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As I walked slowly, I arrived in Gwanak-gu, where the morning sun began to rise above the horizon, welcoming me with its golden light that started to paint the landscape.

The warm light dyed the ruins in a gentle glow, reflecting the complex shapes of the broken buildings here and there.

Shadows danced playfully among the debris, creating a mosaic of light and darkness that adorned the desolate ruins.

In this serene morning scene, a sticky black liquid was making its presence known.

The ‘evolution liquid’ swayed smoothly like well-maintained synthetic rubber, glimmering with its distinctive sheen.

It looked as if smooth rubber had been poured all over the ruins.

It might be considered beautiful from one perspective, but the foul smell permeating the air tarnished the beauty of the scene.

The odor, filled with the scent of oil and malice, gnawed at the mind and was a terrible smell that one could never become accustomed to.

Because of the harmful liquid that posed a threat to both living beings and objects, there were no signs of life in these ruins.

Not even the crawling bugs on the ground or the birds flying in the sky could be seen.

After looking at the notes of the Director of Research Institute No. 3 and the ‘evolution liquid’ used on Odaesan, I thought there would be many people in Gwanak-gu, but the ruins were quieter than expected.

There were camps set up by the Trinity Research Institute or the research camps affiliated with the association, but there were no researchers working inside them.

Even the security agents guarding the area were barely visible.

It seemed that removing the ‘evolution liquid’ that had seeped into the ruins would be simpler than I thought.

I should have cleared away that wretched slime long ago, but who would’ve thought so many people would want to recycle liquid that had consumed a sphere?

Especially after reading the records from Research Institute No. 1, which reported that the association was also researching to use the object domination technique, I couldn’t just leave it be.

When I actually thought about removing it, I felt a little regretful.

I wouldn’t be able to play my game of mini reaper toss anymore.

So, who should I toss in last?

The Golden Reaper would be too predictable since I used it so often, so I should choose one of my younger siblings instead.

The weaker ones might not die from contact with the black liquid, but they’d probably be in quite a bit of trouble.

So, it seemed like the ‘Black Reaper’, who is tough like the Golden Reaper and intensely hates the black slime, would be the most fun.

As I summoned the Black Reaper onto my palm, it began to bare its teeth and scowl at the environment filled with black liquid.

Just when I was about to gently pick up the Black Reaper and slowly place it into the black slime—

[Snap!]

The Black Reaper transformed into a slime and slipped out of my grasp.

Doo-shee doo-shee.

Before I knew it, the Black Reaper had climbed onto my shoulder, shaking its fists and raining punches on my cheek.

The expression of the Black Reaper throwing punches was one of pure disbelief over how such a cruel act could be possible.

Somehow, this ignited a sense of stubbornness in me.

Throwing in the time-accelerated Golden Reaper might be tough, but maybe I could manage it with the Black Reaper?

But even as I attempted to throw it using time acceleration, I kept failing.

The Black Reaper, which could freely shapeshift, was far stronger and more agile than I was.

Ugh.

It seemed impossible to just grab and toss it.

Who knew my children would be more athletic than me?

Just as I was about to give up, the Black Reaper conveyed its will.

“Mom, why are you messing around like that?”

“Well… because it’s fun.”

The Black Reaper nodded, slowly walking toward the black slime.

“Mom, you have to watch closely!”

As it trudged toward the black slime, the Black Reaper turned its head back, signaling me to pay attention.

It wanted me to watch carefully.

“?”

The Black Reaper seemed overly serious and a little scared.

“Wait a moment!”

I urgently conveyed my will, but the Black Reaper had already knelt before the slime, trembling fingers reaching into it.

Drip drip.

The Black Reaper began to melt away.

Starting from its fingertips, the black liquid climbed up, and it started to dissolve.

At the same time, the Black Reaper collapsed to the ground like a doll with its string cut.

I was startled and quickly scooped up the Black Reaper in my arms.

‘!’

The Black Reaper, opening its eyes faintly as if dying, let out a small sound.

Beeeeep.

“Now that you know how harmful it is, don’t mess around, okay?”

A faint will could be heard.

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it anymore!”

Feeling more urgent than I had expected, I piled wood into the fire while repeatedly apologizing.

The Golden Reaper was fine, but the Black Reaper was probably not going to survive!

I had thought my children were all immune, but perhaps it was just me and the Golden Reaper who were special?

“I’m sorry! Don’t die!”

I don’t know how much time passed.

As I filled the Black Reaper’s body with enough wood to fill it several hundred times, the side that had disappeared slowly began to regenerate.

Phew, I’m relieved.

I thought while gently stroking the hair of the peacefully sleeping Black Reaper.

It must have hurt a lot….

Indeed, the black slime needs to disappear from this world.

Part of it was my fault, but the existence of such a harmful substance on Earth was a problem too.

I summoned the Black Sphere, filled with my anger, and began to grind the black slime away.

The smooth black liquid was sucked into the Black Sphere like a liquid going down a drain, and its very existence vanished.

Each particle of the wicked slime was decomposed and evaporated by the power of the Black Sphere, leaving no traces or remnants of malice.

I looked around Gwanak-gu, now made clean, while gently stroking the Black Reaper in my arms.

I cannot leave harmful substances for my children!

*

The situation in Gangnam-gu was being reported as quite a serious issue by the association.

A sinkhole with unknown causes, huh?

It resembled phenomena involving the Gray Reaper.

Despite the Sehee Research Institute submitting a report that the Gray Reaper had never escaped, an inspector affiliated with the association was dispatched to confirm the facts.

However, that inspector was very dissatisfied with the current situation.

Sending a full inspection team would have been better, but just sending one person?

“Sigh, since it’s already a job I’ve received, I have to make sure of it.”

The inspector, dressed in a well-tailored women’s suit, expressed her frustration as she stepped down into the parking lot of the Sehee Research Institute.

Standing at the entrance of the Sehee Research Institute, she pulled out a large piece of equipment.

That equipment was one of the rare mental pollution measurement devices even in the association.

Being so old, it couldn’t measure how severe the mental pollution was, but it could definitely detect its existence.

Beeep—

The old speaker of the device emitted a muffled sound, and a red light began to blink.

‘There is mental pollution.’

As soon as the inspector confirmed the mental pollution, she pulled out the Mental Pollution Blocking Helmet and put it on.

‘Even before entering the research institute, I need to be cautious since I’ve detected mental pollution.’

The inspector deduced that there seemed to be serious mental pollution.

‘Could it be that the research institute itself has been occupied by the ‘Gray Reaper’?’

As she walked toward the front gate of the Sehee Research Institute while wearing the helmet, the director of the Sehee Research Institute, Lee Sehee, welcomed the inspector.

Although there was a conversation back and forth with Director Sehee, the inspector could hardly focus on the conversation.

There was a warm, sunny fragrance in the air.

It was a happy and relaxing scent.

Seeing the inspector unable to concentrate on the conversation, Sehee wore a meaningful smile.

In the direction Sehee was looking, Yerin Oh was hiding.

She was holding an enormous number of Golden Reapers that she could hardly wrap her arms around.

The inspector slowly read the records that Sehee handed over, making her way to the isolation room for the Gray Reaper.

‘The documents are all nonsense.’

These documents looked so haphazardly prepared that it seemed believable only because they were made just this morning.

“Alright, the Gray Reaper is quietly housed in the isolation room like this!”

Thud thud.

At Sehee’s voice, the inspector lifted her head to see the Gray Reaper joyfully smiling while wandering around inside the isolation room.

“Hmm.”

It looked like a Gray Reaper.

Instead of an expressionless face that seemed uninterested in the world, it wore a cheerful and cheerful expression.

And aside from the sharp shark teeth that had never been reported, of course.

In other words, it resembled the Gray Reaper, but was not.

‘I need to report quickly.’

Even while wearing the Mental Pollution Prevention Helmet, she felt dizzy increasingly.

Dizziness and headaches often occur when resisting mental pollution, so she had to report swiftly.

The inspector tried to take out her phone, but the dizziness became unbearable, and she dropped it.

‘Oh no.’

In a world spinning around her, as she bent down to pick up her phone, something small and cute was handing her its own phone.

It looked like an object resembling a Gray Reaper, noble as gold and bright as the sun.

‘Ah, so that’s the Golden Reaper.’

As she picked up her phone with her trembling hand, the Golden Reaper looked at her with a worried expression and gently tapped her finger.

It looked as if a close friend or family member was anxiously observing someone in pain.

Seeing its expression that seemed to ask, “Are you okay?” the inspector managed to open her mouth with difficulty.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

The inspector smiled at the worried Golden Reaper and petted it.

The Golden Reaper seemed delighted by the sensation of the inspector’s fingers, grinning broadly with joy.

As if marking its territory, it even grabbed the finger and rubbed it against its cheek.

‘Definitely cute. It’s bound to be popular.’

The inspector said, placing the Golden Reaper on her palm.

“Wait a moment. I’ll just make a call, then I’ll play with you a bit more.”

Hearing that, the Golden Reaper sank onto her palm with a pout.

The moment I saw that expression, my persistent headache disappeared somewhere.

Feeling refreshed and happy, the inspector thought.

‘Well, it’s okay to call later. For now, I’ll play with the ‘Golden Reaper’.’

As the inspector took off her helmet, the Golden Reaper rushed in with a bright expression and clung to her cheek.

The inspector felt the happiest she had ever felt in her life, happily accepting the Golden Reaper’s affection.

The Golden Reaper was happy, the inspector was happy, and Director Sehee was happy too.

*

In the mini reaper garden where fluffy marshmallow land unfolded, the Golden Reaper was joyfully bouncing around.

Perhaps because of the ruckus caused by the Golden Reaper, the round clusters of white fluff began to unravel.

What appeared to be white fluff turned out to be curly and fluffy hair.

Unlike the other mini reapers, once the abundant hair spread out, the body of the Orange Reaper came into view.

“Biggest Youngest!”

The Golden Reaper looked up at the Orange Reaper and sprinkled joyful feelings everywhere.

The Orange Reaper looked quite different from the Golden Reaper.

It was about a head taller and had a much more mature physique.

The Orange Reaper slowly walked up to the Golden Reaper and embraced it tightly.

With a warm feeling of reunion, it hugged the Golden Reaper so tightly.

As the hair began to softly close once more, it gently wrapped around both the Golden and Orange Reapers.

And they began to float up gently.

Just like the fluffy bundle that the Golden Reaper had discovered.

As they floated high enough to touch the immutable sphere in the sky, the face of the Golden Reaper popped out from the fluff, smiling brightly.

Having never flown in the sky before, the Golden Reaper wore an expression of pure delight, grinning widely.