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In the depths of Marshmallow Garden, a roller coaster raced along the rails at a speed reminiscent of a centrifuge.

As I gazed at the scene, I fell deep into thought.

How should I resolve the lamp problem? That dilemma was swirling around in my mind.

Hmmm…

The ‘tracking ability’ I obtained from the White Hungry Ghost had successfully led me to the owner of the lamp in the past.

However, since then, it had become impossible to track as if someone were obstructing me.

‘I can’t see a way out.’

What if I ordered the Mini Reapers to smash every gas lamp on Earth? Would there be some reaction?

Moreover, while the Man of the Lamp didn’t seem to reach the status of an External Being, strangely enough, he felt like he had a fighting power exceeding that level in my senses.

I tilted my head at the contradictory information my quite trustworthy senses relayed.

As I wandered through the garden, lost in thought, an unfamiliar will suddenly called out to me.

“Mom!”

“It’s a traffic light!”

Looking down, I saw a tower of Mini Reapers, each in a different color, calling out to me.

At the bottom was a Black Reaper who looked incredibly happy, giggling away.

In the middle was a Blue Reaper who seemed to be dragged out against its will by the Black Reaper.

At the top was a Yellow Reaper who surprisingly wasn’t shy about such games.

As they looked up at me with their eager expressions, I returned my honest opinion.

“That’s not a traffic light!”

As I sent my will, I pressed the stack of Mini Reapers down like a hamburger with my finger.

“Ugh!”

Then, the Mini Reapers pretending to be traffic lights yelped and toppled over.

If you’re going to be a traffic light, you really should have included red…

As I thought that and looked around, I suddenly noticed something strange.

“There are no Red Reapers…”

The Red Reapers, who always darted around Marshmallow Plains hunting White Hungry Ghosts, were nowhere to be seen.

The place where the Red Children used to play was now filled only with White Hungry Ghosts laughing happily.

And there was something even stranger.

“In a game like this, the Golden Reapers should never miss out…”

But just like the Red Reapers, there wasn’t even a trace of Golden Reapers on Marshmallow Plains.

‘???’

Questions began to pile up.

Did the Black Reapers submerge them all to take control of the council?

Beeeep-!

I stretched the cheeks of the suspected Black Reaper and began to sense the whereabouts of the Golden Reapers.

At that moment, I realized something astonishing.

Except for the Golden Reapers performing essential duties, most of the Golden and Red Reapers couldn’t be sensed.

It was too grand a scale of an incident for it to have been done by the Black Reapers.

‘Did they all enter the territory of the External Beings without telling me?’

With that question in mind, I teleported to the Golden Reaper guarding Sehee Research Institute.

And I asked.

“Do you know where the Golden Reapers have gone?”

In response, the Golden Reaper opened its eyes wide in surprise.

It looked as if it was thinking, “How did mom know that?”

Then, it covered its mouth with both hands and began to flee.

“It’s a secret!”

I daringly turned the escaping one into a Plushie with a flick of my wrist.

“Don’t do this!”

I began to interrogate the now-trapped Golden Reaper about where the Red and Golden Reapers had gone.

Whether they were in danger.

And why it was a secret.

However, unlike the usual quick confessions, this Golden Reaper was surprisingly tight-lipped.

That got a bit annoying, so I stuffed the Plushie Golden Reaper into my mouth.

“Eek!”

*

At James Tower located on the outskirts of Songpa District.

James sat at his desk, with a tired look etched across his face.

On the monitor in front of him was a report sent just earlier from the Gray Reaper Special Measures Team.

James read through the report slowly.

SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1U3pnY1pRaU5OZVlrWGsxQUxDREd6eHAwNlFQTjEwTXU1S0xTUjluZXFRcQ

His gaze was sharp, yet fatigue lingered in his eyes.

As he continued reading the lengthy report, the conclusion was concise but clear.

[Final Conclusion]

– Considering the above circumstances, the possessed object identified by the Yellow Detective is presumed to have been destroyed.

– The disappearance of the smoke smell and the movement of the Gray Reapers are deemed significant evidence supporting this hypothesis.

– The conclusion of this report is drawn from the information collected thus far, and it may change if additional evidence is discovered.

“Hmph.”

After finishing the report, James let out a small sigh.

Having read the report in its entirety, he also felt it was reasonable to consider the object identified by the Yellow Detective as gone.

‘But…’

He leaned back deeply in his chair, slowly closing his eyes.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

The sudden appearance of the Yellow Detective, the object in Texas, and the movement of the Gray Reapers.

Everything was progressing too rapidly.

James opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The night view of Seoul filled his sight.

The twinkling city lights sparkled like stars.

As he gazed at the scene, James fell deep into thought.

‘I don’t think anything truly important has been resolved yet…’

However, it was time to make decisions on withdrawal.

This was the most critical period in human history, and the James Research Institute had much to do.

James picked up his phone and gave withdrawal orders to the special mission team dispatched to Texas, based on this report.

After giving the command, James muttered with a weary expression.

“I feel twice as tired since the Golden Reapers are gone.”

It hadn’t been long since the Golden Reapers were absent, yet that time felt like a distant past.

Rubbing his tired eyes, James opened the next report.

The title that appeared on the monitor caught his attention.

[Interim Report on Increasing Favorability for Mini Reapers Project]

He frowned.

“Strange. It’s not even time for the report to come out yet…”

His finger moved the mouse and began to scroll down.

The first sentence immediately captured his attention.

[As of now, with the Golden Reapers’ distribution rate surpassing 50%, discrimination against 'people without Mini Reapers' has begun to occur within the continental United States.]

The report included numerous newspaper articles and unreported incidents.

Slowly, he read through the contents one by one.

Whether it was because they were the Attached Humans of the Golden Reapers or due to the mental pollution of the Golden Reapers, incidents related to the Golden Reapers were fairly mild.

From newspaper articles about how people without Mini Reapers looked at them with curious expressions.

To the story of how a detective, after closely monitoring a good young man without a Mini Reaper, managed to prevent a murder case.

And, even cases of being rejected in job interviews for not being an Attached Human.

All these situations were concerning, but somewhat expected.

He reminded himself.

‘The future of humanity depends on the Mini Reapers. This transitional chaos… is inevitable.’

Upon reaching the conclusion section of the report, his expression grew even more serious.

[It is expected that these conflicts will be resolved only if the distribution rate is raised above 80%.]

[However, due to the current disappearance of most Golden Reapers, there are complications in increasing the distribution rate.]

[Consequently, the probability of significant conflicts arising among non-Mini Reaper holders has increased more than anticipated.]

James leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

All sorts of scenarios raced through his mind.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his desk.

“Where could they possibly be…”

His gaze stopped on a single small cake plate sitting there.

It was far too small for a human to use, like some sort of toy.

On that plate lay the Mini White Hungry Ghost, left behind by a Golden Reaper for protection.

*

Junior No. 2 walked cautiously through the city submerged in Evolution Liquid.

With each step, her heart raced with anxiety.

The closer she got to the place where the Black Reaper had seen the slate, the larger and more numerous the mirrors surrounding her became.

And those mirrors all seemed broken, as if they had been forcibly patched together.

Faint light seeped out between the mirror shards, creating a chilling atmosphere.

“I’m nervous…!”

Junior No. 2 muttered in a small voice.

Her eyes were constantly surveying her surroundings.

As if something could jump out from the mirror at any moment.

Seeing her like that, the Golden Horn Reaper patted her on the cheek soothingly, as if to say not to worry.

However, Junior No. 2 couldn’t easily shake off her anxiety.

Passing through the long corridor of mirrors, they finally arrived at their destination.

It was a basin made up of colossal mirrors.

At the center of the basin stood a towering mirror that seemed to pierce the sky, and behind it was a building that resembled the one where the Saintess had been.

‘Over there!’

The Black Reaper pointed to a large temple beyond the basin with its finger.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

At that moment, suddenly heavy footfalls echoed.

A form began to reflect in the huge mirror.

At first, it was faint, but it gradually became clearer.

The sight was so horrifying that Junior No. 2 gasped.

It was a monster wielding a gigantic scythe.

Its body was draped in a black cloak, with a long stake instead of a head.

At the end of that stake, Evolution Liquid continuously bubbled up, forming a gruesome head.

Even though it hadn’t fully emerged from the mirror yet, the overwhelming presence of this object made Junior No. 2 instinctively step back.

Thud. Thud.

With each step the terrifying object took closer, she held her breath and stepped back, step by step.

“An elite…? No, it looks even stronger…”

She muttered with a trembling voice.

Creeeek.

Now the object in the mirror slowly pulled its scythe out of the mirror, beginning to pull its body out.

The mirror gradually cracked and crumbled just from that powerful object emerging.

At that moment, the Golden Horn Reaper raised its small hand, pointing at the object while releasing a will.

“Enemy!”

Then, from the shadow of the Purple Reaper, numerous heads of Golden and Red Reapers emerged.

The Mini Reapers began to advance slowly, as if walking from the ocean to the beach, rising from the shadows.

At the forefront were the 1st Sword of the Golden Reaper and the Red Sun Reaper.

And as the 1st Sword of the Golden Reaper made eye contact with the object in the mirror, it slowly began to—

Thud. Thud.

—slowly disappear back into the mirror.