As soon as we landed at James City’s airport, I felt a subtle but distinct change.

The airport’s layout and appearance weren’t too different from those in Korea, but the atmosphere was noticeably different.

Was it because I didn’t hear any Korean being spoken?

Or maybe it was the English signs all over the place?

Even if you disregarded the absence of Korean and the predominance of English signage, there was something else, something different about this place.

The layout and design, those insignificant little details, were different in fascinating ways.

James, who was walking just a step ahead of me with confident strides, turned back and said, "Welcome. To America, and to James City."

His demeanor was much more relaxed and bold here compared to when he was in Korea.

As we passed through the airport gates, the lively, bustling atmosphere of the people around us hit me.

Shops and restaurants lined the concourses, filled with unfamiliar brands, and the air was full of strange yet delicious smells.

I wished Sehee unni and Seo-ah unni had come along too...

Even the Reaper, seated comfortably inside its transparent isolation room, was looking around curiously at the airport’s interior.

Its antennae wiggled in response to everything it saw!

I wanted to rush into the isolation room and pet it right away, but doing so in the middle of an airport wouldn’t be appropriate.

If we were in Korea, I would’ve just ridden along in the isolation room with it.

As soon as James guided us outside the airport, a vast landscape unfolded before my eyes.

A massive, wide road stretched out before us.

And at the end of that road stood an enormous structure, 'James Tower,' shooting up into the sky as if to pierce it.

Positioned at the center of the city, with roads extending in every direction—north, south, east, and west—James Tower wasn’t just tall; its presence was overwhelming. It truly served as the landmark of this city.

"Alright, let’s unload our luggage first and then we’ll talk about the upcoming schedule!"

James led us to a large vehicle designed to accommodate the portable isolation room, and we were off, heading toward James Tower with a smooth vibration.

Scene Change

A tattooed woman was driving through what used to be a bustling neighborhood, now reduced to a remnant of its former self, with her younger sister beside her.

They navigated through the maze of crumbling buildings, their eyes taking in the scene of disrepair.

Some buildings had cracks running through their walls, and others were tilted precariously, exposing their broken frames.

It was as if a massive earthquake had struck, leaving the area in ruin.

And yet, amidst the decay, a wind of renewal was blowing.

Like new skin growing over wounded flesh, fresh construction projects were springing up between the bombed-out, destroyed houses, alongside freshly paved roads.

Amid the ruins of collapsed buildings, the sight of flawless, newly constructed structures stood out.

The new, smooth asphalt contrasted sharply with the shattered roads around them.

Surveying the area, the woman remarked, "It's not as bad as I thought."

Her voice, as she stepped down from the truck, was tinged with both surprise and relief.

She had expected the area to be in much worse condition, considering the footage she had seen of the Songpa-gu sinkhole disaster before moving.

The fact that the streetlights still flickered on at dusk meant that electricity was still flowing through the power lines, and water was still being supplied through the pipes.

The woman had chosen to settle in Songpa-gu after leaving the serene forest in Seoul.

Her reasons were both practical—the price was reasonable—and alchemical—it was well-located.

After the collapse of the central research facility, Songpa-gu had been left with a massive sinkhole, leaving much of the area devastated. However, the outskirts of Songpa-gu had remained surprisingly intact.

Despite the relative safety of the outskirts, the sinkhole cast a shadow of unease over the residents, keeping them on edge and making them wary.

That unease was precisely why the woman had chosen Songpa-gu.

The fear of the Objects lurking in the sinkhole had driven property prices down, allowing her to buy a place at an incredibly low price.

For someone with a guardian capable of fending off most Objects, it was a perfectly reasonable place to live.

And aside from the low price, there was another reason—proximity to Sehee Research Institute.

The fact that the "Gray Reaper" seemed to be connected to alchemy, and that the Sehee Research Institute was nearby, was another attractive factor for her.

As she looked around, a soft meow reached her ears.

"Mew."

Turning toward the sound, she spotted a small, pure white kitten gazing up at her with wide eyes.

It was a cute little thing, with soft, clean white fur.

Most people would see the kitten and think, "It must belong to someone. It’s so clean."

But the woman had a different thought as she examined the kitten.

"It doesn’t smell like a living creature... It must be an Object."

As she kept her eye on the fearless little kitten, her younger sister’s voice rang out.

"Unni, help me with this!"

She turned back to see her sister struggling to lift a large wardrobe.

By the time she looked back toward the kitten, it had already disappeared.

Oh well, no big deal.

In her old world, such magical creatures would need to be destroyed on sight, but this was a different world, and it had its own rules.

At first, she found the laxity of this world amusing, but her opinion had since changed.

Korea was far more advanced than the kingdom had ever been, and much more resilient, too.

She had even begun to wonder whether coexisting with Objects, rather than trying to eliminate them, might be the right choice.

The news she watched every now and then seemed to support this idea.

Whenever an Object escaped from a lab, it always seemed staged, as if the country’s ruling class were pushing for coexistence with Objects.

After all, no matter how hard it was to contain Objects, having them escape as frequently as they did didn’t seem natural.

"Unni!"

Her sister's urgent voice broke her train of thought, and she walked back toward the truck loaded with moving boxes.

 

The Sehee Research Institute was in chaos after the Gray Reaper’s departure.

New Objects were being transported into the institute in large alloy containers, and everyone—except for the monitoring staff in the security room—was busy moving about, assisting with the transfer.

It was the day when the Sehee Research Institute, which hadn’t accepted new Objects in a while, was finally receiving new arrivals.

Ideally, it would have been better to perform the transfer during a more stable time, but preparations for this operation had been in place long before James contacted us, so it couldn’t be helped.

In the security room, a bored staff member gazed at the new Objects through the isolation room cameras and muttered, “Haven’t we gotten enough Objects by now? I heard the Gray Reaper figurines sold like crazy...”

"No matter how well they sell, we still need to accept new Objects if we want to maintain our research institute’s standing. If we stopped taking in Objects and only hosted tourists, this place would turn into the Sehee Zoo, not the Sehee Research Institute."

The senior staff member in the security room fed pudding to a small Golden Reaper cradled in his arms as he spoke.

As the Golden Reaper nibbled on the spoonfuls of pudding with its tiny mouth, the senior staff member smiled happily.

"Honestly, it doesn’t even feel like a research institute anymore. All we do in the security room these days is feed the Golden Reapers. Feels more like a daycare for baby Reapers."

Checking the CCTV footage, the staff member noticed one of the isolation rooms was empty.

"Senior, the Ghost Cat isolation room is empty. Is that okay?"

"Oh, that? It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s an Object that doesn’t cause much trouble. As long as you check if it’s gone missing for more than a few days, it’s no big deal—just like with the Gray Reaper."

This was a typical day at Sehee Research Institute.

Scene Change

In a restricted research facility attached to James Tower, where regular people couldn’t enter, I emerged from the isolation chamber.

I figured it was finally safe to come out.

The researchers scattered around the room stared at me with worried expressions, but James clapped his hands loudly to draw their attention and said, "Alright, alright, don’t worry about it. The Gray Reaper is harmless, and it’s too hard to keep confined anyway, so it’s fine to let it roam freely."

Despite his reassurance, the researchers still glanced at James with suspicion.

Sneaking up behind James, I pulled out an Object rod from his coat pocket and jabbed him with it.

Blue electric currents crackled from the rod, electrocuting James.

"Stop! Stop it! I’m perfectly sane right now. No amount of shocking is going to do anything!"

James struggled for a while under the zaps of electricity before finally managing to escape, coughing and gasping for breath.

"Wow, you guys sure don’t hold back on your employer," Yerin commented with a look of curiosity.

"Of course not. Just because someone is the employer doesn’t mean they’re immune to mental contamination. And if the situation gets serious, we’re authorized to kill on the spot."

James added with a grim tone, "So, if you don’t want to die, you better watch yourself."

Yerin, seemingly fascinated by how the research facility operated, was handed a thick rulebook by James.

Flipping through the massive tome, Yerin let out an impressed whistle.

"Wow, there are rules for everything here, even the tiniest little details. Are you sure it’s okay to show me all this?"

"These rules have already been posted online. Objects are a threat to all humanity, so hoarding the information won’t do any good. The end result would be human extinction anyway."

It was a far cry from the secrecy and profit-driven Object containment methods practiced by the Korean research institutes.

"Alright, before I give you a full tour of the facility, let’s take care of the most important matter first."

With a confident stride, James led us down the wide hallways of the research facility.

The towering ceilings gave the place a grand, imposing atmosphere.

The facility’s design was sleek and modern, a perfect blend of clean lines and understated elegance.

Comparing it to Sehee Research Institute almost felt unfair.

The pristine white walls were lined with digital displays showing images of the interior isolation chambers.

We passed by countless pieces of equipment with unknown functions until we finally arrived at a massive, open space.

The high ceilings and the opulent décor gave it the feel of a luxury hotel lobby.

The only thing that set it apart was the absence of people.

And in the center of the room was a huge, floating black sphere.

The Immutable Black Sphere.

An Object that could neither be moved nor destroyed.

Otherwise, it exhibited no external effects.

How could they have fooled people into thinking that such an enormous, conspicuous object was just some kind of art installation?

Thud. Thud.

As I cautiously approached the sphere, its surface somehow gave off a soft, almost pliable impression.

I reached out my hand and touched the sphere, and it rippled like the surface of a still lake disturbed by a gentle touch.

The voices of James and Yerin, who were getting agitated, seemed to grow distant.

The sensation was like warm water.

And slowly, I began to be drawn into the depths of the sphere.