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Lying on the plush, fluffy carpet of the isolation room and gazing at the ceiling, I spotted a pudding surrounded by bubbles, soaring through the sky.

The bubbles encircling the pudding reflected the vibrant patterns of the isolation room, distorting the view of the surroundings.

I could see the bed, the pudding factory, and myself sprawled on the floor.

Warm air and a cozy bed.

And the Golden Reaper joyfully working at the pudding factory.

The isolation room had the usual calm and peaceful atmosphere, but there I was, lying with a frown on my face.

One of the joys of my life, failed to prank the Mini Reaper!

As I lay there with a sad expression, the Red Reaper approached, having thoroughly roasted the White Hungry Ghost into a blackened version, offering me the charred Hungry Ghost as a gift.

“Qyu-hing-hing.”

The thoroughly roasted Hungry Ghost, with not a white spot left, cried out in a mournful tone.

The Red Reaper, who gifted me the Hungry Ghost, radiated cheerful determination, urging me to eat and regain my strength with a bright smile.

Om-nom-nom.

As I popped a bite-sized blackened Hungry Ghost into my mouth, the ability I gained from handling the Yellow Moon sparked in my mind.

It wasn’t particularly useful, so I hadn’t paid it much attention, but I decided to test it out this time.

When I tried using the ability, the Red Reaper watching from the side dropped his jaw in surprise.

“Red Mama!”

His astonished expression gradually morphed into one of delight, and he leaped around, obviously thrilled.

The new ability I acquired from handling the Yellow Moon was the ability to change skin color.

It was purely a color-changing ability without any mental pollution or ability mimicry, like the Yellow Reaper’s doll clothes.

Not practical, but I thought the Mini Reaper kids might like it.

However, the Red Reaper showed a reaction many times more intense than I expected.

He tugged at my pinky finger as if begging for a walk like a dog.

It seemed he wanted to go out to the courtyard and show off to the other mini reapers.

“Mom is the same color as me!”

Pretending to succumb to the tugging of my pinky, I slowly got up and placed the Red Reaper on my head.

Thud-thud.

Following the very happy Red Reaper’s lead, I slowly walked toward the courtyard.

*

In the ominous labyrinth where the green torch flickered.

In the center of that labyrinth, a girl sat huddled in front of a campfire reduced to ashes, waiting for someone.

“Uncles, where on earth could they have gone?”

When the girl awoke, the campsite was empty.

A bit anxious, but she wasn’t overly worried, since the camping site was filled with items left behind by the uncles.

There was no way they would abandon the numerous goods left at the campsite, so she believed they would return someday.

So the girl decided to sit in front of the still-warm ashes and wait for the uncles while petting the Black Sword.

But no matter how long she waited, the uncles did not return.

The girl gently stroked the blade of the Black Sword and lifted it to eye level.

As if having a conversation, she asked the sword, “What should I do? Should we move on without the uncles?”

Beeep-.

The Black Sword responded with a high, cheerful answer, as if agreeing.

“Are we going first? But what if someone steals the campsite’s goods?”

Beeep-.

Once again, a lively reply came from the Black Sword.

Strangely, it sounded like an encouragement to leave the campsite behind.

“Well then, let’s wait just a bit longer.”

The girl decided to wait a little more for the uncles.

While waiting, she took her time gently stroking the beautifully patterned blade of the Black Sword.

Beeep-.

The sword let out a pleasing sound, as if enjoying her attention.

The Black Sword was so smooth that no matter how much she petted it, she never got tired of it.

Moreover, the sword returned her affection, leading the girl to make an effort to pet the sword as often as possible.

And while petting the sword, she inspected it carefully.

As if looking after a treasured possession.

There was a reason for the girl’s actions.

When she woke up in the morning, she noticed that the pommel of the sword had turned white.

It had definitely been yellow!

The color of the pommel wasn’t of great importance to the girl, but whenever she looked at the white pommel, she felt an odd sense of worry, thinking the Black Sword might feel sad.

“You’re almost yellow again, right? You’d prefer yellow over white, wouldn’t you?”

Beeep!

After consoling the sad-looking sword by stroking it devotedly, the pommel returned significantly to a yellow hue.

So, the girl continued to pet the Black Sword, but then, the flickering green torch suddenly changed.

“!”

The ominous green flame was now burning in a familiar red color.

And the girl, struck by a thought, looked up at the ceiling, recognizing the familiar patterned numbers.

In a hurry, she spread out the map, compared the numbers, then jumped up and shouted.

“They’re back! We can go home now!”

Beeep-.

As the girl joyfully exclaimed, the Black Sword responded with a sound of delight.

*

A middle-aged man known as the “Dog Meat Man,” wiping his bloodied hands with a rag, gazed up at the sky.

The cloudless sky of Labyrinth City, always having the same sunny weather throughout the 365 days of the year, stretched above.

“Today, fake sky is shining bright again.”

When he lowered his gaze from the sky to the ground, he saw two bloodied men groaning in agony, sprawled out on the gravel patch.

“How can someone scam an innocent kid who knows nothing about the world?”

He sighed deeply, sitting cross-legged on the gravel while locking eyes with the men.

However, the two men, upon hearing the question, could only emit pained groans without the ability to respond properly.

Of course, the questioner didn’t seem too interested in a reply, brushing his hands off and standing up.

“Have they already found them and dealt with it? Must be an adventurer who went deep into the labyrinth. Quick indeed.”

As he slowly stood, a woman in an apron approached him.

She was the vendor who had relayed the information about the girl being scammed to the Dog Meat Man.

She was the owner of the stall the girl frequently visited.

Under normal circumstances, the girl would have happily bought snacks with a bright face before heading into the labyrinth, but seeing the girl merely browsing the stall made her uneasy, prompting her to inquire.

After discovering that a group had sold a fake sword and glue to a child at a high price, she informed the Dog Meat Man.

“Anyway, I need to return this money to the kid somehow, but I have no idea how.”

The Dog Meat Man, wearing a troubled expression, tossed a heavy pouch of money into the air and caught it repeatedly.

While he contemplated this light dilemma, a loud announcement reached his ears.

“Unusual occurrence! Unusual occurrence! An incident has occurred in the labyrinth! Green torch has appeared!”

The news that the girl who had entered the labyrinth just a few hours ago was in danger reached him.

*

“Hmm, strange.”

The girl was continually checking the ceiling and alternating between gazing at the map as she sank into perplexity.

“That’s exactly right. I came as per the map.”

Although she had always arrived at the last room by attentively comparing the ceiling plaques with the map, she had discovered something odd in the final room that would lead out of the labyrinth.

The ceiling plaque in the current room stated “Exit” on the map.

Yet, the room the girl had arrived at had a conspicuous discrepancy from the map.

There should have been a torch marking the exit at the designated spot, but instead, there was a rough stone door.

“Dog Meat Man said I should never open doors like this….”

“But the Dog Meat Man also said to trust and follow the map….”

The girl looked puzzled, unsure of what to do.

“Is it right to just go through this door?”

Raising the Black Sword, she posed the question, and the Black Sword simply returned a straightforward answer.

The cheerful sound of ‘Beeep.’

“Alright, let’s go in!”

Hearing that sound, the girl steeled herself and slowly began to push the stone door open.

Grind-grind-grind.

As the door creaked open completely, she found herself already inside the opposite room.

And as she stepped in, the stone door vanished.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to feel anxious being trapped inside a room, but the girl was enchanted by the mysterious atmosphere of the space.

A room so vast that it could not even be compared to other chambers in the labyrinth.

It seemed like the walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in smooth purple gems reflecting light like a mirror.

And at the farthest end of the room stood a glossy purple doll.

“Wow, amazing.”

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked around, but as her gaze shifted toward the doll, something felt off.

‘Did the doll just move a bit closer to me?’

And the glossy surface of the doll had numerous uneven cracks.

Sensing something suspicious, the girl started to inspect every nook and cranny of the room again.

‘There’s no plaque; I can’t figure out where I am like this….’

Wondering if there was anything about such a room in the map, she searched but found nothing at all.

Beeep!

While burying her head in the map, the sword suddenly let out a loud cry.

Startled by the unexpected sound, the girl raised her head and saw that the purple doll had already crossed half the room toward her.

And the cracks on the surface of the purple doll were beginning to split wider open.

This time, it was unmistakable.

The doll was getting closer.

Feeling a surge of anxiety while watching the advancing doll, the girl lifted the Black Sword and asked in a trembling voice.

“Wh-what should I do? Is it a monster?”

Beeep-.

The sword responded brightly and cheerfully, as if in agreement.

In a space so quiet that the echoes swallowed the sound.

In this ominous room reflecting all sides like a mirror.

The doll approached slowly like a ghost.

The girl turned pale, taking deep breaths.

And in a brief moment of blinking, the purple doll suddenly appeared right in front of her.

Its surface cracks were wide open, revealing ghastly eyeballs swaying within.