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Kkyu-hing-hing.

In the open lot where the campfire’s flames were flickering, the crying sound of the White Hungry Ghost echoed softly.

Amidst the warm glow lighting up the surroundings, two Golden Reapers stood facing each other with serious expressions.

One was an ordinary Golden Reaper with no unusual features.

The other was a Golden Halo Reaper with a glowing mental body floating like a shadow behind it.

However, the size of the mental body, which was much larger than the Golden Reaper’s main body, had shrunk down to about the size of the Golden Reaper’s head.

When the Golden Halo Reaper returned the Halo of Circulation contained in the mental body to its mother, it instantly shrank down to the size of a Golden Reaper’s head.

Around the Golden Reapers, many Mini Reapers were watching, and among those spectators, a Color Hungry Ghost stepped forward.

Kkyu!

The moment the signal from the Color Hungry Ghost rang out, the two Golden Reapers, who had been on standby, took combat stances facing each other.

And like martial artists who had trained in combat for many years, they raised their hands and dashed toward each other with agile movements.

The first attack was initiated by the Golden Halo Reaper.

The Golden Halo Reaper’s fists flew toward the opponent’s plump cheeks in quick succession.

But the ordinary Golden Reaper was no pushover either.

The Golden Reaper quickly twisted his head to dodge the attack and, with a flashy spin, executed a sharp kick aimed at the upper body.

A series of rapid punches directed at the plump belly and cheeks!

A spinning kick targeting the upper body!

The movements of the two Golden Reapers looked like they were dancing.

But their expressions were quite serious.

They glared at each other, as if fighting a harmful object, striving to show no openings.

At first, their skills seemed evenly matched.

The way they blocked each other’s attacks and countered appeared like a reflection in a mirror.

However, the outcome of this fierce duel came sooner than expected.

It happened the moment the Golden Halo Reaper attempted a kick aimed at the opponent’s head.

The Golden Reaper seized that opportunity, lowered his body, and executed a perfectly timed tackle.

“Uang!”

With the Golden Halo Reaper’s disheartened will, his body was lifted into the air.

The next moment, the Golden Halo Reaper lay flat on the ground, and the Golden Reaper quickly took position and began pummeling with tiny fists.

Doo-shi doo-shi.

Punches mercilessly crashing down on the plump cheeks.

The Golden Halo Reaper tried to twist away and escape while defending against the pounding, but ultimately couldn’t break free.

Kkyu!

At that moment, the referee Color Hungry Ghost jumped between the Golden Reapers, ending the match right there.

Once the match was over, the Golden Halo Reaper lay sprawled on the ground with a very disappointed expression.

Though there had originally been a slight skill gap between them, even after becoming a special Golden Reaper, he could not win.

Hing.

It was an expected outcome.

The evolution of the Golden Halo Reaper was solely for mastering the Halo perfectly.

The evolution of the Golden Halo Reaper did not enhance basic combat abilities or physical capability unlike other special Golden Reapers.

As the flames of the campfire continued to burn, the defeated Golden Halo Reaper lay beside the Purple Girl, staring up at the sky.

*

After a long time of lying in deep sleep as if dead, a small groan slipped through the lips of the Purple Girl.

“Umm….”

Her long eyelashes fluttered, and slowly her eyelids opened.

Before her eyes appeared an unfamiliar scene.

Guardians engulfed in flames all over their bodies amidst large fireballs.

Golden friends and magical books that looked just like them were jumping around with cheerful expressions.

And the sweet aroma permeating the air.

This scene was entirely disconnected from the situation before the Purple Girl lost consciousness, leaving her utterly bewildered.

At that moment, the Golden Halo Reaper, who was lying flat, noticed that the Purple Girl had awakened and rushed towards her.

The multicolored Stone Hungry Ghosts, who had been circling around and sticking close, and the Teacher Hungry Ghost carefully took a step closer to the Purple Girl.

The appearance of the Hungry Ghosts seemed to convey a feeling of, “What if the Purple Girl still has no memory and dislikes us?”

The Purple Girl who had awakened looked a bit tired but seemed healthy.

The image of the girl, who had always pained the Teacher Hungry Ghost, gradually losing vitality like a wilting flower over time, was nowhere to be found.

Now, she was like someone who had reversed time, appearing just as she did in the radiant days of the floating city.

Her skin, glowing with a healthy complexion, looked moist like petals drenched with dew.

The Teacher Hungry Ghost, gazing at her, wore a deep, relieved smile.

With an expression still bewildered as if just waking from a dream, the Purple Girl carefully peeled off the Golden Halo Reaper clinging to her cheek and placed it in her palm, looking at it.

“I was definitely supposed to die with my teacher…?”

Muttering with a confused voice, the girl looked around once more.

And at that moment, she saw the multicolored Stone Hungry Ghosts and Teacher Hungry Ghost keeping a respectful distance.

Then, like a dam that had long been blocked bursting free, tears began to flow from the corners of the girl’s eyes.

“Everyone was here.”

Without hesitation, the girl approached and embraced the Teacher Hungry Ghost.

Ignoring the cold and hard surface of the Stone Hungry Ghost, she burst into loud sobs.

Her tears flowed down, soaking the surface of the Stone Hungry Ghost.

“I’m sorry for forgetting all of you.”

As she apologized in a trembling voice, the girl paused for a moment before adding in a quieter tone.

“I’m sorry for being weak.”

The Golden Halo Reaper smiled with a relieved expression while watching this scene unfold.

The Purple Girl noticed the Golden Halo Reaper and reached out, pulling the Golden Halo Reaper into her embrace as well.

“I’m so relieved, everyone.”

Finally, the girl closed her eyes and, as if whispering a secret, murmured softly to the Golden Halo Reaper in her arms.

“This is the original smell of a friend. So warm like the sun… and it fills the air just by being close to it.”

After finishing her words, the girl smiled brightly and, exhausted from crying, peacefully fell asleep.

This time, her sleep was no longer an escape filled with pain and scars, but a peaceful and sweet rest.

Her expression bore the genuine happiness that had long been absent.

*

After the Fish-shaped Bread Festival ended, I walked slightly away from the softly burning campfire, starting to look around.

Doo-bang doo-bang.

No matter where I looked, the Black Planet, which used to be filled with Evolution Liquid, now showed no signs of it.

‘The Evolution Liquid has all disappeared.’

The ground looked somewhat reddish and contaminated, but there was no sight of Evolution Liquid.

It must be because the Shark External Being absorbed all the Evolution Liquid with its “Authority.”

In a conceptual sense, it had absorbed everything, so now the Black Planet could be considered safe.

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

The Black Planet was steadily approaching Earth, and the Evolution Liquid saturating that planet was sure to have caused enormous issues.

But knowing it was a problem, I couldn’t be bothered to deal with it, so I felt really relieved.

What used to be a bothersome problem was now like adding another playground.

A world of incredible alchemists!

Filled with all sorts of relics buried in the Evolution Liquid!

As I wandered around with a bunch of Fish-shaped Bread in my arms, I noticed Golden Reapers following behind me, each carrying a Fish-shaped Bread like I was.

When I turned my head and looked down at the children, the lead Golden Reaper confidently sent me a message with a bright expression.

‘Mom is amazing!’

Then, he offered me the Fish-shaped Bread he was holding.

‘What’s so amazing about the same Fish-shaped Bread?’

I picked up the Fish-shaped Bread given by the Golden Reaper and munch-munched it down.

‘!’

Then, the special flavor of the Gray Reaper Pudding spread through my mouth.

The texture was still that of bread and red bean, but interestingly, the taste was different.

Why does this Fish-shaped Bread taste different?

‘It’s amazing!’

As I wore a face like that, the Golden Reaper who handed me the Fish-shaped Bread grinned into a gleeful “Hehe.”

Then came up close to my ear as if to share a tremendous secret and whispered quietly.

If you give the Fish-shaped Bread Pudding, the fish will eat the pudding, and it turns into Pudding-flavored Fish-shaped Bread.

‘!!!, This Fish-shaped Bread could move?’

Thinking it was just a real Fish-shaped Bread because it was so calm and didn’t squirm like a Hungry Ghost or others….

‘I’m going to feed it meat!’

‘Fish-shaped Bread that humans love!’

Then the Golden Reaper said he was dreaming of making roast meat flavored Fish-shaped Bread that humans love.

Hmm, that doesn’t seem like something they’d enjoy….

Ugh, roast meat flavored Fish-shaped Bread.

Just imagining it felt strange.

But I didn’t tell him because I didn’t want to see the Golden Reaper disappointed.

Hehe.

Smiling inwardly, I walked along the unnaturally high road.

And at the end of the road lay a city that was perfectly intact, just like something out of fantasy, and a gigantic corpse sprawled nearby that could rival it.