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Deep Inside Sehee Research Institute.

The lonely isolation room, long devoid of a master, now had its owner back.

Not long ago, the isolation room exuded an empty atmosphere for some inexplicable reason, but now it felt full, as if it had been a while since someone was there.

The isolation room was never truly empty, as numerous Mini Reapers always resided within.

The Gray Reaper wasn’t particularly loud or large, but to Yerin, it certainly felt that way.

Om nom nom.

The Gray Reaper wore an extremely tired expression as Yerin cuddled in its embrace, munching on popcorn while watching TV.

[According to detailed investigation results, it has been confirmed that many of the missing persons who disappeared without a trace are on the Island of Red Lightning.]

[The Japanese Object Association announced that the discovered missing persons on the island will undergo various investigations and health screenings before being returned to their families.]

The TV was babbling about the Island of Red Lightning, where the Gray Reaper had just been not too long ago.

Despite being one of the people who had experienced the island first-hand, the Gray Reaper continued to watch the news with a peculiar curiosity.

[Survivors from the Island of Red Lightning, a special class object, have been revealed to have been part of a sort of mission.]

[In Japan, this has been referred to as a type of Labyrinth City.]

As soon as the mention of Labyrinth City came up, the Gray Reaper’s antennae, hidden in Yerin’s mouth, began to sway joyfully from side to side.

[Before developing the Island of Red Lightning into a Labyrinth City tourist spot, the Japanese Object Association has lifted the island’s object designation.]

[The conclusion reached just a week later has raised concerns among domestic object experts and within Japan itself about the hasty judgment.]

And at the moment the news mentioned transforming Labyrinth City into a tourist spot, the Gray Reaper’s antennae danced like seaweed swaying in rough waves.

Feeling the swaying antennae as if it were akin to eating a delicious pudding, Yerin began planning to visit Labyrinth City alongside the Gray Reaper once it opened.

While many said it might be dangerous, Yerin was confident there would be no problem.

After all, most places the Reaper had visited had become safe from objects, so it seemed quite a reasonable judgment.

[The reason the Gray Reaper, who seemingly destroyed the Island of Red Lightning, suddenly went to Japan remains unknown.]

Amidst all the news about numerous objects appearing in Japan, the screen suddenly shifted to shine a light on the Gray Reaper.

Video footage captured of the Gray Reaper emerging from the now-vanished giant whirlpool was aired.

It was a drone-recorded video taken right after the clouds surrounding the island had cleared, so the quality wasn’t great, but it was clear that it was the Gray Reaper.

In the video, the Gray Reaper was being bitten all over by Black Reapers.

Of course, even now, there were plenty of Black Reapers clinging to the resting Gray Reaper in the isolation room.

They were using sharp teeth to latch onto the Gray Reaper like a remora.

What on earth kind of prank had the Gray Reaper pulled to be stuck in this biting situation for such a long time?

It didn’t seem to be anywhere near this bad even when the Gray Reaper transformed into the Red Reaper and set fire to the Orange Reaper’s hair…

Worried that the Gray Reaper might be in pain, Yerin tried to grab the feet of a Black Reaper and pull it off, but it was clamped on so tightly that it was impossible to detach it with Yerin’s strength.

It truly seemed like they were expressing how extremely angry they were at the Gray Reaper.

*

The sound of sparrows chirping.

The warmth of a cozy bed.

The appetizing aroma of delicious toast.

The elements of a “normal morning” began to fill the girl, who lay in bed.

Though the girl had already awakened, she burrowed deeper into the blanket to savor this happy atmosphere a little longer.

However, within the blanket, there were white and yellow eyes staring fixedly at her.

Peep-!

It was the Black Reaper, making a small noise as if urging her to get up.

The Black Reaper that woke her up every morning was a bit annoying, and the girl became playful, picking up the Black Reaper from under the blanket and tickling it mercilessly.

“Hey!”

Whether it was the tickling that was funny or if it was just happy to be played with, the Black Reaper simply smiled brightly in the girl’s grasp.

As they rolled around in the blankets, the girl, fully awake, placed the Black Reaper on her head and sat up in bed, staring vacantly out the window.

Watching this ordinary scenery, the girl felt the most at peace.

‘This isn’t the Labyrinth.’

‘It’s daily life, and home.’

Such reassuring feelings enveloped her.

It had been quite some time since she had returned from Labyrinth City to Japan and her daily life, yet every time she lay down to sleep, she often felt she’d suddenly awaken in the “Labyrinth City.”

Even the girl, who had only been trapped in Labyrinth City for about three months, found it hard to imagine what those who had spent one year or ten years there must feel.

Unlike the girl who had already come into society, the other victims of Labyrinth City had yet to reintegrate.

As adventurers who had lived too far removed from the rules of society, they had much screening ahead of them, or so she had heard.

Adventurers were not accustomed to regulations like laws, and often resolved things through force.

Moreover, those ‘adventurers’ who had spent significant time in the maze had abilities that seemed significantly above those of ordinary humans, in the girl’s eyes.

Perhaps if the girl had cleared the Labyrinth enough, she herself wouldn’t still be trapped?

The only reason the girl learned about the society’s reintegration of adventurers was because of the “Dog Meat Man.”

The uncle had casually asked around about when he might come back into society.

However, based on her findings, it seemed like it would take quite a while for the uncle to return.

Among the “currently surviving adventurers,” he had broken through the most layers.

It had been nearly 15 years since he’d been kidnapped to the island.

The uncle had only conditions that would make it difficult for him to return to society sooner than later.

I want to see the uncle back in Japan soon!

As she thought about this and placed her hand against the cold window to feel the chill while staring outside, her mother’s voice could suddenly be heard from below.

“Hurry up and come down!”

“Yes!”

The girl transformed the Black Reaper into a bracelet and clasped it around her wrist, responding with an energetic voice.

It was the start of her ordinary and happy daily life.

*

On a deep night when Mini Reapers were asleep, having dozed off while watching TV at an early hour, the girl woke up far too early.

Munch munch.

Feeling something nibbling, she touched her cheek and found the Black Reaper still clinging on.

‘It’s still attached.’

Judging by the little “bee-” sounds the Black Reapers made in a shockingly small, rhythmic manner, it was clear they were asleep, yet they held onto her firmly.

Using ghosting would easily remove them, but that would probably make them even angrier.

How could they be so mad just from being buried in sand for a moment?

Usually, they’d calm down over just one pudding!

Bounce bounce.

Arriving at the courtyard of Sehee Research Institute with the Black Reapers hanging all over her, the moonlit landscape welcomed her with a gentle glow.

The ground was covered in white marshmallows, a mini TV was placed on a table, and her specially made chair glowed with mysterious colors reflecting the vibrant moonlight.

Following that light, when she looked up at the sky, she saw three visible Light Rings among all the colors of the moons.

She reached out her hand to the sky, summoning the halo she had obtained this time into her palm.

It was the halo obtained from Labyrinth City.

The ability of the halo was to manipulate illusions and hallucinations, as demonstrated by the old man.

However, being an “Eye,” it possessed an output level that diverged from ordinary objects.

Not only could it create powerful illusions that could fool even her, but it was capable of deceiving the world.

With the capability to turn ordinary materials, like the suddenly arisen islands in Japan or the many items in Labyrinth City, into illusions and bring them into reality, it was almost a god-like “creation” type power.

Of course, the limits were clear.

It could not create substances of a high tier, like the trials of the nine stairs she faced, and could only manage them through hallucination.

Well, still, it was undoubtedly an incredible ability.

The first thought that crossed my mind upon obtaining this splendid ability was, “I can make tons of pudding!” But that happy thought was quickly discarded.

Wearing the halo just to eat pudding didn’t add up.

It would be like setting oneself on fire just to receive a single pudding in human terms.

Yet, using the halo for fun mischief was certainly worth considering.

Although no fun pranks came to mind just yet, if it was an illusion capable of deceiving reality, surely it could make for some truly delightful pranks.

Hehe.

*

Crunch, crunch.

The Golden Reaper, locked away in the isolation room, was gnawing on hard kibble.

Though it was cheap kibble, hard and tasteless, the Golden Reaper was smiling brightly.

Well, it was because the Attached Human was watching it!

Taking small bites of the hard kibble, it glanced over at the Attached Human staring at it through the glass.

With the Attached Human’s attention, the Golden Reaper found joy and taste in everything.

The woman who had kidnapped and caged the Golden Reaper watched it eat the kibble and muttered.

“It’s much more docile than I expected, huh?”

She felt a bit disappointment that all the elaborate measures to isolate the Golden Reaper might all be in vain.

A true research facility needed to achieve legitimate isolation results!

Currently, all the facilities set up were provided by dangerous partners, so from the woman’s perspective, time was not on her side.

Had she known they were such dangerous ones, she would never have partnered with them…

In truth, she had even planned to conduct dissection experiments before capturing the Golden Reaper, but seeing it happily munching on the cheap kibble, she hesitated to go that far.

“Ugh, what should I do?”