.

People walking around in fantasy-style metal armor.

Others in beautifully embroidered robes holding staffs.

A scene of someone roasting what looked like a dragon’s tail.

A market scene straight out of a fantasy novel.

It was utterly thrilling.

“I want to go too!”

As I bolted upright, the sleeping mini reapers scattered off the bed.

Ignoring their shocked expressions, I summoned numerous black reapers to prepare for an adventure to the fantasy world.

For a fantasy adventure, proper attire was necessary.

Swords and shields, adventuring spirit!

I conveyed my needs to the black reapers through intent – magnificent armor, splendid swords, adventurer vibes!

Though communicating images and emotions through intent alone proved challenging due to my limited experience with proper armor.

Surprisingly, despite my poor expression skills and the mini reapers’ general lack of common knowledge, the results turned out quite well.

Apparently, the black reapers knew more about fantasy swords and armor than expected, creating accurate replicas that attached to my body.

Hehe.

Perfect.

The finely crafted armor moved comfortably and looked pretty cool.

Eager to depart for the fantasy world immediately, I attempted teleportation but found it blocked.

Even though I could sense the presence of black reapers on the Red Lightning Island, teleportation remained impossible.

Well, guess I’ll have to ride a cloud fish instead.

With that cheerful thought, I dashed toward the courtyard.