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In the mystical cave of crystals, the Black Agent lay unconscious on the cold, hard floor.

The softly spreading light from the walls of the crystal cave illuminated the man’s distorted face and tattered clothing.

In front of him stood a determined yet anxious-looking blonde girl, guarding the Black Agent.

[If you make a pact with me, I’ll return you to your original self, back to being human.]

A woman leaned in front of the girl and whispered a sweet proposal.

[What do you say? Interested?]

The woman’s eyes glittered with cunning light, and her lips twisted into a dangerous smile.

In the depths of his fading consciousness, the Black Agent heard the significant conversation ringing in his ears.

Trading with a cunning object that speaks human language was something he must never do.

The Black Agent’s eyes widened in shock as he snapped back to awareness.

He struggled to rise and shouted with a hoarse voice, “Miss, you mustn’t!”

A hint of hesitation crossed the girl’s face at the sound of the man’s voice.

“Don’t you know? You must never trade with a talking object. The price is horrifying, and you’ll never get what you want.”

The man, still on the floor, hurriedly spat out words to persuade the blonde girl.

[Shh.]

The woman, quietly listening to the man’s words, placed a finger on her lips and said,

[Don’t interfere, just sleep for a while.]

Her words sent the Black Agent back into a deep slumber with a tangible force.

“Ah… Miss.”

She seemed to be a beautiful woman, yet undoubtedly a horrifying monster.

And standing in defiance before that entity was the blonde girl.

As the scene captured his gaze, the Black Agent lost consciousness.

*

As the moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick, swirling fog surrounding Yangcheon Lake, it just barely touched the surface.

The lake, shrouded in heavy fog, held its breath as if waiting for something.

And then, as if to cut through that waiting, monsters oozing black liquid burst forth from a parked truck at the lake’s edge, charging towards the water.

Like monsters who had lost their minds.

[The earth will devour your feet!]

[Your bones will not withstand their weight!]

From that lake emerged twisted old women, parting the fog as they chant their curses.

The monsters leaking black liquid appeared outmatched against the old women pronouncing curses.

Every time the old women cursed, the monsters burned, melted, and sank into the ground.

Yet the monsters, seemingly devoid of fear, continued to charge towards the lake without hesitation.

A man observing from a distance wore a satisfied smile.

“If this continues, the heart of the lake will soon be ours. Those brain-extracting researchers are obedient; this is delightful.”

“….”

An unexpected turn of events occurred among the old women who had seemed to hold the upper hand.

As the black liquid seeped into the lake, dark spots began to appear on their limbs.

The more the spots multiplied, the more the old women suffered, and the more the quantity of this liquid contaminating the lake increased.

Observing this, the man began to return to his still vehicle.

“It’s over. Once again, things are going smoothly. I’ll head on ahead, leaving the butler to recover the heart of the lake.”

“Yes, understood, Director.”

The butler, bidding farewell to the departing director, stood silently at the lakeside, gazing at the fog-laden waters.

“….”

However, the atmosphere of battle, which had seemed to be on the verge of victory, began to shift slowly.

It started with the researchers losing their courage and halting their steps.

They tried to charge forward, but twisted their bodies in pain, unable to take another step.

Researchers who knew no fear were feeling afraid?

From beyond the fog, a yellow glow swayed closer.

Pitter patter.

A child, skipping along as if out for a stroll.

A gray-skinned Reaper with glowing yellow eyes.

As the Reaper looked at the frightened objects, he smiled.

When he spread his arms wide, golden, tiny reapers began to tear through the air and charge forward.

An overwhelming violence that ground everything that touched it to dust.

Researchers, who should not feel fear, also fell into a panic and began fleeing in all directions.

The old women hid themselves in the fog, retreating deep into the lake.

Seeing the yellow-eyed gazes fixated on them, the researchers could somewhat understand their terror.

That was it.

The gray Reaper knew that the objects had no chance of winning.

*

The lakeside, now battered by black liquid.

If lungs existed, the stench would be suffocating.

Fortunately, I have no lungs.

The golden reapers, having eliminated all harmful foes, fled from the horrific smell.

Lately, this liquid has been popping up frequently; where on earth does it keep coming from?

If I find the source, I’ll tear it apart…

There were no bodies of the old women at the lake’s edge.

That was to be expected since they were let go on purpose.

No matter how I look at it, it seems related to the ‘Blue Witch’; those grotesque old crones were intentionally left free.

Somehow, I feel like if I let them go, they would flee toward where the ‘Blue Witch’ is.

The one in charge of tracking is our rookie Blue Reaper, who can fly through the sky.

Having defeated all the enemies at the lake’s edge, I slowly moved toward where the Blue Reaper was.

*

On the bus heading to Yangcheon Lake, the tattooed woman sat with an uncomfortable expression.

The bus was filled with the vibrant chatter and laughter of excited passengers.

Even though it was already late at night, the passengers’ anticipation appeared unyielding.

“Sis, what should we do first when we get there?”

Her younger sister sparkled with excitement, looking up at her.

The woman spoke while chewing on a bitter leaf.

“First, we need to check out the cave.”

“Oh, you looked up Yangcheon Lake too, huh! That cave is awesome.”

The woman forced a bitter smile at her sister, brimming with expectations.

It was highly unlikely her sister’s desired sightseeing would come to fruition.

As she lifted the crystal held in her hand, the woman thought.

That betrayer wouldn’t just pass by the lake.

The lake would become stained black, and the serpent of the lake would fall into the betrayer’s grasp.

The nine-headed serpent cannot win without this crystal.

Absolutely.

Gazing at the swirling white flames within the crystal, the woman steeled her resolve.

*

The Blue Reaper was riding a broom made of water, chasing after the fleeing old women.

The old women, engulfed in fear, stirred the surface of the water, creating ripples.

They looked back continuously, as if being chased by a monster risen from the abyss.

Without uttering a word, they just kept fleeing towards somewhere.

Only the sound of their ragged breaths and splashes on the surface echoed through the tranquil lake.

The seemingly endless chase came to a halt at the cave’s entrance.

With somewhat relieved expressions, the old women gathered at the cave’s mouth and began to converse, as if erasing their fear.

[We barely made it.]

[What on earth caused such a monster to appear?]

[Could it be that the youngest hasn’t returned because of it??]

While the old women with skin stained by black liquid chattered in front of the cave, mist began to pour forth from deep within.

And from that mist emerged a colossal silhouette.

Thud. Thud.

With a loud thudding sound, the silhouette split the fog.

It was a huge monster, double the size of the old women.

[You’re quite noisy.]

As the monster appeared, the chattering old women stopped speaking and bowed their heads.

Noticing the overwhelming presence, the Blue Reaper signaled the Gray Reaper.

Strings of text embroidered the air.

<A suspicious object has appeared!>

However, the signal sent by the Blue Reaper was easily detected by the old women.

Realizing this, the Blue Reaper tried to flee, but the gigantic old woman moved with incredible speed for her size and grabbed the Blue Reaper.

<Ah… it hurts! Let me go!>

The Blue Reaper struggled to escape but found no way out.

[What an interesting little one. You’re not even our sister, yet you wield similar power.]

Thud thud.

The hand that tried to strike in an effort to escape was easily caught by the old woman, who tore it off without hesitation.

<!!!!!>

The Blue Reaper let out a silent scream, contorted in pain.

[Hehehe, this is rather amusing. I never expected to encounter such an interesting child. Little one, how about we make a bet? If you win, I’ll let you go.]

The old woman grinned wickedly as she watched the Blue Reaper crying tears from her dismembered arm.

At that moment, everything changed.

[What? What’s happening?]

The wet lakeside disappeared, and the cute child held in her grasp vanished.

And what appeared was…

A sea of chocolate.

Clouds made of marshmallows.

Tiny golden objects that seemed extremely angry.

Finally, the gray monster clutching the Blue Child, who was glaring at her.