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A late autumn’s cool breeze brushed through the streets.

The Golden Horn Isolation Zone, celebrating Halloween, was filled with the warm glow of pumpkin lanterns.

Amidst the orange lights illuminating the street, I lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.

Perhaps because I was lying in the middle of a bustling street, humans adorned with golden horns passed by and looked down at me, but I couldn’t muster the energy to care.

“No, my grand dream…”

I mumbled a tiny resolve toward the sky.

The cultivation of the golden horns was a catastrophic failure.

At first, I thought the hardest task would be to make the golden horns sprout from the head of the Golden Reaper.

But the reality was different.

Just a few days later, a Golden Reaper showing signs of tiny horns appeared, and now that I checked, numerous Golden Horn Reapers were wandering the streets.

The problem came afterward.

Not a single one of the Golden Horn Reapers possessed the abilities I desired.

I assumed every Golden Horn Reaper would have the long-range firewood abilities using the Mini Reaper Network…

Instead, a plethora of Golden Reapers specialized in various other abilities had emerged.

Sigh.

The streets were filled with the Halloween spirit.

Pumpkin lanterns emitted a soft glow, and the scent of sweet treats wafted through the air.

Yet, it wasn’t overly boisterous; it exuded a calm atmosphere.

Perhaps it was due to the large number of people coexisting with the Golden Reapers.

For the Golden Reapers that could read emotions, it didn’t matter whether the voice was soft or loud. Naturally, while speaking to a palm-sized Golden Reaper, one’s voice would tend to lower.

The Golden Reapers were spending joyful moments with their attached humans.

Various kinds of Halloween candies and snacks.

People taking the time to stroll the streets alongside their Golden Reapers.

And the Golden Reapers devouring a variety of treats nestled in the embrace of their attached humans.

Right in the middle of Quiet Festival Street, I simply lay there.

Perhaps feeling pity for my state, the Golden Reapers started to gather around me one by one.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Mom looks sad…”

From Golden Horn Reapers resembling animal horns, like the Golden Ram Reaper and the Golden Deer Horn Reaper,

to those with bizarre, bismuth-like horn shapes.

So many different Golden Reapers looked down at me with worried expressions.

But seeing them like that only made me feel even sadder.

With all those diverse golden horns, why wasn’t there a Golden Horn Reaper with long-range firewood abilities?

I felt a bit wronged.

I wished there were ones who could use ‘Gguk’ like me.

Or those who could move their hair freely.

Or summon a large number of golden tentacles.

There were indeed many diverse abilities, but I couldn’t manage to solve the core issue of ‘firewood’ for automatic hunting.

Even with the children continuously comforting me, as I remained lying down, the Golden Reapers too wore sad expressions.

“Mom, don’t be sad.”

“Mom…”

And then they started to carefully place the precious Halloween treats they received from their attached humans near me.

Worried that I would find it bothersome, they gingerly placed them down with their small hands.

“Mom, if you eat this, you’ll be happy.”

“Mom, it’s a gift.”

Thus, countless Halloween candies piled up around me.

As I turned my gaze, I noticed the faces of the Golden Reapers drooping as if melted.

Such expressions suited a White Hungry Ghost, not the ever-cheerful Golden Reapers.

Seeing their faces made me suddenly think.

“Well, automatic hunting will eventually work out if I keep catching external beings…”

While it would be nice for automatic hunting to happen quickly, there was no need to rush.

After all, I had the 1st Sword.

No matter how late automatic hunting was to occur, as long as the 1st Sword continued to grow and became capable of killing an external being in one hit, it would be completed eventually.

Since the 1st Sword keeps growing without pause, I could achieve it someday.

I stood up and tightly embraced the Golden Reapers with sad faces.

“Mom!”

“Mom is awake!”

“Hehe.”

Then, the Golden Reapers beamed with joy, sticking close to me, as if they were genuinely happy.

I was curious about what expressions the Golden Reapers would make if I stomped all over the treats just before hugging them…

But since I was the kindest mom in the world, I gently embraced the children instead.

Hehe.

*

Paper pinwheels made of candy whirled quickly, and the Golden Reapers roamed in Mapo District.

Starting around lunchtime, something strange began happening in Mapo District.

The Golden Reapers began looking up at the sky with expressions as if they were expecting something.

Golden Reapers living with their attached humans clung to the windowsill and stared up at the sky, while some went out into the apartment corridors to gaze skyward.

A few Golden Reapers even dragged their attached humans outside to look at the sky in nearby parks or playgrounds.

This was a phenomenon that had never been seen from Golden Reapers before.

The attached humans of the Golden Reapers, looking puzzled, took pictures of the Golden Reapers acting strangely and posted them online.

[Why are the Golden Reapers acting like this?]

[I'm feeling uneasy because the Golden Reapers suddenly started behaving this way.]

The number of captured Golden Reapers was remarkably high.

In places like parks where the sky was viewable, it was easy to spot groups of Golden Reapers collectively staring up at the sky.

Articles related to Mini Reapers tend to gain high views, so they were published quickly.

[The strange actions of the Golden Reapers! A precursor to an object incident?]

Initially, there were articles speculating whether something serious was happening.

But the autumn sky was clear and pristine, and no matter how long they waited, it seemed unlikely that anything serious would occur.

Moreover, the expressions of the Golden Reapers were filled not with prepping for anything but with expressions brimming with anticipation.

Thus, opinions on the internet were divided.

During this time, someone made a plausible deduction.

[Isn’t it because today is Halloween?]

And that opinion spread quickly, even becoming a headline in online news articles.

[Is it a unique Halloween for Golden Reapers? Golden Reapers looking up at the sky!]

Thus, the notion that Golden Reapers love Halloween became an established theory.

As a result, attached humans who had previously not been interested in Halloween began to take their attached Reapers out into the streets to enjoy Halloween.

*

Waking from their sweet dreams, the Golden Reapers excitedly began to chatter about their experiences in the Mini Reaper Network.

“I dreamed of star candies!”

“Me too!”

Thus, it was revealed that most of the Golden Reapers had shared the same dream.

Even while sharing opinions on the network,

and directly meeting others while rubbing cheeks to confirm,

the majority of Golden Reapers had dreamt the same dream!

“Same dream!”

“A dream of star candies falling from the sky!”

The Golden Reapers began interpreting what this mysterious phenomenon meant with their little heads.

Then, a Golden Reaper suddenly derived an answer that perfectly suited their tastes.

“Premonition dream!”

“They said it’s a premonition dream!”

“They say star candies will fall from the sky today!”

Then, with faces brimming with anticipation, the Golden Reapers began to look up at the sky.

*

In the end, star candies did not fall from the sky.

However, due to the massive Halloween festival triggered by the actions of the Golden Reapers, many treats were provided to the Golden Reapers.

Not only the Golden Reapers with attached humans but also the wild Golden Reapers without attached humans enjoyed a satisfying festival.

“It really was a premonition dream!”

The Golden Reapers believed the prediction had truly come true.

Though candies didn’t rain down like in the dream, they could eat treats until their bellies swelled up round.

Hehe.

The satisfied spirits of the Golden Reapers, their bellies full to bursting, resonated all around.

Other Mini Reapers mixed among the Golden Reapers joyfully celebrated Halloween.

The streets filled with happy Mini Reapers and warm orange pumpkin lanterns.

Kkyuhing-hing.

From such a joyful street, the lament of a Hungry Ghost could be heard.

In a place adorned with countless pumpkin-shaped lanterns, the mournful wail of a white Hungry Ghost fashioned in the shape of a pumpkin echoed.

Hehe.

Halloween was a delightful festival for the Orange Reaper as well.

*

The peaceful breathing of the purple girl peacefully sleeping spread softly through the room.

Simultaneously, the moonlight gently illuminating the girl’s hair faded away.

Seeing the attached human asleep, the Golden Reaper walked resolutely toward the door.

“This mansion is strange!”

I had to uncover the secret of this mansion for the sake of my attached human.

If I couldn’t reveal the secrets of this mansion, it seemed something terribly sad would occur.

The Golden Reaper took one last look at the sleeping girl’s face.

As if trying to draw courage from her sleeping visage.

Anxieties began to swell within the small chest, but the Golden Reaper decided it could no longer delay.

Everything was suspicious.

The stilled Hungry Ghosts, the distorted paintings, the strange sounds heard at night…

The truth behind all these things had to be revealed.

<1. Do not go outside your room at night.>

Although the mansion’s first rule flashed to mind, the Golden Reaper ignored it and stepped outside the room.

As soon as the Golden Reaper stepped out onto the landing of the second floor, a completely different world unfolded.

What had been a bright and elegant corridor during the day now revealed an entirely different visage at night.

The floor was covered in a thick darkness, appearing almost textured, while the flashy decorations, which always sparkled, glimmered ominously in the light of the Golden Reaper’s golden sheen.

Shadows that looked like the teeth of a monster or claws filled the walls.

Thump. Thump.

The cautious footsteps of the Golden Reaper echoed through the silent corridor.

A space that would usually be bustling with the sounds of Hungry Ghosts was now eerily silent, as if dead.

This silence only amplified the unease.

Before stepping outside the room, the sound of grinding teeth could still be heard, but as soon as the Golden Reaper ventured out, it vanished.

The sharp-toothed Hungry Ghosts seen during the day, and the usually bustling Hungry Ghosts, were nowhere to be found.

But the absence of them created an even greater fear.

It felt as if something was hiding and watching over me.

Stopping in front of the staircase leading down to the first floor, the Golden Reaper hesitated for a moment.

The plush red carpet that covered the stairs led down into darkness.

It looked like the gullet of a massive monster.

At that moment, turning my head suddenly, I spotted a filthy corridor that the attached human had unnaturally introduced without notice.

When I had seen it during the day, it had been cloaked in darkness, but now it seemed oddly bright in contrast.

‘!’

The little eyes of the Golden Reaper widened.

The door at the end of the corridor was slightly ajar.

That door had been firmly closed during the day.

After a moment’s hesitation, the Golden Reaper finally stepped forward as if resolved.

Taking slow, cautious steps, it approached the slowly creaking door.