Chapter 286

Mini Reaper Garden, Marshmallow Plains.

Right in the middle, the Red Reaper was carving a White Hungry Ghost with a serious expression.

It felt completely different from the first time when they had carved the White Hungry Ghost with excessive swagger.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

The Red Reaper began skillfully carving the White Hungry Ghost’s skin with practiced hand movements.

As sharp horns and frills started to appear on the White Hungry Ghost, it gradually began to resemble a Triceratops.

After a little while, the Red Reaper successfully carved two White Hungry Ghosts.

And they posed the two White Hungry Ghosts in what seemed like a pretty decent stance.

“Completed!”

A Triceratops-like White Hungry Ghost with its chin held high was revealed.

The Red Reaper smiled in satisfaction as they looked at the two three-horned White Hungry Ghosts.

While wandering through the Marshmallow Plains, the Golden Reaper and Black Reaper discovered this sight and clapped their hands together in approval.

“Cool!”

“Good job!”

Some of the Golden Reapers, seemingly intrigued by the Red Reaper’s carvings, began chopping up wild White Hungry Ghosts they caught in the Marshmallow Plains.

Hehe.

Proudly smiling due to the Mini Reapers’ praise, the Red Reaper created two fiery seals with both hands and pressed them forcefully onto the White Hungry Ghost’s torso.

“Revolution!”

As a result, the White Hungry Ghost’s torso was branded with blackened scythe and hammer motifs.

Hiiing-hiing.

From behind the three-horned Hungry Ghost, a sorrowful cry of the White Hungry Ghost could be heard.

Near where the Red Reaper was carving, there was a deep pit, from which the sound originated.

This was the place where discarded White Hungry Ghosts that were over-carved by the Red Reaper had piled up.

Even though the White Hungry Ghosts couldn’t feel pain, they were expressing their own sadness through cries.

Hiiing-hiing.

Amidst the Red Reaper boasting about their carving and the Mini Reapers applauding, small footsteps could be heard approaching.

The footsteps soon reached right behind the Red Reaper.

Then, a hand gently began stroking the Red Reaper’s head.

“You’ve done good carving.”

A familiar voice.

And a voice the Red Reaper had waited for so long to hear.

“!”

With the suspicion that it might really be her, the Red Reaper whipped their head around so fast it almost snapped, eyes wide in surprise.

There sat a girl, crouching behind the Red Reaper, extending her hand to stroke the Red Reaper’s head.

The blonde girl who had been asleep for such a long time had awoken and was looking down at the Red Reaper.

“It’s been a while.”

At those words spoken by the blonde girl, the Red Reaper burst into tears and clung to the girl’s cheek.

***

Songpa District of Seoul, James Tower.

James stood at the entrance connecting the parking lot to James Tower.

Clutching a rigid clipboard with papers, he checked supplies as they passed through the gate, marking them off on his list.

“Finally, we can properly move these supplies.”

Beside him, another researcher with green hair holding a similar clipboard replied, “Yeah, it’s really fortunate. I thought the manpower support wouldn’t arrive on time.”

James responded with an expression that suggested ten years had been shaved off his life.

Just as James had said, the area around James Tower was bustling with far more people than before.

It was no longer just James, a few researchers, and the security team struggling to keep things running.

Although already understaffed, Alex’s departure had only added to the workload.

In fact, there had been plans to hire local staff in Korea, and quite a few people had already been recruited.

But they hit a snag with the appearance of ‘Association Dolls.’

James tried hiring people who didn’t use ‘dolls,’ but such individuals were hard to find in Seoul.

Even the ones they hired eventually started using Association Dolls, leaving no solution.

Just as they were struggling with manpower shortages, the American Object Association sent in a large reinforcement to handle the ‘Association Doll’ situation.

The supplies being moved from the parking lot into James Tower were diverse and in massive quantities.

It almost looked like preparations for war or an apocalypse.

Massive amounts of food and clean water.

Anti-object weapons and all sorts of materials.

James was trying to turn the tower into a kind of shelter.

‘This should cover all the preparations we can make.’

As he thought this, a group of people approached James while he was writing on the list.

It was the largest security team that had come from the U.S. mainland.

“Sir, it has been confirmed that Alex purchased an ‘Association Doll.'”

“Hmph, figured as much…”

James frowned as he looked at the photo handed over by the security team.

The picture showed a doll found inside Alex’s apartment.

It was an extremely expensive-looking doll, nearly indistinguishable from a human, with the beautiful form of a female.

Only its unrealistic body proportions clearly marked it as a doll rather than a human.

After confirming the photo, James firmly instructed the security team:

“Make sure to inform all employees again: under no circumstances should they have prolonged contact with ‘Association Dolls.'”

Thus, a photo of Alex’s doll—with its large chest—was pinned to the corkboard in the James Tower security room.

***

As the sky darkened and stars began twinkling in the evening, the curtain rose on the Doll Fair.

Fireworks lit up the sky, signaling the start of the opening ceremony, filling people’s faces with excitement and anticipation.

Using ghosting, I arrived alone at the fairground entrance, enjoying the festival atmosphere as I gazed upward at the fireworks.

The Mini Reapers dislike Association Dolls, so I couldn’t bring them along, and Yerin also seemed to avoid Association Dolls, so I came alone.

Actually, if I had asked, Yerin probably would’ve come along, but I didn’t invite her because moving around without using ghosting would likely cause a commotion.

Against the backdrop of bursting fireworks, I slowly walked toward the entrance, where unique Association Dolls greeted visitors.

Dolls stationed on either side of the entrance charmingly smiled and greeted guests: “Hello! Welcome to the fair!”

An opposite-side doll pointed inward with both hands: “Truly amazing Association Dolls await you inside!” it kindly guided.

Passing through the entrance, I saw peculiar dolls that I hadn’t encountered near Songpa District.

There was a doll made like crystal, transparent; one adorned in a colorful dress covered in flowers; and even a scholar-like doll holding a book.

I marveled at the variety of designs, as varied as the objects themselves, as I slowly wandered further into the fairgrounds.

Among them, some dolls gave off a slightly eerie vibe.

It was a baby-shaped doll.

Looking like a cheap baby model, it emitted a “Kiik-kiik” sound while crawling and occasionally opened its mouth.

Inside, the mouth was painted pitch black, giving off a very unsettling feeling.

Who would buy something like that?

Other strange dolls caught my eye too.

A giant doll, standing about 5 meters tall, demonstrated lifting a heavy steel structure.

Named “[Construction Doll]”, it was described as a replacement for cranes used at construction sites.

There was also an experimental doll with multiple arms handling various devices simultaneously, and another whose body stretched snake-like.

‘TV ads don’t show how creepy these dolls really are.’

One advertised as “[Perfect Companion to Replace Golden Reapers]” looked bizarre.

While wandering and checking out the dolls, a curious exhibition hall caught my attention.

It wasn’t introduced in any external TV ads or flyers, but its name was written above the hall.

“[Great Object Security Doll Exhibition Hall]”

“Wow!”

Since I’m interested in the combat power of dolls, I hurriedly entered the exhibition hall.

Security dolls were categorized from level 5 to special class.

Naturally, I headed straight to the special-class exhibition hall displaying the strongest dolls.

Apparently, many others shared the same idea, as the special-class security doll exhibition hall was noticeably more crowded than the others.

In the center of an elevated display stand stood a majestic doll.

It was a large doll coated in a design resembling a black suit, like a bodyguard.

Approximately 5 meters tall.

However, its upper body was grotesquely oversized and bulky.

Unlike other dolls that closely resembled humans, this one featured mechanical joints and protruding parts.

Is this even a doll? More like a ‘robot’.

Its combat power was proudly displayed on the nameplate.

“[Hungry Ghost-Class Security Doll]”

Hungry Ghost Class!

As I stared at the Hungry Ghost-Class Security Doll in wonder, it suddenly rotated its eyeballs and began staring directly at me.

“!”

Did it see me while I’m ghosting?

***

In the heart of Seoul, at Oh Muryong’s mansion.

Deep within the mansion, in an ancient laboratory, two ornate lamps burned fiercely.

Standing beside them, Oh Muryong chuckled maniacally.

His body was already partially decayed and stained black in places, with his eyes glowing ominously red.

“Just a little more… Just a little more…”

In the center of the lab, a concave space held a viscous, unknown liquid, in which a blindfolded granddaughter lay submerged.

“Grandfather?”

An anxious voice from the young girl.

Ignoring the voice, Oh Muryong continuously poured disintegrated human corpses into the liquid.

They were clones of his granddaughter.

Small fingers of the little girl floated to the surface before slowly dissolving.

Though capable of easily melting humans, the liquid appeared to have no effect on the central “granddaughter doll.”

Despite grinding up all the clones, the liquid remained incomplete.

“Not enough. Not enough. Not enough.”

Oh Muryong’s crazed red eyes scanned the surroundings.

And then he found it.

The real granddaughter’s corpse preserved in a cryogenic pod.

Something Oh Muryong would never have done in his right mind, but in his current madness, he began grinding up his granddaughter’s corpse and tossing it into the liquid.

At that moment, the liquid began to churn violently, emitting a radiant glow.

“Hahaha! It’s complete!”

The surface of the liquid became smooth like glass, shimmering with various colors.

Unlike the ominous and foul-smelling evolution liquid, this multicolored liquid radiated a truly beautiful and mysterious aura.

It looked like a portal to another world.

A gateway to the Color Universe filled with hues.

“Huh… Grandfather, I hear strange voices.”

The granddaughter doll anxiously looked around, but Oh Muryong merely stared blankly at the liquid with gleaming eyes.