Chapter 349

A peaceful afternoon on the streets of Jongno District was instantly transformed into chaos.

What was usually bustling with tourists and employees had now become a crowd of people terrified out of their wits.

The first thing that was heard was a deafening roar from far away in Gwanghwamun.

And then came the emergency alerts blaring from phones in all directions.

Peebeeep! Peebeeep!

The same sound ringing out from every phone on the street sent an eerie chill down everyone’s spines.

[SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT] Emergency Object Alert.

[JONGNO DISTRICT] Special-Class Object Appearance.

Evacuation order issued. Please move to the nearest shelter immediately.

Please follow instructions from relevant authorities.

As soon as the disaster text messages were confirmed, people began fleeing en masse, just as ear-piercing sirens started blaring across the area.

In the midst of the chaos, with sirens wailing and people running for their lives, a thunderous sound echoed through the streets.

KOOOOM.

Some of the fleeing people turned their gaze toward the source.

In the distance, a towering skyscraper crumbled like paper.

Dust shot up into the sky in an instant, and those who witnessed it paled visibly.

“Run!”

With someone’s shout, the crowd began moving all at once.

What was once a leisurely stroll became a frantic dash for life.

Women in high heels discarded them and ran barefoot while men in suits loosened their ties, gasping for breath.

The street was pure pandemonium.

Traffic lights meant nothing; cars were chaotically stopped in the middle of roads.

With each new crumbling sound, the city descended further into disarray.

But then one person’s cry brought a strange sense of relief spreading through the city.

“It’s the Golden Reaper!”

Riding atop elaborately decorated White Hungry Ghosts and wielding Blue Spears, the Golden Reaper Knights charged through the crowds.

Against the flow of people, they plowed through the dust until they confronted a massive, translucent butterfly.

Though it merely flapped its wings slowly, this butterfly alone was enough to shatter the city into pieces.

Every time the butterfly flapped its wings, nearby objects crumbled like sand.

Another flap, and they returned to their original forms.

The Golden Reapers analyzed this bizarre phenomenon.

“Feels like Sprout’s abilities?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

To the Golden Reapers, this butterfly seemed to possess powers that distorted time itself.

Wherever the butterfly moved, parts would age into the future, some remained in the present, and others regressed into the past.

This fracturing of time caused man-made structures to collapse under the strain.

It was powerful enough to be considered “1st Sword”-level ability, as interpreted by Blue Reaper, the Merlin of the Golden Reapers’ round table.

“Charge!”

The Golden Reapers surrounded themselves with flames from the White Hungry Ghosts’ Objects and surged forward toward the butterfly.

Blue Reaper’s spear flew straight at the butterfly’s body—but the translucent creature simply let the blade and fire slip harmlessly off its form.

“Not working!”

“It’s too strong!”

Ignoring the knights completely, the butterfly continued flying relentlessly toward where the humans were gathered.

“Uh oh…”

“Humans are in danger!”

Panicked, the Golden Reapers discarded their spears and attempted to combine their attacks, but none of it affected the butterfly.

Defeated, the Golden Reapers collapsed onto the ground, calling out for help.

“Mom, come quick!”

“Mom, are you close?”

At that moment, a colossal slash descended from the heavens, targeting the butterfly.

“Mom?”

A slash similar to Mom’s Space Tear technique…

But unlike Mom, whose slashes tore apart everything indiscriminately, this slash cleanly severed only the butterfly with elegant precision.

“It’s the 1st Sword!”

“He’s gotten even stronger!”

The Golden Reapers’ eyes all turned toward the rooftop of a nearby tall building.

There stood the 1st Sword of the Golden Reapers, her hair tied back in a ponytail, gripping a perfectly refined log-sword.

She stared intently at where the butterfly had been—as if sensing it wasn’t truly dead yet.

“Ah!”

“The butterfly’s still alive!”

When the Golden Reapers turned their heads, they saw the previously bisected transparent butterfly reforming itself.

The 1st Sword observed the butterfly’s regeneration process and deduced the mechanism behind its survival.

“Nothing particularly special about this regeneration. So…”

The 1st Sword gazed at the tangled threads of space and time around the butterfly before slowly raising her sword to shoulder height.

And then, with a smooth spin, she swung her sword horizontally.

“Void Slash!”

A black line traced the path of her sword, beginning to consume the giant butterfly.

Continuously, until the entire translucent butterfly was sucked into the void beyond.

It resembled Mom’s “Black Sphere.”

***

I called upon the Golden Reaper 1st Sword with dreams of automatic External Being hunting, hoping he’d answer promptly as he did last time.

Instead, I received an unexpected reply.

“Busy.”

Huh?!

No way.

Even the 1st Sword of the Golden Reapers has become unreliable.

As resentment bubbled within me, I teleported to where the 1st Sword was located.

There I found him rushing somewhere in a hurry while a giant butterfly Object suddenly appeared in the city.

Clearly, this butterfly was a top-tier Special-Class Object.

“Wow, he really is busy…”

Feeling slightly guilty for doubting him earlier, I decided against pestering him further.

Leaving a mental note to call him next time, I retreated back to the Mini Reaper Garden.

Since Orange Crowned Reaper and the 1st Sword were the most powerful among the Mini Reapers, I intended to experiment with them first—but if he’s busy, there’s nothing to be done.

For some reason, today doesn’t feel right.

Guess there’s no helping it.

I’ll have to conduct all the experiments another time when everyone’s available.

***

In the Mini Reaper Garden, at the Yellow Reaper Theater.

I sat in the audience watching a play based on the recent events.

The play concluded with my dazzling and magnificent punch.

The final scene was an impressive recreation of the battle.

While I applauded enthusiastically, the Mini Reapers tilted their heads in confusion.

“?”

“Mom’s punch looks different?”

“Fake play?”

Although I instructed minor changes to the script, the Mini Reapers quickly noticed the discrepancies.

I only slightly adjusted the arm, leg, and torso movements—combined, they didn’t even add up to a meter!

After threatening the Yellow Reaper to preserve my glorious image, my propaganda efforts seem to have failed.

As the Yellow Reaper struggled under the Mini Reapers’ complaints, he glanced at me for help, but I pretended not to notice and left.

Hehe.

While strolling through Marshmallow Plains after leaving the theater, I noticed the Golden Reapers gathering to head somewhere.

“There’s a new land appearing!”

“New exploration!”

“New snacks!”

It was a long procession of Golden Reapers heading out to explore new territories.

Come to think of it, I haven’t visited the Mini Reaper Garden much lately.

There’s only one reason for that.

The Mini Reaper Garden has grown too large…

Even without new regions forming, it keeps expanding bit by bit until it’s now so vast that walking around is exhausting.

“Mom should come too!”

“Adventure!”

Several Golden Reapers climbed onto my back, urging me to join them.

Carrying a bunch of Golden Reapers on my person, I slowly followed their procession.

***

The late afternoon sunlight filtered into the backyard of Sehee Research Institute.

Long shadows stretched across the grass as cloud fish descended from the sky.

These cloud fish served as transportation for the Mini Reapers traveling around the world.

Among the many Mini Reapers boarding the cloud fish, a rare sight could be seen.

It was the Sprout Reaper, with a small fruit sprouting from their head.

In the Sprout Reaper’s arms lay a tinier Mini Sprout Reaper.

“I wanna go!”

The Mini Sprout Reaper wriggled to escape the Sprout Reaper’s embrace, who held on tightly to prevent losing them.

“I’m going to find my Attached Human!”

Apparently unable to choose an Attached Human from those in the research institute, the Mini Sprout Reaper insisted on embarking on a journey via cloud fish.

After sighing deeply, the Sprout Reaper carefully plucked a piece of fruit and fed it to a passing cloud fish.

Seeing this, the Mini Sprout Reaper happily toddled over and confidently climbed aboard the same cloud fish.

“Let’s go!”

The cloud fish soared upward swiftly and began flying away from the research institute.

Thus began the Mini Sprout Reaper’s grand adventure.