Chapter 80

Whew~.

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When I woke up, I felt like I was being pummeled from all directions.

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A bunch of Golden Reapers had appeared out of nowhere and were beating me up left and right.

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What the heck is going on?

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And they can just show up without me summoning them?

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The Golden Reapers looked extremely urgent.

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Noticing I had awakened, the Golden Reapers stopped their assault and started gesturing wildly with their arms and legs, trying to explain something.

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Though their rudimentary charades were hard to understand, I could sense their urgency.

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If it’s urgent…

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then there’s something we can do about it.

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I ghosted and spread my arms wide.

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The Golden Reapers ghosted too, then piled into my embrace.

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I ended up cradling a bunch of Golden Reapers, while the rest clung to me like burrs.

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Since we were all ethereal, I could sense what they were trying to tell me.

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A strong, simple thought.

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“Danger!”

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“The Attached Human is in danger!”

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I could feel their heightened alarm. Immediately, I used the power I got from the Black Penguin.

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The faint presence of the Golden Reapers flickered far away.

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I focused my ability towards that presence.

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*

The place I arrived at definitely wasn’t Korea.

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A desert filled with red sand and rocks as far as the eye could see.

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There’s no way such a place exists in Korea, so this must be an Object-induced phenomenon.

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One of the Golden Reapers ran up to me with a relieved expression.

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When I caught it, I saw it was in terrible condition.

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“What happened to you?”

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I hugged it close and fed it some firewood.

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With the excessive amount of firewood, its missing arm regenerated in no time.

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The emaciated Golden Reaper quickly regained vitality and hugged my cheek gratefully.

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Who could have hurt the Golden Reapers?

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Judging by the arm injury, it seemed like the aftermath of using overlap against a physically immune Object.

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Normally, they’d throw themselves fully into the attack and respawn back at the Reaper Garden.

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But since it didn’t hurt, that was the rational choice… unless they were trying to protect Seoah for as long as possible by only sacrificing one arm.

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The culprit who injured the Golden Reaper was likely the Object right before my eyes.

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A red rock formation, probably with physical immunity.

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Destruction condition: [Core Destruction].

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Being mad that the Golden Reaper got hurt, I sent the exhausted ones back to Seoah.

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Then, with a swipe of my hand through the air filled with irritation, countless Golden Reapers answered my call from the Reaper Garden.

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***

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The Black Agent and the Blonde Girl finally found a place to rest.

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Actually, “found” might be too strong a word. It was more like they couldn’t miss it.

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In the middle of an expansive red desert where burning-hot sands reached the horizon, there was a massive rock formation visible from miles away.

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It was a giant cave with an entrance shaped like a yawning mouth.

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Its enormous size and unique presence made it a perfect landmark for anyone crossing the desert.

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The giant shadow cast by the cave and its naturally cool interior refreshed their sweat-soaked bodies.

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“Wow, now we can finally rest.”

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The neatly dressed Blonde Girl fanned her sweat-drenched dress and sat down on a conveniently flat rock.

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The Black Agent, not letting his guard down easily, carefully inspected even the deepest parts of the cave, where he found something useful.

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Inside the cave was a giant underground lake.

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Probably formed by groundwater surfacing. Above the lake, a hole showed the night sky.

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The mirror-like surface of the lake reflected the red moon and starlight beautifully, creating a magnificent scene.

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For a moment, it felt like this situation wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t caused by an Object-related disaster.

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Unlike typical desert oases, this lake water was crystal clear instead of murky.

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A quick check by the Black Agent confirmed it was drinkable.

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“Miss, we’ve found water. We should be able to survive here for quite a while.”

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The Black Agent filled his small flask with lake water and handed it to the Blonde Girl.

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“Oh thank goodness, I was so thirsty I thought I’d die.”

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“Now we can hold out until rescue arrives. Since this incident happened right in the middle of Seoul, it shouldn’t take too long for help to arrive, which is a relief.”

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Hearing that, the Blonde Girl visibly relaxed.

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Truthfully, the girl was nearing her limits.

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The unbearably hot weather combined with the difficult desert terrain would drain anyone quickly.

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Especially when deadly Objects were roaming around.

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Considering the girl’s condition, there was something the Black Agent didn’t mention.

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The cave maintained a pleasantly moderate temperature, provided clean water…

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and was in an easy-to-find location?

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In a normal survival situation, this would count as incredibly lucky. But given the Object involvement, it didn’t feel quite right.

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Like it was luring people in…

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Still, venturing out into the desert again wouldn’t allow them to survive even a full day.

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The Black Agent’s worries only deepened.

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***

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On the TV in Sehee Research Institute’s director’s office, news about the strange occurrence in Gangseo District played.

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Most of Gangseo was blocked off by a transparent barrier, beyond which lay an inexplicable desert landscape where Gangseo once stood.

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The fate of those inside remained unknown.

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Uncharacteristically swift, the Association quickly mobilized to resolve the situation.

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Some even commented that the usually sluggish Association had finally gotten its act together.

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“What about Seoah!? I shouldn’t have let her go alone!”

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As soon as she heard the news, she jumped up and rushed off somewhere.

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Her destination was the deepest part of Sehee Research Institute, the Gray Reaper’s isolation chamber.

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She had this baseless hope that a Reaper might be able to handle the barrier somehow.

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It was somewhat reminiscent of Yerin’s usual thinking, but right now, Reapers were all she had to rely on!

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The Association probably wouldn’t breach the barrier easily, and even if they did, it would likely involve foreign assistance or be too late.

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But if the Gray Reaper could just clap its hands and kick a few times, maybe the barrier would break?

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Once the barrier was gone, the Association’s large-scale rescue team could enter, greatly increasing the chances of rescue.

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But when she entered the isolation chamber, the Gray Reaper wasn’t there.

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Only a crowd of Golden Reapers and Yerin playing with them.

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“Big sister, what brings you here?”

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“The Gray Reaper?”

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“I’m not sure either. The fact that so many Golden Reapers are here suggests it might have gone pretty far, huh?”

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Indeed, the isolation chamber was packed with Golden Reapers.

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“Did something happen?”

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Without answering, she turned on the TV inside the chamber to the news.

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[Gangseo District is currently covered by an unidentified desert landscape, with the internal situation remaining completely unknown.]

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Just then, helicopter footage of the Gangseo barrier played on the news.

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“Hey! Isn’t that where Seoah went on her business trip!?”

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“That’s right. That’s why I came to call the Gray Reaper, but it’s not here.”

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Yerin stared intently at the TV, clearly at a loss.

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“What should we do?”

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“Isn’t there anything we can try?”

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“…Ah! So that’s why!”

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After rambling incoherently, Yerin suddenly seemed to have figured something out when asked.

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“Actually, right now is normally the Gray Reaper’s nap time. But since the Reaper isn’t here, and considering this incident, it makes sense it might have gone to Gangseo, right?”

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“The Gray Reaper sensed Seoah’s peril and already headed to Gangseo?”

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“It’s just my guess. The Reaper might have just gone out to play on a whim, so it’s not certain.”

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Pang! Pang!

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Yerin moved away from her seat and loudly pounded on it.

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“Then, Sister, you should wait here too.”

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“What?”

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She was about to head back to the director’s office to check on the Association’s rescue progress when Yerin started saying something odd.

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“We need to wait for the Gray Reaper to return! If the Reaper just went out to play, we should meet it as soon as possible and head to Gangseo, right?”

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While clearly nonsense, it was strangely compelling.

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“Since all we can really do is ask the Association about the rescue operation’s progress, we should at least do this, right?”

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Was it the cozy isolation chamber with its soft bed?

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Or the warm Golden Reapers and their squishy cuteness?

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“There’s nothing else we can do anyway. At least we should take minimal precautions.”

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She sent a facility-wide announcement on her phone.

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[Security Team will search for the Gray Reaper carrying pudding.]

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[Researchers should keep pudding nearby while working.]

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[Immediately report any sightings of the Gray Reaper to the Director.]

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“With that, we’ve done everything we can. Now all that’s left is waiting for the Gray Reaper here.”

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Despite herself, she sat next to Yerin and started playing with the adorable Golden Reapers.

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We need to leave for Gangseo as soon as the wandering Reaper returns, so she decided to wait in the Reaper’s isolation chamber.

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Seoah needs to be okay…

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It was frustrating that the research institute couldn’t do more to save one of its researchers.

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***

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In the red dust swirling desert, giant rock cubes lost their strength and tumbled onto the ground.

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Fifteen shattered red spheres lay scattered across the desert floor.

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When the Gray Reaper appeared, the situation was resolved in an instant.

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Completely unlike their usual reserved selves, the Golden Reapers charged recklessly, annihilating the enemy in one swift move.

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They must have destroyed the Object’s weak point. Fifteen Golden Reapers now clung happily to the Gray Reaper.

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The rest of the Golden Reapers gathered at the Gray Reaper’s feet, watching enviously.

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The Gray Reaper scanned the surroundings with its usual impassive expression.

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“Wow!”

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I clapped my hands at the leisurely Gray Reaper.

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The Golden Reapers watched me curiously, then followed suit and clapped too.

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“Reaper, so glad to see you! Thank you so much for coming!”

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Overwhelmed with emotion, I hugged the Gray Reaper tightly.

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Mysterious Objects, highest danger level Objects, incomprehensible Objects…

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All the reasons I used to avoid the Gray Reaper came to mind, but none of that mattered now.

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I poured all my joy, relief, and gratitude into that hug.

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Then the Golden Reapers swarmed around the Gray Reaper and me.

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The Gray Reaper looked uncomfortable, its usual blank face somehow making it look grumpy. I poked its cheeks.

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The grumpy Gray Reaper is so cute!

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