The evening was dark, but fireworks were brightly illuminating the sky.

It was the opening ceremony of the expo.

By the time the opening ceremony was about to begin, thanks to the efforts of the institute's staff, the previously empty "Sehee Research Institute booth" was now decently set up.

I also saw a familiar face.

The piano-playing lizard!

Seeing the lizard made me realize that I had completely forgotten about it.

Well, as long as it's well cared for and living happily, I guess that's fine.

The blue lizard had been transported to the expo after a temporary isolation room was set up.

The isolation room was simple, made of glass, with a large piano placed in the center.

As soon as the lizard arrived at the expo, it started playing enthusiastically.

It was still a wonderful performance that touched the heart.

There would be a lot of people at the expo, so would the lizard be okay? Wouldn't it die from exhaustion?

[Receive a standing ovation from ten thousand people simultaneously.]

Since getting a simultaneous standing ovation from ten thousand people isn't easy, it should be fine, right?

A "cute dog" was also present at the expo, but it didn't seem to be treated very well.

It was chained by the neck to a stake driven into the isolation room.

In the past, it would have grown in size and gone on a rampage if it had been treated this poorly.

Seeing that the "cute dog" had become more docile, I felt somewhat proud and pleased.

Well, if it can't control its temper and goes on a rampage again, I can always bring out the "Sunny Park" to restore order.

As more Objects from Sehee Research Institute were being transferred to the expo, there was one thing about the expo that I didn't like.

That was my isolation room.

It was nice that a bed and TV were provided for comfort.

But the rest of the facilities were far from satisfactory.

A colorful slide and a ball pit? Do they think I'm a child?

"Yerin, we're heading to the opening ceremony."

Leaving those words behind, everyone headed to the event hall where the opening ceremony was being held.

Since everyone seemed eager to attend the ceremony, I volunteered to stay and watch over the booth.

So, I sat alone at the counter, guarding the entrance to the "Sehee Research Institute booth."

Since the general public wasn't allowed in yet, the expo was quiet.

I didn't regret missing the opening ceremony. Watching the Reaper was much more fun!

Glancing back, I could clearly see the Reaper's isolation room.

When the isolation room was first set up, the Reaper had a sullen expression.

Was there something about it that he didn't like?

But now, after some time had passed, he seemed quite excited.

He was enjoying himself, throwing balls and swimming through the ball pit.

The sight of the Reaper swimming in the transparent ball pit, flailing his limbs, was something I had to capture in a photo!

But the Reaper is sharp, so he would definitely notice if I tried to approach or take a picture.

I'll have to be content with secretly watching and storing the image in my memory.

Late in the evening, after the opening ceremony had ended, I was splashing around in the ball pit, watching Sehee and Yerin argue.

"Sehee, it would be better to take the Reaper out. If we just leave him here, it's obvious something bad will happen."

"No, you're just saying that because you want to go out and play with the Reaper."

Yerin and Sehee were arguing over something that wasn't really important.

It was about whether or not to take me out to explore the expo.

"Either way, if we just leave him confined, he'll eventually sneak out and explore on his own."

How did she know?

I was already getting tired of the ball pit and was thinking about exploring the expo to see if there were any interesting Objects.

"If the Reaper escapes on his own, it would be a disaster, but if a researcher accompanies him, it won't look like an accident, so it might actually be better."

The argument, which went on for quite a while, finally ended with Sehee conceding to Yerin's persistence.

"Sigh, I warned the organizers that this would happen, but they still called the Reaper. So, it should be fine. Go out with him tomorrow."

A mansion occupying a vast estate in the heart of Seoul.

After the Object incidents occurred, with safe land becoming increasingly scarce, a mansion with such a large estate in Seoul commanded an astronomical price.

In the quiet inner courtyard of this expensive mansion, an elderly man and a middle-aged man sat drinking tea.

"The expo has begun as planned. Shall we proceed with the trial?"

The elderly man did not respond to the middle-aged man's words, merely sipping his tea.

The middle-aged man, seemingly accustomed to such situations, bowed to the elderly man before leaving the mansion.

After leaving the mansion, the middle-aged man hurriedly made a phone call.

"We'll have to wait a bit longer for Omuryeong's trial."

The man on the phone continued his conversation while gesturing commands to his chauffeur.

That night, the middle-aged man's car sped along a deserted road as the expo's opening ceremony took place.

Yerin seemed in high spirits from early morning.

"Hmm, hmm-hmm."

Humming a tune, Yerin was preparing a sign to hang around my neck.

The sign had these words written on it:

<Sehee Research Institute. Gray Reaper.>

<The Gray Reaper is safe!>

<This Object is very curious, so please observe it warmly.>

Yes, Yerin was getting ready to take me around the expo.

I also preferred moving around in my physical form with Yerin rather than sneaking around alone as a ghost, so I waited patiently for her to finish preparing.

"All done!"

Yerin held up the sign she had made and shouted loudly.

The sign had not only text but also a drawing on it, which was quite decent.

Wow, Yerin is pretty good at drawing too.

Yerin hung the sign around my neck, lifted me up, and put me on her shoulders.

"Here we go!"

Yerin shouted energetically and boldly stepped out of the Sehee Research Institute booth.

Honestly, I wondered if it was okay to walk around so openly like this.

But it turned out to be fine.

In fact, there were so many people who were scared that it made the experience quite pleasant.

No one tried to come close; they just whispered from a distance.

The expo Yerin and I were exploring had quite a few interesting Objects.

If I saw something I wanted to check out, I just had to wiggle my feet to signal Yerin.

When I spotted a small rock that looked like it was made of shadows, I wiggled my feet to signal Yerin.

Even without saying anything, Yerin understood surprisingly well, which was convenient.

Wiggle, wiggle. (Let's go over there.)

"You want to see the Busan Research Institute's isolation room, right?"

When Yerin stopped at my signal, I could take a closer look.

In the isolation room, there was a pitch-black rock under a large lamp.

<Shadow Werewolf Stone.>

<When the stone is exposed to light, a werewolf made of shadows will emerge.>

<It has a blind aggression towards humans, so please be cautious.>

It was a very straightforward name for an Object.

It was a fearsome Object that, when exposed to light, would cause a shadowy werewolf to emerge from the stone and slaughter people.

Is it really okay to bring something like this here?

Moreover, the lamp was still shining its light intensely on the stone.

I could see why after reading the explanation below.

<If this Object is fully engulfed in shadows, it will dissolve into the shadows and disappear.>

<The location where it reappears is completely random, meaning it could suddenly appear anywhere on Earth.>

<If you're not planning to abandon containment, never stop shining light on it.>

So, they have to keep shining light on it continuously, even if it means a monster will appear?

Where’s the werewolf then? I wondered as I looked around, spotting a small, artificially created shadow inside the isolation room.

I could feel the presence of the Object in that shadow.

Inside the tiny shadow, a werewolf the size of a thumb was glaring at the humans.

<When exposed to light, the shadow werewolf that appears is formed in the shadow closest to the stone.>

<The Object's main body, the stone, does not cast any shadow.>

<The werewolf's size is proportional to the size of the shadow.>

<The werewolf cannot leave the shadow.>

After examining the stone and the werewolf from different angles, I signaled Yerin again.

Wiggle, wiggle. (Let's go somewhere else.)

While wandering around, I discovered another very impressive Object.

It was an isolation room with nothing but a single computer in it, which had been brought over from a research institute in Japan.

Although it wasn't a particularly dangerous Object, it was hard to imagine how they had captured it.

The description was kindly translated into Korean, so I could read about the Object.

<Internet Phantom.>

<Never connect this computer to a network.>

It was an Object confined to computer data, and if it connected to a network, it would escape, so they had to be cautious.

Once connected, it would wander around inside the network, constantly manipulating public opinion and causing chaos.

How did they even manage to contain something like this?

I was curious, but that was probably the research institute's know-how, so it wasn't written down.

As we continued to explore the various research institutes at the expo, I noticed something strange.

The gloomy researchers who were welcoming people at the Bucheon Research Institute booth.

Of course, it wasn't just that they looked too tired; it was that they weren't human.

Despite their human-like appearance and behavior, they were Objects.

Could those researchers be suffering from something like "Golden Horn Syndrome"?

But fully transformed into Objects? That's kind of fascinating.

Behind the researchers stood a massive golden tree.

But... does it look a bit brighter than before?