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The Spirit Barrier has crumbled.

The reliable guardian that protected the city was engulfed in flames, slowly collapsing.

I was running through the chaotic insides of the city without a moment’s pause.

As I dashed through the once-familiar maze of the city, every breath I took felt like torture, as if my lungs would burst.

The crimson light of the Spirit Barrier, ablaze along the horizon at twilight, stained the silhouette of the ruined city.

The fallen outer walls looked like the skeleton of the city, with smoke and flames rising relentlessly into the sky.

The streets, once familiar as the palm of my hand, felt foreign due to the devastation and fire.

“Hurry! We need to get out fast!”

I heard my friend’s voice leading the way.

“Stop.”

Leaning against a half-destroyed wall, my friend spoke in a small voice.

Looking in the direction my friend was facing, I saw lanky, emaciated monsters wandering the road.

Not humans, but objects with spindly limbs like water striders.

Unlike the blazing giant pig, those things appeared everywhere in the city, attacking people.

Without those creatures, escaping the city wouldn’t have been so difficult.

A hunchbacked monster appeared across the way, scouring the area thoroughly.

Watching its movements, it looked like that monster would be roaming here for at least a few minutes.

I pondered what to do.

“It looks like it’s going to take longer than we thought. What should we do?”

“Let’s wait it out. Once it passes through that alley, we can get to the forest, it should be safe there.”

‘That seems right,’ I added quietly, taking deep breaths to steady myself.

The burnt smell of the destroyed city felt like it was sticking deep into my lungs, but I held in my cough and did my best to breathe normally.

After waiting a few minutes, the monster roaming the street turned the corner and disappeared from view.

“Thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, we run past it.”

“Got it.”

I replied with a noticeably steadier breath at my friend’s calm words.

Twenty-five seconds. Twenty-six seconds.

As I counted the seconds in my mind, a low chuckle broke the silence.

It was a laugh so hoarse from inhaling too much smoke that it sounded almost unreal.

What could possibly be so funny?

I turned to look at my friend, who was looking up at something.

Following their gaze, I saw a grotesquely elongated neck peering over the wall we were leaning against, with a monster grinning down at us.

“Run!”

With my friend’s words, we bolted.

Creeeak.

I watched as the monster’s hand scraped across the asphalt where we had just been, like frosting on a cake.

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

We were almost there!

Looking back, I cursed inwardly as I ran toward the forest.

However, we had no choice but to stop in our tracks.

A massive pig, radiating heat so intense it felt like it could fry our skin, blocked our path.

A giant pig in front of us, while a monster slowly followed from behind.

We were trapped with no way out.

“Haha, I guess this is it.”

My always-composed friend said in a despondent tone.

So, is this really the end?

As I let go of everything, it felt strangely refreshing in this hellish, burning wasteland.

Moisture?

Even in a charred war ruin, isn’t it a bit odd to feel refreshment and humidity?

At that moment, an indistinct string began to weave through the sky, surrounding us like droplets protecting us.

[Please protect everyone!]

Along with this, I spotted a small object soaring above us.

This bright blue object radiated a sense of freshness just by looking at it.

And from the ruins of stone walls, overturned cars, and the cracks in the broken asphalt, golden objects began to peek out.

Cute little objects peeking out like meerkats that had been hiding.

“It’s a Golden Reaper! It’s alive!”

My friend sat down on the ground, looking relieved.

“A Golden Reaper? What’s that?”

I couldn’t understand my friend’s reaction to the appearance of another object while I was still on edge.

“You still don’t care about objects, do you?”

My friend shook their head, beginning to ramble about what a ‘Golden Reaper’ was.

While shoving a suspicious fan site named [Golden Little Reaper] in my direction.

My friend’s gaze showed a fanaticism that was too overwhelming.

So this was my roommate!

Looking around, I realized the monsters and the giant pig had already vanished.

And a small golden object was tugging at my pant leg.

It pointed at the end of the path with its finger, looking concerned, urging us to move ahead.

When I transferred the one clinging to my pant leg to my palm, it stretched its tiny hands out happily like a baby.

The Golden Reaper emitted a wonderfully pleasant scent, warm like sunlight.

“Well, it is kind of cute.”

“Right?”

My friend smiled, following the path guided by the Golden Reaper.

I carried the beaming object in my hand.

No, I was gently petting the ‘Golden Reaper’ as I slowly followed behind.

Looking back at the city, it appeared that all the monsters had vanished, replaced by small fairy-like children running around.

It was merely a feeling, but somehow it seemed like the crisis had passed.

*

A voice echoed in the underground facility, constructed with exorbitant money.

“No! Please, just let me see it once!”

“That won’t do. It’s embezzlement. Embezzlement related to objects is considered a serious offense.”

Director Lee Sehee was pleading while holding onto my foot.

“It’s not embezzlement! It’s merely an extension of the research facility…!”

I pointed in disbelief at the large golden statue radiating a brilliant glow.

“Then what about that huge golden statue? It looks awfully expensive at first glance!”

“That’s not embezzlement either. It’s just repurposed gold that was originally there.”

Originally there?

Ah… Could it be?

“Don’t tell me this is the doghouse for the ‘Cute Puppy’?”

But the golden doghouse should have been nicely kept in the ‘Cute Puppy’s’ isolation room, right?

They must have hidden the doghouse away.

But I hadn’t heard any reports about the doghouse going missing.

No matter how lackadaisical our research institute was, they wouldn’t fail to report a disappearance like that, right?

Of course, they would.

There’s no way they wouldn’t report something that significant.

Honestly, if they had eyes, they couldn’t just overlook the disappearance of a large doghouse.

Could it be that the security team really didn’t report it?

What are they even getting paid for!

And when did they even start digging this basement?

Don’t be so clever only in these situations when you’re usually careless!

As the last shred of trust I had left in the research institute began to evaporate, I heard Director Sehee’s voice.

“It wasn’t just taken; it was swapped out for a secretly gold-plated doghouse…”

Ah, thank goodness.

So if they just expanded the underground facility, it’s not embezzlement then?

While I was thinking various thoughts, something peered out from behind the golden statue.

It was a Golden Reaper.

Director Sehee pointed at the Golden Reaper with a hand, passionately continuing.

“This statue is loved even by the Golden Reapers! Please, just let me show it to you for their sake as well!”

Director Sehee presented the Golden Reaper, which was resting on her palm.

The Golden Reaper looked puzzled, as if it didn’t understand what was going on, but seeing Sehee’s expression, it mirrored her sorrowful demeanor.

It looked as if it was pleading, ‘Please don’t break the statue!’

“Well, if it’s a facility for the Golden Reaper, I suppose there’s some justification.”

Deciding to let Lee Sehee slide this one time for the sake of the Golden Reaper, I relaxed the angry expression I’d been wearing.

As soon as I did, the Golden Reapers peeking out from beside the statue cautiously gazed at me while sporting bright smiles and rushed toward me.

With the Golden Reapers clinging to me, I thought again.

‘Looks like I really have no choice but to give in for the Golden Reapers.’

*

In the transportation vehicle heading to the airport sent by James, I gazed with a furrowed brow at the passing traces of the city.

The burnt city and the completely collapsed Spirit Barrier.

This city was designated as an Object Hazard Area, with soldiers streaming in to hurriedly evacuate people to safety.

Despite the total collapse of the Spirit Barrier and the immense number of object attacks, I heard the damage was relatively light.

And at the center of it were the Golden Reapers and Blue Reapers’ substantial efforts.

Countless witnesses and videos of the Mini Reapers’ actions were circulating.

Their purely cute and selfless appearances made them wildly popular, not fitting the image of an object at all.

At that moment, Yerin held out her cellphone toward me.

“Let’s try on these clothes the next time we go to Korea!”

Yerin was excitedly showing me various photos filled with a range of outfits.

Why was everyone—from Yerin to the Mini Reapers—so eager to dress me up?

With my brow furrowed, I could only silently agree with Yerin’s suggestion.

It was a service for the sulking Yerin.

I was relieved that Yerin, who had been dazed from my prank, regained her spirits faster than I expected.

However, she looked surprisingly angry, so I had no choice but to take special measures.

Really annoying, but dressing up as the Mini Reapers or Yerin liked to do!

Of course, I couldn’t find any clothes in the Rocky Mountains, so I wore the White Hungry Ghost like clothing.

Whether it was funny that I wore the White Hungry Ghost or that I dressed up for myself, Yerin quickly perked up.

And seemingly noticing that I felt guilty and wanted to try on some outfits, she began pulling out some truly hideous clothes.

They were like doll clothes adorned with frills.

Just looking at them revealed they were too complicated with ribbons and knots that I couldn’t possibly put on myself, making movement difficult.

Please tell me I don’t have to wear those too?

Seeing her expression, I felt anxious seeing her determination to make me wear them.