The sound of the TV echoed hollowly in the isolation room as I writhed in boredom.

‘Yerin... you’re late…’

Lately, Yerin hadn’t been able to visit as often, leaving me feeling lonely.

So, to pass the time, I wandered around the research institute, and during my exploration, I discovered a new isolation room.

The institute had received new Objects.

There were a total of three new Objects that I found while exploring the institute.

Each of the new Objects had a brief description of its origin.

Two of them were discovered by the "Cute Puppy," and one was transferred from another research institute.

In the past, new Objects were brought in only occasionally, but lately, it seemed like they were constantly increasing the number of Objects in isolation whenever they got the chance.

One of the new ones was a creepy Object moving around in an isolation room filled with sand.

Its name was something that made me wonder if it was really appropriate.

"Skeleton Spider."

Should this even be considered a spider?

It looked more like a skeletal hand than a spider…

The Skeleton Spider didn’t really resemble a spider. It looked like a hand with all its flesh gone, roughly bound together with webs.

In fact, it was hard to even say it resembled a human hand since it had more than twenty fingers.

If you consider the fingers as the spider’s legs, then it had far more legs than any spider should have.

After observing it for a while, it started to seem a bit insect-like in its behavior.

It would burrow into the sand and hide, then pounce out to attack when unsuspecting prey wandered by.

It was strange to see a skeleton hand, devoid of any flesh, engaging in hunting, so I kept watching it. However, it didn’t seem to eat anything.

It would simply capture its prey and bind it with webs, burying it in the sand.

Aside from that, it would spread its webs to glide through the air or shoot them out like projectiles.

The more I observed it, like watching ants, the more spider-like it seemed.

Since it looked too creepy to touch, I skipped it and moved on to another isolation room where a different Object was stored.

This isolation room was quite different from the others.

It was set up outdoors, like a racing circuit, with wide-open spaces.

The isolation room had a large courtyard that replicated roads and intersections.

The Object isolated in this room was named "Perfect Navigation."

It was an elegantly crafted navigation system with a beautiful wood grain finish.

It looked more like a piece of fine furniture or an art piece.

The problem was that it was attached to a tricycle.

When I sneaked into the isolation room and climbed onto the tricycle, the navigation system turned on by itself, even though it wasn’t connected to any power source.

“Please state your destination.”

A clear voice came from the navigation system.

The navigation screen displayed a detailed map of the area around the research institute, and it even showed the people and vehicles moving around, reflecting real-time road conditions.

It truly seemed like a "perfect" navigation system, just as its name suggested.

Usually, such a useful Object wouldn’t make it to the institute because the person who discovered it would keep it for themselves.

But since it had ended up here, there was likely a fatal flaw.

Still, it seemed like fun.

Ding, ding.

As I slowly pedaled the tricycle, a clear sound rang out from the metal connected to the wheels.

It was probably a device meant to make it easier to track the tricycle’s location within the large isolation room.

As the tricycle moved forward, the voice from the navigation system began speaking.

“Switching to free-driving mode.”

The tricycle moved forward slowly, matching the speed of my pedaling, with the clear sound continuing to ring out.

This isolation room was designed like a bicycle amusement park.

Except for the fact that it was a rather dangerous amusement park, it was pretty fun.

As I pedaled, metal balls would occasionally roll across the path, or metal dolls would suddenly pop out at the crosswalks.

Each time, the navigation system would perfectly detect these obstacles and give precise instructions on how to avoid them.

With a bit of exaggeration, it felt like you could drive with your eyes closed!

As I rode around the tricycle paths, the fog started to roll in.

Wow, did they even install devices to simulate bad weather?

The fog was so thick that I could hardly see an inch ahead, but thanks to the navigation system, I had no problem navigating.

The navigation even projected light to simulate the external environment.

Feeling exhilarated, I couldn’t help but smile as I pedaled faster.

Riding quickly through the thick fog, unable to see even the tricycle wheels, was surprisingly fun.

The combination of slight unease and wonder made it quite thrilling.

But the fun, seemingly endless, suddenly came to an abrupt end.

The fog that had filled the surroundings suddenly cleared.

‘Huh?’

And then I tumbled down a steep hill.

Thud, thud, thud.

I rolled down and landed in a place that looked like a graveyard for tricycles.

There were many tricycles piled up there, all broken and discarded.

It was high enough that a normal person might not survive the fall, but I was fine thanks to my physical immunity.

I ghosted out of the isolation room and read the description of the Object.

"Perfect Navigation."

"A navigation system that requires no electricity, sensors, or data connections."

"Newly created roads are immediately recorded and mapped by the navigation system."

"Damaged roads and crash sites are instantly logged, providing real-time guidance."

"It instantly records traffic jams and provides the fastest route."

"Warning - If you begin to rely on this navigation system, it will create fog at random times. If you continue to trust the navigation system during the fog, it will lead you into fatal accidents."

"It often guides you off cliffs or into other dangerous situations."

I thought it was a good Object, but it turns out it’s an evil navigation system….

I picked up a photo soaked with blood that had fallen to the floor.

“A picture of the Cute Puppy?”

A dismembered corpse, a shredded notebook, and a photo of the Cute Puppy.

Something about this seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember what.

It felt like something I should definitely remember…

“The ‘Maker’ tested ‘No-Name.’ A criminal attempting to solve a global Object? Is that why they stole the Cube?”

“No-Name?”

The black-suited man, who was shielding the young lady’s eyes from the horrific basement scene, was saying something cryptic.

No-Name… That name rings a bell.

What was it again?

“Don’t bother trying to remember. It’ll only give you a headache.”

“Well, I’m not one to dwell on unnecessary thoughts. This must be another Object-related mystery.”

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.

“So, did you learn anything from this mess?”

“Nothing useful. Just traces of a futile attempt.”

“So, you lost the Maker.”

More people in blue uniforms began flooding into the basement.

They were probably going to start searching every inch for even the smallest clues with their specialized equipment.

Chasing after the Maker was intriguing, but since I didn’t have a specific request, I might as well head back to the office and wait for the next job.

“Junior, let’s head back!”

“Wait, Senior! Where are you going without Hyejin?”

Leaving behind the Skeleton Spider and the Navigation, I arrived at another Object stored in a more secure isolation room.

The moment I saw this Object, I had a feeling.

This one looked fun!

It was a walking doll.

Its head was round like a ball.

Its eyes and mouth were crudely stitched shut, and it was dressed in a garish clown outfit.

Except for the face, it was quite a nice doll.

The problem was that the face was unsettlingly realistic.

The doll wandered around the isolation room, bowing and offering envelopes.

The envelope had “You are invited to Smile Theme Park!” written on it.

So, the Object was named accordingly.

"Theme Park Invitation Doll."

The doll wandered around pitifully, offering invitations, but none of the research institute staff accepted them.

After all, accepting an invitation from an Object was a declaration of willingness to risk death.

As the doll toddled over to me and offered an invitation, I couldn’t help but think that accepting it might lead to something interesting.

A lonely cemetery.

I stood leaning against a tree, waiting endlessly for someone.

All around the cemetery were personnel from the Secret Central Research Institute, stationed to protect me.

The Secret Central Research Institute hadn’t sent me back to prison.

Instead, they had made me the deputy director of the Secret Central Research Institute.

Even when it became impossible to summon the director Object, they left the director’s position vacant and placed me in the deputy director’s seat.

And my first duty as deputy director was to wait at a certain grave for a certain person.

I was certain that now that this man was free, he would come to this place.

It was his mother’s grave, after all.

Step, step.

I heard the familiar sound of footsteps.

When I looked up, I saw him—a man with the same face he had thirty years ago.

He stared at me with the same emotionless eyes as he had thirty years ago.