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In a tranquil afternoon moment, I was enjoying a picnic in the courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute, basking in the sunlight.

Lying comfortably in the shade of a tree, I sipped on a cold drink and relished the relaxation.

Om nom nom.

The blissful routine of receiving snacks handed to me by Yerin came to an abrupt halt due to an unexpected event.

The ‘Cute Puppy’ that had been sprawled out in exhaustion suddenly began barking like crazy.

If it had been any other behavior, I’d think, ‘What’s going on? Is it crazy?’ But this was the kind of fit I remembered from when it was still human.

Yerin, who had been lying next to me, changed her expression entirely, pulled out a small notebook, and started scribbling something furiously.

That erratic behavior was the driving force behind the ‘Cute Puppy’ making unreasonable demands.

It’s the ‘money-making reason’ for the cute puppy.

The cute puppy could sense the happenings around it related to objects.

When it sensed something, it would bark like that to relay information about the direction and angle of where changes were occurring.

Why is that profitable, you ask?

First off, discovering and isolating an object brings in money.

Or merely reporting a discovered object also earns you cash.

Most of the objects are hard to mix with humans, so the quicker you find or isolate them, the less damage there is to the city.

To encourage actions like discovering objects, the institute had substantial bounties in place.

Bounties were set for the protection of the city and human lives.

Thus, many research institutes employed numerous investigation teams to proactively discover and capture objects.

Even though it doesn’t always give a 100% guarantee, the extensive manpower required for such investigations meant that ‘Cute Puppy’ could easily sit on the institute floor and contribute, making it inevitably expensive.

Moreover, the speed and accuracy of the puppy’s information was on a whole different level compared to humans, making it an essential entity for the safety of Seoul.

At the Seoul Research Institute, whenever the puppy suddenly started barking, the staff would halt their work and wait for the researchers’ interpretation.

The bark patterns from the cute puppy were said to be easy to learn with some study.

However, after attempting to study for a pay raise in my human days, I found it wasn’t easy at all.

It was beyond the difficulty level that an ordinary human, who had no study habits, should attempt.

Looking over Yerin’s shoulder, she seemed to be doing something, but even after a second glance, I still had no clue!

Yerin finished her calculations and said with a slightly urgent expression, “I’m off for a bit!” before dashing into the research institute.

*

Busy, busy.

With the interpreted paper in hand, I hurriedly made my way to the office.

The interpreted results carried quite significant implications.

It mentioned that a massive occurrence related to objects was happening near Dobong-gu.

The problem was that Dobong-gu was currently ranked as the most dangerous area in Seoul.

Arriving at the office, I handed the interpretation paper straight to Senior Jungloe.

The moment he read the interpretation, his expression tightened, and he began making a call.

“No, no, is that even logical?! Just because we’ve temporarily taken over the ‘Cute Puppy’ doesn’t mean we have to handle such tasks?”

What started as a quiet conversation began to escalate into shouting as the call continued.

“How can you demand us to address this immediately without prior notice?!”

From what I gathered, it seemed the Central Research Institute had been decimated, leaving no department to handle the ‘Cute Puppy’ related work.

Furthermore, the current government was in the process of dismantling all national research institutes, transferring all authority to private ones.

Thus, the conclusion was that the Sehee Research Institute was to conduct investigations and prepare reports.

It seemed we’d only agreed to temporarily store the ‘Cute Puppy,’ but suddenly we were assigned a full-fledged mission.

It was an unreasonable demand beyond our contract, but the institute had to comply if the government commanded it.

After all, there wasn’t a single research institute free from governmental funding.

Some institutes far away in America might be different, selling equipment capable of dealing with objects.

The odor of additional tasks I absolutely didn’t want to do was thick in the air.

As expected, Senior Jungloe slammed down the phone with a bang and began gathering everyone present in the office.

I tried to sneak away discreetly, but of course, I was caught right in front of me.

“O Yerin, head to this area and investigate. Since it’s near Dobong-gu, make sure you’re well prepared.”

The map the senior handed over was filled with routes I had to take and tasks I needed to do.

Sigh, I don’t want to go.

I stopped by the supplies room to gather the necessary items for my trip to Dobong-gu.

As I sighed deeply at the reality of having no choice but to go, I noticed a yellow beam of light shining on my face from somewhere nearby.

With a curious expression, the Reaper was looking at me while shooting beams of light.

“Want to come along?”

He asked as he extended his hand, and the Reaper grasped it tightly.

Somehow, this trip felt like it would be enjoyable.

*

Arriving at the target point in Yerin’s car, we reached the border of Dobong-gu.

Upon arriving at the anticipated border, I saw a high concrete wall surrounding all of Dobong-gu.

That was the giant wall separating Dobong-gu from Gangbuk-gu.

It was my first time seeing it up close.

Perhaps built to fight against objects, the wall exuded both practicality and grandeur.

Maybe it was because I had heard rumors that beyond this wall lay a freezing hell of minus 100 degrees, but I felt a chill emanating even from here.

Yerin parked the car, took out her camera, hastily set it up facing the wall, and returned.

“Alright, picnic part two!”

Yerin spread a mat on a suitable patch of grass and patted the space beside her.

‘…’

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that Yerin might get herself fired one of these days.

*

Om nom nom.

While eating snacks, Yerin’s phone rang.

Yerin checked her phone, grimacing as she answered the call.

“Hello, this is Yerin Oh.”

As Yerin responded, endless nagging began pouring out of the phone.

[Are you really with the Gray Reaper right now? You should be reporting properly; what on earth were you thinking…?]

However, that nagging couldn’t continue long.

While Yerin was on the call, an unexpected event occurred.

Boom!

A tremendous shockwave rattled the ground.

The impact was so strong it made my body lift off the mat.

Yerin, who had been on the phone, jumped up in surprise.

Perhaps due to the shockwave, Yerin’s phone had already disconnected.

Bang!

As another sound echoed, I saw the wall in the distance explode into concrete debris, scattering in all directions.

A massive fist emerged from the broken wall.

This fist swung repeatedly, shattering the wall into tiny pieces.

The chaotic destruction was being carried out by what were known as the soldiers of the Ice Throne.

Enveloped in transparent ice like glass, these mechanized soldiers moved with gears and machinery.

The soldiers of the Ice Throne exuded a chilling aura from their bodies.

Beyond the ruined wall lay an infinite army of ice, making it impossible to even estimate their numbers.

They were soldiers clad in armor made of ice.

Startled by the sudden chaos, nearby residents began to flee in panic, but the ice soldiers showed no interest in people.

They simply swung their fists, demolishing buildings and the wall.

Just like during the invasion of Dobong-gu ten years ago.

Yerin held my hand tightly, tossed me into the car, and began driving like a madwoman.

The robots moved incredibly slowly, but it seemed necessary for us to hurry.

“Hah. Hah.”

Yerin’s breath turned white as she gasped.

Even though it was summer, it felt like the temperature had plunged to minus ten degrees.

Monsters that had never ventured out of Dobong-gu began their march.

Fortunately, the roads were nearly empty since not many people wanted to live near the Dobong-gu wall.

As Yerin raced down the national highway like a racing car, her phone rang.

The message displayed was brief.

Other investigation units had also started to escape. You should get away quickly too.

Though it was a text of little use to Yerin, who was already fleeing.

*

Yerin’s face was pale.

It was clear something was off.

Outside the car window, a blizzard raged on.

Even in summer.

They said the heart of Dobong-gu was about minus 100 degrees; was it true the temperature had dropped so drastically here as well?

From the look of it, Yerin, dressed in thin clothing, seemed to be struggling to endure.

On top of that, an unusual sound emerged from the vehicle, and it came to a halt.

Yerin curled up and sighed.

Shivering, she turned her head towards me with difficulty, her lips moved, but no words came out.

It seemed she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words and closed her eyes.

*

I woke up to a warm, gentle sensation.

Having fainted in the cold, I thought for sure I would die, but here I was, still alive?

Or was this the afterlife?

Seeing surreal entities like objects running about, I figured the afterlife could very well exist.

But the hot feeling confirmed this place was reality.

I slowly blinked my eyes open.

Then, right in front of me was the sleeping face of the Reaper.

The gray skin glowed yellow, illuminated by the intense burning flames driving away the external chill.

The Reaper had burrowed into my clothes, leaving only its neck exposed.

I raised my hand to gently stroke the Reaper’s head and quietly said, “Thank you.”

Then, I embraced the Reaper tightly, enjoying the warmth.