Chapter 348


The warm sunlight poured down on the Courtyard of Sehee Research Institute.

The short-haired girl sat side by side with her resurrected older sister.

Of course, her sister hadn’t actually died, but given her state resembling that of a vegetative person, it could be considered a resurrection.

However, the older sister had returned as something other than human.

A Roll Cake Human.

At first, the short-haired girl felt a little uneasy and awkward, wondering if this was truly her sister, but the moment they started talking, she realized it was indeed her sister returned.

And they shared a lot of conversations.

About how her sister became this way because she was deceived by ‘that man’.

How her sister had also won the final victory at the ‘Festival’ but ended up becoming a vegetative person.

After sharing so many stories, the short-haired girl and her sister leaned against each other, sitting quietly without a word.

There was no conversation, but simply being together made them happy.

As the short-haired girl fixed her gaze on her sister, the sister met her gaze and spoke.

“Wanna try it?”

No, really, it was better not to talk.

Her sister had always been a little quirky, but since turning into a Roll Cake Human, she often played pranks that made the heart drop.

Suddenly exclaiming, “Dullahan!” she would detach her head and tuck it under her arm or cut off a finger and insist on eating it.

“I told you not to do that!”

“But it’s delicious…”

The short-haired girl sighed deeply while watching her sister eat her own finger and shifted her gaze towards the Mini Reapers scurrying around nearby.

Golden Reapers playing with sharp, raised hair like horns.

The Golden Reaper Knights riding on White Hungry Ghosts as if protecting the Roll Cake Human.

Mini Reapers feeding snacks to a thumb-sized little critter.

And her sister feeding her own fingers to the Mini Reapers.

Though Seoul was in chaos, watching her sister and the Mini Reapers made it feel like there was no problem at all.

But reality was different.

Currently, the ‘Roll Cake Human,’ including her sister, couldn’t even go outside the Sehee Research Institute. The TVs were buzzing with debates on whether the Roll Cake Human was actually human or not.

At that moment, a Golden Cloaked Reaper poked the cheeks of the somewhat gloomy short-haired girl.

‘?’

As the short-haired girl turned her head, the Golden Cloaked Reaper flashed a reassuring smile at her.

A smile that seemed to suggest everything would work out fine.

Within that smile, there was a sense of determination to help no matter what.

She placed the Golden Cloaked Reaper on her palm and gently patted it, asking back, “The Gray Reaper is like a ‘God’ in South Korea, so the Roll Cake issue should resolve smoothly, right?”

The Golden Cloaked Reaper nodded vigorously, clenching its fists as if to reassure her.

Then the short-haired girl seemed relieved and began splitting the pudding set out in the courtyard, sharing it with the Golden Cloaked Reaper.

By the time they finished sharing one pudding, people from the Object Association suddenly appeared in the courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute.

There seemed to be an air of significant announcement, and those gathered in the courtyard swallowed nervously.

*

In the Mini Reaper Garden, the once ordinary Marshmallow Plains had turned black due to the roaming White Hungry Ghost Incinerator Golem.

On top of the darkened Marshmallow Plains, I was seated on a hill of moderate height, watching the Golem.

Surrounding the Golem were many White Hungry Ghosts, which upon closer inspection turned out to be Mini Reapers.

“Attack!”

Just as I had donned a White Hungry Ghost disguise back in America, the Mini Reapers were also dressed in White Hungry Ghost costumes, playing at being White Hungry Ghost ‘heroes.’

The game was set up where they wore the White Hungry Ghosts, defeated the Golem, and saved the White Hungry Ghosts.

‘Who on earth thinks of such games?’

Of course, during my observation, the White Hungry Ghost hero had never once won.

“Uwaah! I’m defeated!”

As the Golem’s flames ignited the White Hungry Ghost costume, the Golden Reaper tossed it aside and lay sprawled out as if dead.

It seemed the game was designed so that if you caught fire, you lost.

And the White Hungry Ghost skin that the Golden Reaper cast off was picked up by the Golem and tossed into the incinerator.

Kyaah nyah nyah.

‘Looks fun.’

I shifted my gaze away from the Mini Reapers playing a game that seemed unfair to the White Hungry Ghosts and looked down at the Orange Crowned Reaper in my grasp.

The Orange Crowned Reaper struggled to escape from my grip.

Honestly, I had wanted to gather several seemingly special Mini Reapers for a Halo test, but I decided to start with the Orange Crowned Reaper.

There were a few reasons for this; the first was that I still couldn’t forget its previously annoying attitude of just saying “busy” while sunbathing.

The second was discovering it trying to haul the old Golden Horn Reaper and several Golden Reapers onto a giant palette.

It seemed they were calling those Golden Reapers old, but I also felt like I would end up being thrown in there too, and it didn’t sit well with me.

I looked down at the Orange Crowned Reaper with a meaningful expression and summoned all the Halos I could.

Ability Nullification Halo.
Complete Evasion Halo.
Illusion Creation Halo.
Command Halo.
Halo of Space.

Five in total.

Moreover, the Halo of Space was a new product I hadn’t even had a chance to use myself!

Hehe.

‘….’
‘….’

Once the tests were complete, the Orange Crowned Reaper lay on the ground as if dead, not moving at all.

With its fluffy cloud-like hair lying sprawled out, the Orange Crowned Reaper looked a little like a fuzzy caterpillar, causing me to chuckle slightly.

I thought, ‘Was that too much?’ but recalling its earlier “busy” attitude, it felt like it still wasn’t quite enough.

So, I lifted that Orange Crowned Reaper and styled its hair to resemble a real caterpillar.

Then I placed the Orange Crowned Reaper caterpillar in a sunny spot.

Hehe.

This week’s experiment with the Orange Crowned Reaper was quite successful.

I had gleaned the results that each Mini Reaper might have a Halo that suits it well.

Similar to how the Blue Idol Reaper utilized the Command Halo, it seemed like the Orange Crowned Reaper felt no pain while using the Complete Evasion Halo.

If I handed all the Halos over to the Mini Reapers, even if an external being showed up, they’d put up a fight.

Imagining a dream-like future, I waddled off towards another special Mini Reaper.

*

Perhaps due to the influx of people from the Object Association, the Sehee Research Institute office buzzed like a disturbed beehive.

The sounds of footsteps and excited voices of researchers blended together in a chaotic harmony.

There hadn’t originally been many workers, but the phenomenon was even more pronounced now.

The Helmet Researcher diligently stuck to his post amidst the commotion.

His fingers busily floated across the keyboard while his eyes were focused on the monitor, diligently working on reports.

But the Helmet Researcher’s ears were not missing the surrounding conversations.

“Did you hear? They’re making a special area for the Roll Cake Human, just like the Golden Horn Isolation Zone.”

“Well, that is the most natural solution.”

Two researchers stood by the office window overlooking the courtyard, engaged in a hushed conversation.

“I heard there was initially a suggestion to classify it as an object and isolate it in the institute, but somehow this outcome has emerged.”

“Must be because the Golden Reapers are protecting it. Isolation would have been practically impossible.”

“Well, the Golden Reapers are quite popular. It might affect the voting.”

The researchers chuckled lightly while talking, but their chatter ceased when Kim Jungrwi entered the office.

As the office returned to silence, the Helmet Researcher wrapped up his report.

The title of the report was [Report on the Abduction of the Cute Puppy].

*

In a deep part of the Mini Reaper Garden, beyond where the Marshmallow Plains and Candy Mountain met, there lay a hidden castle.

A secret so well concealed that even the Gray Reaper was unaware of its existence.

The castle walls appeared as an artistic piece made from candy of various colors and transparent water.

Around the castle, Golden Reapers riding White Hungry Ghosts patrolled with solemn expressions.

And on the castle wall towers, Golden Reapers holding blue spears stood watch.

The atmosphere around here felt more like something out of a knight’s story than a Mini Reaper Garden.

This castle was referred to by the other Mini Reapers as the ‘Castle of the Golden Reaper Knights.’

Beyond the grand castle gates of the Golden Reaper Knights’ castle, at the end of a long corridor was the largest, most lavish room in the castle.

The high ceiling added to its magnificence, while the walls glittered with golden candy.

The floor was made of transparent candy, creating the illusion of walking on glass.

At the center of the room stood a massive round table, surrounded by numerous Golden Reapers seated around it.

However, what drew the eye in this flashy room was the giant doghouse placed in the middle of the round table.

Inside lay the ‘Cute Puppy’ that had been seized by the Golden Reapers.

‘!’

At that moment, the ‘Cute Puppy’ rose from its spot and began barking into the air.

The Golden Reapers stood up from their chairs, giggling as they began to wait for something.

As the cute puppy stopped barking, a Blue Reaper, who had been quietly standing in a corner of the room, slowly approached near the round table and began to weave strings made of water.

<12 km northwest of Seoul>
[Strength equivalent to '1st Sword of the Golden Reaper'!]

Seeing that string, the Golden Reapers gasped in surprise and began to stir.

Just then, a Golden Reaper hopped onto a White Hungry Ghost and raised its spear.

‘Together, there’s nothing to fear!’

The Golden Reaper flashed a joyful smile as if there was no cause for concern at all.

Then the other Golden Reapers also mounted the White Hungry Ghosts and began to exude their spirits.

“All out on the mission!”

“Hazardous Object!”

Thus, the Golden Reaper Knights set out to confront the Object that had appeared in Seoul.