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The countless lights embedded in the ceiling sparkled like the stars in the night sky within the underground chamber.

A golden wave was violently sweeping through that mysterious space.

“Harmful Object!”

“Object!”

The Mini Reapers’ determined will spread out in all directions.

The gaze of the Mini Reapers was fiercer than ever, and their faces were filled with resolute determination.

And no wonder, the stench emanating from the objects that appeared this time was uniquely intense.

I took a step back and watched the scene unfold.

The objects that were attacked by the Mini Reapers shattered like they were being sucked into a giant blender.

As I stared blankly at that sight, complicated thoughts began to swirl in my mind.

“Time Ability and Sprout Reaper.”

“The indigo moon and indigo tree that handled time.”

“Space Ability and Purple Reaper.”

“And the most powerful, the Purple Moon.”

I slowly ruminated on the moon and reapers that dealt with time and space.

The Purple Reaper was known to handle various abilities but was mainly specialized in space manipulation.

In contrast, the Indigo Sprout Reaper freely manipulated time, accelerating or reversing it.

And now, the recently appeared Flowering Sprout Reaper had even managed to stop time altogether.

“How strange…”

“Why is space superior to time?”

Was it simply due to a difference in formality that the Purple Moon, which dealt with space, was esteemed over the Indigo Moon, which handled time?

Or was there another reason?

Time and space were fundamentally deeply interconnected.

They were even referred to collectively as ‘spacetime.’

Perhaps for this reason, the Indigo Tree could also use the Spatial Cut ability.

Then, couldn’t the Purple Moon also manipulate time?

Thoughts intertwined and continued to flow.

At that moment, my gaze drifted far away.

I saw a man whose limbs had been severed miraculously recovering and escaping.

His face was filled with a triumphant expression, and he was shouting incomprehensible words.

“….!”

It was then.

The air around me suddenly grew heavy, and I felt time harden like solid ice.

In that fleeting moment, I gained some kind of realization.

It was a new dimension of spatial utilization that transcended what I had been using until now.

Not just capturing space, but also time, it was the true meaning of spatial dominion.

A force that blocked time manipulation and forced movement in my time!

Without hesitation, I manifested that new power.

And with that power, I created a distortion of space above my head.

The distortion of space resembled the appearance of a black hole I had seen on TV, perhaps influenced by my imagination.

As I hoped for the trapped spacetime to freeze, the man could no longer take a step.

“….!”

Suddenly, the man with his feet bound let out a very flustered voice.

As I desired silence within the trapped spacetime, he could no longer utter a word.

His steps halted at my will, and his mouth was sealed.

And the black hole began to mercilessly suck him in.

Within the distortion of space, the man’s body was torn to shreds.

But that was not the end.

The torn body regenerated again, and that process continuously repeated itself.

It felt as if it would repeat endlessly, but with each regeneration, I could feel his power gradually weakening.

Although that man’s status was low, his regenerative ability seemed quite significant.

That incredible regeneration appeared to be equivalent to that of a hundred Hungry Ghosts.

Considering the destruction condition was “[Consumption of Life's Exhaustion],” one could guess how many “lives” this man had devoured.

Given the harmful stench wafting from him, he had probably consumed countless “humans.”

‘….’

I looked up at the man desperately dying within the black hole.

Before long, the Mini Reapers had all dealt with the other harmful objects and gathered around me to watch the scene.

Though they usually shied away from killing objects too brutally, it seemed like they made an exception for this man.

Thus, the man slowly, oh so slowly, drained of his life force amid endless torment.

Though his screams could not be heard, his painfully contorted expression hinted at the depth of his suffering.

As I watched that sight, I faintly smiled.

This was more than fitting punishment for one who had recklessly burned firewood.

Hehe.

*

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the enormous island where the “James Explorer” ship was docked was currently enveloped in unnatural silence.

Just a moment ago, traces of the island investigation and the researchers were still fresh, but no one remained on the island.

The employees of the James Research Institute were horrified by the emergence of the Indigo Tree that had smashed James City and had to flee, leaving all their equipment behind.

Even after the tree vanished, the exploration team was hiding on the James Explorer, observing the situation.

Meanwhile, the Mini Reapers, who had vanished with the appearance of the tree, began to reappear one by one.

“Human, now safe!”

“Human, long time no see!”

They had only been apart for a few minutes, but some Mini Reapers, known for their sentimentality, rushed toward the humans as if reuniting with long-lost family.

Their return was a signal of safety for the island.

After a reconnaissance by the security team, the researchers followed suit and landed.

They immediately took out various measurement devices and began their work.

They busily measured various readings at the site where the tree had appeared, confirming the mental pollution levels associated with the Pacific fog incident.

At the center of this chaotic scene stood a suited woman with a Purple Reaper perched atop her head.

The woman slowly read the report, lost in thought.

Upon finishing the report, her eyes sharpened.

“The data is completely different from what we expected.”

“The mental pollution patterns we were looking for aren’t visible, but we need a bit more investigation to be certain.”

After a moment of silence, she spoke as if resolved.

“Let’s conduct a thorough investigation until the additional personnel arrive. After that, we will move to the next destination.”

Just then, a female researcher carrying a small cabbage approached her.

The cabbage woman’s voice was laced with tension.

“Team Leader, the situation at the cave entrance has changed. The Mini Reapers have retreated.”

The team leader’s eyebrows raised slightly.

She pondered for a moment before issuing commands in a decisive tone.

“Alright. The security team should take the lead and check the cave’s safety. Move carefully, but report any abnormalities immediately.”

The Purple Reaper looked down at the Attached Human, wearing a proud expression.

*

As the objects that had been the rulers of this space were destroyed, the Mini Reapers that were watching scattered and ran off somewhere.

I slowly walked down the empty downhill path.

The soft sand unique to the cave crunched under my feet.

Sand tickled my toes as it slipped between them.

I stood before the majestic city’s entrance and looked up, where the impressive sight I had been eyeing welcomed me.

Countless small lights, embedded in the black cave ceiling, sparkled like a starry night sky.

The lights combined with finely suspended particles in the air took on a blue hue, creating a mystical atmosphere.

Looking back down, massive stone columns lined the main avenue of the city, with buildings reminiscent of ancient temples nestled between them.

They looked like they could very well be ancient ruins, but the roughly finished stone walls and carvings intensified that atmosphere even further.

It felt almost like a tourist destination, yet there was no one in this city.

In fact, the absence of people enhanced its charm.

The silence only added to the beauty of this place.

The vibrations of the air felt even clearer in the stillness, and the blue dust floating in the darkness created a dance of shadows.

‘It would be nice if there were such a place in the Mini Reaper Garden…’

It truly had such a mystical and dangerous vibe that I couldn’t help but think of it that way.

As I passed through the city I admired, I suddenly heard a loud explosion sound coming from the path up the hill.

‘?’

And as I was drawn closer to that sound, the desolate wills of the Golden Reapers became clearer.

“Ugh!”

“Human’s hitting!”

“Don’t hit!”

I wondered where they had all gone, but it seemed they had rushed to feel these humans.

In a facility that looked as if it had been remodeled from an old research institute, a group of humans was confronting the Golden Reapers.

However, the confrontation between humans and Golden Reapers was one-sided.

“Powerful Objects. Everyone be careful!”

A man shouted in a language I didn’t understand.

“The instructors have all disappeared, and now the objects are here?”

“Don’t be fooled by their cute appearances. Objects like that are the most dangerous!”

As if responding to those words, others chimed in.

The Golden Reapers were getting hit left and right.

They were walking around happily, arms wide open, only to get knocked away by something, tumbling around.

The Golden Reapers, flung away, looked up with tearful big eyes and wore dejected expressions.

With expressions as if saying, “Please don’t do that!” they rushed at the humans only to be bounced back again.

Even I, who knew they were physically immune, found their faces pitiful.

A few Golden Reapers began to sit down with forlorn expressions and looked up at the humans.

The genuine sorrow and affection reflected in the round eyes of the Golden Reapers were so intense that they began to move the hearts of some humans.

“They don’t look harmful.”

“Testing if I’m harmful first wouldn’t be too bad.”

With various thoughts swirling, more and more humans gently approached and embraced the sad-faced Golden Reapers.

The Golden Reapers responded to the humans embracing them with sunny, bright smiles.

And the humans who held the soft Golden Reapers smiled back as if in response to that.

Thus, the formerly one-sided battle began to ease into a lull.

“Everyone, stay alert! They’re just objects!”

The man, appearing to be the leader, shouted one last time, but his heart was already shaking.

The evidence lay in the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to shake off the Golden Reapers that were slowly climbing up his pant leg.

“Ah… No….”

In the end, he fell for the gaze of the Golden Reaper looking up at him while holding his pants with its small hand.

Hmm.

Was the mental pollution of the Golden Reapers this potent?

It felt several times worse than before…

Well, the Golden Reapers were kind, so no matter how strong the mental pollution was, it should be fine.

As I passed by the Golden Reapers playing with the humans and stepped into the building, I began to hear faint wills.

“Mom…”

“What should I do…”

Fearing something big might have happened, I hurriedly teleported to the lonely Golden Reaper.

When I arrived, I found the Golden Reaper turning to me, crying hysterically.

“Uuh…”

It was truly a feeling of injustice and sorrow.