Chapter 366

The vast surface of the Pacific Ocean stretched endlessly as a colossal exploration vessel trudged forward at a leisurely pace.

Standing on the deck of the James Explorer Ship, I gazed into the never-ending horizon and fell deep into thought.

The ship moved as if time itself had paused, its slow speed oddly comforting.

“Hmm… so relaxing…”

The James Explorer Ship, with its mission to search for Objects, seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace.

I’d never paid much attention to the speed of ships before, but now that I was aboard, I could fully appreciate this newfound sense of calm.

The gentle sound of the waves and the unhurried voyage had their own charm.

A funny thought popped into my mind.

“Would gathering a bunch of Cloud Fish lift this ship?”

As I chuckled at the idea and looked up at the sky, an unexpected sight caught my eye.

The radar atop the ship was spinning wildly, and to my surprise, it was covered in Mini Reapers hanging on joyfully.

“Whirrrr!”

“Whirrrr!”

The Mini Reapers clung on like they were riding a carnival ride, grinning from ear to ear as they spun around.

Moreover, a long line of Mini Reapers formed below the radar.

“…”

It was strange that the radar was spinning so fast. Stranger still, no one was stopping the Mini Reapers from clinging to it.

Was it because nothing bad had happened yet? Or was it simply impossible to control the Mini Reapers?

Well, considering how many Golden Reapers were mixed in with them, it seemed they weren’t causing any issues.

Humans feel troubled emotions, and Golden Reapers can instantly sense that. That’s just how it works.

“It seems they’re intentionally letting the unused radar spin fast for the Mini Reapers’ entertainment.”

Watching the Mini Reapers whirl around reminded me of something else—food.

At first, it was just an amusing sight, but as time passed, the whirling motion began to stimulate my appetite.

“Hmm, what am I craving?”

Thinking about it more, I finally realized: the spinning Mini Reapers reminded me of a vertical shish kebab skewer.

Whirr.

Whirr.

Once I figured out the cause, I wanted kebabs even more.

“Ah, there was a dining area downstairs that served kebabs, right?”

I took one last look at the spinning Mini Reapers, who now resembled kebabs entirely, further fueling my hunger.

“Oddly enough, the Mini Reapers are starting to look tasty…”

With that silly thought in mind, I started heading down the stairs to the lower deck.

Thump-thump.

Each step made the savory aroma and sizzling sounds of kebabs grow clearer in my imagination.

The dining hall wasn’t far away. After navigating a narrow corridor and turning left, I arrived.

I opened the door and entered the dining hall…

“Kebab!”

But despair awaited me inside.

“No… not possible…”

Last night’s kebabs were nowhere to be found, replaced by other dishes.

I glanced at the kitchen, hoping against hope, but there was no sign of kebabs there either.

“Should I ask Yerin to make some when I get back to Korea?”

Just as that thought crossed my mind…

I noticed a Black Reaper lurking suspiciously in the kitchen, completely covered in sticky flour and sneaking around.

“What is it doing?”

Curious, I watched closely as the Black Reaper approached the fryer, grinned mischievously, and without hesitation, jumped straight into the hot oil.

To my astonishment, the kitchen staff pretended not to notice and smiled.

The chef, his lips curled upward, carefully transferred the nicely fried Black Reaper onto a tray, placing it prominently so no one would accidentally eat it. They even stuck a decorative flag on top.

When the tray was brought out into the dining hall, the Black Reaper gleefully started nibbling on the fried food beside it.

Munch-munch.

It was a tragic case of cannibalism, where the fried food was eating other fried food.

“Ack!”

The Black Reaper continued to munch until a staff member approached, at which point it closed its eyes and pretended to be fried food.

Of course, unless it was a Golden Reaper whose color matched the batter, pretending wouldn’t work for a Black Reaper.

The staff repeatedly came over, laughed softly upon spotting the Black Reaper, and took photos before leaving.

Watching this gave me an idea for some fun.

Thump-thump.

Pretending I didn’t know, I slowly walked toward the tray of fried food.

“Looks delicious, might as well eat it!”

And with that, I grabbed the Black Reaper and shoved it into my mouth.

The Black Reaper, pretending to fool everyone by closing its eyes and muttering “Mom got tricked!” panicked and squirmed.

“Uwaaaah! Eye mask!”

Hehe.

***

On the outskirts of Songpa District stood the James Tower, a temporary rehabilitation facility.

A silver-haired girl whose hair shimmered in the sunlight sat side-by-side with a warm brown-haired girl, gazing out the window.

Through the windows of the rehabilitation center inside James Tower, the blue sky and bustling cityscape remained unfamiliar to them.

“Finally…”

The silver-haired girl whispered softly.

“Only now does it feel real that everything we experienced underground was a lie.”

The brown-haired girl nodded.

“Yeah, it feels like waking up from a dream. The underground community we thought was the entire world… turned out to just be a breeding pen.”

Confusion and betrayal still lingered in their hearts.

Until recently, they believed they were the only surviving humans after the end of the world.

But reality was different.

Though the outside world wasn’t exactly peaceful, it was still functioning.

Their situation was merely an Object-created hell.

“What will you do next?”

The silver-haired girl asked.

The brown-haired girl thought for a moment, catching sight of a Golden Reaper playing hand-slapping games in the air at the corner of her vision.

“I want to stay here longer and learn more about this country. I’m curious about the Gray Reaper or Mini Reapers who saved us.”

She picked up the Golden Reaper and stared at it intently.

The Golden Reaper locked eyes with her and grinned cheerfully.

“What about you?”

“I’ll stay here too and think things through. This kid seems to like Korea.”

The silver-haired girl held up a Mini Flower Reaper visible only to her as she spoke.

The two girls exchanged smiles.

Both their eyes reflected a mix of fear and anticipation.

“It’s still kind of overwhelming and scary.”

The brown-haired girl said quietly.

“Even though life there was a lie… at least we knew exactly what we had to do, and it was simple.”

“Me too.”

The silver-haired girl nodded in agreement.

“But we’ll be okay.”

At those words, the Golden Reaper and Mini Flower Reaper nodded happily, flashing bright smiles.

***

On the top floor of James Tower, towering among the buildings of Songpa District.

In an office with large windows offering a panoramic view of Seoul’s night scenery, James sighed deeply.

James was reading the final report on the recent Object incident via his monitor.

The report contained information ranging from the “human slaughterhouse” to the current status of the rescued victims.

James’ beloved Golden Reaper sat nearby, its eyes tightly bound with a white cloth, looking dejected.

“Can I take off the blindfold yet?”

The Golden Reaper poked James’ cheek and tapped its blindfold, but James firmly held its hands to prevent it from removing the cloth.

“Not yet.”

“Hng.”

The Golden Reaper then slumped onto James’ shoulder.

“Most of them decided to stay in Korea.”

James scrolled through the reports detailing the stories of the rescued individuals.

His expression grew heavier with each page.

Most had lost their families during the abductions and no longer had a “home” to return to.

“The end of humanity.”

“It seems the Object, being human-made, planned the abductions with mental pollution in mind from the start.”

James read on with a dark expression.

Further down, the report detailed the deployment of numerous Golden Reapers within the rehabilitation facilities.

[Conclusion]

[Patient’s overall mental health significantly improved. Reduction in depression, increase in happiness, resolution of sleep problems observed. Continued monitoring and maintenance recommended.]

Additionally, a special note was appended:

[The sun-like scent of the Golden Reaper appears to directly reduce mental pollution. Further verification required.]

James closed the report after reading the special note.

“Seems deploying Golden Reapers is more effective than psychological therapy, social adaptation programs, or vocational training.”

Feeling somewhat absurd, James turned on the TV and removed the Golden Reaper’s blindfold.

“Blindfolds are uncomfortable!”

The Golden Reaper playfully pinched James’ cheek in mock annoyance.

At that moment, news about the Object incidents played on the TV.

[Recently, giant butterfly Objects have been appearing in unusual occurrences across China and various regions in Europe.]

[These massive butterflies are causing severe damage by reducing surrounding buildings to rubble, and experts suspect they are the same species that appeared in Seoul recently.]

[While the swift response of the Golden Reapers has managed to contain the damage somewhat, global attention and concern are growing due to the sudden appearances of these butterflies in unexpected locations.]

[The American Object Association is conducting thorough investigations into the phenomenon and is reportedly coordinating closely with governments worldwide to develop countermeasures.]

The screen showed a Golden Reaper wielding a radiant sword, slicing a building-sized butterfly in half.