Agu opened its enormous mouth, and a brilliant light poured inside.

This was a signal that the external threats had disappeared and that Agu’s protection had come to an end.

The Golden Reapers, who had been playing in the ball pit, were the first to rush outside.

They spread their arms wide and smiled brightly, gleaming even more in the golden sunlight.

The sunlight made the Reapers glow even more, and they seemed genuinely happy.

As James followed the Golden Reapers outside, the warm sunlight greeted him.

Bright sunlight poured down, and a cool breeze blew under the clear, open sky.

The black sky, which had felt oppressively sticky as if the slimy darkness would drip down at any moment, had changed to a peaceful blue, signaling a return to normalcy and peace.

However, when James lowered his gaze, he saw the devastation that had befallen Gwanak-gu.

As the black sludge slowly receded, the ruined city began to reveal itself.

The skeletal remains of concrete buildings stood exposed, bearing the full brunt of the disaster.

It would likely take a long time to rebuild Gwanak-gu.

But at least the giant jellyfish seemed to have been destroyed, meaning that humanity’s habitable territory had expanded slightly.

Amid the ruins, the distant sound of helicopters began to echo.

One after another, helicopters descended upon the ruined city, unloading soldiers from the association.

Mixed among the soldiers were journalists, fully equipped with protective gear, stepping down into the ruins.

As the soldiers checked the safety of the area, the reporters slowly approached James.

James adjusted his clothes, knowing they would have plenty of questions.

And once they learned the full story of what had happened, they’d realize just how special the Gray Reaper was.

Kyu.

James squeezed the Agu ball in his hand, producing its signature sound.

The Agu ball—evidence of the events in Gwanak-gu and a fragment of memories for James.

As he thought about storing the ball in his collection, he walked toward the approaching reporters.

But where had the Gray Reaper gone?

And the white Agu and Golden Reapers had vanished as well.

Outside of Gwanak-gu, a multitude of helicopters approached quickly after the giant jellyfish had been defeated.

Annoying.

Seeing the reporters closing in, I quickly slipped into the cracks of the ruins.

Now that the incident was over, I should probably head back to Sehee Research Institute.

As I clasped my hands together and stretched upward, the Blue Reaper approached and sent a string of text.

<"Mom! Follow me!">

<"I have something to show you!">

The Blue Reaper, looking more shy than usual, seemed anxious and uneasy while delivering the message.

This one was always shy, but today it was even more so.

Thump, thump.

I leisurely followed the Blue Reaper, who was gracefully gliding through the air on a broomstick.

We slowly climbed over the skeletal remains of the ruins, like hiking up a mountain.

The Blue Reaper flew higher and higher.

Ah, if only I had the ability to fly, I could travel so easily like that...

Eventually, we reached a high, open spot atop the ruins.

It offered a sweeping view of the transformed Gwanak-gu.

The wide-open view, now free of the skyscrapers that once dominated the skyline, made me feel refreshed.

The contrast between the sun shining down on the ruins and the pristine blue sky created a strikingly beautiful scene.

A cool breeze blew, adding to the beauty of the moment.

Was this what the Blue Reaper wanted to show me?

I looked around to pat the Blue Reaper, but it had already vanished.

Tap, tap, tap.

Small footsteps approached.

Suddenly, the Golden Reapers appeared and, with great enthusiasm, gave me a playful push from behind.

What?

Caught off guard by their unexpected attack, I started to fall from the ruins.

Looking up, I saw the Golden Reapers giggling mischievously.

Below, the black liquid gathered in the cracks of the ruins.

They tricked me!

But before I could fall into the black liquid, I shifted my body into the mini Reaper garden.

Heh.

You’re still a hundred years too early to fool me.

After escaping the Golden and Blue Reapers' trap, I arrived at the mini Reaper garden and landed safely on the ground.

Escape successful!

Just as I smiled triumphantly from avoiding their trap, the ground beneath me collapsed.

Plop.

I fell into a trap filled with hot chocolate that reached up to my neck—undoubtedly one of the Golden Reapers' creations.

As I floundered in the hot chocolate pit, the Golden Reapers, now wielding marshmallow hammers, began to gleefully hit me on the head.

With each blow of the marshmallow hammer, I felt the emotions of the Golden Reapers flowing into me.

Their feelings seemed to be a mix of complaints about all the pranks I’d pulled on them.

The main emotions were a sense of unfairness about being tricked during the jellyfish battle and the frustration of being lied to about “never doing it again.”

Though they were expressing their grievances by hitting me, they laughed and seemed to enjoy the situation.

Maybe I’ve been teasing them a bit too much lately...

Just as I thought, 'At least the Blue Reaper isn’t here,' the Blue Reaper slowly emerged from between the snacks.

And then, with its eyes squeezed shut, it delivered a soft thunk with a marshmallow hammer.

Sigh.

Even you, Blue Reaper?

Click, clack.

The sound of neat footsteps echoed in the dark, sticky underground.

A man in a sharp suit, his face blurry and indistinct, was slowly descending the stairs.

Clatter, clatter.

Though his face was unrecognizable and his features were hazy, countless floating lamps surrounding him left an unforgettable impression.

Anyone who saw this man would likely forget his face, but one thing would remain in their memory:

'The man who carries a lot of lamps.'

The personal office of the former director of Trinity's third research lab had been ravaged, consumed by black sludge, and left in ruins.

The man with the lamps entered the devastated room and picked up an ancient-looking lamp from the corner.

With a tap on the surface, the lamp that had looked so old and worn suddenly became pristine and new.

Placing the lamp in a prominent spot in the center of the room, the man smiled meaningfully and slowly exited.

The moon and stars rose, and the Golden Reapers were fast asleep in the deep night.

But Sehee Research Institute had yet another sleepless night.

In such a night, I stood in the backyard of the institute, gazing up at the sky.

The association members were busy with the aftermath of the events in Gwanak-gu, and Sehee Research Institute was just as busy, though none of it concerned me.

One of the perks of an Object life was its detachment from worldly affairs.

Living the life of enjoying the benefits of civilization without having to fulfill any obligations!

I kept looking up at the sky, hoping a new moon would appear.

Three moons floated in the sky—a large moon, a blue moon, and a red moon.

But no matter how long I waited, there was no sign of a fourth moon.

I had expected another moon to appear, given that the giant jellyfish’s 'Night Pearl' was said to be a moon, but perhaps I was wrong?

Well, it wasn’t rainbow-colored anyway.

Still, I hadn’t come out of the Trinity Research Facility empty-handed.

First, I had acquired a large emergency ration in the form of Agu.

Additionally, I had gained two more abilities.

Despite having defeated a considerable number of Objects at Trinity, my overall haul was smaller than expected.

Maybe it was because the Objects were contaminated, or perhaps Trinity favored muscular, physical Objects over others.

Among the abilities I acquired, the most useful seemed to be tentacle summoning.

It was the ability to create tentacles from shadows.

Compared to the jellyfish’s tentacle summons, I could only manage one small tentacle, but it was strong and sturdy enough to be useful.

I summoned a tentacle from the shadows and sat on it.

As I focused my mind, a soft glow began to emit from above my head.

The hair on top of my head started to glow like Agu’s lantern.

Swish, swish.

I made my hair dance, following my will.

It was an ability that allowed me to light up and move specific parts of my hair.

I thought I would gain the ability to summon Agu, but why did I get this instead?

The origin of the white Agu was becoming more unclear.

Deep into the night, the Object Association investigators were still hard at work.

They mainly focused on the site of the building where Trinity’s third research lab had been located.

Though it seemed completely destroyed, many underground facilities remained intact, making it a potential treasure trove of evidence for the recent incident.

Relying on strong headlights and protective suits, the association agents slowly dug deeper into the underground.

There, they discovered a peculiar room.

Despite the overall chaos and destruction, a strangely clean and intact gas lamp stood in the center of the room.

"Here, we’ve found a potential Object. It’s a gas lamp."

At the signal from the lead soldier, the researchers carefully sealed the lamp and prepared to transport it.

As they did, a soft voice echoed in the researcher's mind.

"Make a deal with me. I’ll give you the knowledge of the Objects."

It was a voice so sweet and seductive that it was hard to resist.