Chapter 346

As the man with a halo was sucked into the swirling vortex of wishes, the sun slowly began to peek over the ruins of Seodaemun District.

The dawn’s light was like a signal flare announcing the end of a long night.

‘It’s over.’

The faint light emerging in the eastern sky gradually pushed back the darkness, revealing the轮廓 of the shattered city.

The desolate streets had transformed into an alien landscape.

Twisted steel structures jutted toward the sky like massive sculptures, and broken glass panes sparkled like stars reflecting the morning light.

Against the brightening sky, the once bustling streets had completely changed.

Scattered signs and broken road markers lay everywhere.

Dust particles danced in the wind.

Faint chirping of birds could be heard from afar – sounds that seemed surreal amidst the devastation.

It was a scene unimaginable while searching for the missing Golden Reaper.

While surveying the area, my eyes caught sight of a bench that remained inexplicably intact among the destroyed facilities.

It was the very same bench I had discovered while chasing after the missing Golden Pig Reaper.

Feeling a slight sense of familiarity, I sat on the bench and lifted up my now aroma-less coffee cup for inspection.

Then, in the distance, the Golden Reapers appeared.

The Golden Cloaked Reaper was carrying the seemingly unconscious Golden Horn Reaper and marching forward with surprising strength.

Even carrying the Golden Horn Reaper, he effortlessly leaped over piles of broken concrete.

Is the Golden Cloaked Reaper stronger than other Golden Reapers because he wears a cloak instead of being made of firewood?

Other Golden Reapers would carefully break stones into smaller pieces when moving them – quite a difference.

As I watched him confidently leap over the debris, I noticed something new.

“Originally he only wore a cloak, but now he has shoes and gloves?”

The Golden Cloaked Reaper was wearing sturdy-looking boots and gloves.

Their design was rather impressive; if it were full armor, I might have wanted to steal and wear it myself.

“A little disappointing.”

Of course, there’s no way I could wear mini-reaper-sized armor.

When the Golden Cloaked Reaper reached my knees, I picked up the unconscious Golden Horn Reaper and playfully pressed his charming horns.

Such an oddly mesmerizing horn that never got old.

Hehe.

As I played with the Golden Horn Reaper, a forgotten memory slowly approached and whispered to me.

[Swirling White Hungry Ghost Roast.]

When those words surfaced in my mind like mental pollution, I abruptly stood up.

Holding both Golden Reapers on my knees, I instantly teleported to the Mini Reaper Garden.

As my vision blurred from the teleportation, I saw drones filming the revealed ruins under the sunlight scatter in all directions.

***

Mini Reaper Garden, Marshmallow Plains.

The Gray Reaper suddenly appeared out of thin air, dropped the Golden Horn Reaper and Golden Cloaked Reaper on the ground, then hurriedly ran off somewhere.

Thus, the two Golden Reapers fell unceremoniously to the ground.

The Golden Cloaked Reaper tried to adjust his posture mid-air like other Golden Reapers do, but landed belly-first due to his pudgy stomach.

The unconscious Golden Horn Reaper also tumbled gracelessly across the floor.

“I can’t fly…”

Apparently, due to incomplete regeneration of his armor, the Golden Cloaked Reaper couldn’t fly.

After properly laying down the Golden Horn Reaper, he started trotting off to find his Attached Human.

As time passed, the Golden Horn Reaper woke up from his slumber.

“Ack! I’m awake!”

“It’s been a while!”

“It’s been a while!”

What greeted his vision were numerous Golden Reapers twinkling their eyes.

The Golden Reapers were radiating pure joy.

The moment they realized the Golden Horn Reaper had awakened, they slowly closed in before rushing forward all at once.

A giant Golden Reaper Cocoon!

Soft cheeks rubbed against each other, tiny limbs reaching out from all sides.

“Uwaah!”

“I can’t move!”

“Ack, someone bit me again!”

As the Golden Reaper-style welcome party ended, only a few older Golden Reapers remained to roll around together.

These were the Golden Reapers whose lifespans used to last less than a day.

“At the Tension Research Institute!”

“???”

Having met after such a long time, they shared updates about each other’s lives.

“It’s the Bingsoo Snowfield.”

“So white!”

They held hands and guided each other through the newly created Mini Reaper Garden.

After thoroughly touring the garden, the Golden Reapers settled in the snowfield and began peeling sugar fruits bit by bit.

Omnomnom.

The Golden Horn Reaper, seeing this fruit for the first time, opened wide eyes and eagerly devoured it.

While he was distracted by the snack, another Golden Reaper trotted over and bit his horn.

Nomnom.

The Golden Horn Reaper giggled as if tickled and looked up at the biting Golden Reaper.

It was a meeting of soft teeth and soft horns.

Then other Golden Reapers rose from their seats and rushed over.

“Me too!”

“I want to bite too!”

As the Golden Reapers laughed and rolled around in the snow, the Orange Crowned Reaper observed them from the sky with a meaningful expression.

***

Sehee Research Institute, Researcher Office.

At lunchtime, the Helmet Researcher took his eyes off the monitor and looked around.

Looking around, the lunchtime hustle of the Sehee Research Institute office was filled with an unusually excited atmosphere.

Though the office was always lively, today felt especially so.

“Probably because of the Seodaemun District incident a few days ago.”

Yesterday’s large-scale Object accident received significant attention for two reasons.

First was the Top-Tier Object Alert and evacuation recommendation issued by James Research Institute, followed immediately by the city’s collapse after the evacuation was completed.

Thanks to James Research Institute, it became an Object incident with property damage but no casualties.

This was truly an example showcasing how amazing James Research Institute is.

The Helmet Researcher wondered what the people who stubbornly refused to evacuate until the last moment might be thinking.

Second was the rare footage of a proper Grey Reaper battle scene.

The spectacular yet brutal and intense combat footage.

In the Helmet Researcher’s opinion, this would significantly boost the Grey Reaper’s popularity.

Could this finally be the opportunity for the Grey Reaper to catch up to the Golden Reaper’s popularity?

While pondering this, the Helmet Researcher looked down to see a Golden Reaper lying spread-eagled on top of a report, rolling around.

“Ack!”

The Golden Reaper, sensing the researcher’s gaze, flailed its limbs and rolled around to prevent the report from being read.

“No working!”

“It’s break time!”

Ever since understanding the concept of lunch breaks, this has become a regular occurrence.

The Helmet Researcher chuckled softly, picked up the Golden Reaper, and stood up.

“No matter what, the Grey Reaper probably can’t surpass the Golden Reaper’s popularity, right?”

While holding the giggling Golden Reaper, the researcher thought about this.

Grabbing a simple sandwich and some pudding for the Golden Reaper, upon arriving at the lounge, a large TV screen was showing the Grey Reaper’s battle footage.

It was a scene of the entirely golden Grey Reaper throwing an awkward punch.

The Golden Reaper sitting on the researcher’s shoulder jumped onto the table as soon as it saw the TV screen, then started mimicking the Grey Reaper’s movements.

“Golden Mommy Punch!”

The Golden Reaper threw a wobbly punch in some awkward stance.

Wobble. Wobble.

Though its expression clearly showed admiration for the Grey Reaper, the posture seemed more like teasing.

Well, it’s certain that the Grey Reaper doesn’t like being mimicked.

Some Golden Reapers got turned into ping-pong balls after being caught mimicking the Grey Reaper.

The Helmet Researcher suddenly felt playful and quietly whispered, pointing at the lounge entrance.

“There’s a Grey Reaper over there!”

“Ack!”

The Golden Reaper panicked, covering its mouth with both hands and looking toward the entrance, but there was nobody there.

“You tricked me!”

The Golden Reaper, slightly upset, dashed forward and delivered a series of tiny punches to the researcher’s cheek.

The Helmet Researcher smiled softly while receiving the squishy punches.

***

The man with the halo was dreaming.

It was a very old fragment of memory.

A childhood dream.

The boy in the dream was extremely angry.

Bang!

The boy in the dream slammed his fist on a table filled with various alchemical equipment, venting his rage.

“Why!”

The man was watching this past self from a distance, as if watching a play.

‘So, this was the beginning.’

This was precisely where it all started with the girl with blue hair.

“The Last Alchemist is me.”

“How could some Magical Book be the Chief Alchemist? I absolutely refuse to accept it.”

The boy in the dream spat out his anger with a distorted face.

Unlike the boy in the dream, however, the defeated man in the gray torrent saw something new.

‘These academy titles that will soon disappear mean little anyway…’

‘From here onward, everything started going astray.’

As the man thought this, the solid dream began to crumble and disappeared into the torrent.

And the man’s consciousness began to fade.

“This is my end.”

As his consciousness scattered, the man murmured with a slightly melancholic expression.

Just before his consciousness completely faded, the man saw something pitch-black in the torrent of wishes.

Something as black as evolution liquid, maintaining a perfectly round shape.