Under the warm midday sun, golden rays flooded the courtyard of the research lab. There, a small swimming pool, resembling a miniature version of Yangcheon-gu Lake, had been set up.

The pool was full of Golden Reapers, who, despite their silent nature, managed to create an atmosphere both calm and lively. Though they made no sound, their expressions were full of joy, as if the air itself was filled with their invisible, energetic laughter.

Seo-ah, needing a break from paperwork, often strolled through the glass corridor outside the deputy director’s office, where she could observe the courtyard. The sound of water splashing as the Golden Reapers played, and the spray from a mini Hydra shooting water into the sky, created a visual and auditory scene that soothed her mind.

The sight of the Golden Reapers splashing in the water and rising high into the sky on the Hydra's water jets was heartwarming and entertaining.

"Wow, they’re adorable."

"Is the Gray Reaper not around? I was hoping to see them."

Visitors, wearing passes around their necks, admired the Golden Reapers as they played. The glass corridor had been built for lab tours, and while it used to be quiet, it was now bustling with visitors. Since the Yangcheon-gu Lake incident, the number of people requesting to tour the research facility had surged.

So much so that the increase in visitors allowed the lab to become financially independent from government subsidies, something previously thought possible only for large corporate labs. With the lab's profits skyrocketing, it was no wonder that Director Lee Se-hee had been in an exceptionally good mood lately.

Tap, tap.

A soft tapping sound on the glass interrupted the corridor’s tranquility.

Turning her head, Seo-ah saw several Golden Reapers pressed up against the glass wall, curiously observing the magic mirror, which allowed them to see out but blocked the view in. The Golden Reapers' innocent, wide-eyed faces pressed against the glass, their cheeks squished flat, made for an amusing sight.

The combination of their curious expressions and the bright sunlight created such an irresistibly cute scene that even the visitors were pulling out their cameras to snap pictures.

Click.

Seo-ah pulled out her phone from her lab coat pocket and took a picture as well. Even in the photo, the Golden Reapers' chubby cheeks looked like soft buns.

Feeling her spirits lifted after the long hours of paperwork, Seo-ah headed back toward the deputy director's office with noticeably lighter steps.

In a room packed with advanced devices and monitors, James and several members of the Object Association focused intently on the data being transmitted by a camera sent into the sky.

The U.S. Object Association had launched the camera to investigate the "mini moons" that had recently begun appearing.

The idea behind this "Mini Moon Observation Project" had arisen after learning that the "Red Moon" could not be observed from the space station.

In the room filled with blinking consoles and screens, a team of astronomers and Object specialists watched the real-time data coming in from the camera. One of the team members spoke in a calm, measured tone.

"We’ve passed the 100-kilometer altitude mark. Neither the Red Moon nor the Blue Moon is visible."

As the rocket ascended, the tension in the observation room gave way to quiet murmurs as more in-depth investigations began.

"A global hologram? An illusion? It’s more plausible than an actual mass suddenly appearing, but still, everything related to Objects is absurd."

James sighed in frustration as he quietly left the observation room.

A man followed him out into the hallway, catching up with him.

"James, wait a minute."

"What is it?"

James had thought it was time for him, a non-expert, to leave, but now he was being stopped?

He turned to the man, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You’re planning to visit Korea again, right? I heard you’re taking Artifact 0 with you. Isn’t it better to avoid such a dangerous country?"

"It is dangerous. Extremely dangerous. But I have no choice but to go."

James waved a thin report he had pulled from his bag, his face serious.

The cover of the report read: "The Predestined End."

"You’ve seen this report, haven’t you?"

The report, titled "The Predestined End," contained predictions of humanity’s extinction based on various data points.

And so far, none of its predictions had been wrong.

Humanity was slowly marching toward its end.

James slipped the report back into his bag and continued.

"We have to do everything we can to avoid this outcome. And the Gray Reaper is our best chance to stop it. I’m certain of it."

"... Just be careful, James."

"Don’t worry, I’ll be back safely."

With a casual wave, James set off on his way.

The cozy sound of a TV commercial echoed in the comfortable isolation room, filling the space with a slightly annoying yet lively energy.

"Reaper, say ahh."

Lying under the soft, warm blanket, Yerin peeled an orange and popped a piece into my mouth.

The blanket was so warm and fluffy that it made me sleepy, and the soft contrast between the blanket’s coziness and the noisy TV was oddly satisfying.

The bright orange color of the tangerine added a vibrant touch to the calm atmosphere.

The tangy juice from the tangerine was refreshing, waking up my senses.

Ah, home is the best.

The "Blue Moon Adventure" at Yangcheon-gu Lake had been fun, but adventures are like two sides of a coin—one side is fun, the other is exhausting.

The amazing scenery and the Hydra water park were the fun side.

The headache-inducing effort to destroy the blue moon was the exhausting side.

Still, nothing beats the comfort of this isolation room.

Of course, it was strange how quickly I’d go from loving this comfort to wanting to head back out for more fun.

"Oh, right."

Yerin suddenly remembered something and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a neatly packed document.

It was labeled "Object Temporary Transfer/Loan Request."

"Trinity Lab requested to borrow you for about a week. You’re not going, right?"

I have no interest.

Looking away from the report, I turned my head to show my lack of interest.

"As expected! You’re staying here with me at Se-hee’s lab!"

Yerin pressed her cheek against mine and hugged me tightly.

Then I caught a faint whiff of a familiar foul odor emanating from her.

It was the same sinister smell I had detected both at the desert and the lake.

Grabbing the document from her hand, the stench became even more apparent.

Could it be that Trinity is the source of all this?

"Reaper? Are you thinking of going?"

Yerin asked, looking a little downcast.

"I’ll tell Se-hee that you showed some interest."

With a slightly sad expression, Yerin gathered up the documents.

But there was no way I could just leave alone something that seemed harmful to humanity.

In the outskirts of Gwanak-gu, where the city met the suburbs, stood the imposing structure of the Third Division of the Trinity Research Lab.

The building, befitting its reputation as Korea’s top research facility, stood tall and proud, dominating the surrounding landscape with its presence.

Inside the lab, in a room filled with the subtle hum of precision machinery and the faint scent of oil, the director of the Third Division sat calmly, listening to a report.

"Se-hee’s lab has agreed to the loan request. The transfer will begin in a week."

"Good. I thought they might refuse."

The director nodded in satisfaction as he read through the documents handed to him by a woman in a lab coat.

"Everything seems perfectly in order. Flawless."

As he flipped through the last few pages, the director raised a question.

"This prediction here seems quite plausible. What’s your opinion?"

"We can’t be 100% certain, but it’s worth trying."

After a moment of consideration, the director made his decision.

"Alright, proceed as you suggested."

He placed the report on his desk and left the room.

The cover of the report, left on the desk, read:

"An Analysis of the Gray Reaper’s Weaknesses."

"Since the Gray Reaper is unusually friendly toward humans, it’s expected that placing civilians nearby will limit its actions."

"Bringing civilians into the research facility during the operation to neutralize the Gray Reaper is likely to be an effective strategy."