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Late at night, the park, removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, was enveloped in tranquility.

In a dim corner where the streetlight’s glow couldn’t reach, a girl sat curled up.

Her short hair swayed gently, concealing her face.

The girl was soundly asleep, tightly cradling an orb in her arms.

It was as if she regarded the orb as the most precious treasure in the world.

“….”

As the still slightly cold night air touched her, the girl instinctively huddled closer.

At that moment, the Light of the Golden Armored Reaper hovering beside her began to grow stronger.

The Golden Armored Reaper looked down at the girl with a warm expression, conveying the warmth of firewood.

The Reaper carefully adjusted the intensity of the light and warmth.

It was mindful to let the girl sleep comfortably while ensuring she wouldn’t wake up.

‘Bad Object….’

The Golden Armored Reaper glanced at the girl’s orb, wearing a slightly sad expression.

Though tempted to smash the orb right there, it held back, knowing the Attached Human would be upset.

Besides, destroying the orb wouldn’t solve all problems.

‘I need to find the object that created the bad object.’

From the Golden Reaper’s perspective, this orb was nothing less than poison.

A poison that turns one into something non-human the moment it is consumed.

Though it appeared human on the outside, there was no way to turn back.

“Umm….”

The short-haired girl let out a small groan and turned in her sleep, curling up tighter as if feeling cold.

Seeing this, the Golden Armored Reaper delved deeper into the girl’s embrace, adding more firewood to warm itself.

As the warmth of the firewood began to wrap around her like a snug blanket, serenity gradually settled on her face.

Watching the girl, the Golden Armored Reaper closed its eyes and slowly drifted into sleep.

As the colorful moonlight gently illuminated the short-haired girl and the Golden Armored Reaper, a new ‘festival’ day was approaching.

*

Dawn began to tint the sky of Seodaemun District.

It was a special moment when the first light of morning sketched out the outlines of the city.

The short-haired girl and the Golden Armored Reaper sat side by side, appreciating the scenery.

Their gazes were fixed on the sun rising in the eastern sky, and in their hands, they held a simple breakfast.

The girl quietly picked up a cookie and took a bite.

As the sweet flavor spread in her mouth, a small smile appeared on her lips.

The Golden Armored Reaper licked the bitter coffee in a paper cup, furrowing its brow at the taste.

Seeing this, the girl couldn’t help but giggle softly.

Though they had only met for a day, they appeared as if they were old friends.

Just then—

“!”

With the girl’s small exclamation, the atmosphere around them shifted drastically.

The people who filled the streets began to vanish as if melting into the air.

A familiar grid pattern etched itself in the sky, and white fog began to pour down.

The density of the air unexpectedly changed, making it feel as though they were submerged in water.

Startled, the girl instinctively held her breath but quickly realized she could breathe even in this strange, liquid-like air.

The Golden Armored Reaper adapted in an instant, swimming as if in water, moving its limbs with grace.

From afar, red lightning slashed through the sky, followed by a booming explosion that echoed in their ears.

It looked like a signal announcing the start of the ‘festival.’

Thus, the second day of the festival began.

*

In the Mini Reaper Garden stretched the Marshmallow Plains, where a rare thick fog filled the area.

The Blue Idol Reaper had conjured the fog, and I had twisted the terrain to trap it.

And the Marshmallow Plains, engulfed by fog, had walls standing like a maze.

‘They’re having more fun than I thought.’

Originally, I had created this terrain to entertain the Golden Reapers, but it was unexpectedly gaining immense popularity.

I sat atop a high marshmallow wall, eating pudding while watching the Golden Reapers play tag.

Hehe.

Amidst this, I spotted a Golden Reaper wandering around the maze in the fog.

As if being chased by someone, it kept glancing around frantically.

At that moment, a Golden Reaper with glowing red eyes lunged out of the fog, opening its mouth wide.

‘No!!!’

In response, the Golden Reaper desperately began to flee through the maze.

The urgency was nearly at the level of ‘Attached Human is in danger!’

The Golden Reaper’s fervor stemmed from the fact that there was a penalty for losing in this game.

When I turned my head, I saw the Golden Reapers who had lost the game sprawled out on the ground.

‘No way.’

‘I’ve turned into a fluffball.’

I happily watched the fluffy Golden Reapers’ protruding bellies as I patted them.

It was truly a win-win game.

Not only could I redirect the attention of those biting me, but I also got to see the chubby fluffball Golden Reapers.

Hehe.

While I was enjoying the tag game, the movements of the fleeing Golden Reaper seemed unusual.

Given the rule that only the tagger could use ghosting, the chances of the tagger winning were usually high, yet it elegantly dodged the bites of the Golden Reaper multiple times.

As time passed, the fog began to lift.

‘No way!’

‘I won!’

The Golden Reaper with red lenses lay sprawled on the ground with a desperate expression, while the fleeing Golden Reaper bounced and cheered.

With a chuckle, I grasped the defeated Golden Reaper, while the hunter flailed its limbs.

‘No!!!’

For the first defeated tagger, I decided to showcase my newly developed technique.

First, I placed a halo of command above my head and slowly conjured the command.

[Turn into a fluffball.]

Simultaneously, I used the ability to transform it into a fluffy shape of the Green Moon.

Before long, a much rounder fluffball Golden Reaper was born.

Hehe.

‘…I can’t get up….’

The Golden Reaper tried to stand but merely wobbled, unable to rise.

With a satisfied grin, I jabbed at the belly of the Super Fluffball Golden Reaper lying on the ground.

It felt wonderfully satisfying.

*

Under the grid-patterned sky, the fog-filled city center of Seodaemun District had completely transformed.

The air, now liquid-like, writhed as if it were a living creature, and countless walls crisscrossed between buildings, creating a complex maze.

Unlike the first day, the stage had morphed into a maze.

A man leaned against the cold concrete wall, catching his breath as he surveyed his surroundings.

His heart raced, but his face bore a calm confidence.

In this foggy maze, it was like having a powerful ally more formidable than any weapon.

His special ability to blend perfectly into the fog shone brightest in this environment.

He slowly rose, activating his powers.

In an instant, his form transformed into a giant wolf, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding fog.

Now, he was the fog itself.

He listened intently to the sound of footsteps in the distance.

It echoed like sharp steel claws scraping against the stone floor.

‘That must be the one who summoned the red lightning this morning.’

He moved stealthily through the fog in search of the participant who had created the lightning.

He glided through the mist, not making a sound, merely advancing with the flow of fog.

Turning a corner of the building, he spotted his target.

A monstrous figure adorned with a giant bow, radiating red lightning from one arm.

It looked extremely menacing.

At over three meters tall, a bow that shot lightning—if this weren’t a maze and the fog weren’t so thick, he wouldn’t have dared approach it.

Holding his breath, he quietly awaited an opportunity.

The red lightning monster continued to shoot bursts of lightning into the sky, lingering in one spot as if inviting anyone to come.

The man decided to wait for the moment when the red lightning monster shot lightning into the sky again.

He glided closer to the monster lurking in the fog.

Step by step, cautiously, but assuredly.

Boom!

At the moment it shot lightning into the sky again, he lunged out from the fog and bit down with sharp teeth.

Caught off guard, the red lightning monster screamed as it fell.

But it was already too late.

The man’s attack was precise and lethal.

In an instant, the outcome was decided.

Withdrawing the orb from the red lightning monster’s body confirmed his victory.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

A small smile lingered, stained with blood, on his lips.

‘This festival venue is incredibly advantageous for me.’

‘I could end the festival today if I wanted to.’

He felt assured deep within.

He would never lose on this battlefield today.

The thrill of victory coursed through his body.

It felt as if his wish was about to be granted at any moment.

[Ha ha, hahaha.]

The man, transformed into a wolf with fog-colored fur after devouring the orb, smiled with the wolf’s mouth.

In that moment, the sky suddenly brightened.

A golden comet split the sky, piercing through the fog.

A beam of light connected from the sky to his heart.

[!!!]

No words could escape the man’s lips.

The instant he noticed that blinding beam of light, he was already skewered.

There was no sound, no pain.

Only the brilliant light remained.

As the man exhaled his final breath, he began to dissolve into the world, pouring out the wish he had held onto for so long.

It was the end of a wish he could not recall.

*

In a secluded alley of Seodaemun District, thick fog blanketed the area.

Amidst the fog, the voice of the short-haired girl echoed softly.

“Is it over now?”

Turning to the suddenly returned Golden Armored Reaper, she asked, to which it nodded slightly.

In that moment, the orb in the girl’s hand emitted a faint light and began absorbing something.

The energy inside the orb rose with precision, like the ticking of a clock.

50%… 60%… 70%…

The girl’s heart raced along with the orb’s charge.

80%… 90%… and finally reaching 100%.

At the moment the charging was complete, a sound like the tearing of the heavens echoed, and a grid-like crack appeared.

From that gap, a man began to descend slowly.

Above his head floated a halo, white and blazing.

The girl recognized him.

He was the same man she had seen in her dreams.

[An unexpected turn of events, but this isn’t too bad either.]

The man mumbled with a smile on his lips.

Clap. Clap.

He clapped his hands, stepping lightly through the air.

With every step he took, transparent stairs formed in the air, and he casually walked down.

A bright smile blossomed on the girl’s face.

“I can finally bring my sister back! Thank you so much!”

She shouted in a voice filled with joy, turning to the Golden Armored Reaper.

However, the Reaper’s reaction was completely different from the girl’s expectations.

Upon seeing the man, the Golden Armored Reaper bared its teeth and wore a fierce expression.

‘Why?’

A question flitted through the girl’s mind.

In her confusion, she looked back at the man.

At that moment, a chill ran down her spine.

There was an ominous energy emanating from the man’s expression that pricked at her instincts.

[You’ve done well.]

The man’s voice echoed from the backlight.

[Your wish will be fulfilled alongside the achievement of the great cause.]