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As the morning sunlight filtered through the window, the joyful baby Golden Reaper party came to an end, and the usual daily life began.

After arriving at the Sehee Research Institute with Yerin, she headed toward the office while I made my way to the Golden Horn Isolation Zone.

‘It’s been a month… there should be some changes, right?’

Having spent an entire month due to the butterfly’s space, I had high hopes.

I couldn’t help but wonder how the Golden Reapers might have changed during this time, especially if any of them had evolved into Golden Horn Reapers.

With that huge anticipation, I teleport-ed to the Isolation Zone in an instant.

Upon entering, I widened my eyes.

‘!’

A completely different atmosphere unfolded before me.

The desolation that had filled the isolation zone a month ago was nowhere to be found, and just glancing at the streets made me feel like I could hear the vibrant sounds of life.

‘There are more Golden Reapers than humans now….’

Golden Reapers were everywhere I looked.

Previously, there were about two humans for every one Golden Reaper, but that ratio had completely flipped now.

This place could more accurately be called a Golden Reaper habitat rather than a Golden Horn Isolation Zone.

Just then.

‘Aah!’

‘Mama!’

The Golden Reapers who spotted me came running toward me with bright smiles.

Then they climbed up onto my thighs and started nudging their heads against me.

It seemed they were recalling the last time I had rubbed their heads while looking for horns.

Seeing that, I chuckled softly and slowly rubbed their heads.

‘Hopefully, there’s at least a tiny little Golden Horn sprouting today.’

With that small wish, I began to stroke the heads of the Golden Reapers one by one.

*

While I was fondling the heads of numerous Golden Reapers, I was searching for traces of the Golden Horn that would be key to automatic hunting.

However, as time passed, my expression grew increasingly fatigued.

“Hehe.”

A Golden Reaper, having received a scalp massage, burst into a fit of giggles.

‘Next.’

On the contrary, I called for the next Golden Reaper with a slightly exhausted expression.

I had been searching for hours already, yet there were still no signs of any horns.

Could it be that the Golden Horn Reapers are just as rare as other special reapers?

I thought they would develop naturally since their personalities and behaviors were just like Golden Reapers, but it’s not happening at all.

Ultimately, even the last Golden Reaper I checked had no horns.

Sigh.

‘Mama, are you tired?’

Noticing my apparent fatigue, the Golden Reaper gently tapped my finger with a worried look.

I was sitting there absentmindedly, petting the head of that Golden Reaper.

‘So soft, like a sweet rice cake…. Golden Reaper head.’

As I continued to fondle the last Golden Reaper’s head, I suddenly felt something even softer at my fingertips.

‘!’

Startled, I lifted the last Golden Reaper and began to rummage through its hair.

When I checked closely, small horn-like protrusions were shallowly sticking out from the sides of its head.

Golden Horn!

Finding the trace of the Golden Horn made the fatigue that had been weighing me down disappear.

Filled with joy, I threw the last Golden Reaper high into the air like I was celebrating.

‘So high!’

The Golden Reaper sensed my excitement and beamed brightly.

At the sight, the other Golden Reapers rushed over with envious expressions.

‘Mama!’

‘Me too!’

To commemorate the appearance of the Golden Horn, I used my spatial manipulation ability to launch the gathered Golden Reapers into the sky.

They shot up like bullets, and the scene resembled golden fireworks.

Once the excitement settled, I looked down at the second Golden Horn Reaper and sent my encouragement.

‘Alright, send out the firewood! You can do it!’

But the second Golden Horn Reaper just shook its head.

Could it be because its horns were still too short?

If you think of the Golden Horn Reaper as a radio, it’s like having a short antenna.

The mini-horned Golden Reaper shut its eyes tight, trying to send out the firewood.

Taking advantage of the Golden Reaper’s engrossment, I secretly grabbed the space and pulled on the horn.

As a result, a small horn hidden in its hair popped out.

‘Aah!’

The Golden Reaper looked at me in surprise before instantly changing its expression to one of anger.

Then it charged at me.

Tap tap.

It seemed to be hitting me with some serious power as if pulling on the horn had hurt.

Moreover, unfortunately, during the hitting, the horn gradually shrank, and by the time it stopped hitting, it slipped back into the hair.

Pulling on it like an antenna doesn’t work, huh….

Sigh.

*

On the top floor of James Tower, piercing the sky of Songpa District, the vast morning scenery of Seoul unfolded beyond the giant glass window. James sat in front of a large desk, staring at the monitor.

A newspaper article published in the United States appeared on the screen, and a hollow smile lingered on his lips.

“Object Association intervenes to disband anti-Golden Reaper group.”

Reading the headline again, James shook his head.

“Who on earth came up with this idea?”

His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the article.

The method the Object Association used to dismantle the anti-Golden Reaper group was very straightforward but odd.

They had snuck into their base and simply left a bunch of cardboard boxes.

That alone had annihilated the anti-Golden Reaper group.

Inside those boxes were packed with Golden Reapers.

Those who claimed that Golden Reapers were objects that would ruin America and destroy the world ultimately met the Golden Reapers and fell for their charm, leaving the group.

James rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

In fact, the operation carried out by the Object Association seemed to be based on a report submitted by the James Research Institute.

The James Research Institute had recently reported that all members of the ‘anti-Golden Reaper group’ were people living in areas where they could not see Golden Reapers at all.

And at the end of the article, concerns were raised that this kind of resolution was similar to biochemical terrorism.

The article concluded by categorizing it as “Object Mental Pollution Terrorism” and called for the enactment of laws prohibiting similar acts.

‘Hmm.’

Of course, James had similar thoughts as the reporter who wrote the article but deemed it inevitable.

In a world on the brink of destruction because of objects, it was genuinely unavoidable for humanity to survive.

And after all, Golden Reapers weren’t especially harmful.

With those thoughts, he turned his head and saw a Golden Reaper dipping a giant cookie into hot chocolate, looking at James with a tilted head.

‘?’

James chuckled softly and reassured it that it was nothing. Then, he reached out and gently patted the Golden Reaper’s head.

Remembering the name of the reporter who penned the article, James thought to himself,
‘Soon, that reporter will also receive a Golden Reaper delivery.’

James felt a bit of excitement about what kind of article that reporter would write after being impressed.

As James scrolled down the screen with his mouse, browsing through other news, his phone suddenly emitted a sharp alarm.

Beeep!

James grabbed his phone.

As soon as he checked the screen, his expression stiffened.

A short preliminary report had come in.

[Texas, Object. Presence confirmed.]

James let out a deep sigh.

The contents of the letter left by the Yellow Detective days ago had been proven true.

He slowly got up and walked toward the window.

‘The ability to control humans without mental pollution.’

‘Amidst an era where Mini Reapers solve most matters, the Gray Reaper is considered a special object that must be present….’

James pondered as he looked down at the morning scenery of Seoul, thinking about how to expose the Texas incident involving the Gray Reaper.

*

As the smoke cleared, the Man of the Lamp vanished without a trace.

As if he were an illusion, nothing remained where he had stood.

Junior No. 2, feeling her tension ease, let out a deep breath.

Phew….

With her sigh, the surrounding air began to stir.

As if time had started to flow again, the Golden Reapers that had been frozen in the air slowly regained their movements.

‘Harmful…. object?’

‘?’

The Golden Reapers looked around with bewildered expressions.

The powerful object that had just been before their eyes had suddenly disappeared.

Gazing at each other with confused looks, they soon charged toward Junior No. 2.

‘I’m sorry!’

‘Ack!’

Several Golden Reapers, including the Golden Horn Reaper, clung to Junior No. 2.

Their eyes were filled with remorse and self-blame.

They looked as though they were on the verge of tears for failing to stop the harmful object.

Junior No. 2 gently smiled as she comforted them.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

Feeling relieved by her touch, the Golden Reapers gradually calmed down.

However, a lingering anxiety remained in Junior No. 2’s heart.

The thick parchment contract resting on her hand was proof of that.

Looking down at the contract, Junior No. 2 muttered softly.

“Is it really okay…. Sunbae?”

Her gaze lingered on the ominous phrase written in the middle of the contract.

[If all the contract terms are fulfilled, the 'Contract Object' will return the 'Yellow Detective' and her group sealed within the lamp.]

Every time she read that line, her heart grew heavy.

She let out a deep sigh.

“Ugh…. Sunbae, why did you do such a ridiculous thing?”

Her voice mixed with worry, disappointment, and a subtle rage.

Sunbae must have known that her intuition had already reached the realm of precognition, essentially rendering her state akin to being dead….

After grumbling for a while, Junior No. 2 finally stood up.

Her eyes were filled with a determined resolve.

With the Golden Horn Reaper perched on her chest, she boldly exclaimed.

“Alright, let’s go. To China!”

Other Golden Reapers also gleamed as if responding to her shout.

Her destination was the unidentified terrorist group that called themselves [Cult].

It was a suspicious organization known as the ‘Ninja Cult’ as dubbed by Detective Sunbae.