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Yerin’s Apartment, where the Baby Golden Reapers happily frolic.

As I continued to watch the children play, I felt an unusual urge to try it out myself.

Those childish play equipment probably wouldn’t be fun, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot.

So, I tried to make some equipment, but there was simply no space to do so.

Hmph.

There’s just not enough room in this apartment!

At first, I thought about secretly breaking the Mini Reapers’ roller coaster to make some space, but a much simpler solution came to mind.

If there’s not enough, just enlarge it!

The moment the thought struck me, I donned the Halo of Space over my head and expanded Yerin’s living room to ten times its original size.

First, I called in the Black Reapers playing in the garden to create a huge spring.

Then, I secured a large White Hungry Ghost that was big enough for me to ride and attached it to the spring.

Kyuheehee.

The White Hungry Ghost let out a sound of grievance, but I didn’t care and hollowed out its insides to make a seat.

And thus, a plaything that looked just like the one the Blue Reaper used was completed.

Of course, its size was adjusted to fit me, making it much larger than the Mini Reapers’ own amusement rides.

Ding dong.

As I hopped on the ghost and swung my body back and forth while enjoying the ride, it turned out to be more fun than I expected.

It was such a trivial thing that it made me grin.

Hehe.

Noticing my arrival, the Blue Reaper pressed its hat down low to cover its face completely.

But it didn’t get off the ride.

Well, it really is fun enough that it’s hard to give up.

Click click.

Yerin silently took photos with an incredibly serious expression on her face.

I scrutinized Yerin’s expression closely.

Her eyes sparkled as if she had discovered the most amazing thing in the world, and a smile flitted across her lips, appearing and disappearing.

What could possibly be so fascinating?

Suddenly, I wondered if Yerin also wanted to ride this amusement ride.

‘I should make one for Yerin, too.’

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I immediately took action.

I brought in an even larger White Hungry Ghost, planted it on the spring, and observed as Yerin’s eyes grew wider watching me carve out its insides to create a seat.

“Um… Reaper, could this be…?”

Before Yerin could finish her sentence, the ride was completed.

I stared silently at it, and Yerin flashed a happy expression, took off her slippers, and climbed onto the ride.

Ding dong.

Now Yerin was swaying beside me.

The sight of her ponytail dancing in the air looked quite amusing.

As both of us joyfully rode the amusement ride, the Mini Reapers felt curious and approached us.

At first, the Mini Reapers cautiously observed, but soon enough, they mustered the courage to hop on the ride.

Sounds of joy echoed from the Mini Reapers.

‘Mom!’

‘Hehe.’

‘Faster!’

While it was a calm ride for me, Yerin, and the Blue Reaper, it displayed much more vigorous movements once the Golden Reapers hopped on.

It whirled around like a centrifugal merry-go-round.

Since Yerin, the Mini Reapers, and I were all on the ride together, a strange atmosphere filled Yerin’s apartment.

I kept riding while losing track of time as night deepened, having a delightful time.

While we were having fun for quite a while, a few Golden Reapers ended up headbutting the wall.

‘Ugh!’

They intensely swayed back and forth before being launched forward.

The cause? Drowsy driving!

It seemed that by late night, the ones who normally went to bed early, the Golden Reapers, were dozing off during the fun.

Before I knew it, it was the time for the Golden Reapers to sleep.

As we got off the ride and headed to the living room, the Baby Golden Reapers who were riding the roller coaster had all nodded off, plopping down onto the living room floor.

‘Whoa!’

Another Baby Reaper, sleepily tumbling off the spinning roller coaster, bumped its head and woke up from its slumber.

If it were a human, it might have been a deadly situation, but the Golden Reaper rubbed its head, chuckled, and laid back down to sleep.

‘What a mess.’

Yerin’s living room was filled with sleeping Golden Reapers, as if some sleep gas had been released.

I wandered around, enjoying the cheerful scene of the living room.

Yerin followed behind me, gently placing the sleeping Golden Reapers into a cozy accommodation made just for them.

Although, honestly, it looked more like a soft dove house than proper accommodations.

‘?’

As I watched the sleeping Golden Reapers, I noticed some tiny tools placed in the corner of the living room.

There was a desk sized for Mini Reapers, along with crayons and lots of drawing paper.

‘Mini Reaper art tools? Did Yerin make these?’

Grabbing one crayon to examine it more closely, it had the Sehee Research Institute’s seal along with a note stating it was a test sample.

‘So Sehee made these….’

Sadly, due to the amusement park, the drawing tools seemed unpopular, with only one Golden Reaper seated at the many desks.

Despite dozing off, it tightly clutched the crayon and continued to draw.

Moving closer for a better look, I was taken aback.

It actually drew quite well.

Was this Golden Reaper skilled like those who excelled at carving or fighting?

At that moment, Yerin also housed the drawing Golden Reaper into its cozy accommodation and yawned as she spoke.

“Reaper, it’s time for us to sleep too.”

Then Yerin lifted me up like a cat and dragged me into the bedroom.

So, I fell asleep wrapped in Yerin’s arms.

Yerin’s house had quieted down, but it felt like the exhilaration of the Mini Reapers still lingered in the dark living room.

*

I slipped into a deep dream.

The scene unfolding before me looked somewhat different from the ones I had seen in dreams before.

A massive jade temple stood tall in the background, and the sky was covered in dark clouds.

The sun was shrouded in that darkness, barely letting any faint light seep through.

Below my feet was a dizzyingly high cliff, beneath which a writhing fluid known as evolution liquid churned as if alive.

In this bizarre scenery, two figures stood facing each other.

One was a girl with blue hair who looked exactly like me, and the other was a tall man with an indistinct, smoky face.

The air between them was strange.

It appeared very hostile yet simultaneously as if they were familiar with each other.

Before them lay a thick and sturdy parchment.

[Let’s confirm the contract once more.]

The smoky man’s voice echoed.

The parchment had the contract written in neat handwriting.

<‘The Magical Book of Contracts’ and ‘The Last Alchemist’ Contract>

– The ‘Last Alchemist’ shall forfeit immortality in exchange for two forms of assistance.

– From now on, the ‘Magical Book of Contracts’ shall not appear before the ‘Last Alchemist.’

[Two Forms of Assistance]

1. It will create a small lamp and teach how to partition grades.

2. It will send the ‘Book that Killed God’ as swiftly as possible to where the ‘Last Alchemist’ is headed, in its current physical form.

Below the contract were additional stipulations that were densely packed.

Given the fact that the ink hadn’t dried as I just wrote it and that each clause is in a different handwriting, it seemed this was something they added to each other during the contract process.

[Additional Conditions]

– Should the contract be established, the ‘Magical Book of Contracts’ must ensure that the ‘Last Alchemist’ arrives at the destination before any other book.

– After the contract is realized, neither the ‘Last Alchemist’ nor any existence born from its abilities can harm the ‘Magical Book of Contracts.’

– After the contract is put into effect, should the ‘Magical Book of Contracts’ appear before the ‘Last Alchemist,’ it shall be immediately and permanently obliterated as a grievous breach of contract.

– The meeting with the ‘Last Alchemist’ refers specifically to the moment when the ‘Last Alchemist’s’ soul resides within its current physical form.

The girl with blue hair slowly read through the contract. Finally, she lifted her gaze to the smoky man.

“Alright. This seems fine. Magical Book of Contracts.”

The smoky man smiled faintly and bowed his head exaggeratedly.

[Then let us proceed with the contract fulfillment from now on.]

His expression held such significance that it filled the blue-haired girl with a sense of anxiety as if she had made a grave mistake.

Clap.

At the moment the smoky man clapped, the space warped, and the dream ended.

I sat up in bed.

Yerin’s arm was wrapped around me.

“Umm, Reaper…”

As I slipped out of her embrace, Yerin waved her arms around in her slumber.

I handed the large White Hungry Ghost back to Yerin and headed toward the living room.

Kyuheehee.

Standing by the window, I gazed at the night view.

Once a ruin, Songpa District had now taken on the appearance of a proper city.

Looking up at the sky, the colorful moons and a massive black planet loomed in the distance.

It was a reality evolving in a strangely different way from the dream landscape.

I stood there for a while, staring at the sight.

Contemplating what the meaning of the dream could be.

It was an unusually uneasy night.