Free City Alliance back alley.
Cheong, having received a call from Uncle PIG, emerged from the hideout and was walking down a street faintly lit by blurry neon lights that blinked here and there.
In an impenetrable fog where you couldn’t see a foot in front of you.
Toxic substances floating like fog wriggled as if alive, wrapping around a utility pole before coalescing again and flowing downward.
A sight you wouldn’t see anywhere else—strange and fascinating no matter how many times you saw it.
Out of curiosity, Cheong reached out to touch the passing Color Blob.
The yellow Color Blob had a fluffy texture, gently wrapping around her fingers before slipping away.
It felt like swimming through the depths of the ocean polluted with vibrant colors.
The street submerged in deep water was lit only by a lonely neon sign blinking intermittently, with hardly any people in sight.
Unless it was an emergency, even residents with Object Lungs would avoid going out on days like this.
Thus, Cheong was more heavily armed than usual as she walked the streets.
Hood, mask, goggles—the whole nine yards.
She was fully equipped from head to toe.
Under her hoodie and baggy pants was a sealed diving suit-like outfit.
For someone without Object Skin like Cheong, direct contact with contaminants was quite dangerous.
Still, she couldn’t stay home just because of the weather.
She was also looking forward to the items Uncle PIG had promised, and besides, these kinds of days often brought requests, so she had to get used to it.
Cheong carefully moved her steps while cradling the Orange Reaper perched on her head.
And as she walked down the deserted street, she began chatting about various things to the Orange Reaper in her arms.
“Whenever I do mercenary work, everyone suggests I implant Objects into my body.”
“From brokers to mercenaries, everyone says the same thing.”
“I’ll never do it. I don’t want to cut off perfectly good limbs and replace them with Objects.”
“But even with the mask, breathing is getting harder. How long can I keep going without Objects?”
Talks about mercenary jobs and Object Bodies followed.
“The Free City Alliance may be ruled by three great families, but mercenaries think differently.”
“The Giant Deity.”
“Many mercenaries consider him the true ruler of the city.”
Stories about the most famous mercenary in town continued.
“I need to make a lot of money.”
“There’s something of my mother’s here in the city—I came to the Free City Alliance to buy it back.”
“And once I do, my plan is to leave this city full of death.”
“If I can just hold on for three more years… though surviving here isn’t easy at all.”
She rambled on about her dreams and future plans.
‘Why did I end up telling him all this?’
Cheong sighed inwardly, realizing she’d said too much.
It’s common knowledge that Objects don’t properly understand human speech.
But strangely, it felt like she could communicate with the Orange Reaper, and she got a little too excited talking.
The small, chubby-faced Orange Reaper nodded and bobbed its head.
As if understanding her mood.
Before she knew it, they were nearing Uncle PIG’s factory after passing through the neon-lit back alleys of downtown.
To Cheong, the area around the factory always seemed dark and littered with trash, like a scene straight out of dystopia.
For some reason, people avoided coming near here.
Maybe because the ominous scenery made it seem like scavengers might jump out?
‘This is way too quiet, though.’
Cheong felt uneasy about the overly silent atmosphere, tightly hugging the Orange Reaper as she began to walk cautiously.
The closer she got to the factory, the stronger the sense of unease grew.
Too quiet.
Even considering the pollution, there were far too few people around.
‘This doesn’t feel right.’
Just as she was pondering this, a sharp metallic flash appeared out of thin air.
Cheong tried to dodge instinctively, but the speed of the blade that appeared without warning was beyond her ability to react.
‘!’
As the cold blade was about to sever her neck, Cheong closed her eyes and clutched the Orange Reaper tightly.
Mini Reaper Garden, snowfield.
I stood gazing down at the magnificent Ice Palace crafted entirely of ice, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Wow, it’s finally done!
The seemingly endless restoration of the Golden Reaper’s Ice Palace was finally complete.
“Finished!”
“Finished!”
The Golden Reapers, delighted that the Mini Reaper Ice Palace was completed, were either…
Bounding around inside the palace,
Cheering and jumping around outside,
Or sitting on my shoulder looking down at the palace.
Each expressed their joy in their own unique ways.
Though each showed happiness in their own way, their expressions shone as bright as the sun.
Sitting near the Ice Palace watching the Golden Reapers, I slowly rose from my seat and let out a sigh.
“I should head back now.”
At that moment, all the Golden Reapers stopped what they were doing and simultaneously turned their heads toward me.
It felt like a scene from a horror movie, making me instinctively take a step back.
Then, forgetting whatever they were happily doing before, the Golden Reapers started clinging to me with sad faces.
“Mommy!”
They hid in my hair, gripping it tightly.
When I tried to pry one loose, it flailed desperately wanting to be reattached.
“Ahng!”
It looked as desperate as if its pet Tyrannosaurus had died.
After putting it back, it happily settled into my hair again.
Ever since we started restoring the Ice Palace, the Golden Reapers have been sticking to me more.
Or maybe only the clingy ones were assigned to the restoration project?
Since I can’t distinguish between their appearances or personalities like Yerin can, it’s hard to tell.
Leaving the Golden Reapers tangled in my hair, I started thinking.
There’s a lot to do, so I need to prioritize.
Task 1:
Cook Hihi Hungry Ghosts.
Task 2:
Cook Orange Reapers.
Task 3:
Head to the Free City Alliance.
Unfortunately, the White Hungry Ghost and the Orange Reaper disappeared somewhere while the Ice Palace was nearing completion.
When I asked the Golden Reapers, they shook their heads as if they didn’t know.
While they weren’t helpful in tracking down the runaways, they quickly responded when asked about the “Free City Alliance.”
“No humans!”
“Plenty of harmful Objects!”
“Objects galore!”
As they were debating where to go next, Black Reapers carrying massive chunks of metal approached, making baby shoe-like squeaking noises.
Beep!
Beep!
Warning others nearby with vocal sounds, the Black Reapers placed the metal chunk in front of me.
“What’s this?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, the Black Reapers answered.
“James!”
“Mecha Tyrannosaurus!”
Then, a Black Reaper handed me a thin sheet of paper.
It was an instruction manual filled with pictures, like a toy assembly guide.
“!”
Upon inspecting the contents, it was a Mecha Tyrannosaurus assembly manual.
“Finally!”
After seeing the alchemist and James collaborate, I instructed the Golden Reapers to place a picture of a Mecha Tyrannosaurus on James’ forehead every hour.
My perfect plan for my Mecha Tyrannosaurus.
And now, my brilliant plan has finally borne fruit.
Regrettably, it wasn’t a pure Mecha Tyrannosaurus, but rather a Mecha Tyrannosaurus suit for Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaurs.
Won’t be able to challenge anyone to a fight…
Still, my heart began racing with excitement like a kid receiving a new toy.
The Mecha Tyrannosaurus was packed with thrilling features!
Hehe.
As soon as it’s finished, I’ll test its performance by flying over to the Free City Alliance in my Mecha Tyrannosaurus.
Just as the blade was about to pierce her neck, the concrete floor supporting Cheong collapsed.
‘!’
Thanks to that, the sharp blade missed its mark and swept past her head.
Cheong quickly regained her senses and pulled out a pistol from her bosom.
She fired at the unseen enemy’s last known position.
Bang. Bang.
But only the sound of gunfire echoed; there was no sign of impact or cries of pain.
Cheong tried to alert her comrades by pulling out her phone, but it failed to connect.
“Is it signal jamming? This is a pretty serious attack. What’s the purpose?”
The attacker was undoubtedly a professional killer.
Cheong instinctively knew survival would be difficult.
All she could do was endure until her comrades noticed something was wrong and rushed to her rescue.
Staying in the pit dug into the floor would only result in death by grenades or similar attacks, so Cheong cautiously peeked out while remaining vigilant.
‘!’
What she saw outside the pit was completely unexpected.
A Fur Ball Orange Reaper stood on a lamppost, reaching towards the sky with tiny feet.
Following its gesture, the heavens roared fiercely.
“Thunder!”
The Orange Reaper manipulated probabilities by burning bits of firewood.
Lightning struck from the sky, chunks of concrete fell from buildings, and swirls of colorful pollutants surged toward the enemies’ purification filters.
The probability-manipulated pollutants bypassed the filters altogether.
Enemies were struck by lightning, impaled by falling rebar, and killed by inhaling toxic substances.
Cheong spoke to the Orange Reaper now hovering above her head.
“Is it over already?”
The Orange Reaper wobbled in agreement.
Cheong slowly climbed out of the pit and surveyed her surroundings.
First, she examined the black-clad intruders’ corpses.
Their equipment was cutting-edge, the kind Cheong rarely encountered during her mercenary career.
Moreover, they had replaced almost every part of their bodies with Objects, leaving barely any flesh behind when they died.
Regrettably, identifying the attackers from the nearly erased remains proved impossible.
“Is Uncle PIG alright?”
Cheong stroked the Orange Reaper who saved her and headed toward the factory, worried about Uncle PIG.
‘!’
Upon arriving at the factory, Cheong witnessed an unexpected scene.
Inside were blurred bloodstains alongside snail bodies identical to Uncle PIG’s.
Overwhelmed with shock and confusion, Cheong muttered.
“What happened here?”
