Chapter 348

Under the warm sunlight, the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute lay bathed in golden hues.

The short-haired girl sat side by side with her sister who had returned from a state akin to death.

Of course, the sister hadn’t truly died, but being in a vegetative state was close enough to call it a resurrection.

Only, the sister who returned wasn’t human anymore.

Roll Cake Human.

At first, the short-haired girl felt uneasy and awkward, unsure if this was really her sister. But as soon as they started talking, she realized—it was really her.

They talked endlessly.

About how her sister had fallen for ‘that man’s’ tricks and ended up like this.

How even though she won the final battle at the ‘Festival,’ she ended up in a vegetative state.

After exchanging countless stories, the short-haired girl and her sister leaned on each other, sitting quietly without a word.

Though no words were exchanged, just being together brought immense happiness.

As the short-haired girl stared blankly at her sister, their eyes met, and her sister spoke up.

“Still, wanna try it?”

No, silence would have been better.

The sister had always been a bit eccentric, but since becoming a Roll Cake Human, she often pulled pranks that made the short-haired girl’s heart skip a beat.

Like suddenly shouting “Dullahan!” and removing her own head or offering her severed fingers to eat.

“Don’t do that! I said not to!”

“It’s delicious though…”

Watching her sister eat her own fingers, the short-haired girl sighed deeply and turned her gaze toward the mini reapers wandering around nearby.

Golden reapers with sharply styled horns playing around like guarding the Roll Cake Human, riding white hungry ghosts.

The Golden Reaper Knights riding white hungry ghosts, circling protectively around the Roll Cake Human.

Mini reapers feeding snacks to tiny one-eyed creatures.

And the sister feeding her own fingers to the mini reapers.

Even though Seoul was in chaos, watching her sister and the mini reapers made it feel like everything was fine.

But reality was different.

Currently, the “Roll Cake Human,” including her sister, couldn’t leave Sehee Research Institute. On TV, opinions were divided over whether the Roll Cake Human was human or not.

Just then, the Golden Cloaked Reaper poked the slightly melancholic short-haired girl’s cheek.

“?!”

Turning her head, the short-haired girl saw the Golden Cloaked Reaper giving her a reassuring smile.

A smile that promised everything would turn out alright.

It conveyed the resolve to help no matter what happened.

She placed the Golden Cloaked Reaper on her palm, gently stroking it while asking,

“Since the Gray Reaper is practically Korea’s ‘God,’ the Roll Cake situation will work out too, right?”

The Golden Cloaked Reaper nodded firmly, clenching its fists as if to say, “Trust me.”

Relieved, the short-haired girl began sharing the pudding set out in the courtyard with the Golden Cloaked Reaper.

When they finished sharing the pudding, people from the Object Association appeared en masse in the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute.

With an air of making an important announcement, everyone gathered there tensely swallowed their saliva.

***

In the Mini Reaper Garden, the scorched Marshmallow Plains.

What used to be the ordinary Marshmallow Plains had turned pitch black due to the White Hungry Ghost Incinerator Golem roaming around.

Sitting atop a modest hill, I watched the golem idly.

Around the golem, many white hungry ghosts gathered—but upon closer inspection, they weren’t actually white hungry ghosts, but mini reapers dressed as such.

“Attack!”

Just like when I wore a white hungry ghost costume in America, the mini reapers also donned white hungry ghost costumes and played the role of white hungry ghost warriors.

Their game involved wearing white hungry ghost costumes, defeating the golem, and rescuing the white hungry ghosts.

“How did we lose again?!”

When the white hungry ghost costumes caught fire from the golem’s flames, the golden reaper quickly discarded them and collapsed on the ground pretending to be dead.

Apparently, catching fire meant defeat.

The discarded white hungry ghost costumes were picked up by the golem and tossed into the incinerator.

Hohoho…

“Seems fun.”

I tore my eyes away from the mini reapers’ cruel yet amusing game and looked down at the Orange Crowned Reaper clutched in my hand.

The Orange Crowned Reaper wriggled, trying to escape.

Actually, I had planned to gather all the special-looking mini reapers for a Halo Test, starting with the Orange Crowned Reaper.

There were several reasons for this. First, I still remembered the irritating sight of the Orange Crowned Reaper casually sunbathing while saying, “Busy,” and ignoring me.

Second, I spotted it building a giant stretcher to carry some elderly Golden Reapers, which somehow gave me the feeling that I might end up on it too.

With a meaningful expression, I summoned all the halos I could summon.

Ability Nullification Halo.

Perfect Dodge Halo.

Illusion Materialization Halo.

Word of Command Halo.

Halo of Space.

Five in total.

Plus, the Halo of Space was brand new—something I hadn’t even tested myself!

Hehe.

“…”

“…”

After the tests concluded, the Orange Crowned Reaper collapsed motionless on the ground like it was dead.

Its fluffy cloud-like hair made it look like a cute caterpillar, causing me to chuckle softly.

While wondering, “Was that too harsh?” I recalled the “Busy” remark and decided it wasn’t quite enough.

So, I picked up the Orange Crowned Reaper and braided its hair, styling it to resemble a real caterpillar.

Then, I placed the Orange Crowned Reaper caterpillar in a sunny spot.

Hehe.

This experiment with the Orange Crowned Reaper was quite successful.

I discovered that different mini reapers might suit specific halos. For example, the Orange Crowned Reaper didn’t seem to feel any pain when using the Perfect Dodge Halo, similar to how the Blue Idol Reaper handles the Word of Command Halo.

If I distribute all the halos among the mini reapers, they might stand a chance against external beings.

Dreaming of this bright future, I strolled toward another special mini reaper.

***

With so many people from the Object Association gathered, the office of Sehee Research Institute buzzed like a disturbed beehive.

The footsteps of researchers mixed with excited voices created a cacophony.

Although the institute was usually understaffed, the noise seemed even more pronounced now.

Amidst the chaos, the Helmet Researcher remained steadfast at their post.

Their fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard while their eyes stayed glued to the monitor, focused on writing a report.

However, their ears didn’t miss the surrounding conversations.

“Did you hear? They’re creating a special zone for Roll Cake Humans, similar to the Golden Horn Isolation Zone.”

“Well, it’s the most natural solution.”

Two researchers stood by the window overlooking the courtyard, whispering.

“At first, there was talk of classifying them as objects and isolating them in the research institute, but somehow this outcome came about.”

“It’s probably because the Golden Reapers are protecting them. Isolation would’ve been impossible in practice.”

“The Golden Reapers are quite popular, so it might influence voting.”

Laughing softly, the researchers fell silent as Kim Jungrwi entered the office.

Finishing the report amidst the quietened room, the Helmet Researcher titled it [Adorable Puppy Abduction Report].

***

Deep within the Mini Reaper Garden, beyond where the Marshmallow Plains meet the Candy Mountains, lay a hidden castle.

So secret that even the Gray Reaper didn’t know of its existence.

The castle walls shimmered like an artistic blend of colorful candies and transparent water.

Golden reapers riding white hungry ghosts patrolled solemnly around the fortress.

On the watchtowers above the walls, golden reapers armed with blue spears stood guard.

The atmosphere here resembled a knight’s tale rather than the whimsical Mini Reaper Garden.

This castle was known among other mini reapers as:

“The Castle of the Golden Reaper Knights.”

Beyond the grand gates of this majestic castle, at the end of a long corridor, lay the largest and most splendid room in the castle.

Its towering ceiling added to its grandeur, while the walls decorated with golden candies gleamed brilliantly.

The floor, made of transparent candy, gave the illusion of walking on glass.

At the center of the room stood a massive round table surrounded by numerous golden reapers seated in chairs.

But the most eye-catching feature was the large doghouse placed in the middle of the table.

Inside rested the “adorable puppy” stolen by the golden reapers.

“!”

Suddenly, the adorable puppy stood up and began barking furiously into the air.

The golden reapers rose from their seats, giggling mischievously as they awaited something.

When the puppy stopped barking, the blue reaper standing quietly in the corner approached the table and wove a string of water letters.

[12km northwest of Seoul]

[Power level: ‘First Sword of the Golden Reaper’ grade!]

Upon seeing the message, the golden reapers murmured anxiously.

Then, one golden reaper mounted a white hungry ghost, raising its spear high.

“Together, nothing can stop us!”

Smiling joyfully, as if nothing could possibly go wrong, the golden reaper led the charge.

Other golden reapers followed suit, mounting their white hungry ghosts and exuding determination.

“All deploy!”

“Harmful Object!”

Thus, the Golden Reaper Knights set off to deal with the object that had appeared in Seoul.