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As I landed at James Airport in James City, I felt a subtle yet distinct change.

The layout and appearance of the airport weren’t too different from those in Korea, but there was definitely a different vibe.

Was it because I couldn’t hear Korean?

Or maybe it was because the signs were filled with English?

Even aside from the lack of Korean and the prevalence of English signage, something felt different.

It was fascinating how the arrangements, designs, and even trivial details were different.

James, walking confidently just slightly ahead of me, turned back and said, “Welcome. To the United States, and to James City.”

James seemed much more free and boldly expressive than back in Korea.

As we passed through the airport gate, the lively atmosphere of people coming and going filled the space.

Stores and restaurants showcased brands I had never seen, and delicious yet unfamiliar smells wafted through the air.

I wished that Unnie Sehee and Unnie Seoah had come along too…

The reaper was comfortably sitting in the clear temporary isolation room, curiously looking around the airport.

Its antennae flickered and swayed, changing reactions as it surveyed its surroundings!

I wanted to rush into the isolation room and pet it right away, but that would be inappropriate in the middle of an airport.

If this were Korea, I would’ve just brought it along in the isolation room.

As soon as James guided us outside the airport, the vast landscape unfolded before my eyes.

Impressively wide, a large road stretched out in front of us.

At the end of that road loomed the enormous structure known as ‘James Tower,’ soaring as if to pierce the sky.

Right at the center of the city, positioned in the middle of the wide road that radiated in all directions.

James Tower was not only tall but also extraordinarily present, serving as the city’s iconic landmark.

“First, let’s unpack our luggage and discuss our upcoming schedule!”

James directed us toward a large vehicle designed to accommodate the temporary isolation room and led the reaper inside.

The vehicle we got into moved smoothly, vibrating gently as it headed toward ‘James Tower.’

*

A tattooed woman drove against the backdrop of the once-bustling neighborhood along with her younger sister.

They maneuvered through an area tangled with old buildings that resembled a maze.

Some buildings showed cracks in their walls while others leaned precariously, revealing crumbling frameworks.

It was full of signs that seemed to indicate neglect after being struck by a catastrophic earthquake-like disaster.

Yet, amidst this backdrop of decay, a surprising wind of regeneration was blowing.

New buildings and roads began to appear among the oddly damaged ones, resembling a bombed-out housing area like new flesh growing on wounded skin.

Flawlessly immaculate new buildings in stark contrast to the abandoned structures.

Smooth new asphalt roads contrasting with the broken pavements.

Looking at these buildings and roads, the woman said, “It’s not in as bad shape as I expected.”

Her voice was mixed with surprise and relief as she got out of the truck.

Thinking back to the footage of the sinkhole disaster in Songpa District I had seen before moving, I had thought the situation would be much worse, but the infrastructure was surprisingly intact.

The streetlights at dusk still emitted their glow, indicating that electricity flowed through the wires, and the water pipes still seemed to supply water.

The place the woman decided to settle after leaving the tranquil Seoul Forest was Songpa District.

This was for two reasons: one was the practical reason of reasonable pricing, and the other, an alchemical reason of good location.

After the collapse of the Central Research Institute, Songpa District was known to have been completely destroyed by a massive sinkhole, but the outskirts were relatively unharmed.

However, the existence of the sinkhole cast a shadow of unease over the local residents, making many of them wary and anxious.

Yet, this feeling of unease was what led her to choose Songpa District.

The fear of the sinkhole filled with lurking objects drastically drove down property prices, allowing her to find a house at an exceptionally low price.

It became quite a reasonable place to live for someone with a guardian capable of fending off most objects.

Aside from the price, another reason was the proximity to the ‘Sehee Research Institute.’

The allure of being near the ‘Gray Reaper’ associated with alchemists and the ‘Sehee Research Institute’ held charm for the woman.

As she looked around, a cat’s meow caught her attention.

Meow.

Turning her gaze toward the sound, a pure white cat looked at her and let out a small cry.

A clean and cute baby kitten with evenly distributed, pristine fur.

Typically, a person would think, “Oh, it must be a cat that someone was raising because it looks so clean.”

But the woman had a different thought as she looked at the cat.

“I don’t smell any living creature, so it’s probably an object.”

While she carefully observed the kitten that didn’t seem afraid of people, she heard her younger sister’s voice calling out urgently.

“Unnie, please help me with this!”

Seeing her sister struggling to lift a large wardrobe, she glanced back at the kitten, only to find it had vanished.

Well, whatever, right?

In a past life, a magical book would’ve been destroyed upon discovery, but this was a different world, so I guess I had to follow this world’s rules.

Initially, the safety of this world seemed amusing, but my thoughts had changed since then.

Korea was far more advanced and had fared much better than the kingdom.

Now, one couldn’t help but ponder whether choosing coexistence over exclusion of objects was a more sensible decision.

Even the occasional news I came across reflected that sentiment.

When I saw the excessive number of objects escaping from the research institute, it felt like a staged script.

Was it not a plan hatched by the ruling class of this country, in the guise of a mistake, to advocate for the coexistence of objects and humans?

No matter how stringent object containment may be, it felt unnatural for escapes to occur this frequently.

“Unnie!!”

Hearing her sister’s urgent voice, the woman snapped out of her thoughts and walked toward the truck piled high with moving boxes.

*

The atmosphere in the lab abandoned by the Gray Reaper was quite chaotic.

New objects were being moved into the institute in large alloy containers, and aside from the security monitoring staff, everyone else was bustling about to assist with the operation.

It was the day when the Sehee Research Institute finally received new objects after a while.

Truthfully, it would be best to conduct transport operations during a stable period for the institute, but this had been prepared from before James’s contact, so there was no choice.

The security staff member, with a bored expression, watched the newly arrived objects through the isolation room cameras and said,

“Don’t you think we should stop receiving more objects at our level of the institute? I heard the Gray Reaper figures sold like crazy this time…”

“Even so, to maintain the institute’s status, we need to accept new objects, right? If we only take in tourists, Sehee Research Institute would just become Sehee Zoo.”

The senior security staff member fed pudding to the golden reaper cradled in their arms.

Watching the golden reaper nibble at the pudding on the spoon, a happy expression appeared on the senior security staff member’s face.

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel like a research institute anymore. What I do most at the security room is feed the golden reaper; it feels more like ‘Baby Reaper Kindergarten’.”

As they were talking while monitoring the CCTV footage, one staff member noticed a vacant isolation room.

“Hey, there’s an empty ghost cat isolation room. Is that okay?”

“Oh, that? It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not an object that causes any issues, so we just need to check that it doesn’t go missing for a few days, like the Gray Reaper.”

It was a tranquil day in the Sehee Research Institute.

*

Entering the ‘James Tower’ attached research room, the isolation room was breached using ghosting.

Now it should be fine to come out.

The researchers scattered around looked at me with worried expressions, but James clapped to grab their attention and said,

“Alright, don’t worry about it. The Gray Reaper is harmless, and it’s hard to keep it pinned down, so it’s okay to let it roam freely.”

Hearing that, the researchers looked at James with suspicious looks.

Then someone snuck up behind James and pulled out an object stick from their coat, jabbing it at him.

Blue electric currents sparked from the object stick and started to shock James.

“Stop! Stop it! I’m in my right mind, so that won’t have any effect!”

After a moment of shocking, James finally managed to break free and coughed.

“Wow, even the boss gets no mercy.”

Yerin seemed amused.

“Of course. Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you can avoid mental pollution. And in serious cases, immediate termination is possible.”

“So if you don’t want to die, you better watch your step,” James added.

Seeing Yerin, who seemed curious about how the institute operated, James handed her a very thick rulebook.

Yerin flipped through the rulebook rapidly in awe.

“Wow, there are rules for even the tiniest details. But, is it okay for you to show me something like this?”

“It’s already posted on the internet. Objects are a threat to all humanity, so keeping it tightly wrapped is just a path to extinction.”

The atmosphere was quite different from Korean research institutes that insisted on secrecy and sought to profit from object containment.

“Now, before giving you a tour of the institute, let’s first take care of the most important matter.”

James strode confidently down the wide corridor of the research institute.

The high ceiling of the corridor added a majestic atmosphere to the space.

The architecture of the institute boasted a modern design where smooth lines blended with simple elegance.

It almost felt unfair to compare it to the Sehee Research Institute.

The clean, white-painted walls were plastered with digital displays reflecting the inside of the isolation rooms.

After passing by cutting-edge equipment lined up in the corridor whose purposes were unclear, we arrived at an exceptionally large space.

The soaring ceiling and elaborately decorated interior gave the impression of a high-end hotel lobby.

The notable difference was how few people were wandering around.

In the center, a massive black sphere floated like a building.

[The Unchanging Black Sphere]

An object that cannot be moved or destroyed.

No external actions possible.

By the way, to have passed this off as an artistic structure, how could it possibly be so big and noticeable?

Bloop bloop.

As I slowly approached to take a closer look, the surface of the sphere oddly felt soft.

Reaching out my hand, as I touched the sphere, it began to ripple like the surface of a calm lake.

The sounds of James and Yerin’s commotion seemed to fade into the distance.

Warm water-like texture.

I began to feel myself getting sucked deeper into the sphere.