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In an underground open lot resembling an old mine, wooden pillars were embedded in the walls, and the dim light from the occasional incandescent bulbs barely illuminated the dark, damp area.

Countless people lay scattered in this space where neither entrance nor exit was visible.

They were individuals kidnapped near the Rocky Mountains.

As the bulbs flickered ominously, a lively air began to emerge in the atmosphere of the underground lot.

Those who had lost consciousness on the floor started to regain their senses slowly.

People woke up without understanding what was happening, confused about where they were.

“Where is this?”

“Please let me out!”

“I came here to join the Eye of the Shadow, but where is this?”

As all sorts of people began to chatter, the open lot quickly transformed into a chaotic scene.

As the murmurs of the awakened began to fill the space, a man appeared from a raised platform set up at one side of the lot.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in fancy clothes with a well-groomed beard.

His attire was a mix of white and black, lavishly adorned with gold.

“The body is the prison of the soul. Only through suffering can one escape that prison.”

With a sudden booming voice, the man in extravagant clothes drew everyone’s attention.

“Is he… the Leader?”

The man was someone the crowd had known well.

The leader of the Eye of the Shadow.

In that moment, a man stood up and shouted at the leader.

“Did all this happen because of you?”

If so, he demanded to be let out quickly.

In response, the leader approached the shouting man slowly, maintaining a pious expression as he recited strange words.

“The body is the prison of the soul. Only through suffering can one escape that prison.”

Standing before the man, the leader swung his fist.

It seemed like a light strike, but the result was anything but light.

A horrifying scream filled the space, and the once-bustling lot immediately fell silent.

The man who was struck began to swell as if his bones were broken, groaning in pain as sweat poured from his body while still sprawled on the floor.

In the quiet open lot, only the man’s painful groans echoed softly.

People felt an unsettling atmosphere filling the air.

In reality, it should have been normal for them to scream and cause a commotion, but the bizarre air surrounding the man known as ‘Leader’ was suppressing them.

The fact that they had been kidnapped into this suspicious underground space and the strange atmosphere emanating from the leader left them uneasy.

The leader approached the fallen man and gripped his wounds tightly.

“AAAH!”

Amidst the man’s desperate screams, the leader’s voice resounded.

“Alas, how unfortunate! To be unable to shed the demon’s flesh, still enveloped in a dreamy haze!”

And with that, he began to rain down blows on the man.

With each hit, sickening cracks echoed as joints crumbled.

The man, now silent, lay limp as though dead, having lost consciousness.

The leader, still striking the man, exaggeratedly spread his arms in a dramatic pose, wearing a sorrowful expression.

“Why! Why can’t you understand my sincerity!”

The man in the fancy attire suddenly shouted in anger, behaving as if he had gone mad.

He cried pitifully, then yelled with rage.

One moment he laughed joyfully, then turned away with a gloomy expression.

His tone was erratic, fluctuating with his emotions.

And just as he raised his fist to strike the man again—

[Thud.]

A thunderous sound echoed throughout the closed lot.

Then, the leader crumpled to the ground with a gunshot.

A bullet had struck the leader’s head, bursting it open.

“Hahaha.”

The woman who fired the gun chuckled dryly, gripping her gun tightly with a tense expression, trembling slightly.

Behind her, a massive shadow loomed.

“It’s truly a sad affair.”

The leader, wearing a sorrowful expression, appeared suddenly, speaking with an equally mournful tone.

“!”

[Thud. Thud. Thud.]

In this bewildering situation, as if the dead had come back to life, the woman fired several shots.

The newly appeared leader also collapsed, bleeding profusely from his abdomen.

“What on earth is this?”

The woman, looking bewildered, glanced back and forth but found two corpses.

The leader’s body had doubled.

Amidst this alarming situation, those who had been frozen in fear began searching for a way to escape the open lot, but no passage appeared.

At that moment, heavy voices emerged from within the lot.

“It’s truly a sad affair.”

“It’s truly a sad affair.”

“It’s truly a sad affair.”

Leaders, with their fists clenched, suddenly appeared among the crowd, speaking.

“Ah, oh deity of the eye, forgive me.”

With those words, the leaders began indiscriminately attacking the people.

*

In the security room of Sehee Research Institute, a Blue Reaper was hiding with a sorrowful expression.

Of course, the security room employees knew about it, but the Blue Reaper looked so sad that they were trying to ignore it.

“My Attached Human is gone.”

Neither in his one-room nor at his workplace, no trace of the Attached Human could be found.

[Has the Attached Human stopped liking me?]

The Blue Reaper tried to conjure strings in the air, but his magic provided no answers.

With tearful eyes and a quivering expression, the Blue Reaper waited endlessly for his Attached Human.

Watching the Blue Reaper’s condition, the security staff began to converse.

“The Blue Reaper has been there all day. What could possibly be wrong?”

“I don’t know. I have an idea, but it’s not certain. It’s only been a day, after all.”

Feeling sympathetic for the sorrowful Blue Reaper, the junior employee asked the senior employee again.

“If you have even a clue, please let me know. The Blue Reaper is sad; we should do something.”

“I don’t really understand the Blue Reapers, but that Blue Reaper was following someone, right? I heard that person has gone missing.”

“I thought he was just taking a break because he was sick, but he’s actually missing?”

The security team, which worked in shifts, wasn’t significantly affected by this, but they roughly knew what had happened.

“Yeah, I heard that his younger brother got involved with that cult that’s been trending in Gangdong District and went to find him, but he went missing too.”

“Oh, so that’s why Deputy Director Seoah has been busy running around with the association and such.”

The Blue Reaper, lost in sorrow, sensed a thread of interest in the conversation.

Though he couldn’t understand the words, he could feel emotions like the Golden Reaper and sensed a bit of information.

“The Attached Human went east. He vanished. Is it dangerous?”

The information was vague but concerned his long-awaited Attached Human.

“I must save the Attached Human!”

Hearing about the Attached Human, the Blue Reaper returned to the Mini Reaper Garden with an urgent expression.

*

In the isolation room, a huge pot was bubbling away on its own.

It was the extra-large pot that Yerin had prepared.

Soft towels were wrapped around the pot’s edge, and water was splashing around inside.

Inside the pot floated a tiny wooden ladle, resembling a miniature version.

“Okay, it’s done!”

Yerin tied up a small towel here and there and quickly fashioned a sheep’s cap.

The Golden Reaper, now wearing the cap, raised both hands in a cheer and joyfully jumped into the pot.

It was a hot spring exclusively for Mini Reapers.

This makeshift hot spring was created at the request of the Golden Reaper, who discovered hot springs on TV.

Seeing this hot spring, Sehee said, “This is it! I have to make a hot spring underground!” and then disappeared.

The Golden Reaper and Black Reaper splashed around in the large pot while the Red Reaper floated with a cheerful expression, lying flat in the middle of the pot.

The Orange Reaper lay comfortably in the pot, cradling the Sprout Reaper who was peacefully sleeping.

The Orange Reaper’s white hair spread out in the water, showcasing just how long and luxurious it was.

The Red Reaper occasionally breathed fire, keeping the pot’s water boiling to avoid getting cold.

Oddly enough, the Blue Reaper was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed like the Blue Reaper was gathering somewhere, but were they discussing the Attached Human again like before?

The Golden Reaper, enjoying the warmth of the pot, tugged at my finger, beckoning me to join in.

‘I’m not small enough to fit in the pot.’

The Golden Reaper, looking sullen at my response, splashed back to the Black Reaper.

When I took my eyes away from the pot and looked at the TV, the noise about the cult was still blaring.

Yerin was also watching it with a serious expression.

“Seoah Unnie has been busy because of that cult lately. Maybe that’s why my tasks have increased.”

Yerin made a small noise as she rested her head on mine.

Taking advantage of Yerin’s distraction at the TV, I tossed in the pre-prepared ‘dried shiitake mushrooms’ into the pot.

The Mini Reapers stared at the mushrooms with expressions like, ‘What is this?’

As delicious smells began to waft from the pot, it started to resemble an actual Mini Reaper stew.

Hehe.

By the way, the TV kept showcasing a religious symbol with five eyes inside a single eye.

For some reason, it caught my attention oddly.

*

Rachel quietly moved through the bushes.

Carefully, so as not to be noticed by the nearby police.

Currently, the village where Rachel’s parents resided was completely sealed off.

No matter which road she took, the police were blocking the way, but since it was the village where Rachel had spent her childhood, she slowly approached, navigating through the dense pine forest, making her way near the village.

“What should I do? It seems like a serious incident.”

Rachel looked down at the village from atop a tree, worry etched on her face.

The village streets were blocked by police, and many association members roamed within.

And within that village, no locals were visible.

With a sense of unease, Rachel gently patted the Golden Reaper, and he looked back at her with a worried expression, gently tapping her cheek.

Then the Golden Reaper raised both hands, signaling her to trust him, and dashed toward the members of the association.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

Rachel called the Golden Reaper softly, but he was already charging toward the association members.

And chaos ensued.

As the Golden Reaper emitted light from every part of his body and dashed across the village, the association members were thrown into a frenzy.

Some attempted to continue their investigations, others chased after the Golden Reaper, while others contacted headquarters.

Amidst the pandemonium, a gap appeared for entering the village.

“Thank you, Golden Reaper!”

Rachel silently expressed her gratitude and began to slip into the darkness of the village.