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“I’m so tired…”

Looking up at the sky with weary eyes from using too much firewood, I could see the darkness slowly retreating at the horizon where the sky meets the sea.

It wasn’t fully dawn yet, but the curtain of night was gradually lifting, marking the moment between night and dawn.

The sea was calm.

As if the battle with the external beings deep in the ocean had been a dream, it was peaceful and serene.

However, evidence of the battle with the external beings floated abundantly on the water.

Large and small round candies enveloped the sea like a massive mosaic artwork.

Red, yellow, blue, and green star candies reflected a gentle light, dancing on the waves.

Hehe.

Perhaps it was the whimsical sight that caused a small laugh to escape just from watching.

Looking up at the sky, the stars were still holding their positions.

But their light was gradually fading.

The brilliant stars that adorned the night sky seemed to be blinking as if bidding a final farewell.

In their place, a faint blue light began to spread slowly in the eastern sky.

I lay atop a giant rainbow-colored star candy, gazing at this mysterious scene.

The star candy gently swayed, supporting me like a rocking chair.

The salty scent of the seawater mixed with the sweet aroma of candy tickled my nostrils.

“Today was quite a challenge…”

I thought absentmindedly as I felt the halo resting on my head gradually return to a more comfortable position.

And I raised my right wrist, which I had left untouched in hopes of gradually regenerating it after fulfilling the destruction condition.

I wondered if regenerating it would invalidate the destruction condition.

But!

There was no severed wrist there.

Instead, a regenerated wrist and an unfamiliar halo were there in its place.

???

A golden halo that didn’t match any halo I had before.

The only golden halo I possessed was the ‘halo of seeing death’ hidden within my heart, but this one looked decidedly different.

‘…’

Though I was curious about the sudden appearance of this halo and various other things, it was a rather pleasant surprise for me, who was annoyed by the dwindling firewood.

“Well, it’s probably a halo gained from defeating an external being!”

Like that, I simply dismissed my questions and threw the halo into the sky.

As it rose, a striking golden ring stood out among the myriad of shapes adorning the sky.

Now, the horizon where the sky met the sea began to tint with a faint orange hue.

And beyond that orange light, a massive ship was approaching.

It was likely an exploration vessel coming to investigate the Pacific situation…

I closed my eyes slowly while watching the tall mast of the exploration vessel approach.

*

The sweet scent of hot chocolate filled the air in the mini reaper garden where fluffy marshmallows formed a vast plain.

In the center of the garden overflowing with snacks, the mini reapers were busily moving around.

Over the marshmallow plains, a single giant ship floated peacefully.

On the other side, countless people lay sprawled out across the endlessly stretching marshmallow fields as if they had fallen into eternal sleep.

The mini reapers moved among the humans with somber expressions.

They gently patted the humans with their tiny hands, caring for and treating them with utmost dedication, but the humans showed no signs of waking up.

As time passed, the worry on the faces of the mini reapers deepened.

“Humans…”

“Wake up soon…”

The humans lying on the marshmallow field didn’t appear to be in pain and seemed to be simply sleeping, but the mini reapers were exceedingly worried and anxious.

They sensed that this phenomenon was caused by an “object.”

At that moment, the fingertips of one of the humans twitched slightly.

Like ice melting in spring, the humans began to awaken one by one.

“Oh! A human has woken up!”

“Human!”

The mini reapers rushed over to the humans with bright smiles.

The faces of the mini reapers, who were not their attached humans, were filled with truly happy, cheerful smiles.

The humans who finally opened their eyes looked around with a confused expression.

“What on earth happened?”

“Is this, by any chance, the mini reaper garden?”

“It seems the Gray Reaper rescued us.”

As people awakened, the atmosphere turned chaotic.

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from the ship that had been anchored near the marshmallow plains.

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The exploration vessel, which should have alerted when covered in blue mist and its crew was evacuating, had only just begun ringing its emergency bell, possibly due to some trickery from the object.

Perhaps because it was a warning sound, the noise reached far beyond the ship and resounded over the marshmallow plains.

“How annoying…”

Some of the mini reapers, sensitive to the sound, covered their ears with their small hands, while the still confused humans frowned slightly at the noise.

But some humans, startled by the sound, dashed toward the ship.

Those were individuals responsible for communication or in charge of the situation.

“How much time has passed?”

“Is the regular contact going smoothly?”

“How’s the GPS signal? Does the headquarters know about our situation?”

“Can we remotely lower the emergency ladder?”

The hurried voices of people scrambling up the ship were drowned out by the sound of the emergency bell.

Under the orders of the person in charge, other humans became frantic as well, while the mini reapers simply giggled, watching the scene.

“Finally, the humans have woken up!”

Whether the humans were busy or not, satisfaction filled the small faces of the mini reapers.

*

In the corner of the marshmallow plains, far from where the crew of the James Explorer had arrived, there was another group.

This place was where humans transferred from the Pacific lay quietly, still unnoticed by the mini reapers.

Just like the humans from the James Explorer awakened, those moved by the Gray Reaper also began to regain consciousness slowly.

Their eyelids fluttered and opened one by one as they lay on clouds of soft marshmallows.

As if waking up from a long slumber, they looked around with bewildered expressions.

“Mmm…”

Among them, the last man who fought desperately opened his eyes with difficulty.

As soon as he opened his eyes, his younger sister and the Purple Reaper rushed to him with bright smiles.

“Brother!”

His younger sister cried out with a choked voice.

“Human!”

The Purple Reaper also beamed a smile as it clung to the man’s cheek.

Caught in this commotion, Cheong jolted awake from an endless dream.

He seemed to have had some terrible nightmare, but the details were quickly fading from his memory.

All that remained was the image of a man covered in blood moving him to a safe place in his hazy vision.

Slowly sitting up, Cheong surveyed his surroundings.

His gaze lingered on the siblings sharing an emotional reunion before shifting elsewhere.

Perhaps because there were now many people with mini reapers, similar scenes unfolded everywhere around him.

“Is our reaper hurt anywhere?”

“Human!”

The mini reapers and their attached humans sighed in relief as they confirmed each other’s safety.

Cheong felt a twinge of envy as he observed this sight.

‘…’

With a slight sigh, he lowered his gaze to his own mini reaper, the Orange Crowned Reaper.

The Orange Crowned Reaper was sleeping soundly, mouth slightly open, as if dreaming of something sweet.

“I wish my Orange would greet me like that.”

Thinking that, Cheong poked the cheeks of the Orange Crowned Reaper with a hint of dissatisfaction.

But as someone continued to poke its cheek, the Orange Crowned Reaper’s expression began to twist in annoyance.

Cheong’s finger was bitten.

“Ouch!”

It didn’t hurt much, but he internally groaned in disappointment.

Cheong’s expression became slightly gloomy.

But at that moment, the Orange Crowned Reaper rubbed its eyes and slowly awoke.

With a dazed look, it glanced around before locking eyes with Cheong.

“Human?”

Then, the Orange Crowned Reaper released its bite, adopting a guilty expression as it patted Cheong’s finger.

A smile spread across Cheong’s face.

Though it was less expressive than other mini reapers, maybe it was its way of showing affection?

Cheong lifted the Orange Crowned Reaper and rubbed it against his cheek.

The Orange Crowned Reaper grimaced and pushed away, as if to say not to do that, but Cheong merely chuckled and continued.

*

Deep inside the mini reaper garden, in the Forbidden Zone of the Unchanging Sphere.

Although the mini reaper garden was a buzz of chaos with numerous humans placed in due to the Gray Reaper, this area still exuded a tranquil atmosphere.

A tall fence preventing the approaches of mini reapers.

Large spheres floating majestically above.

Perhaps that’s why the mini reapers never came here, making it an always quiet place.

Thud thud.

At that moment, a Golden Reaper was wandering slowly near the quiet fence.

Curiosity about the fence and the unchanging sphere made the Golden Reaper sparkle its eyes, giggling as it walked around the enclosure.

As it walked slowly, gazing up at the unchanging sphere above, a sudden event occurred.

From beyond the prohibited zone, a form leapt out, charging toward the Golden Reaper.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, the Golden Reaper exclaimed in shock.

“No way!”

In the midst of flailing about, the assailant’s arms wrapped around the Golden Reaper.

It appeared to be an affectionate embrace rather than a hostile move.

“Hug!”

“Ugh!”

A strange object appeared, similar in size to the Golden Reaper and resembling a human silhouette.