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Ddupang ddupang.

I slowly walked while hugging a large paper box with both arms.

With every step I took, the fluffy marshmallow of the Mini Reaper Garden gently pushed against the soles of my feet.

My destination was the place where the ‘War Festival’ had taken place.

While I was moving toward the festival location, I suddenly thought about the Worm External Being.

“No matter how long I wait, no new Mini Reaper is appearing.”

I had somewhat hoped that a new Mini Reaper would pop out like the Hug Reaper…

Well, there are many externals, so a Mini Reaper will probably show up eventually.

I paused for a moment and looked up at the distant horizon.

In that place, I could see the Unchanging Spheres that are always floating unchangingly.

“And somehow, I feel like a new Unchanging Sphere won’t appear either.”

I started to think that it might be because it was a somewhat unique type of external.

Unlike other externals, it was particularly proactive and aggressive.

And while other ordinary externals were perfect beings in themselves, the Worm External Being was different.

It wasn’t a single entity, but a collection of countless Worm Objects.

Together, they barely qualified as an external being, but each one was at the level of a regular object.

Strong worms could be at the level of a premium object, while weak ones could be below an ordinary object.

“Well, anyway, I shouldn’t worry about the worms any longer.”

Since I had failed to retrieve a considerable number of worm corpses and the passage was blocked, the remnants of the Worm External Being left in the Color Universe probably lost their qualification as an external being.

Thinking that I wouldn’t need to see the disgusting worms again lightened my heart a bit.

As I walked absentmindedly, I found myself at the ‘festival site’ before I knew it.

Sleeping Golden Reapers filled the Marshmallow Plains.

As they fell asleep hugging each other, huge Golden Reaper cocoons were formed.

A Golden Reaper lying sprawled with a smile.

Another Golden Reaper being bitten all over by other Golden Reapers.

And a Golden Reaper that seemed to have fallen asleep while running, head buried in the ground.

It was the scene where the Golden Reapers had fainted as if they were enjoying the festival and lost track of time.

The soft, golden light emanating from the curled-up bodies of the sleeping ones made it look like a painting scattered with stars.

I began to pick up the Golden Reapers one by one.

They’re warm.

The bodies of the sleeping Golden Reapers were filled with a pleasant warmth.

When I held one in my hand, it turned and tightly hugged my hand.

“Hey, you’re sleeping here.”

Whispering my intentions softly, I began to place the Golden Reapers into the paper box.

Carefully.

Until the box was full.

“Mom…”

“Mom?”

“I’m sleepy…”

Some of the Golden Reapers felt my touch and woke up.

With dazed expressions, they were in a daze.

The sleepy Golden Reapers would immediately fall back asleep if I gently covered their eyes with my fingers, so I had no trouble getting them into the box.

Before I knew it, the paper box was filled, soft and springy.

“Done!”

I exhaled with a satisfied expression.

Thus, the so-called ‘Golden Reaper Chick Box’ was completed.

As I lifted the box, I could hear the sound of little bodies wriggling inside.

“Let’s go.”

I tightly held the box and sought out the presence of the Golden Reaper I had previously located.

And as I sensed the presence of a sleeping Golden Reaper, I teleported toward it.

In an instant, the scenery changed.

The white and fluffy Marshmallow Plain had turned into a hard dirt floor.

And in front of me was a Golden Reaper buried in the ground with only its head sticking out.

As I faced forward, I saw a concrete wall as high as a castle wall and an entrance that looked like a gate.

“Arrived!”

Above the entrance hung a sign that read [Golden Horn Rest Area].

Thus, I arrived at the place known as the Golden Horn Isolation Zone.

*

“Uwaah!”

The Golden Reaper was thrown into the air.

No, it was tossed.

Rolling around.

As the Golden Reaper that had fallen from the sky opened its eyes, it found itself surrounded by only a dark alley and tall walls.

“Mom was definitely here…”

Even in a sleepy state, it could hear the whispers of its mother.

What had mom said?

Right, she had told it to create an Attached Human here.

“I think she said it was necessary for ‘automatic? hunting!'”

The Golden Reaper strained its squishy little head to recall mom’s instructions.

Just as it tried to get up to follow mom’s orders, another Golden Reaper fell down.

“Uwaah!”

Unlike itself, which had woken up in between, this Golden Reaper dove headfirst into the ground.

That Golden Reaper shook its head as if dizzy.

“Hurry up!”

Reaching out a hand to the still-dizzy Golden Reaper, it grabbed on, and they both started running out together to fulfill mom’s orders.

“Mom said there would be an Attached Human here!”

The fact that mom had thrown it hadn’t even crossed its mind, as it dashed excitedly into the dark alley.

*

On the top floor of James Tower, towering on the outskirts of Songpa District.

With the night view of Seoul stretching out the window, James was lost in deep thought.

He had returned in haste after halting the Object investigation in the Arctic.

After receiving a shocking report about the Alexander Group, his mind was turbulent like a stormy sea.

“I didn’t expect this much…”

James sighed as he murmured.

“Even if the Gray Reaper is important, I should have examined it properly much earlier.”

Scattered across his desk were numerous documents containing secrets about the Alexander Group.

The dark truths hidden behind the facade of a ‘good company.’

Horrific human experiments on innocent people.

Conspiracies to undermine humanity’s object defense system…

All of that was now laid bare to the public.

Seeing that the investigation into the Alexander Group seemed to be wrapping up, he gently lifted the Golden Reaper that had been sleeping next to the keyboard.

And slowly stood up, heading toward the window.

“Human…?”

The Golden Reaper wriggled like a little puppy in his palm and slowly opened its eyes.

“Human!”

And as it met James’s gaze, it jumped onto James’s shirt.

The Golden Reaper began to climb up his shirt with a bright expression.

After detaching the little Golden Reaper, James smiled and handed it a small cookie.

With the twinkling lights of Seoul outside, James took a sip of hot chocolate and started checking new information in the association’s database on his phone.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of the Golden Reaper munching on the cookie echoed in the quiet office.

Suddenly, James’s gaze stopped on a report summarizing a local newspaper article.

[Italian environmental activist found dead.]

The headline caught his attention.

[The corpse appeared as if a bomb had exploded in its abdomen. Authorities suspect it was the work of an object and handed the case over to the Object Association.]

James furrowed his brows.

“Similar to the deaths in the upper echelons of the Alexander Group.”

As the questions arose, he returned to his seat and began searching for similar documents in the Object Association data center.

His instincts were correct.

Similar deaths were being reported worldwide.

Local dignitaries, politicians, entrepreneurs, heads of volunteer organizations, and the like.

People who had burst open and died were discovered all over the world.

There were even places where so many casualties occurred that entire cities became incapacitated.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

James slowly tapped his pen against the desk.

Countless hypotheses spiraled in his mind.

Through the internal network of the James Research Institute, James issued orders to his employees.

[Emergency Investigation Directive Regarding Suspicious Deaths]

– Investigation Subjects: Individuals and organizations specified in the attached document.

– Thoroughly investigate the personal information, affiliated organizations, and activities of each subject.

– Track the financial status and transaction history of the subjects for the past five years.

– Map out the social networks of the subjects and identify key contacts.

– Refer to the methods used in the investigation of the Alexander Group incident.

– Particularly focus on the existence of hidden organizational structures and secret projects.

After issuing the directives, James resumed reviewing new reports from within the association.

At that moment, a report summarizing an article from a San Francisco daily newspaper caught his eye.

[New Hero, The Black Reaper!]

Accompanying the article was a photograph.

It depicted a Black Reaper, as large as a human, prowling through the city.

*

Late at night, in Seoul Forest where Mini Reapers roamed.

The Black Reaper boldly walked toward the faint echoes of intentions whispering from the darkness.

Though it was a dark forest exuding an ominous aura, the Black Reaper moved forward energetically without hesitation.

“Mom…”

That distant, faint whisper still reached the ears of the Black Reaper.

Led by that will, the Black Reaper stepped deeper into the woods.

How much time had passed?

At some point, the Black Reaper realized it had arrived in a strange place it did not know.

Looking up at the sky, it saw that the familiar night sky was no longer there.

Instead, a Color Universe filled with various colored moonlight spread out before it.

Reddish, bluish, yellowish, and purplish colors intertwined, creating a spectacle as if alive.

And beneath that ominous sky, translucent giant butterflies fluttered gracefully.

Powerful objects that the Black Reaper could not handle alone.

Those butterflies were the only familiar elements in this unfamiliar land.

“Where is this?”

The Black Reaper looked around in confusion.

Above its head, its antennae formed a giant question mark.

At that moment, something began to rush in from the edge of its vision.

A black wave charging fiercely as if to sweep everything away.

The tide of countless Black Reapers shaped like the Old God.

And within that black wave, the shout of will rang out.

“For mom!”

“Mommm!”

“Enemy of humanity!”

The shout of will converged into a giant phenomenon, distorting the surrounding environment.

The wave of Black Reapers surged forward faster and collided with the giant butterflies soaring in the sky.

“That’s dangerous.”

The Black Reaper tried to take a step forward to help its companions.

The giant butterflies were too strong of objects for the Black Reaper to take on.

“!”

But the outcome of the clash was the complete opposite.

Creeeak!

Alongside the noise of something being violently twisted, the claws of the Black Reapers shredded the semi-ethereal butterflies to pieces.

The distortion of time caused by the butterflies had no significant effect on the Black Reapers.

It seemed like all the butterflies were being swept away.

But then an anomaly occurred.

A giant, truly gigantic butterfly emerged.

With its wings torn to shreds and numerous holes in its body, it oozed blood.

But above its head shone a radiant halo.

“Mom’s halo!”