As I looked up at the massive, burning red skull, I heard a strange sound.

“Grrraaahhh.”

Following the noise, I found a mysterious blob of slime writhing in the spot where the heart, now turned to ashes, had once been.

The black, foul-smelling mass exuded a stench so unbearable that even the Golden Reapers, with their keen senses, had already fled far away.

What on earth is this?

As I approached closer, I could almost hear it trying to say something.

“I don’t want to die.”

“Save me.”

The faint, garbled noises were definitely saying, “Save me.”

Seeing it speak in human language reminded me of that creature from the cave—the one that attacked me, a grotesque fusion of a human and an Object.

Looking more closely at this melting blob, I realized it was vaguely humanoid, squirming as if trying to take on a human shape.

So, there was another one of these harmful monsters?

Well, it needs to die.

Without a second thought, I struck at the blob's head, overlapping my attack.

Sizzle.

As the head was obliterated, the slime began to boil and writhe before finally exploding with a loud “pop.”

Even as its head was about to be destroyed, the slime creature kept muttering, “I don’t want to die. Save me,” just like the cave monster, before it finally died, leaving behind only the same black blood.

The blob could no longer maintain its form, and it dissolved into a pool of black blood, spreading out in all directions.

Thud, thud.

Still asleep, the Golden Reaper on my head continued to punch me in its sleep.

Hmm...

It’ll probably be angry.

But it’ll be fun.

I picked up the sleeping Golden Reaper from my head and dropped it into the pool of slime.

In that instant...

The Golden Reaper, which, like me, was usually hard to wake once it fell asleep, jolted awake in sheer terror and leaped out of the slime.

After shaking off the slime with its ghostly form, the Golden Reaper seemed ready to scold me but instead sulked back into the Golden Reaper realm.

Oh, it’s really mad this time.

Even when I summoned it back onto my palm, it turned its back to me, refusing to look at me.

“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again... probably.”

I stroked it gently, trying to convey my sincerity.

After a while, the Golden Reaper glanced back at me, then, with a smile, clung back onto my head.

As expected, the Golden Reaper is really kind-hearted.

I climbed up onto the burning skull.

The skull was so large, and the flames so intense, that they engulfed my entire body.

Is this something a human could even do?

There’s no fireproof suit in existence that could withstand these flames...

Sitting atop the towering skull, looking up at the red moon, I felt as though I was a little closer to it.

The destruction condition for the red moon:

<Place the red skull in the center of the desert, set it on fire, and dance on top of it.>

I’ve secured the red skull, and it’s burning now.

All that’s left is to position it in the center and dance!

If I return to the lab with Seo-ah, Yerin will have bought some new pudding, right?

I need to finish this quickly and get back.

The center of the desert is directly beneath the red moon.

Sitting on the burning skull, I played around with the Golden Reapers, waiting for the red moon to align with the skull.

But the red moon didn’t seem inclined to move directly over the skull.

In fact, it felt like the moon was orbiting around the skull.

The moon’s movement pattern had changed.

What’s this? Do I really have to carry the skull over there?

I was hiding under a pyramid of Golden Reapers, taking shelter from the searing moonlight.

It might sound strange to call it “searing moonlight,” but the light really was that hot.

My little guardian angel, the Golden Reaper, sat on my palm.

The Golden Reaper tapped my palm.

That was the signal—he wanted me to toss him into the air.

I stepped out from under the pyramid and prepared to throw the Golden Reaper high into the sky.

Even though I knew this tiny golden creature was much stronger than a human, it still looked so small and fragile that I was always careful when tossing it.

I slowly raised my palm and flicked the Golden Reaper into the sky.

For a human, it would be an unbelievably terrifying height, but the Golden Reaper grinned from ear to ear, thoroughly enjoying it.

Spinning in the air, it struck a pose like a gymnast before landing gracefully.

“Wow! Well done.”

I clapped and patted it on the head, and it smiled even wider.

It looked even happier than when I had tossed it.

Maybe it wasn’t the fun of soaring through the air that made it keep asking me to do it, but the joy of being praised afterward?

Well, it’s cute, so who cares?

Just as the Golden Reaper was looking up at me, craving more attention, it suddenly whipped its head around and stared off into the distance, beyond the horizon.

At that very moment, the sky split open.

A massive pillar of red light descended from the heavens.

And all sorts of Objects began to rise from every direction.

“Reaper! Objects are appearing!”

I clutched the Golden Reaper close to my chest and cautiously scanned my surroundings.

All around me, sand soldiers were rising up from the ground.

The Golden Reaper, usually quick to detect any Object that posed a threat to me, didn’t seem particularly concerned this time.

Did it decide that these Objects weren’t a threat?

Fortunately, the newly emerged Objects showed no interest in me. Instead, they were all rushing toward the pillar of light.

After a while, the Golden Reaper lost interest in the pillar and started dancing in my hand.

Dancing?

Why now?

Even though it was sudden, the Golden Reaper seemed genuinely happy, dancing and smiling broadly.

Ugh, this is such a hassle.

I was dancing in the flames.

And I had been doing so for almost an hour.

Looking down, I could see the Golden Reapers below, laughing and chatting happily as they danced along with me.

You guys sure are having fun.

Honestly, I started dancing out of a mix of frustration and resignation.

Moving the skull was impossible, and the red moon wasn’t getting any closer.

So I just went for it—what did I have to lose?—and started dancing, and it turned out to be the right move.

A spotlight came down on me, and the red moon began to inch closer.

At this rate, I’d probably have to keep dancing for another three hours.

The dance I modeled was one I had seen in countless photos before—the little black penguin’s signature dance.

But having never danced before, it was surprisingly difficult.

Just as I was thinking that all I had to do was keep dancing until the red moon aligned directly above me, another obstacle appeared.

Objects began swarming in from all sides, attacking me.

Three hours of non-stop dancing in flames hot enough to turn sand into glass, all while fending off Object attacks?

And before that, I had to defeat a giant fire-breathing skull.

Is this even possible for a human?

Forget whether it’s possible or not, it’s hard to believe anyone could even figure out how to destroy this thing.

Luckily, I didn’t need to deal with the approaching Objects—I just had to keep dancing.

The Golden Reapers, as if to say “No one will ruin this party!” took care of the Objects for me.

The Objects that approached were swiftly torn apart by the Golden Reapers, as if they had been thrown into a shredder.

Three hours.

I hope it passes quickly.

Since the pillar of light descended from the sky, the moonlight has been weakening.

It’s probably the Gray Reaper’s doing.

The scorching moonlight emitted by the red moon had almost lost its power.

The temperature had dropped to a normal level, so there was no longer any need to hide inside the Golden Reaper pyramid.

Moreover, the desert was shrinking.

The once barren desert that stretched to the horizon in every direction was now gone.

Now, wherever I looked, I could see the transparent dome and the familiar cityscape beyond it.

All of this had happened after the pillar of light appeared.

Maybe the Gray Reaper is trying to save people from where that light is coming from?

The distance to the pillar seemed close enough that I could walk there.

With the Golden Reaper, who was happily dancing on my palm, I began to walk slowly toward the pillar of light.

I’m going to meet the Gray Reaper!

A dance party had broken out in the Gray Reaper’s containment room—without the Gray Reaper.

It all started with the Golden Reaper.

Yerin, seeing the Golden Reaper suddenly start dancing, decided to join in, and that’s how it all began.

Of course, she couldn’t keep up with the Golden Reaper’s boundless energy, so after we both collapsed from exhaustion, we sat down, catching our breath and watching TV.

As expected, the Golden Reaper’s spontaneous actions weren’t just for nothing, as the news showed a shocking video.

A grainy clip of the Gray Reaper doing an awkward dance while the Golden Reapers danced innocently around it, captured in high definition.

The Reapers were dancing under a dazzling spotlight in the middle of the desert.

And around the skull where the Gray Reaper was dancing, a crowd of people had gathered.

Is the Gray Reaper a superstar now?

What on earth is going on?

“Sister! Sister! I see Seo-ah unnie over there.”

“Oh, thank goodness, she looks okay.”

We felt a sense of relief as we spotted Seo-ah in the video clip that flashed by.

As expected, the Gray Reaper is a symbol of trust and reliability.

Our lab’s guardian spirit!