The spiritual barrier collapsed.

The once-reliable protector of the city was now engulfed in flames, slowly crumbling to pieces.

I ran endlessly through the interior of the city.

As I sprinted madly through what used to be the familiar maze of streets, every breath felt like it was tearing through my lungs, the pain almost unbearable.

It felt like my chest was going to burst.

The red glow of the burning spiritual barrier stretched along the horizon, lighting up the silhouette of the ruined city like a sunset.

The collapsed walls looked like the skeleton of the city, with smoke and flames continuously rising into the sky.

The streets, once so familiar, now felt strange, distorted by the destruction and fire.

"Hurry. We have to get out of here quickly."

I heard my friend’s voice leading the way.

"Stop."

Pressed against the half-destroyed wall, my friend whispered.

Following their gaze, I saw long-limbed, emaciated creatures wandering through the streets.

Not human—these things had long limbs like water striders, grotesque Objects.

Unlike the giant burning pig, these creatures appeared all over the city, ambushing anyone they could find.

If not for them, escaping the city wouldn’t have been so difficult.

One of the twisted creatures was prowling the street opposite, searching every nook and cranny.

Judging by its movement, it looked like it would be here for a few minutes.

I turned to my friend and asked what we should do.

"It seems like it's going to stick around longer than expected. What do we do?"

"Let’s wait. Once it goes past that alley, we’ll be in the forest and safe."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I muttered, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

The acrid smell of smoke from the ruined city clung to my lungs, but I forced myself not to cough, doing my best to control my breathing.

After a few minutes of waiting, the creature turned the corner and moved out of sight.

"Thirty seconds. Let’s wait thirty more seconds and then make a run for it."

"Got it."

I responded more steadily this time, my breathing now calmer.

25 seconds. 26 seconds.

As I mentally counted the time, I heard a low chuckle.

A hoarse laugh, like someone who had inhaled too much smoke.

What could be so funny?

I turned to my friend and saw them looking up.

Following their gaze, I looked up as well—and saw a creature, its long neck twisted at an odd angle, peeking over the wall, staring down at us with a grin.

"Run!"

My friend shouted, and we bolted.

Screech.

The creature's hand scraped across the asphalt where we had just been, tearing through it like a knife through cake.

Damn, damn, damn.

We were so close!

I cursed internally as we sprinted toward the forest.

But we had to stop.

A wave of heat, hot enough to sear our skin, radiated in front of us. The giant pig blocked our path.

The enormous pig in front, the creature slowly pursuing us from behind.

We were trapped.

"Haha, looks like this is the end," my friend said, their calm demeanor finally breaking into a voice of resignation.

Is this it? The end?

As I gave up and let go of everything, a strange sense of relief washed over me. This hellish place reeking of smoke suddenly felt a little... refreshing and humid.

Humidity?

It was odd to feel moisture in a place that looked like a scorched war zone.

At that moment, strange symbols filled the sky, and water droplets began to surround us, as if to shield us.

<"Please protect them all!">

Up in the sky, I saw a small, glowing blue Object.

Its cool, refreshing light was soothing just to look at.

And from the cracks in the ruined stone walls, the overturned cars, and the gaps in the broken asphalt, golden Objects began to peek out.

They were popping up like adorable meerkats, their heads poking out cautiously.

"The Golden Reaper! We’re saved!" my friend exclaimed, collapsing to the ground in relief.

"Golden Reaper? What is that?"

Still tense from the appearance of the new Object, I didn’t understand my friend’s sudden calm.

"You really don’t know anything about Objects, do you?"

Shaking their head, my friend began explaining what the "Golden Reaper" was, even pulling up a suspicious fan site called <Golden Little Reaper.>

Their gaze had the unsettling look of a fanatic, not a fan.

I can’t believe my roommate is like this.

Looking around, I noticed that the giant pig and the creature had vanished.

A tiny golden Object tugged at the hem of my pants.

It was harmless, pointing down the road with a worried expression, urging us to follow.

I scooped it up into my palm, and it raised its little arms in delight, like a baby.

The Golden Reaper had a cute, warm presence, and it smelled faintly of sunlight.

"Well, it is kind of cute."

"Right?" my friend replied with a grin, following the direction the Golden Reaper pointed.

I walked behind them, holding the little Object, gently stroking it as it giggled happily.

Looking back at the city, the grotesque creatures were gone, replaced by tiny, fairy-like beings darting through the streets.

It was just a feeling, but it seemed like the crisis was over.

A voice echoed through the massive, expensive underground facility.

"No! Please, just this once, let it slide!"

"You know I can’t. This is embezzlement. Object-related embezzlement comes with a heavy sentence."

Director Sehee clung to my feet, begging.

"It’s not embezzlement! The underground facility was just an expansion of the lab, that’s all…"

I pointed at the gleaming golden statue in disbelief.

"Then what’s that giant golden statue? That looks incredibly expensive."

"It’s not embezzlement. We just recycled some old gold."

Old gold?

Oh no… don’t tell me…

"Wait, is that… the 'cute dog’s' kennel?"

But the golden kennel should have been safely stored in the isolation chamber.

So, they stole the kennel?

But I hadn’t heard any reports of it being missing.

Even with how lax things were at the lab, there’s no way they wouldn’t report a missing golden kennel… right?

Come on, they must’ve noticed!

No one could miss something that big being gone, right?

Or did the security team really fail to report it?

What do they even get paid for?

And when did they even start digging this underground space?

You can’t be this sloppy about everything but then suddenly be so meticulous when it comes to this!

As my trust in the lab evaporated, Director Sehee's voice pulled me back.

"I didn’t just take the kennel. I secretly swapped it with a gold-plated replica…"

Well, that’s a relief.

So it wasn’t embezzlement, just an expansion project for the lab?

While I was lost in thought, something peeked out from behind the golden statue.

It was a Golden Reaper.

Seeing the little Reaper, Director Sehee pointed enthusiastically and continued pleading.

"This golden statue is something the Golden Reapers love! I didn’t do it for me, but for them! Please, you have to understand!"

Director Sehee held up a Golden Reaper in their palm, the tiny Reaper looking confused but mimicking Sehee's desperate expression.

It seemed to be pleading, "Please don’t destroy the golden statue!"

"Well, if it’s a facility for the Golden Reapers, I guess there’s a valid reason."

Deciding to let it slide just this once for the sake of the Golden Reapers, I relaxed my angry expression.

The Golden Reapers, who had been cautiously watching from around the statue, burst into joyful laughter and rushed over to me.

As they clung to me, I couldn’t help but think:

‘I guess there’s no helping it when it comes to the Golden Reapers.’

In the transport vehicle headed to the airport, which James had sent, I stared out the window at the remnants of the city, my face twisted into a frown.

The city lay in ruins, the spiritual barrier completely collapsed, and the city was now designated as an Object danger zone. Soldiers were swarming in, busy evacuating people to safety.

Despite the complete collapse of the spiritual barrier and the massive Object attack, I heard that the damage was relatively minimal.

At the center of it all were the Golden Reapers and the Blue Reapers, whose heroic efforts were becoming well-known, spreading through videos and witness reports.

Their pure, cute, and selfless actions were unusual for Objects, and they were becoming quite popular.

That’s when Yerin shoved her phone in my face.

"When we go to Korea, let’s try on these outfits!"

Excitedly, she showed me a gallery of photos, each featuring a variety of clothes.

Yerin, the Mini Reapers—everyone seemed obsessed with dressing me up. I couldn’t figure out why.

With a reluctant expression, I nodded in agreement with Yerin.

It was a gesture of peace after I’d upset her.

Thankfully, Yerin had recovered from the shock of my prank much faster than I’d expected.

But she had been more startled than I thought, and she still seemed pretty angry, so I had no choice but to offer a compromise.

Though it was a hassle, I agreed to wear clothes, which both Yerin and the Mini Reapers weirdly enjoyed seeing.

Of course, there were no clothes to be found in the Rocky Mountains, so I wore the White Maw like clothing.

Whether it was because I looked ridiculous in the White Maw or because she was just happy I was wearing something for her, Yerin soon brightened up again.

And once she realized I was feeling guilty enough to try on a few outfits, she started showing me some truly horrific clothes.

Doll-like dresses covered in frills.

From the look of them, the ribbons and knots were so complicated that I wouldn’t be able to put them on by myself, and they looked way too uncomfortable to wear.

There’s no way I have to wear those too, right?

Judging by Yerin’s expression, though, she was determined to see me in them, which made me nervous.

Fluffy marshmallows drifted like snowflakes, clouds of cotton candy cast soft shadows, and waves of hot chocolate rippled, filling the air with the sweet scent of chocolate.

The Mini Reaper Garden, usually filled with the lively play of the Mini Reapers, was now steeped in deep solitude.

The Mini Reapers had all gone out to help people, leaving the garden feeling empty and lonely.

And in the midst of this now desolate garden, something huge began to appear in the sky.

A flawless, perfect sphere.

The <Unchanging Black Sphere.>

The Black Sphere, a solid mass of darkness, had risen above the Mini Reaper Garden like a sun.