Chapter 350

“It’s a nice day.”

The short-haired girl sitting by the window muttered to herself as her hair shimmered in the warm sunlight.

Her eyes fully reflected the scenery outside the window.

Newly constructed buildings and people who still seemed unfamiliar with the cityscape.

This place was the outskirts of Songpa District in Seoul, known as the ‘Object Invasion Victim Special Management Zone.’

More casually referred to as the “Roll Cake Special Zone.”

This area originally housed many buildings owned by James Research Institute but had since become a home for people like “older sister.”

Initially, the special zone was planned for a more dangerous location, but thanks to James Research Institute offering this area, victims could now live here instead.

The short-haired girl sat by the window watching the “Roll Cake Special Zone,” gently stroking the golden-armored reaper who was now fully suited up.

The blue sky, warm sunlight, and bustling streets filled with vitality made it hard to imagine anyone feeling anxious about being forced into such an isolated area.

No trace of unease—only positive vibes permeated the air. Why?

It was easy to find the reason just by glancing around the city.

A giant pinwheel towering in the center of the special zone.

Proof that golden reapers were patrolling in abundance.

Made from candy, snacks, and chocolate, the slowly spinning pinwheel spread a sweet fragrance throughout the entire zone.

“Hmm.”

The girl sighed deeply, closing her eyes as the warm sunlight filtered through the window and softly caressed her face.

“The scent of golden reapers.”

Combined with the sun-like aroma, it calmed her heart even further.

When she opened her eyes and looked down, she spotted someone directing urban maintenance work—a figure none other than James, the owner of James Research Institute.

He appeared competent and serious at first glance, but one odd detail completely altered his image.

Perched atop James’s head was a golden light reaper, manipulating his hair as if it were its own puppet.

Such a scene brought warmth to her smile.

“Ho ho.”

The short-haired girl couldn’t help but giggle softly at the sight.

While enjoying the lively view outside, she suddenly noticed how quiet the house had become.

“Where did sister go?”

She turned her gaze away from the window and scanned the room, only to find it eerily empty.

“Sister?”

As she stood up to investigate, the girl found a hastily scribbled note.

“[I’ll be back soon. I left some food in the fridge—if you’re hungry, help yourself.]”

Food? What did she buy?

What on earth did she bring back?

Curious, the short-haired girl stuffed the note into her pocket and approached the fridge, opening it without hesitation.

At that moment, a mysterious monster screamed, “Dad!” and leaped at her.

“Aaaaah!”

The girl froze white with shock, screaming in terror.

But mere seconds later, upon realizing what—or rather, who—the monster was, she angrily pounced and squished it repeatedly.

“Sister! I told you not to pull pranks like that! How many times have you done this already?”

The girl’s sister, always prone to mischief even before becoming a roll cake, kept making her heart skip beats daily.

“Ouch! You’re squishing me!”

Despite her head being squished, the sister laughed gleefully.

***

The Sehee Research Institute office buzzed with its usual chaotic energy.

Amidst the noise, the helmet researcher sat calmly at their desk drafting a report.

On the screen was the title of the report they were working on:

[The Correlation Between Adorable Puppy Theft and the White Hungry Ghost Riding Golden Reaper Group.]

While documenting the theft of cute puppies, the researcher stumbled upon intriguing data linking the activity range of the “White Hungry Ghost Riding Golden Reaper” group with the warning zones of stolen adorable puppies.

[Based on these findings, it is inferred that the “White Hungry Ghost Riding Golden Reaper” group strategically utilizes kidnapped cute puppies to conduct object removal operations within Seoul.]

[Therefore, there seems to be no urgent need to reclaim the stolen puppies at this point.]

With the report complete, the researcher leaned back in their chair. Instantly, a golden reaper lounging lazily in the corner sprang to life.

“Is it done?”

“Is it done?”

The golden reaper jumped excitedly, looking up hopefully—probably eager to go home and play.

After checking the time, the helmet researcher picked up the golden reaper and whispered,

“Yeah, let’s head back.”

The golden reaper grinned happily, giggling as it snuggled into the researcher’s shirt pocket.

The chatter continued as the helmet researcher prepared to leave. Outside the office, they noticed a cluster of Sehee Research Institute employees gathered together.

“What’s going on?”

Drawn by curiosity, the researcher stepped closer and discovered a lavish display of desserts: ice cream, pudding, and fruit-decorated treats.

Though not particularly rare for Sehee Research Institute, which always stocked sweets for the mini reapers, it still caught attention.

Why so many employees were crowded around became clear when the researcher moved closer.

The mini reapers were making snacks for the staff!

Blue reapers used magic to clean dishes, black reapers carried empty ones, golden reapers carefully arranged fruits, hungry ghost reapers scooped ice cream, and finally, pudding reapers nestled themselves into the middle of the dessert trays.

Of course, before serving, the actual pudding reaper was pulled out by the hungry ghost reaper, leaving only the pudding behind.

Seeing the mini-reaper-made desserts, the helmet researcher suddenly felt hungry too, grabbing a treat to share with the golden reaper.

“Mmm…”

A small yet fulfilling moment in the everyday life of Sehee Research Institute.

***

Following the parade of golden reapers, I arrived at Jelly Jungle.

Thinking I’d stumbled upon an entirely new place, it turned out to be Jelly Jungle after all.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen golden reapers wander through Jelly Jungle.”

Recalling past observations, green and orange reapers occasionally flew around, but nothing else.

“Jelly!”

“Jelly!”

Apparently, all mini reapers knew about this because various mini reapers were having fun in unique ways throughout the jungle.

Some used giant jelly mushrooms as trampolines, others swung from jelly vines without touching the ground, and a few launched themselves into the sky using catapults crafted from jelly trees.

They were truly enjoying themselves in countless creative ways.

But Jelly Jungle wasn’t exactly new to me.

Just as I started feeling bored and decided to turn back, I noticed a procession of golden reapers marching straight through the jungle.

Their journey didn’t seem to end in Jelly Jungle itself.

Intrigued, I followed them until I discovered something completely unfamiliar—a strange structure buried deep within the jelly-filled forest.

“!”

It was a pastry-shaped structure awkwardly embedded amidst the jellies.

Its spiral design plunged deep into the ground, resembling an “ant trap.”

It somewhat resembled the space created by the man with the halo.

Moreover, its scale was immense.

Deep enough that the bottom couldn’t be seen, and wide enough to rival a large stadium.

Mixed among the golden reapers, I descended the spiraling path underground.

Deeper and deeper we went…

The dim spiral corridor gradually evoked an adventurous mood, making it slightly enjoyable.

How far had we traveled?

The pitch-black tunnel stretched endlessly without a single ray of light.

Occasionally, the golden reapers would turn around to check if I was still following.

Were they scared?

Their cuteness made me chuckle softly.

Still, this darkness was fascinating.

Even though the sky above remained bright, it was inexplicably dark down here.

“Strange phenomenon.”

Looking forward again, the dark passage resembled a starry night sky, dotted with faint golden lights.

Like brave sailors guided by stars, we followed the courageous golden reapers through the dark adventure.

During our descent, waves of anguish began emanating from the golden reapers.

“Mom!”

“Mommy!”

Startled, I instantly teleported to the leading golden reaper.

We arrived at the deepest, darkest core where no light penetrated.

Above, there was no trace of the sky—just impenetrable darkness.

Here, at the very bottom, golden reapers lay curled up on the floor, clutching their heads in agony.

I quickly gathered them into my arms.

Touching their bodies, I felt a peculiar liquid coating them.

Erasing it revealed patches of skin bleached white, as if exposed to bleach.

“This…?”

It was the grayish liquid I remembered seeing on the body of the Black Giant.

The substance that anchored the Black Giant to the ground.

And here, in this deepest pit, traces of that liquid seeped out slowly.

“Ma-a-a.”

From the puddles of seeping liquid emerged a tiny silhouette, walking steadily toward us.