Chapter 253

A candy mountain that rose so sharply it resembled a spike, its peak vanishing into the sky.

Amidst this towering confectionery marvel, there stood a Golden Reaper, slowly ascending.

The other Golden Reapers who had been climbing alongside had all vanished, leaving only one lone Golden Reaper on the brink of reaching the summit.

Before the final ascent, the Golden Reaper’s eyes caught sight of a massive candy rock, cracked open to reveal its sugary insides.

“Hmm, this looks delicious.”

Layer upon layer of colorful candies formed the rock like a meticulously crafted piece of art.

And at the center of this rock sparkled a lemon-yellow candy, crystallized into a beautiful gem-like shape.

Mesmerized by its allure, the Golden Reaper stared blankly with an open mouth before shaking their head vigorously to clear away any distracting thoughts.

Gulp.

Saliva pooled in the Golden Reaper’s mouth as they urged themselves onward.

No Golden Reaper had ever conquered the Candy Mountain. Beyond its slopes lay tempting candy rocks.

Many Golden Reapers attempted to scale it but succumbed to the irresistible charm of the sweets and gave up halfway through.

Once they tasted the delightful candy rocks, they would inevitably turn back toward the research institute—perhaps because the sweet flavor made them want to share it with someone special, like their Attached Human or even their mom.

Recalling the story told by Orange Younger Sibling, the Golden Reaper reaffirmed their resolve.

“Beyond the mountain lies the most delicious pudding in Mini Reaper Garden!”

Though Orange Younger Sibling often fibbed like a mother figure, the Golden Reaper believed there was surely something wonderful waiting beyond the mountain.

Upon finally reaching the summit, the Golden Reaper instinctively raised both arms in triumph.

Reflected in their eyes were stunning dual vistas: white snowfields stretching endlessly on one side and an infinite sea of hot chocolate surrounding the Mini Reaper Garden on the other.

Where the cold, pristine snow met the warm, dark expanse of hot chocolate created a mysterious boundary.

A chilly breeze carrying faintly sweet, milky scents wafted from the snowfield.

Overcome with joy, the Golden Reaper bounded down the mountain slope but ended up tumbling uncontrollably.

Tumble tumble… thud.

Unable to stop rolling, the Golden Reaper eventually crashed into the snowy field.

Oof!

Buried under the snow, the Golden Reaper popped a mouthful of snow into their mouth and exclaimed,

“It’s delicious!”

Eager to share this discovery with fellow Golden Reapers, the Golden Reaper grinned widely.

***

I was hiding inside a hamster vending machine, watching Mini Reapers wander around the snowy field.

What once was an empty snowfield now teemed with these tiny reapers. The most striking feature among them was a large snow sculpture depicting an Orange Reaper pointing toward the mountain and a Golden Reaper struggling to climb it.

“Beyond the mountain lies the most delicious pudding,” I recalled.

Before I left for Russia, all that awaited beyond the mountain was merely a sea of hot chocolate. It seemed amusing how Orange Reaper’s playful lie had somehow transformed into truth.

Some Golden Reapers still scoured the snowfield in search of the mythical pudding.

Suddenly, a Golden Reaper with antennae sticking out appeared near the vending machine. They clutched a sugar-coated fruit, which always elicited similar reactions when first tasted by Golden Reapers.

Wide-eyed and overwhelmed by sweetness, the Golden Reaper’s antennae shot straight up to the sky.

Well, hamster-style sugar fruits are undeniably tasty.

Shifting my gaze, I noticed a hamster crying as its fruit got snatched away. Nearby, another curious Golden Reaper peeked into the vending machine using ghosting abilities.

Their chubby face filled with curiosity and hunger poked out from within the machine.

Startled by what they saw—a hidden hamster—they rubbed their eyes repeatedly, unable to believe their sight.

Even after rubbing, the image didn’t change.

Why does it look like this?

From the Golden Reaper’s perspective, it wasn’t hard to understand why they were shocked:

A legless hamster tethered in place, shedding endless tears.

A sugar flamingo jabbing at the hamster with a sharp beak, demanding more sugar fruits.

And me, laughing creepily like a villainous boss.

It was nothing short of adorable exploitation!

Infuriated, the Golden Reaper lunged at me.

Approaching closely, they placed their hands on their hips and glared down at me.

Their cuteness made me chuckle involuntarily.

Seeing me smile, the Golden Reaper grew angrier and started punching my face repeatedly.

With gentle hands, I scooped them up and whispered softly into their ear.

“Yerin’s neck injury? That hamster did it.”

Startled again, the Golden Reaper alternated between staring at me and the hamster.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Seeming skeptical, they asked again.

Since playing tricks with two candies, Golden Reapers have become more prone to double-checking things. Is there some kind of rule or credit rating system?

Good Golden Reapers wouldn’t do such terrible things, right?

Hmm…

While I pondered, the Golden Reaper disappeared briefly before returning with a sharp toothpick.

Standing beside the hamster, they threatened to poke its belly if no more fruits were produced.

Occasionally, when hungry, they’d sneak out of the vending machine and munch on stolen fruit.

Thus, another vending machine employee was born.

***

Time passed since the Siberian incident.

Peaceful days where even Sehee Research Institute Director, Researcher Yerin Oh, and Gray Reaper refrained from bizarre antics continued.

Seoah quietly filmed scenes using multiple cameras during this tranquil period.

On an ordinary camcorder screen, a Golden Reaper happily played alone, slapping imaginary hands against empty air.

Something felt off.

Switching views to another camera revealed the full picture: A Golden Reaper and Sprout Reaper sat facing each other, clapping hands in cheerful rhythm.

“So Sprout really is a spirit.”

Seoah documented various phenomena while observing.

Sprout noticed being watched via the camera and stuck out its little tongue playfully.

Seoah giggled softly at the cute gesture.

Among her findings were many fascinating facts: Some Golden Reapers’ disappearances were due to ghosting; others returned to Mini Reaper Garden.

Mini Reapers could sense being filmed by spirit cameras unlike regular ones.

Whenever she tried sneaking shots of Mini Reapers, they instantly detected her presence and turned around.

Each Mini Reaper reacted differently: Sprout usually stuck out its tongue, Golden Reapers charged straight toward the camera in a straight line.

“Thank goodness James lent me the spirit camera.”

Access to such rare equipment allowed Seoah to record valuable data domestically unavailable.

Of course, official publication of these materials remained impossible due to their unofficial nature.

In the Deputy Director’s Office, soft TV chatter played in the background.

[“So, there hasn’t been an Object occurrence in Southern Italy for 20 years?”]

[“Yes, ever since Southern Italy received the blessing of stars.”]

[“Wow, impressive.”]

Talk revolved around Southern Italy, a region people avoided entering for decades.

Once rumored to house Objects rejecting other Objects, it became infamous after researchers ventured in but never returned.

***

At Sehee Research Institute courtyard, Cloud Fish station.

A crowd of Mini Reapers waved goodbye to black Cloud Fish.

These particular Cloud Fish served Purple Reapers who hadn’t found their Attached Humans yet.

Each Purple Reaper boarded their designated fish.

Glancing down at the cheering Mini Reapers below, the Purple Reaper nodded solemnly, swirling their cloak dramatically before turning away.

Slowly ascending into the sky, the black Cloud Fish departed.

Destination: Worldwide!

Their quest to find suitable Attached Humans began.