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In the outskirts of Songpa District, towering stands the James Tower.

In its luxurious restaurant, employees from the James Research Institute were enjoying a late breakfast.

Their faces bore deep fatigue, yet a hint of accomplishment could be seen in their smiles.

“Finally, we’ve put together the news from Texas.”

One employee said as he set down his coffee cup.

“It was ridiculously hard.”

Another employee yawned in agreement.

Dark circles were heavily evident beneath their eyes, and a few showed clear signs of an all-nighter.

At that moment, the Team Leader of the Gray Reaper Special Measures Team, watching them, stood up to draw attention.

“Everyone.”

He said with a warm smile.

“It was difficult since there weren’t many newsworthy objects that left traces, but somehow we’ve organized it to a level of understanding.”

Looking each person in the eye, the team leader continued.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

At his words, the team members exchanged bright smiles and applauded each other.

Beside them, the Mini Reapers, busy eating cookies, were also drawn into the atmosphere and began clapping their tiny hands.

‘Human!’

‘We can play together now!’

The Mini Reapers looked excited, their eyes sparkling in anticipation of future play.

At that moment, a Golden Reaper was stealthily moving across the table.

While everyone was engrossed in conversation, the Golden Reaper subtly pushed the chopstick rest of the Attached Human aside.

Then it covered itself with a tissue, posing as the chopstick rest, taking its position.

Shortly after, an oblivious employee placed chopsticks atop it.

The Golden Reaper peeked up at the Attached Human through the tissue, a gleeful spark shining in its eyes.

‘Hehe, fooled you.’

However, the employee was already onto the Attached Reaper’s scheme.

Feigning ignorance, he continued eating and began poking the Golden Reaper hidden under the tissue with his chopsticks.

‘Ah, I’ve been caught!’

The Golden Reaper, gripping the chopstick, chuckled mischievously.

Other employees were casually enjoying their time with the Attached Reaper.

Sharing pudding with the Mini Reapers for dessert, or when one of the Attached Humans took a bite of spicy food, a Golden Reaper would tussle to prevent it from adding sugar cubes, thinking, ‘The human is eating poison!’

Or sneaking off with the cookie the Attached Reaper was munching on.

Even holding up a Mini Reaper with chopsticks, pretending to eat it in a mock scare.

They enjoyed their late breakfast together in various delightful ways.

The restaurant buzzed with a warm atmosphere, and everyone began to momentarily forget the stress of work and enjoy their time.

Just then, the team leader’s phone rang.

It sounded ominous.

An eerie silence fell over the restaurant, which had been filled with laughter just moments ago.

“Could it be… Is there a problem?”

One employee murmured with an anxious expression.

‘No way…’

The Mini Reapers also wiped their happy expressions, wearing anxious looks instead.

“The broadcast hasn’t even started, but it’s been confirmed that the Gray Reaper has moved to Texas.”

At that moment, sensing the sorrowful atmosphere washing over the restaurant, the Mini Reapers slumped helplessly on the table.

They looked as if they’d lost their country.

But the team leader, unfazed by the slumping Mini Reapers, continued speaking.

“Unfortunately, we are entering special standby from now on.”

And so the employees began to slowly rise from the restaurant, one by one cradling a Mini Reaper as they left.

*

In the center of the Mini Reaper Garden stood a colossal Colosseum.

Inside, a fierce battle was underway between the 1st Sword of the Golden Reaper and the Black Hooded Reaper.

I was seated in the audience, clutching popcorn and holding my breath as I watched the fight.

The 1st Sword sliced through the air with sharp strikes, launching rapid attacks as quick as light.

Trails of light cutting through the space flew toward the Hooded Reaper.

The Hooded Reaper, trained in real combat, displayed unpredictable, erratic movements, but it was utterly powerless against the 1st Sword’s strikes.

However, the Hooded Reaper, having endured even the power of the Halo with its sheer toughness, pressed forward aggressively.

On the flip side, the Hooded Reaper’s attacks were also a major threat to the 1st Sword.

The scratches honed to kill external beings could easily tear through even the butterfly immune to physical harm.

If hit even once, it would be fatal for a Golden Reaper without special defensive abilities.

But there was no point if even the most powerful attack didn’t land.

The Golden Reaper, 1st Sword, simply hopped lightly to dodge the Hooded Reaper’s swipes.

It looked like a dance, making it seem almost like a well-choreographed wrestling match.

Despite the closeness in skill between the two Mini Reapers, the battle appeared overwhelmingly in favor of the 1st Sword.

It never once allowed an attack, continuously pressing the Hooded Reaper.

Yet, the situation was not so straightforward.

The Hooded Reaper persistently charged, and one strike from it could turn the tide of battle.

Would the Hooded Reaper run out of firewood first, or would it land a decisive blow on the 1st Sword?

The match became increasingly thrilling, and I found myself so engrossed I even forgot to eat popcorn.

How long had I been immersed in watching the match?

Boom!

A sudden shockwave shook the arena.

Massive firewood erupted from the sword swung by the 1st Sword, causing both Reapers to create some space between them.

‘?’

The Hooded Reaper tilted its head in confusion, looking at the 1st Sword.

Its expression was filled with the question, ‘Why on Earth did you do that?’

Just moments ago, the 1st Sword had executed a reckless attack to shake off the Hooded Reaper, thereby losing a hefty chunk of its firewood.

Strangely, though, the 1st Sword was not gazing at the Hooded Reaper.

It simply stared blankly at the sky.

Seeing that, the Hooded Reaper slowly redirected its gaze upward.

The other Mini Reapers in the audience also began lifting their heads one by one to look at the sky.

‘What’s going on? Why are they acting like that?’

Snapping out of my immersion, I glanced around in confusion.

The Colosseum had suddenly plunged into silence, and the children’s eyes were all fixed on the sky.

I munched on popcorn in the silence, waiting for the match to resume.

At that moment, the 1st Sword, the Hooded Reaper, and all the Mini Reapers began to rush toward me in unison.

‘Mom! This is bad!’

‘We’re in trouble!’

‘We need to go right now!’

The children gathered around me with urgent expressions.

Was something going on?

I looked at them, bewildered.

It was only then that I began to hear the children’s urgent cries from afar.

‘Mom. A traitor has appeared.’

‘Waaah!’

‘Mommy!’

So absorbed in the match, I had missed the signals from the children.

Startled, I grabbed the nearby Mini Reapers and instantly teleported to where the children were calling from.

What I found there was a scene far more chaotic than I could have imagined.

‘????’

The sight before me was sheer shock.

The usually cheerful Golden Reapers, who would show sternness at the sight of harmful objects, were quaking in fear and engulfed in chaos.

At the center of the confusion, one Golden Reaper stood completely lost.

It was indeed a Golden Reaper, but it looked nothing like any I had ever seen before.

Its face was filled with madness, as if it had been possessed by another being.

This strange Golden Reaper was ruthlessly attacking the other Golden Reapers.

Its methods of attack were even more shocking.

It was using “overlapping,” a technique never used among Golden Reapers, to ambush its own kind.

Looking around, I saw that the attacked Golden Reapers lay scattered, some parts of their bodies missing.

From the bodies of the injured Golden Reapers, firewood continuously spilled out, like blood.

‘!’

I gritted my teeth at the sight.

And first, I gathered the slumped children and began shoving in firewood.

*

In front of Junior No. 2 stood a woman, causing her to take a deep breath.

That face was far too familiar.

It looked exactly like Yerin from Sehee Research Institute.

But there was one, decisive difference.

One of the Saintess’s eyes was shattered like glass.

“What’s that face…?”

Junior No. 2 barely swallowed her astonishment.

Questions and unease tangled within her heart.

An individual with a human-like eye broken like glass—this was undoubtedly abnormal.

Surely, the ‘Saintess’ must also be an object.

The woman called the Saintess gazed sweetly at Junior No. 2.

[It’s a bit inappropriate to talk here, so please come in.]

The Saintess’s voice wasn’t heard, but its meaning resonated in her heart.

With cautious steps, Junior No. 2 followed the Saintess.

The path they walked was peculiar.

People wrapped in black cloth wandered about here and there, but they seemed oblivious to Junior No. 2 and the Saintess.

It felt as though they were walking in a video replaying specific moments.

They arrived at an empty room deep inside.

The Saintess gracefully took her seat, and Junior No. 2 followed suit.

[I’m sorry I can’t even offer a drink.]

The Saintess appeared apologetic, explaining that all here was an illusion, hence unavoidable.

Junior No. 2 nodded in understanding.

Though everything felt surreal, she worked to maintain her composure.

[May I see the contract?]

The Saintess’s voice echoed inside her mind again.

Without hesitation, Junior No. 2 pulled out the contract and showed it.

The Saintess examined it closely, then smiled faintly.

[That’s right. The representative of the Man of the Lamp—Hyejin.]

The Saintess’s gaze deepened.

[I have a favor to ask of you.]

From a drawer, the Saintess retrieved a drawing and showed it to Junior No. 2.

It was a jade plate made of green jade.

[This was the most important relic of our ‘cult.’]

The jade plate in the drawing seemed to emit a mystical light, with inexplicable patterns engraved on its surface.

[However, it was lost long ago. They say it has been left in a place we can no longer retrieve.]

The Saintess paused, locking her eyes with Junior No. 2.

[My first wish is for you to find this jade plate for me.]

Yet, while the Saintess shared her wish, her voice seemed indifferent to the sacred object.