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Originally an expensive cruise, the Cruise Suite Room became even pricier as the number of Objects continued to grow.

On the table and chairs on the suite room’s balcony, a man was leisurely enjoying his coffee while feeling the refreshing sea breeze.

A smile spread across his face, recalling faint memories that had once been painful.

‘I simply thought it was a painful journey for my younger sister, but it would unfold like this.’

The life of the “Selector,” who had pushed himself to the limit in pursuit of his sister’s traces.

Now it had transformed into a windfall of money, and he was witnessing the fruits of a journey with his sister.

The man was at the starting point of a journey to explore the world, just as his sister had wished.

What he thought would be a sad journey alone had become boisterous and joyful with his sister’s resurrection.

In the Cruise Suite Room, a plush carpet spread out beneath him.

A cozy sofa and a large flat-screen TV.

Luxurious furniture made of teak wood.

Soft lighting illuminating everything.

Had it not been for the Purple Reaper saving his sister, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to enjoy all of this properly.

Turning his head to look inside the cabin, he saw his sister and the Purple Reaper seated at the dining table.

His sister, exactly as she looked in long-ago memories.

She appeared so unchanged across time that it felt like if he closed his eyes and opened them again, this would all seem like a dream.

And in front of her was the Purple Reaper wearing an eye patch.

The Purple Reaper, who had come to protect him and once rusted from exhaustion, was now in good condition.

The only remaining injury was a single eye with a slight reddish hue, resembling rust.

Upon confirming this, the Purple Reaper was now wearing an eye patch made with a cheerful face.

His sister was playfully poking the Purple Reaper’s soft cheeks.

Having always been curious about Objects, his sister took a great liking to the Purple Reaper.

Perhaps that’s why she often teased the Purple Reaper.

While poking the Purple Reaper’s cheeks, his sister offered an espresso cup to the Purple Reaper.

“Here, you have to drink this too. It’s the same coffee as mine.”

Just as expected, his sister began to torment the Purple Reaper again.

The small cup containing espresso, which was quite large for the Purple Reaper.

The Purple Reaper stood there, holding the espresso cup that his sister had offered, deeply troubled.

Trying to mimic the man’s actions, the Purple Reaper, who favored sweet things and disliked bitter ones, felt like two kinds of Purple Reapers were fiercely battling within that little head.

The Purple Reaper stuck out its tiny tongue to taste the hot espresso.

And perhaps it was too bitter, as it made a face as if it were on the verge of tears, sticking out its tongue.

Seeing this, the man stood up, picked up a sugar cube he didn’t particularly like, and began to munch on it.

He offered some to the Purple Reaper as well.

Then, with a big grin, the Purple Reaper started nibbling on the sugar cube.

As the man quietly observed the happy sight before him, he tousled his sister’s hair and said,

“Don’t tease it too much.”

In a slightly sulky tone, his sister replied with a “Yes,” before sitting down in front of the TV.

[There exist places that are free from government control. This is an example: the Free City Alliance. Each of the three cities in the alliance is governed by its own ruling family.]

[However, behind that freedom lies a high crime rate and weak security. In places where the police cannot reach, a world exists outside the bounds of law. What might life be like in such a place?]

On the TV, a documentary narration showcased the quite famous Free City Alliance in China.

Just a little beyond the bustling streets, one could easily spot dark alleys.

People roaming about in the darkness.

As vibrant and dynamic as if there were no night.

Given that this city alliance had technological advancement as great as America, it was indeed a unique urban landscape.

“Free City Alliance?”

His sister mumbled as she watched the TV, then turned to the man and shouted with sparkling eyes.

“Oniichan! How about China for our next destination?”

The man lightly tapped his sister’s head with his fist and replied,

“Absolutely not.”

*

The Mini Reaper Garden, Marshmallow Plains.

Bouncy bouncy.

Walking thoughtlessly on the marshmallow, he saw plenty of Four-legged Golden Reapers.

Are they popular nowadays?

The Golden Reapers’ sense of humor could sometimes be perplexing.

Compared to things that made me wonder ‘Why do they like this?’ the Four-legged play was relatively tolerable.

I once found it hilarious when every washing machine in the Sehee Research Institute was crammed full of Golden Reapers.

The sight of the staff in charge of the lab utterly panicking was amusing.

Four-legged play, huh…

Just as I thought it was one of the Golden Reapers’ quirky behaviors, I suddenly got suspicious.

A signal from my brain, filled with knowledge and wisdom.

‘No, isn’t the Four-legged play strange?’

As my curiosity surged, I began to inspect the Four-legged Golden Reapers more closely, and a few of them started to flee hurriedly on their four legs.

It felt urgent, as if they were shouting, ‘Eek! Run away!’

About 70% of the fleeing Four-legged Golden Reapers were escaping, while roughly 30% enjoyed lazing around, unaware of the chase.

I picked up one of the wandering Four-legged Golden Reapers to take a closer look.

A plump, golden Golden Reaper resembling sunlight with fat rolls.

As I continued to stare, the strong illusion that had enveloped it faded, revealing its true identity.

The texture and appearance remained the same, but its eyes had turned into buttons.

‘!’

Another outfit made by the Yellow Reaper.

While I thought they had become skillful at Four-legged play, this secret unraveled.

I slowly unzipped the Four-legged Golden Reaper that was squirming in my grasp.

‘….’

What emerged was a Golden Reaper, grinning with an expression that said, ‘Oops! Caught!’

What? It was a Golden Reaper after all.

I expected a White Hungry Ghost to be inside, but the Golden Reapers were genuinely playing Four-legged games.

I felt somewhat disappointed.

As I played with the Golden Reaper engaged in four-legged play, other Mini Reapers began to gather to the point of becoming annoying.

Why weren’t these guys making Attached Humans and just bothering me?

Actually, from time to time, while observing the Mini Reapers out of boredom, I realized something.

Approximately 30% of the Mini Reapers had no Attached Humans.

What was strange was that even with the explosive increase in Mini Reapers, that ratio remained consistently similar each time.

It reminded me of a story I once heard about some ants not doing any work and just playing around.

It was reminiscent of that phenomenon.

‘You little ants!’

As I radiated my frustration and began to rub the Golden Reaper’s belly, it simply smiled, not understanding the meaning, and enjoyed the physical touch.

And the most curious point was that among the “Orange Reapers,” there were no Attached Humans.

They were smart and kind, so why didn’t they create Attached Humans?

My curiosity deepened that day.

*

Near the Sehee Research Institute, in a small studio apartment.

Bouncing around.

The Pudding Reaper was hopping around on the small table in that little studio.

Though I felt a bit scared, fearing the strange voice might come again, such a sound hadn’t yet arrived.

Of course, if I listened closely to the sky above, I could hear a small voice.

‘Mommy!’

‘Delicious pudding!’

‘Where could the legendary pudding be?’

However, unlike the voice from the red star, it was a sound that felt warm and uncoordinated.

As I listened to the voice coming from the sky, waiting for Attached Humans to return, the window slowly began to open.

Creak.

The ominous creaking of the window echoed as something began to reveal itself beyond it.

A fluffy furball.

An orange face.

A playful expression.

Surely, it was an Orange Reaper belonging to the Mini Reaper Garden, and it should be an ally.

However, feeling oddly uneasy, the Pudding Reaper slowly began to retreat.

The Orange Reaper approached, holding a huge bucket, and plopped it down with a thud.

Then it started poking the Pudding Reaper as if requesting pudding.

Taking a bit of pudding and plopping it into the bucket.

Yet the Orange Reaper grinned broadly, staring intently, creating an unspoken pressure.

The brutal extortion continued until the bucket was full.

Hing hing.

Feeling that resisting would lead to severe consequences, much like the White Hungry Ghost, the Pudding Reaper had no choice but to distribute its pudding.

‘It’s a secret from the Hungry Ghost Reaper.’

And leaving that affirmation in mind, the Orange Reaper departed.

*

The Orange Reaper was flying around, surrounded by Cloud Fish, with a sad expression.

The reason was simple; the fraud against the Golden Reapers had been discovered.

It was a scam where the pudding taken from the Pudding Reaper was claimed to be the ‘Legendary Pudding.’

Since it was the pudding cherished by the Hungry Ghost Reaper, no Golden Reaper had tasted it, making it a high-success prank.

‘Prophet little sister!’

‘Seer little sister!’

‘Legendary Pudding!’

The numerous praises rained down on the Orange Reaper.

Some of the Golden Reapers even made statues in response.

Namely, the Seer Orange Reaper ice statue!

And the ‘Ice Palace built for the adventurer who found the legendary pudding’ created by the Golden Reapers also belonged to the Orange Reaper.

But perhaps it was due to the lies that the praises created?

The ambitions of the Orange Reaper aiming for the king of the snowfield came to a sudden end.

The cause was clear.

A fearsome-faced Hungry Ghost Reaper with a Pudding Reaper perched on its shoulder.

The Pudding Reaper had let slip the secret!

Once the truth of the lies was revealed, the giant statue crumbled, and it was expelled from the grand palace.

‘The grudge bound by pudding must be resolved by pudding.’

As the Orange Reaper vowed revenge on the Pudding Reaper who broke the promise, it turned its gaze outward.

It would be hard to enter the research institute for a while, so the Orange Reaper thought of setting off on a journey.

Unlike the many Mini Reapers embarking on their travels, it didn’t seek Attached Humans, but it wanted to take the chance to travel far from the Sehee Research Institute.

The destination was the bustling, vast western continent filled with people.