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The surface of the black planet completely consumed by evolution liquid.

There, the endlessly stretching black sea resembled a liquid night sky.

The surface glistened like oil, but beneath it lurked an unfathomable pitch-black darkness.

From time to time, enormous bubbles surfaced, bursting to emit a foul stench reminiscent of burnt rubber mixed with heavy oil.

The sky was always covered in thick gray clouds.

Whether it was due to the rising water level of the black sea or the low-lying clouds, the cloud layer seemed so close that it felt like I could reach out and touch it.

Looking up at the sky, I could faintly see the sunlight glimmering, but it appeared weak, like light shining through a fog.

Occasionally, even the sunlight coming through the clouds transformed into an ominous black hue upon touching the black sea, dispersing into nothingness.

Once grand mountain ranges now jutted out like isolated islands above the black sea.

The eroded cliffs rose toward the sky like sharp teeth, their surfaces corroded and discolored into a dark hue by the evolution liquid.

The scant remaining highlands appeared as if they were rotting flesh, glistening in a reddish-black tone.

The air was filled with objects flying through the sky, but they could not escape the influence of the evolution liquid.

Twisted wings, multiple eyes, and flesh that seemed to have melted away.

Originally, the objects had bizarre forms, but now they were even more twisted due to the evolution liquid.

In the depths of the black sea, occasionally, giant shadows could be seen moving.

Something writhing beneath the surface looked like living seaweed or a gigantic serpent.

Tentacles would surface now and then, glimmering with a metallic sheen, their ends sharp like hooks.

On what still could be called the surface were traces of a once-great civilization.

Weathered buildings and broken roads lay scattered about.

Yet wandering among the remnants of that civilization were not humans, but byproducts of the evolution liquid melting away.

Those who were once human had lost their selves, effortlessly liquefying the last traces left by humanity with their own hands.

The winds howling through the ruins sounded like the dying groans of a planet.

Yet above that dismal planet, a cheerful will resonated.

‘Revolution!’

‘Harmful Object!’

The tiny red reapers, as small as a palm, were voicing their will.

These diminutive red reapers were flying around the black planet, setting everything ablaze.

Including the evolution liquid that engulfed the world like a black sea, and even the byproducts that were once human, all of it.

The ring of red fire visible from the earth was a massive pillar of fire with physical force and substance.

The pillars forming the ring started from the surface of the black sea, reaching deep into the abyssal ocean.

These enormous pillars of fire gathered to create a red ring that deeply gouged the black sea, revealing the original ground beneath.

It was as if a miracle had carved a path through the sea, as the pillars of fire devoured part of the black sea.

Truly, an act fitting of the mini reapers who despised evolution liquid.

At the forefront of that ring of fire stood a red reaper, shining like the sun.

Above its head was a white halo, and it turned everything that obstructed the fire’s advance into ash.

The power of nullification was effective even against the objects melted by the evolution liquid, allowing the army of red reapers to gradually consume the black sea.

Behind that red reaper lay a massive flying ship.

It was a gigantic pirate ship made of red flames, like a weapon created by the red reaper.

It was a sort of aircraft carrier where red reapers, limited by their firewood, could pour all of their flames and then rest, with the magnificent figure of the revolutionary red reaper striking a pose at the forefront.

It looked strangely awkward, as if it were mimicking something, clearly influenced by something seen on TV.

At that moment, a voice resonated from behind the red reaper.

‘Stop that and quickly get more firewood!’

‘Okay!’

With that, the red reaper erased its solemn expression and, giggling, dashed towards the center of the deck.

At the center of the deck stood a strikingly visible mini reaper.

It was the golden horn reaper, possessing two elongated horns.

The golden horn reaper stood on the deck, which was filled with the color red, handing firewood to the red reapers who had just dumped all their supplies.

Initially, they had restored their firewood without the golden horn reaper, but they ended up needing its help when chasing after a huge object encountered while advancing through the black sea.

That enormous object was a powerful entity that loomed through the evolution liquid, seeming unscathed and unchanged.

A massive shark-shaped object exuding external being characteristics.

Even a halo-wearing red reaper could not defeat it, but the shark-shaped object was somehow expending energy elsewhere, allowing it to barely be driven off.

‘Should I call for mom…?’

The red reaper stood at the forefront, chasing the vanished shark object, lost in thought as it gazed at the direction the shark had disappeared.

*

After the purple girl had disappeared, the mansion’s study seemed like it could collapse at any moment.

Encouraged by the firewood gifted by mom, the golden reaper took a step back, preparing for battle as the gigantic hungry ghost slowly crawled forward.

Kkyu.

The half-melted white hungry ghost seemed to be in great pain with even the slightest movement, yet it sent a sad expression towards the golden reaper.

[I used to like having my hair combed in the morning.]

[Before my memory faded, I enjoyed alchemy.]

The melted ghost began to ramble about the purple girl without context.

Filled with concerns for the purple girl, the requests started from her favorite food, leading to her favorite clothing style and flowers.

As if time was running out.

[And on her birthday, make a large campfire for her….]

The golden reaper, who had once appeared ready to fight, now gazed up at the ghost with a sad expression.

[Please take care of that child.]

[I can no longer be by her side.]

The melted hungry ghost had only said this brief line, but it appeared to be melting even more.

[My physical body is already dead, and only my soul is bound to ‘Eyes.’]

And the melted ghost took a step closer to the golden reaper, sending forth its will.

[Take the ‘Eyes.’]

[And with it, protect that child.]

But the golden reaper could only look on sadly, unable to take the halo.

It was plain to see that if that halo faded, the good hungry ghost would perish.

[Time is running out.]

[I’ve concealed shelters with the eye of the god that has the power of circulation, but now it’s reaching its limit.]

The golden reaper nodded with a determined expression and removed the halo from atop the ghost’s head.

With that, the gigantic white hungry ghost began to crumble into dust.

Finally, the hungry ghost slowly stood from its seat on two feet, scattering white flames.

It was the final alchemy that burned life to manifest.

[Boundary’s purple flowers, illusion’s yellow fruits, the god’s eye of circulation.]

And just before the white hungry ghost vanished, it shouted loudly, “Kkyu!”

Kkyu!

[Manifesting avatar!]

As the alchemy completed, an overwhelming presence radiated, nearly rivaling mom’s ‘Kyuk.’

As that intense presence spread, the white hungry ghost crumbled into dust, dispersing into the air.

And as the mansion collapsed entirely, the golden reaper opened its eyes next to the unconscious purple girl.

Though emaciated and dying, it was undeniably an attached human.

‘!!!’

And beyond the attached human, a massive shark-shaped object tore through the bronze wall, charging toward them.

It was truly a moment of life or death for the attached human.

[External being-level!]

An adversary that no ordinary golden reaper could ever hope to defeat.

In that instant, the golden reaper flipped the halo it held upside down onto its head.

Suddenly, it felt as though its whole body was ablaze, yet it clenched its teeth and endured.

And using the halo of circulation, it began to protect the attached human.

Firstly, from the half-melted corpse of the gigantic white hungry ghost, white new flesh sprouted, leaping into the air to block the shark object.

Thus, the white hungry ghost began to move once more, swinging its limbs as if the golden reaper was fighting.

And the evolution liquid started to flow in unnatural directions around them, swirling as if to protect the attached human and the golden reaper.

Like a circulating river.

In the space thus created, the bodies of fallen color hungry ghosts were reborn, endlessly charging toward the shark.

Like the mini reapers resurrecting in Valhalla, they would be reborn near the golden reaper upon death.

This appeared to be an imitation of the golden reaper’s wave commonly employed by the gray reaper.

[No way….]

However, the golden reaper’s strained expression reflected its inability to properly stabilize its body.

There was simply too little firewood.

The nearly boundless supply of firewood gifted by mom had rapidly run dry.

[No way!!]

The moment all the firewood had depleted.

The white hungry ghost, which had been fighting like a golden reaper, stopped, and the golden reaper’s body began to crumble like sand.

If it moved its fingers, they would disintegrate, and if it turned its head, its neck would break.

It felt like a doll made of dust, desperately dry.

A body of dust that could collapse at any moment wouldn’t be surprising.

The power of the halo was utterly obliterating the golden reaper’s body.

Barely holding on were the remnants of the little firewood that remained.

If it weren’t for the firewood mom gave, it would have melted away instantly.

[Indeed, was I alone too much of a burden?]

At this rate, it couldn’t protect the attached human.

With the firewood mom gifted almost gone, the golden reaper looked sadly at the unconscious attached human.

And with the intention to enter the eternal abyss with the attached human, its crumbling body slowly reached out to hug the purple girl’s cheek.

[Even after death, let us remain together.]

The golden reaper, transmitting its sorrowful will, had resolved to die together with the attached human, when suddenly, an immense amount of firewood began to rain down from above once more.

*

In the heart of Seoul Forest filled with the golden reapers turned into dummies.

I was having fun playing drums with those dummy golden reapers lined up in a row.

Suddenly, the flesh of the puppet golden reapers began to shrink.

‘That’s strange. Why are they so dry?’

So I added more firewood in bulk to fatten them up again, but it seemed endless, like pouring water into a bottomless well.

The amount of firewood consumed felt as if I were fighting an external being.

After a while of adding firewood, an odd feeling struck me.

‘Could something have happened to the children?’

That thought crossed my mind, and I instantly teleported towards the black planet where the firewood poured in.