A dim red light flickered ominously in the eerie factory corridor.

The steel beams rising up from the floor looked like polished ribs, gleaming in the faint light.

“Huff, huff.”

The scene was exactly the same as when I first entered the factory, but now, with my breath coming in ragged gasps and my mind gripped by anxiety, everything around me seemed far more terrifying.

The more I ran, the harder it became to breathe. My chest felt tight, my stomach churned, and a growing sense of dread weighed heavily on me.

The narrow factory corridor seemed to close in with every step, as if the walls were trying to trap me. And that unsettling smell of oil wafting from deep within the factory...

I had initially dismissed it as just another industrial odor, something typical of a factory. But now, I realized I shouldn’t have ignored it. That oily stench was proof that this factory had been tainted by something far from ordinary.

The once-reliable "Anti-Object Suppression Shield" I had carried with such confidence was now discarded on the ground. I needed speed and endurance more than a useless piece of metal.

“I never should have taken that strange foreigner’s job.”

At the time, the client had seemed quirky but offered a hefty reward. Now, in hindsight, it was clear he was a suspicious figure in odd clothing.

The echo of my footsteps, lonely and out of place, reminded me that I was now completely alone. My comrades, who had once stood shoulder to shoulder with me, had all fallen. Their final expressions, twisted in fear and pain, were etched in my memory.

As I hurried through the narrow factory corridor, I finally saw the parking lot ahead. Beyond it, something shimmered like a mirage, filling me with hope.

At last!

Freedom was within reach. If I could just make it through the parking lot, I could escape.

The Objects occupying the pudding factory hadn’t attempted to leave the premises, so once I was outside, I’d be safe.

Hope swelled within me, and I began to believe in my escape. I vowed that if I got out of here, I would never take on another dangerous "Object Retrieval" job again.

But my hopeful plan was dashed before it could even begin.

“H-haha...”

A dry, bitter laugh escaped my parched lips. The hollow sound, something I could hardly believe came from me, echoed through the vast parking lot.

In the center of the parking lot stood one of the Objects occupying the pudding factory.

A massive, two-meter-tall teddy bear made of steel.

But it didn’t match the description I’d been given. This was something far more monstrous.

The teddy bear’s face twisted unnervingly as it moved, the sound of grinding metal echoing like a cruel, mocking laugh.

Had I really escaped, or had this thing just been toying with me the whole time?

Judging by the bear’s demeanor, it seemed like the latter.

The adrenaline that had fueled my desperate sprint drained away, leaving my legs heavy with the weight of despair. I collapsed onto the asphalt, unable to muster the strength to flee.

The bear’s glowing red eyes locked onto mine, radiating a cruel light as if to say, “A prey that doesn’t run isn’t worth the chase.”

In a flash, the steel-fisted monster lunged at me, delivering a casual yet deadly blow to my head.

And with that, the endless darkness swallowed me whole.

A man with jet-black hair, blue eyes, and a towering height of over 190cm glanced at the smartwatch strapped to his wrist.

“Dangerous. This is dangerous. By now, the ‘Object Retrieval Experts’ who abandoned us have probably all perished.”

“You speak Korean fluently! You don’t seem to need a translator, so why? Why on earth?”

A furious Korean man shouted at him.

The foreigner replied calmly, “Because I’m a genius. Learning a new language only takes a day.”

“That’s not what I meant! Why did you hire me as a translator if you’re so good at Korean?”

The frustrated translator pounded his chest.

The foreigner wagged his finger side to side as he explained.

“Because it’s business, not tourism, my dear translator. In business, it’s only polite to have a skilled local translator by your side.”

The translator slumped to the floor in despair.

“I knew I shouldn’t have taken this job. I should’ve been suspicious when I saw how strange you looked.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. And in the future, avoid translation jobs that offer a hefty sum in advance from clients in weird outfits.”

The foreigner patted the translator’s shoulder sympathetically, his expression serious.

The foreigner’s outfit was indeed peculiar. Stylish sunglasses perched on his head, a full-body suit that resembled a wetsuit covering him from head to toe, and a smartwatch on his wrist.

“And calling this multi-purpose suit, designed by the genius ‘James’ himself, suspicious is just unfair. It was custom-made for my trip to dangerous Korea, perfect in both design and anti-Object protection.”

James lifted the translator to his feet with a firm grip on his shoulders.

“Cheer up. I plan to fulfill my responsibility as your employer, so as long as I’m alive, you won’t die either.”

James smiled brightly at the translator, though the reassurance was hollow given the high likelihood that both of them could die in this situation.

In the backseat of a car, I lay sprawled out on a makeshift camping mat.

It wasn’t as plush as a real bed, but it was comfortable enough. Yerin had set it up for me, saying it was for long drives, and I was quite satisfied with it.

Surrounded by a variety of bread and snacks, it was a cozy little space.

Of course, there was no pudding.

Now, there was only one type of pudding left for me to eat!

I was currently on my way to a factory near the Incheon Sea in Yerin’s car. Originally, I had planned to sneak off on my own, but Yerin insisted on coming along.

“Reaper, they say the factory in Incheon uses Objects to produce pudding. The U.S. has already reached the stage of using Objects to manufacture consumer goods. I wonder when that will be possible here in Korea?”

While waiting for a traffic light, Yerin was quickly researching information about the factory.

For me, who had been planning to storm the factory and destroy every Object inside, this was surprising news.

They’re using Objects to make pudding?

Does that mean I shouldn’t destroy all the Objects?

I had been planning to unleash a horde of Golden Reapers, who were growing increasingly restless without their beloved pudding, but now that seemed like a bad idea.

The blonde girl, now fully accustomed to her nocturnal lifestyle, looked up at the sky and spoke.

“Mister, the red moon is out.”

She looked displeased.

“It’s disappointing because it’s a completely different moon. There’s no heat like the sun, no soft, enveloping sand. It’s just a moon that exists and observes. Is this the intention of the one who destroyed the red moon?”

She tore her gaze from the sky and gently stroked the hair of the Black Agent, who was fast asleep.

He had fallen asleep early, knowing they would have to be busy from the next morning.

The girl felt a pang of sadness, as if their lives were no longer aligned.

Until the red moon rose again and she could stand under the sun, this would be a common occurrence.

She wanted to recreate the red moon, but the heart that was supposed to guide her was silent.

It was a melancholic night.

The sky itched.

It was a sensation foreign to humans, something they could never experience.

An itch in the sky.

Lying in the car and looking up at the sky, I saw the cause.

The red moon, which I had destroyed, was now hanging in the sky.

It was much smaller than the original moon, nestled cutely beside it.

I knew instantly.

That moon is mine.

It seemed to have appeared as a result of defeating the red moon, but despite having destroyed countless Objects, I had never encountered something like this before.

Not only did I gain abilities, but there was also this unexpected side effect.

“Reaper, we’re in big trouble. There are two moons. Could it mean another desert is forming?”

Yerin had just noticed the second moon and was in a frenzy.

She hurriedly turned on the radio, probably to get more information.

[A sinister red moon has appeared in the sky. Unlike the previous phenomenon during the Gangseo Desert incident, this time it’s not localized.]

[If this moon is a precursor to global desertification, as predicted by many scientists, then the apocalyptic scenarios they’ve warned about could become a reality.]

[It took just over a week to turn a region the size of Gangseo into a desert, so if the entire planet were to undergo desertification, it might take about 200,000 years.]

[Let’s just hope we don’t wake up in a desert a week from now.]

Every channel was talking about the "Red Moon."

The atmosphere was thick with the fear of imminent desertification, but from my perspective as the owner of the red moon, it all seemed out of place.

I patted Yerin’s shoulder to reassure her as she looked increasingly worried.

**

Since we had left late, it was already deep into the night by the time we reached the factory.

The area around the factory was bustling with people who appeared to be officials.

Given that a dangerous Object had taken over the factory, it seemed odd that so many people were casually milling around nearby.

While Yerin went off to engage in some seemingly pointless conversations with the officials, I stood by, observing the factory.

There was an unsettling smell in the air.

It was a smell I had encountered in the desert—a smell that signaled trouble.

I had a bad feeling that I might accidentally let a Golden Reaper slip through my fingers this time too.