Chapter 321

Pink Girl was inexplicably ecstatic.

The sudden appearance of an unidentified building and the bizarre Blue Reaper that seemed to have dropped from the sky were both contributing factors to her excitement.

Pink Girl had always been alone, endlessly ascending toward the celestial barrier without encountering anyone.

She had always felt incredibly lonely, having met only one person in her entire life—an elderly man she called “Grandfather.”

Even he had passed away by the time she began properly understanding the world.

To her, the Blue Reaper’s appearance felt like gaining a new friend, even though it was barely the size of her palm and hailed from a completely different species than humans.

“Let’s go!”

With that, Pink Girl clutched the tiny Blue Reaper in her hand and dashed toward the convenience store.

“Eh… I’m getting dizzy!”

The Blue Reaper’s eyes spun around as if disoriented, but Pink Girl ran happily with a bright smile on her face.

A portion of the convenience store appeared to have been sharply sliced off, as if subjected to Spatial Cut.

Pink Girl looked down at the detached sign.

“24-hour convenience store. Seoul…”

The sign had been cleanly cut off, its remaining text fading into nothingness.

“This… is this writing? Grandfather never taught me anything like this.”

Frowning, Pink Girl stared intently at the letters before dismissing it with a casual thought—”Maybe I just forgot again”—and walked inside.

Inside, she wandered around joyfully, her eyes gleaming with delight.

“Ah! I remember this. Grandfather said this was food.”

“Stop please!”

As she picked up a can and tried biting into it with her teeth, the Blue Reaper panicked.

“This doesn’t look quite human, does it?”

She giggled while looking at the wall where a human-shaped hole had been punched through.

She also sampled some instant coffee powder with her fingers.

“Oh!”

“?!”

“It’s delicious! You should try some too.”

With a playful grin, Pink Girl stuffed some coffee powder into the Blue Reaper’s mouth.

“!!!!!!!!!”

Startled by the bitter taste, the Blue Reaper’s eyes widened dramatically before fainting and collapsing sideways.

Regaining consciousness almost instantly, tears welled up in its eyes as it began pounding Pink Girl with a mallet.

Pong! Pong! Pong!

“It hurts! I’m sorry!”

Pink Girl ran around dodging the flying Blue Reaper, repeatedly shouting apologies.

***

At the edge of Seoul, near Seoul Forest…

An area usually devoid of people due to sparse traffic now buzzed with activity.

“Non-lethal spatial disappearance phenomenon.”

James, investigating at the request of the Korean Object Association, gazed up at the scene.

Buildings made of steel and concrete were cleanly carved out in circular patterns, as if precisely sliced away.

Convenience store employees surrounded by investigators recounted their accounts.

And nearby stood remnants of walls shaped like convenience store clerks.

All signs pointed to the recently discovered phenomenon of spatial disappearance.

“There was a flash, and then the whole building disappeared. Only the wall and shelves behind me remained.”

The flustered employee described the event incoherently.

Based on his explanation, it was undoubtedly a case of spatial disappearance.

Two defining characteristics of spatial disappearance: razor-sharp cutting marks resembling Spatial Cuts and no direct harm to those affected.

James surveyed the scene with concern.

“The frequency and scale of spatial disappearances are increasing.”

“Currently, there’s no technology capable of dealing with objects vanishing entirely along with their space.”

“I’ll need to expedite the design of the spatial disappearance alarm system.”

Rustle.

James turned his head upon hearing a sound beneath his feet.

“…Seoul Forest Life 24/7.”

There lay a severed convenience store sign, seemingly blown over from the crime scene.

Then, an Employee from James Research Institute covered in several Golden Reapers approached.

“Boss.”

The employee calmly reported unusual phenomena to James.

Apparently, Mini Reapers had started appearing near the entrance of Seoul Forest, hinting at strange occurrences within.

Upon hearing this, James turned his head toward Seoul Forest, noticing many Golden Reapers had already gathered.

“Don’t come in!”

“It’s dangerous!”

Previously absent, these Golden Reapers now lined up in rows, blocking the path to Seoul Forest with outstretched arms.

When researchers attempted to pass, they were playfully but persistently stopped—either rammed or having their pants tugged at by the reapers.

Despite their cuteness rendering them harmless, the sheer determination of the Golden Reapers effectively halted intruders.

“Alright, alright. I won’t enter.”

“Let’s share pudding instead?”

Their adorable antics combined with Mental Pollution proved surprisingly effective.

While observing the chaos between the Golden Reapers and the crowd, James’ Secretary hurriedly approached with fresh data.

It was footage taken by a James Research Institute employee.

Instead of Seoul Forest, the video showed someone near a checkpoint, covered in numerous Golden Reapers while filming.

“Don’t go!”

In the video, the reapers desperately interfered by pulling eyelids, pinching cheeks, and jabbing foreheads.

Unable to speak with Golden Reapers inside his mouth, the employee flicked a coin toward Seoul Forest.

“!!!!”

The spinning coin in the air suddenly vanished mid-flight, unable to progress further.

This was a familiar phenomenon to James.

“The sunlight and dust aren’t connecting properly.”

“The space seems distorted, much like the spacetime warping near the Indigo Tree in James City.”

Realizing this, James issued orders to his secretary.

“This isn’t ordinary. Contact the Object Association and request enhanced lockdown measures for Seoul Forest.”

“Even the ‘Golden Reapers,’ which don’t harm humans, might not be enough.”

James then instructed preparations for additional investigations into Seoul Forest.

***

Deep Inside Sehee Research Institute, Comfortable Isolation Room.

Om.

I lay in bed, munching on snacks.

The TV played news about the recent increase in spatial disappearances.

[At 4:30 AM today, another spatial disappearance accident occurred near Seoul Forest.]

[An entire convenience store vanished in this incident.]

[Witnesses claim the building evaporated instantly.]

[The Seoul Object Association immediately responded, controlling the area and investigating potential secondary damages.]

[Fortunately, although one part-time worker was caught in the event, no casualties were reported.]

[Experts warn of significant secondary risks such as building collapses or falling debris…]

The screen displayed images of various Mini Reapers bustling around the site.

For some reason, it felt like there were fewer Mini Reapers here. Had they all gone there?

Glancing away from the TV, I noticed significantly fewer Mini Reapers floating above my bed.

Only a few Mini Reapers playing with Ghost Reapers remained.

A Ghost Reaper draped in white cloth roamed around, poking Golden Reapers with a sword.

“Uuwaang!”

The Golden Reapers dramatically collapsed when stabbed or laughed as if ticklish.

The sword used by the Ghost Reaper against the Golden Reapers differed slightly from the one aimed at me.

When I asked what it was, they called it “mourning,” implying something about affection.

“The Goldies are getting along better than expected.”

Thinking this, I shifted my gaze back to the TV.

Onscreen, Blue Reapers soared across the sky.

***

Pink Girl woke up in the disheveled convenience store where she’d played yesterday.

Soft water droplets gently enveloped her.

Beside her, a Blue Reaper slept soundly with its cap pulled low.

Above, the sky faintly brightened.

“So yesterday wasn’t a dream after all.”

Yesterday had felt like an endless, delightful dream.

She poked the sleeping Blue Reaper’s cheek to confirm reality.

Hoom.

Caught off guard, the Blue Reaper instinctively bit her finger in its sleep.

Its tongue moved slightly, causing a ticklish sensation.

As Pink Girl giggled and watched the Blue Reaper, a massive shadow began spreading across the sky.

The silhouette of an enormous spider slowly traversed the heavens.

“A spider that eats the sun.”

Recalling the name her grandfather once taught her, Pink Girl gazed upward.