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The Gray Reaper Isolation Room devoid of any Gray Reaper.

While hoping that the Reaper who left for Trinity would return soon, the Golden Reapers were playing around.

Thump thump.

To the rhythmic beat ringing within the isolation room, the Golden Reaper showcased a dazzling dance.

The vibrant energy radiating from that tiny body, no bigger than the palm of my hand, filled the isolation room.

As the Golden Reaper danced excitedly, it suddenly plopped down onto the floor.

I then reached out a finger and gently ruffled its head.

The Golden Reaper smiled broadly.

Despite dancing so vigorously, it showed no signs of fatigue, confirming that it truly was an object.

And when I pointed to another Golden Reaper that had sat down, it sprang up to joyfully dance again.

“Hahaha, how cute.”

I laughed loudly at the sight.

The Golden Reapers danced in accordance with my gestures, their obediently adorable demeanor resembling that of a well-trained puppy.

Before long, Unnie Sehee had also arrived at the isolation room and was playing with the Golden Reapers.

It seems like Unnie Sehee is taking breaks way too often; is our research institute alright?

Unnie Sehee, wearing a chef’s hat, began tickling a Golden Reaper lying sprawled out on the floor.

Though it didn’t make a sound, the Golden Reaper attempted to push away Sehee’s finger while bursting into helpless laughter.

That looks fun.

I should try tickling it next time.

When I turned my head to gaze at the Golden Reaper sitting on my palm, it wore an expression of slight nervousness as if it was worried I might tickle it.

Wow, so cute.

I reached out my finger and petted the Golden Reaper generously.

Having been tickling a Golden Reaper, Unnie Sehee was soon absorbed in her phone, looking a bit serious for some reason.

“Just got the news: the jellyfish that turned Nanjing, China, into ruins has disappeared.”

“You mean the jellyfish that survived even a nuclear blast?”

It was quite a shocking story even for me, who previously had no interest in China.

How could an object that we worked so hard to dispose of just suddenly vanish?

It couldn’t have died, could it? Perhaps it has begun to move?

“Right now, with the sudden disappearance, China is in utter chaos. That creature has already devoured a lot of humans; if it moves to another city, it would be a disaster.”

“It would indeed be a hassle if it appeared in another city.”

“They’re even saying it could come to Korea.”

“Ah, no way.”

Could it really cross the sea and come to our country?

*

Inside the veiled lab of Trinity Research Institute, deep within, a terrible-looking man was lying down.

The man, who had been the director of Research Institute No. 3, was now barely recognizable, shrouded by unknown tentacles.

The ominous tentacles, clearly derived from this object, sprawled all over his body, awkwardly merging with the director’s skin.

“Director. You’ve overdone it.”

Beside the director stood a woman in a white lab coat, her face etched with deep concern.

Her eyes, filled only with awe and worry, rapidly scanned the director’s appearance.

After confirming, her expression grew even more serious, indicating that the director’s condition was alarming.

“There was no need to push yourself so hard.”

From the perspective of the woman who found the director collapsed at the recovery room door, it was a perfectly reasonable statement.

Had she not discovered him, the tentacles could have completely torn him apart.

Beneath the director’s pale skin lay a horrifying scene.

The sinister tentacle-like entities writhed under the director’s skin, grotesquely distorting it.

With every wriggle of the tentacles, the director moaned in pain, his face contorting.

In fact, what concerned the woman even more wasn’t the director’s skin.

The unidentified footprints near the director’s bed.

The wriggling tentacle pattern that looked as if it were alive.

That was the real problem.

‘Evolution’ or ‘Fusion.’

There were no records indicating such phenomena occurred in either case.

The room, filled with the intense light of fluorescent bulbs, cast even darker shadows, emphasizing the ominous patterns squirming within those shadows.

The director responded with a grimaced face to the woman’s words.

“No, I had to prepare this much. Even though the Evolution Liquid is lethal to all objects, if I’ve decided to engage properly, this level of preparation was necessary.”

“But… to absorb ‘that jellyfish’ that devastated an entire region in China. Isn’t it considered far more dangerous than a Gray Reaper?”

The woman, with a slightly flushed expression, emotionally expressed her thoughts.

“Of course, the jellyfish is more dangerous. However, since it was one I planned to absorb soon anyway, I just did it a bit earlier.”

Despite the discomfort from pain, the director continued to speak calmly, as if to reassure her.

“Anyway, stabilization will be over quickly. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“But….”

Cutting off the woman’s words, the director changed the subject to an uncomfortable topic.

Though filled with pain, his voice carried an authority that seemed to prohibit further mention.

“When is the Gray Reaper supposed to arrive?”

“It should be here sometime this morning.”

The woman in the lab coat switched to a calm tone as she replied.

Hearing that, the director closed his eyes as if resigned.

“I can’t fight immediately. You can either delay until my fusion is complete or handle it yourselves. You all should be enough.”

“Yes, everything is perfectly prepared. Once you’re awake, we’ll report the results immediately.”

The woman answered without hesitation, exuding confidence.

It was a manifestation of deep-seated confidence overflowing from within.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

The woman in the lab coat politely greeted and exited.

She looked slightly tense as if anticipating an opportunity to shine.

*

As I looked out the window of the Trinity transport vehicle, I realized we had drawn closer to the Trinity Research Institute.

As if to showcase the influence of Trinity, the buildings were getting taller, and the number of people visible on the street was increasing.

Yet the atmosphere felt strange.

Enthusiastic delivery workers bustling about with goods.

Busy shopkeepers hurriedly setting up their stalls.

Hastily rushing office workers on their way.

The streets seemed full of energy, preparing for a new day with a bustling vibe.

At first glance, it appeared to be a lively typical city scene filled with characteristic urban chaos, yet it felt foreign.

To me, it felt exceedingly strange.

Everyone, absolutely everyone, were fake people.

Objects pretending to be human.

While there had been many objects mimicking humans so far, this time felt different, for they exuded a horrific stench.

Inside these fake humans flowed a black liquid that defiled humanity.

As I approached the Trinity Research Institute, the foul smell intensified, as if reminiscent of the unbearable stench from a waste disposal site.

Perhaps due to the overwhelming presence of the objects with the flowing black liquid, my senses extended even farther than usual.

Far away, I could faintly feel the trace of real humans.

In fact, it was too distant to be detected, but the lack of people nearby made it perceptible.

Fear, despair.

These negative emotions radiated from the distant humans, contrasting sharply with the emotionless aura of the objects.

The humans appeared to be in quite a dire situation, prompting me to summon the Blue Reapers from the Mini Reaper Garden.

‘Go protect the humans.’

The Blue Reapers scattered like fog, flying towards where the humans were in an urgent manner.

Though I was a bit worried since they were weak younglings with no physical immunity, the Blue Reapers would be more suitable for this mission.

After sending off the Blue Reapers, I spotted the grand main gate before me.

[Trinity Research Institute No. 3.]

I had arrived at the source of the black liquid, the Trinity Research Institute.

*

Immediately upon arriving at the Trinity Research Institute, I was ushered into a bleak isolation room.

Except for a large table conspicuously placed in the center of the room, it was an empty, desolate space.

Shifting my gaze to the table, I saw it laden with my favorite foods.

Pudding, cookies, marshmallows, cake, and so on.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a situation I would have loved, but I couldn’t at all enjoy it.

An unbearable stench wafted from the food.

It wasn’t just that the black liquid was added to the food; it was at a level where the black liquid was disguised as food.

In fact, there was an even more serious problem than the black liquid disguised as food.

An intense malice directed at me.

Horrific malice emanated from behind the magic mirror located in the isolation room.

The black liquid monsters I had seen until now oozed a stench that was maddeningly concentrated.

Knock knock.

I rapped on the magic mirror.

The door beside the magic mirror opened, revealing a woman clad in a lab coat.

She wore an expression that seemed to look down upon me.

“For an object, noticing that the food is strange, you’re quite a smart kid.”

She was surprisingly strong for a slime monster.

Approximately a level of 1.5 hungry ghosts, perhaps?

Yet even so, wasn’t it a bit too much confidence to have?