---

A massive exploration vessel slowly advanced on the vast surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Standing on the deck of the James Explorer Ship, I gazed at the endless horizon, lost in deep thought.

The ship moved as if time had stopped, and that slow pace felt oddly comfortable.

“So laid-back…”

Perhaps because the James Explorer Ship was meant for object exploration, it was moving at an incredibly slow speed.

I had never paid attention to the speed of a ship before, but riding it myself made me appreciate that leisure anew.

The sound of gentle waves and the relaxed voyage had its own charm.

Suddenly, an amusing thought crossed my mind.

“Is it possible to lift this ship if we gather enough cloud fish?”

Just as I chuckled at that thought and looked up at the sky, an unexpected sight came into view.

The radar mounted at the top of the ship was spinning like crazy.

Moreover, there were mini reapers clinging to it.

“Round and round!”

“Round and round!”

The mini reapers were hanging on as if they were on a ride, their faces beaming with joy while spinning.

Underneath the radar, there was a long line of mini reapers.

‘…’

It was strange that the radar was spinning so fast.

Plus, with the mini reapers clinging like that, one would think it would break, but there wasn’t a soul to stop them.

Could it be that they were just ignoring a real problem?

Or was it that there was no proper way to control the mini reapers, so they let them be?

Well, seeing that the Golden Reapers were mixed in with that line, I supposed there wouldn’t be any issue with the mini reapers clinging on.

Once humans harbor difficult emotions, the Golden Reapers are sure to pick it up quickly.

“It seems they’re intentionally spinning the radar at high speed for the mini reapers’ sake.”

While watching the mini reapers spinning on the radar, I suddenly felt hungry.

At first, it was just an amusing sight, but as time passed, their spinning movements gradually triggered my appetite.

“Hmm, what on earth do I want to eat?”

As I continued to ponder, I eventually realized.

The spinning mini reapers reminded me of vertically positioned kebab skewers.

Spin.
Spin.

Now that I figured it out, I wanted the kebab even more.

“Right. There should be kebab in the dining area below deck, right?”

I took one last look at the mini reapers twirling around.

The children’s appearances now fully resembled kebabs, and that sight further whetted my appetite.

“Somehow, the mini reapers are starting to look delicious too…”

Thinking such silly thoughts, I began to make my way down the stairs to the deck below.

Thump thump.

With every step I took, the fragrant aroma of kebab and the sound of sizzling grilling became clearer in my mind.

The path to the dining area wasn’t far.

I just had to pass through a narrow corridor and turn left, and I’d be right there.

I opened the door and walked into the dining area.

“Kebab!”

But what awaited me in the dining area was nothing but despair.

“No way…”

The kebabs I had seen last night were nowhere to be found, replaced by other dishes.

With a crestfallen expression, I glanced towards the kitchen.

Hoping for a miracle, I looked inside the kitchen, but there was no trace of kebab there either.

“Should I ask Yerin to prepare kebabs for me when I get back to Korea?”

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I spotted a suspicious black reaper acting strangely in the kitchen.

It was a black reaper covered in sticky flour, moving stealthily.

“What could it be doing?”

I watched with curiosity, eyes wide, as the black reaper approached the fryer, grinning, and without hesitation, jumped right into the oil.

Amazingly, the kitchen staff pretended not to notice and smiled as they continued their work.

The chef frying the food, with his lips curved into a smile, carefully transferred the golden brown black reaper to a tray.

Then, to ensure no one would accidentally eat it, he placed it where it would be clearly visible and even stuck a decorative flag on it.

Finally, as the tray containing the black reaper was brought to the dining area, the black reaper began munching on the fried food it was placed with, grinning widely.

Munch munch.

It was the tragedy of kin cannibalism where a fried reaper was eating fried reapers.

“Ah!”

While munching on the fried snacks, the black reaper, when approached by staff, would shut its eyes tight and pretend to be a piece of fried food.

Of course, it wouldn’t hide even if the golden reaper was similar in color to the batter, but the black reaper could never fool them.

The staff would come to eat, spot the black reaper, chuckle softly, and snap pictures before leaving.

Watching that scene, a sudden idea for a funny prank popped into my head.

Thump thump.

I pretended not to know and slowly walked toward the fried food tray.

“Looks delicious, I must eat some!”

Then I picked up the black reaper fry and stuffed it into my mouth.

The black reaper, eyes shut tight, “Mom would be fooled too!” was startled and began to thrash around.

“Uwaaang! No way!”

Hehe.

*

In the James Tower located in the outskirts of Songpa District, a temporary rehabilitation facility.

A silver-haired girl, sparkling in the sunlight, and a warm brown-haired girl sat side by side, gazing out the window.

Through the window of the rehabilitation facility inside James Tower, the view of the blue sky and bustling city was still unfamiliar to them.

“Finally…”

The silver-haired girl whispered.

“I really can feel now that everything that happened underground was a lie.”

The brown-haired girl nodded.

“Yeah, it feels like waking up from a dream. The underground colony, which we thought was the entire world… turned out to be just a breeding ground.”

Confusion and betrayal still tangled within the hearts of the two girls.

Just a little while ago, they believed they were the last survivors of humanity after the apocalypse.

However, the reality was completely different.

The outside world couldn’t be called peaceful, but it was functioning as normal.

What they had experienced was merely hell created by an object.

“What are you going to do now?”

The silver-haired girl asked.

The brown-haired girl fell into thought for a moment, then turned her gaze toward a golden reaper playing a hand-clapping game in the corner of her view.

“I want to stay in this country a bit longer and learn more. I want to know more about the gray reaper or the mini reapers who saved us.”

The brown-haired girl picked up the golden reaper, gazing at it intently.

At that, the golden reaper locked eyes with her and smiled brightly.

“What about you?”

“I’m also going to stay here and think things over. This kid seems to like Korea too.”

The silver-haired girl lifted a mini flower reaper that was only visible to her.

The two girls smiled at each other.

In their eyes, a mix of fear and anticipation was evident.

“Still, it feels a bit overwhelming and scary.”

The brown-haired girl said softly.

“Even though life there was a lie… what I had to do was clear and simple.”

“I feel the same way.”

The silver-haired girl nodded in agreement with the brown-haired girl’s remark.

“But it’s going to be okay.”

Then, as if agreeing with that statement, the golden reaper and the mini flower reaper nodded and smiled brightly.

*

The top floor of James Tower towering between the buildings of Songpa District.

In an office where the night view of Seoul was visible through wide windows, James let out a deep sigh.

James was reading the final report on the recent object incident on the monitor.

The report contained everything from information about the “human slaughterhouse” to the current condition of the rescued victims.

James’s attached golden reaper sat with a gloomy expression, her eyes tightly bound with white cloth.

“Can you really not take off the eye mask yet?”

The golden reaper poked James’s cheek lightly and touched her eye mask, but James firmly held her hand to prevent her from touching it.

“Not yet.”

“Sniff.”

Then the golden reaper lay down on James’s shoulder with a sullen expression.

“Most of them have decided to stay in Korea.”

James scrolled through the pages of the report, reading the stories of those rescued one by one.

With each page he turned, his gaze grew heavier.

Most had lost their families during the abduction.

There was no longer a ‘home’ for them to return to.

“The end of humanity, huh.”

“Since it was an incident caused by a human turned object, circumstances were orchestrated with mental pollution in mind from the moment they abducted the victims.”

James frowned as he flipped to the next page of the report.

There, the results of placing a huge number of golden reapers inside the rehabilitation facility were written.

[Conclusion]

[Overall mental health status of patients improved significantly. Observations noted decrease in depression, increase in happiness, and resolution of sleep problems. Continuous monitoring and maintenance plan recommended.]

At the end of the report, an unusual note was added.

[It seems the aroma resembling the sun of the golden reaper directly reduces mental pollution. Additional verification needed.]

James closed the report as he read the unusual note.

“Deploying golden reapers seems way more effective than psychological therapy, social adjustment programs, or job training.”

James felt a bit incredulous as he turned on the TV and took off the golden reaper’s eye mask.

“It’s uncomfortable!”

Just then, the golden reaper gave James’s cheek a light slap, looking slightly reproachful.

At that moment, news about the object incident flowed on the TV.

[Recently, an extraordinary phenomenon of giant butterfly objects appearing in various regions of China and Europe has been discovered.]

[These giant butterflies are causing serious damage by obliterating surrounding buildings, and experts are estimating that these butterflies are the same species that appeared in Seoul not long ago.]

[Thanks to the swift response of the golden reapers so far, the damage has been somewhat contained, but the sudden appearances of butterflies in unexpected places have raised global attention and concern.]

[In response, the American Object Association is known to be closely investigating the causes of this phenomenon, while formulating response plans in tight collaboration with various governments.]

The TV was showing the Golden Reaper, with a brilliant sword, slicing a butterfly the size of a building in half.