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As I pulled at the space, the Tower at the End, filled with Evolution Liquid, began to drift farther away.

The unpleasant smell of oil faded further, and a familiar scent came closer.

The sweet aroma of hot chocolate mixed with marshmallows.

When I opened my eyes, a vast plain of marshmallows spread endlessly before me.

‘I’m back!’

Though my time in the Tower at the End wasn’t very long, perhaps because it was a place filled with the smell of oil, it felt like I had returned after a very long time.

I lay down as if I were collapsing onto the marshmallows.

Soft and warm.

As I lay there, Mini Reapers began to swarm in from every corner of the garden.

“Mommy!”

The Golden Reapers climbed over my body and gazed down at me, radiating their will.

“I couldn’t go help, I’m sorry!”

One Golden Reaper that slapped against my cheek seemed to be one of those that had been trying hard to bash through the blocked garden gate during the fight with the spider.

I gently caressed its seemingly fine forehead.

If it had been a human, it would have likely hit its head hard enough to topple over…

Well, thanks to my physical immunity, not even a trace of the impact was left.

Beeep—!
Beeep—!

Turning my gaze, I saw Black Reapers from different origins holding hands and making their beeping sounds together.

Black Reapers from the Unchanging Sphere and those from the Tower at the End.

They all looked identical to me, but could they tell where each other came from?

Do they distinguish each other by the intonation of their ‘bee’ sounds?

“Good job!”
“You worked hard!”

They praised each other, reaching out and petting one another’s heads.

At that moment, the Golden Reapers burst into the scene, interrupting the joyful reunion of the Black Reapers.

“A new younger sibling?”
“The siblings have multiplied!”

It was a wave of Golden Reapers with sunny smiles like the sun.

The Golden Reapers grabbed the newly arrived Black Reapers one by one, tilting their heads.

“Are you hungry?”
“The firewood is dry.”

Then, looking extremely concerned, the Golden Reapers embraced the Black Reapers.

Heart to heart, they shoved in the firewood.

It was a generous and soft exchange of firewood.

The Golden and Black Reapers divided the firewood in half and held hands, giggling together.

“Let’s go!”

Then they started to pair up and spread out towards the Mini Reaper Garden.

If I were to name it, perhaps it would be ‘Mini Reaper Garden, Golden Reaper Tour Guide.’

Without making a sound like ‘bee’ as the Black Reapers did, the Golden Reapers felt twice as raucous as they all darted out, revealing a group of quiet children gathered in a corner.

A small blue hat snuggled in the arms of the Pink Girl.

The Blue Idol Reaper, who had been kidnapped to the tower, was hugging other Blue Reapers tightly.

They clung to each other for quite a while, sniffling.

Why were they so affectionate?

It didn’t feel like the other Mini Reapers were this attached.

Fortunately, after a while, the cluster of Blue Reapers unraveled.

The tender atmosphere faded, showcasing the usual vibe of the Blue Reapers.

The Blue Idol Reaper stood on top of the Pink Girl’s head, proudly showcasing its Attached Human.

The Blue Reapers constantly spouted “Amazing!” while the Pink Girl smiled awkwardly.

I looked at the Pink Girl and felt a concern growing anew.

Since she was brought from the ‘Tower at the End’ in a completely different dimension, isn’t she practically an alien?

What am I supposed to do with this alien?

Perhaps because of her life in the tower, she didn’t seem to be in good nutritional shape.

Should I take her to the hospital?

The problem is that she might be a completely different kind of life form, having just a similar appearance.

Moreover, the language seems different, too.

Sometimes when I hear her speak, it sounds like the language used by alchemists.

My head started spinning.

I don’t know.

I gave up thinking and commanded the Golden Reapers to bring someone who might help.

Yerin, Sehee, Seoah, James.

Anyone come and solve this!

Hehe.

*

Outskirts of Songpa District, James Tower.

James buried himself deep into the chair in the Situation Room, his face clearly showing signs of fatigue.

The hologram screen before him continuously updated the latest analysis results regarding the Black Planet.

As he rubbed his eyes and stared at the screen, his expression grew more serious.

The first report caught his attention.

Under the title [Analysis of Size Changes of the Black Planet], a graph demonstrating the planet’s size increase over time was displayed.

A slight yet unmistakable upward trend made James frown.

Flipping to the next page, the report titled [Confirmation of Physical Absence] appeared.

High-resolution images lined up, each showcasing various graphs and measurement results.

“All detection equipment except optical methods shows ‘no signal.’ Just like the Mini Moon.”

James slowly let out a breath and moved on to the next report.

The third report was even more concerning.

Under the title [Estimated Approach Speed], complex formulas and graphs unfolded.

Measuring the movement of something that does not physically exist was nearly impossible, but aggregating various indirect indicators suggested a hypothesis: the Black Planet was gradually approaching Earth.

And at the end of the report, it stated that if this ‘virtual speed’ calculation was correct, it would collide with Earth in less than half a year.

James’s expression hardened considerably upon confirming that conclusion.

Lastly, a report from the American headquarters titled [Analysis of Correlation with Space Loss Phenomena] filled the screen.

This report included detailed statistical data comparing the size change of the Black Planet to the frequency of reported space loss incidents around the world.

Seeing a graph showing a high correlation between the two variables, James wore a serious expression.

Just as James was about to close the report, an urgent message was received.

<'Nameless' has been observed exhibiting abnormal behavior.>
[There are instances where it fails to appear when named incorrectly or appears but remains still.]

“….”

After a long silence, James reached for the remote control.

Click.

With the sound of the remote, the hologram screen shut off.

He let out a deep sigh and muttered.

“This is troubling.”

His voice was mixed with fatigue and worry.

James stood up from his chair and walked over to where the intricately decorated briefcase was placed.

Skillfully opening the case, he pulled out two books from within.

‘Artifact Number 0’ and the interpretation of that artifact recently compiled.

James carefully examined ‘Artifact Number 0’ just in case, but nothing had changed.

“The appearance of that Black Planet is not mentioned in ‘Artifact Number 0.'”

“And there was nothing about ‘Nameless’ either.”

“Could it really be that it wasn’t a perfect prophecy? Or perhaps there’s some variable I’m unaware of.”

As James sealed ‘Artifact Number 0’ back into the briefcase, he noticed a Golden Reaper tugging at the hem of his pants, squirming.

As if something urgent was pressing, the Golden Reaper climbed onto James’s shoulder and tugged at his ear.

“Mom is calling!”
“Something’s urgent!”

Seeing the Golden Reaper looking a bit frantic, James moved it over to the dedicated table for Golden Reapers.

On the Golden Reaper’s table were various toys, pudding, and a communication button for Golden Reapers.

As James placed the Golden Reaper on the table, it cheerfully trotted over, picked up a jelly, and stood in front of the button.

With five fingers spread wide, it raised its right hand high and pressed the button.

On the screen, the phrase ‘Mom is calling!’ appeared in the Golden Reaper Body font.

Round golden letters.

The button the Golden Reaper pressed was the one for the Gray Reaper’s call.

The Golden Reaper pressed the button, cheered, and radiated its will.

“Mom is calling!”

Seeing this, James chuckled softly and brought a finger to his lips.

“This button is a secret for the Gray Reaper.”

In response, the Golden Reaper covered its mouth with both hands and nodded.

Hehe.

The Golden Reaper laughed as if it were playing a secret game.

“By the way, a call from the Gray Reaper.”

James felt a flicker of small hope upon receiving the call from the Gray Reaper.

“Perhaps there could be a solution to this incident.”

A little hope that this call might be connected to Nameless or the Black Planet.

*

While waiting for Yerin and rolling around on the marshmallows, the Golden Reapers ran up to me with startled expressions and began shaking me.

Three Golden Reapers looking frantic.

It was a Level Three Golden Reaper Emergency.

Led by the Golden Reapers, I was taken to the Courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, where there were unexpected developments awaiting me.

From my standpoint, it was a Level Five Golden Reaper Emergency.

In the courtyard sat a lead doll identical to me, its eyes glowing a golden hue, sitting obediently.

Around it, Mini Reapers had gathered, making me feel slightly off.

Shouldn’t I be happy that the Mini Reapers weren’t swarmingly clinging to me? Why do I feel this way…?

As I approached the lead doll slowly with such questions in mind, the Mini Reapers began to alternate their gazes between me and the doll.

“Mommy’s here twice!”
“No, is it a bit different?”
“Real mommy!”
“This one is the real one!”

Then a few Golden Reapers started to cling to my ankles, and a massive movement of Mini Reapers began.

The Mini Reapers swarmed towards me as if they had just met their doppelgänger and realized the truth.

Hehe.

I became a proper mini Reaper cocoon, unable to stand upright, but I looked down at the lead doll with a confident expression.

“This is the power of the real mommy!”

But the lead doll simply stared at me with a vacant expression.

And behind the vacantly staring lead doll, I noticed two figures rushing toward me with a look of astonishment I had never seen before.

It was James and Yerin.