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Mini Reaper Garden, Marshmallow Plains.

The sweet aroma of hot chocolate wafted through the air as the four-legged Golden Reapers were joyfully bouncing around the Marshmallow Plains.

They huddled together soaking up the sunlight and scampered around like they were playing tag.

Om-nom-nom.

Some of the little guys were nibbling away at the soft marshmallow floor like it was grass.

And watching that, the other four-legged Golden Reapers giggled and joined in.

But the more I looked around, the more my suspicion grew.

First off, the number of White Hungry Ghosts had diminished too much.

Moreover, there were far too many well-behaved four-legged Golden Reapers for their kind.

As I slightly narrowed my eyes and started observing the four-legged Golden Reapers, about 70% of them began to subtly widen their distance while pretending not to notice.

On the other hand, there were also some bouncing towards me.

When I caught a nearby bouncing four-legged Golden Reaper to take a look, sure enough, a Golden Reaper popped out from inside the doll costume.

‘Gotcha!’

As I unzipped the doll costume, the Golden Reaper peeked out and smiled with a bright expression.

Hmm.

I had confirmed it was a Golden Reaper inside the costume, but the sense of suspicion still hadn’t vanished from my mind.

Well-behaved four-legged Golden Reapers and lively four-legged Golden Reapers.

Running away four-legged Golden Reapers and approaching four-legged Golden Reapers.

I put the captured Golden Reaper back into the doll costume and placed it on the ground, then pretended to look at the white hungry ghosts giggling while staring at the flaming worm toy.

Then the fleeing ones stopped running away, slowly returning to their spots to rest.

No, the devious White Hungry Ghosts.

Just when the White Hungry Ghosts were letting their guard down, I instantaneously used space movement to get close to a White Hungry Ghost that was in the loaf-like position.

Snap.

‘Got you!’

As I stripped the struggling four-legged Golden Reaper of its doll costume, it revealed the fluffy white flesh inside.

Hehe.

I pulled the trembling White Hungry Ghost out of the doll costume and viciously nibbled at its side.

Kyu-hing-hing.

As the sound of the wronged White Hungry Ghost echoed, the devious White Hungry Ghosts started fleeing in all directions.

And the Golden Reapers also began to strip off their doll costumes and run away.

‘We’ve been found!’

‘Mom noticed us!’

‘Run away!’

The Golden Reapers started scurrying away with giggles as if they had been caught by a hidden camera.

The Golden Reapers maintained a playful atmosphere, but the White Hungry Ghosts were scattering, desperately trying to escape.

However, it was impossible for the White Hungry Ghosts, without time acceleration or ghosting, to escape from me.

The only fate left for the devious White Hungry Ghosts who dared to deceive me was a terrible future.

*

A large cruise ship glided over the emerald sea, with Cheong and the Italian siblings standing side by side on board.

The sunshine bathed them warmly, and a refreshing breeze played with their hair.

It was a type of weather that filled one’s heart with happiness.

“This place is really nice. I can understand the high ticket prices with such a view.”

Cheong said this while holding a small orange Reaper on his head, gazing through binoculars at dolphins.

On Cheong’s head was a tiny orange Reaper wearing a small binocular made by a purple Reaper.

The orange Reaper mirrored Cheong’s posture as they both gazed at the sea.

Seeing that adorable sight, the woman couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Still, a significant part of the ticket price is probably for avoiding or handling object attacks.”

The man with a cigarette made a reality check that wasn’t really wanted, prompting the woman to elbow him.

“Oh, the facilities here are quite nice. Want to check them out together later?”

Cheong nodded, smiling at the woman’s suggestion.

Just a while ago, when boarding the ship, Cheong and the siblings didn’t know each other at all.

But after the accidental eye contact between the Mini Reapers, they quickly became friends.

Even conversing in unfamiliar English felt easy.

Though Mini Reapers were said to be scattered worldwide, they were quite rare except for specific regions, so it wasn’t strange to feel a sense of familiarity.

It was truly the magic of Mini Reapers that connected people.

The woman, poking the purple Reaper who seemed annoyed, looked up at the sky and said, “It feels like it’s about time. How about we go for lunch?”

Cheong took his eyes off the binoculars, nodded, and agreed.

They headed inside the cruise ship.

Soon, they arrived at a beautifully decorated restaurant where soft music and the sound of the TV were playing.

[The Korean Object Association has announced plans to soon launch a newly developed home-use doll in the market.]

[However, regarding this decision, several institutes, including the American Object Association, have raised concerns. They pointed out that releasing dolls recklessly without adequate safety verification may pose risks.]

[A representative of the Korean Object Association stated, “All procedures will be thoroughly followed for the product launch,” ensuring, “the safety of the public is our top priority.”]

Since their next destination was Korea, the TV was relaying news related to Korea.

Cheong’s worried thoughts surfaced as he watched the TV.

‘That looks quite dangerous; is it really okay?’

But the Italian siblings and the Mini Reapers seemed completely unfazed.

“Come on, you can do it! Purple Reaper!”

Instead, they were playing silly games with the pre-meal bread.

Om-nom-nom.

The orange Reaper and purple Reaper were now competitively tearing at the pre-meal bread placed in the middle.

It looked like a contest to see who could eat more.

In the brief moment of watching the TV, they had consumed quite a lot of the pre-meal bread, and the orange Reaper’s belly was bulging out like a tadpole.

Sadly, the winner of the bread-eating competition was the purple Reaper.

The orange Reaper was disqualified.

While hiding bread among its fluffy hair, it got caught by the purple Reaper.

Hing-hing.

As I comforted the orange Reaper, sprawled on the floor with a sad face, Cheong subconsciously forgot his worries about Korea.

‘Well, the orange Reaper managed to defeat a ‘Giant Deity,’ so surely a Mini Reaper-infested Korea will be just fine.’

*

The Mini Reaper Garden has lost all of the White Hungry Ghosts!

‘Mom gobbled them all up!’

Amidst such dark rumors circulating among the Golden Reapers, a group of brave Golden Reapers was chasing the whereabouts of the White Hungry Ghosts.

Deep in the Marshmallow Plains.

Slowly approaching a suddenly formed gigantic pit were the Golden Reapers wearing explorer hats.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

Cautiously descending into the pit, the entrance to a massive cave was yawning wide open for the Golden Reapers.

‘!’

At the cave entrance, numerous threatening skewers were set up, with countless White Hungry Ghosts skewered like chicken on sticks.

The White Hungry Ghosts, pierced through with skewers, writhed and shook their tiny legs as they were engulfed in flames.

As their ‘kyu-hing-hing’ sounds echoed through the cave, it sounded like a mournful wail rising from hell.

Above those White Hungry Ghosts floated a crystal orb containing text understandable to the Golden Reapers.

[Hell of White Hungry Ghosts]

As the Golden Reapers passed through [Hell of White Hungry Ghosts] and ventured deeper into the cave, another hell awaited them.

It was a hell marked with the label [Hell of Devious White Hungry Ghosts].

Even the Golden Reapers were startled and covered their eyes at this hellish sight.

It was so horrifying that many exploring Golden Reapers gave up recording their findings.

Kyu-hing-hing.

*

In the Gangnam District of Seoul, at the Object Association building.

Sehee was called to the Object Association and was waiting for her turn.

Looking around, she saw various institute representatives from Seoul settling in.

All of them appeared to be tired, with expressions of distressed researchers.

Sehee poked the chubby cheeks of the Golden Reaper in her palm and redirected her gaze out the window.

The clear sky and appropriate sunlight made her want to lie down right in the courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute.

And among the sunshine, the happy laughter of children playing outside.

Countless people walking around in pairs.

Seoul had definitely changed its atmosphere a lot.

It had been six months since the dolls called ‘Association Dolls’ were first released only in Seoul.

The streets of Seoul had begun to fill with Association Dolls.

Initially, people had viewed the dolls with skepticism when they first appeared, but over time, everyone was awestruck by their remarkable abilities.

Doll-like caregivers holding the hands of children heading to daycare, construction worker dolls building buildings, and teacher dolls passionately teaching in front of the blackboard.

The dolls had, without a doubt, become a part of daily life.

They even went as far as earning money in place of their owners.

With their human-like appearances, people increasingly relied on the dolls, and at some point, it became hard to imagine Seoul without Association Dolls.

There were truly very few places without dolls, with only a handful to count.

Mapo District, James Tower, and the Sehee Research Institute.

If the Mini Reapers hadn’t disliked Association Dolls, the streets of Mapo District and the Sehee Research Institute would surely be teeming with them.

They disliked them so much that when Sehee tried to go outside, a Golden Reaper bodyguard wearing a helmet and made of water chased after her.

Including James, the American Object Association maintained the view that ‘autonomously moving objects are dangerous.’

Despite the seemingly joyful people in the splendid weather, Sehee felt as if it was the calm before the storm.