After confirming that the blonde girl was asleep, the black-clad agent stepped outside to survey the surroundings.

The village was peaceful, surrounded by thick fog.

To the agent, something about the village felt off.

Proving that strange feeling, a cloud fish swam lazily past him, flicking its tail as it floated by.

The agent opened his notebook and jotted down a few observations.

<There seems to be little to no interaction with the outside world.>

<The typical reactions you’d expect from a secluded village aren’t present.>

<The villagers aren’t wary of strangers, curious about them, or even particularly welcoming.>

The entire cloud fish village was coated in an air of tranquility and relaxation.

‘Could it be mental contamination?’ the agent wondered as he glanced up at the orange moon, suspecting something was amiss.

It was a reasonable assumption for a village shrouded in mist that appeared to be an Object, but there was no concrete evidence yet.

Snap.

Just as the agent was about to search for villagers to gather information, he heard a sound.

Thinking something might be happening, the agent hurried back inside, but the sight that greeted him was not what he expected.

Bathed in the orange light streaming through the window, the blonde girl was holding a small red Reaper in her palm.

Judging by its appearance, size, and several other factors, it seemed to be a "Golden Reaper," a Mini Reaper that served under the Gray Reaper.

"Oh, mister! Look at this!" the girl called out with a beaming smile, pointing to the red Reaper, who was clutching a candy and licking it.

"It appears to be a servant of the Gray Reaper. Where did you find it?" the agent asked, but the red Reaper, seemingly oblivious to their conversation, had its tongue stuck to the candy and wore a distressed expression.

The blonde girl, seeing this, stuck her own tongue out playfully, mimicking the red Reaper, and then gently freed its tongue from the candy.

"I don’t really know. I had a dream filled with Mini Reapers of all different colors. Maybe it has something to do with that?" she said.

The agent stopped pondering after hearing her response.

There was too little known about the Gray Reaper and the Mini Reapers to draw any conclusions.

It had been a while since Sehee Lab had sent a proper report. It probably started after the destruction of Seoul Forest Village, and even more so after the director of Sehee Lab had been kidnapped. Perhaps they had changed their operational policies?

The red Reaper, having quickly devoured the candy, perched itself on the blonde girl’s shoulder with a prim expression, staring intently at the side of her face.

‘At least the red Reaper seems friendly toward the young lady,’ the agent thought with relief.

Given the power of the most famous Mini Reaper, the Golden Reaper, it was only natural to be concerned.

Though there wasn’t any concrete data, many experts believed that the Golden Reaper alone could be classified as a "Special-Class Object."

Some experts even speculated that if the Golden Reaper had been hostile to humans, Korea might have ceased to exist.

While the blonde girl and the red Reaper played together, a gentle breeze blew through, emphasizing the peaceful atmosphere.

It was hard to believe they were standing in the middle of an Object’s domain, given how serene everything seemed.

The blonde girl, holding the red Reaper in her palm, was talking to it as if they could communicate.

The agent was sure Mini Reapers couldn’t communicate with people, but the girl was happily engaged in conversation.

Seeing her regain some of the energy that she had lost over time, the agent didn’t say anything and continued to watch.

But the peaceful moment came to an abrupt end.

The wall of fog beyond the window began to turn black.

Suddenly, the tranquil village, which had only been filled with the gentle sound of wind, was interrupted by the sudden crack of thunder.

Rumble.

Sensing the shift in the air, the agent quickly pulled the blonde girl behind the wall and began assessing the situation.

The once glowing orange moon was flickering like a broken lightbulb.

The fog walls were swirling violently, darkening as they churned.

Occasionally, thunder would crash within the fog, heightening the sense of danger.

Something had clearly gone wrong.

Looking up at the orange moon, the agent saw it begin to drip black liquid, as if it were shedding tears.

Splatter.

The thick black goo hit the ground, releasing the smell of oil throughout the village.

The cloud fish, which had been leisurely floating in the air, scattered in a panic, some of them flying directly toward the window where the agent stood.

He hurriedly shut the window, grabbed the blonde girl’s hand, and opened the door.

"A... mister," she stammered.

But as soon as he opened the door, what greeted them was a horde of cloud fish, staring right at them.

The hallway was packed with cloud fish, their bodies about the size of an adult’s forearm, all with eerie orange eyes that glowed menacingly.

The tattooed woman had arrived at Sehee Lab with her younger sister in no time.

"Unnie, there are so many cloud fish!"

Her sister placed a cloud fish on her hand, stroking it gently as if it were a pet.

Watching her sister, the woman smiled but couldn’t help thinking about the situation.

‘It’s definitely too relaxed here,’ she thought.

For such a major event, there were only reporters and curious onlookers around.

The police presence was minimal, and there were no Object Association staff to be seen.

It certainly felt like the kind of scene that fit with the government’s nationwide plan to make Objects seem more approachable.

Given the superior infrastructure, transportation, and communication systems compared to where she was from, this lack of security had to be part of a grander national strategy.

They had communication systems capable of reporting incidents within a minute and transportation that could get them anywhere in the country quickly.

It truly was a blessing, the woman thought.

The cloud whale that had suddenly descended had just as suddenly risen into the sky, leaving behind a beautiful river of cloud fish as it vanished.

Her sister, though a little disappointed that the whale was gone, marveled at the heavenly river of cloud fish still gracing the sky.

Now, they were on their way to meet Sehee Lab’s alchemist and the famous "Gray Reaper."

"So...," the woman began.

But all they got in return was the disappointing news that the Gray Reaper had already disappeared.

Was it really okay for an Object under management to just vanish like that?

That’s strange.

The coliseum's after-party with the Reaper had ended.

I wanted to hug the Reaper and feed him a ton of pudding, but now, this had happened.

After the cloud whale’s attack, the Reaper had disappeared somewhere.

"Reaper, let’s eat pudding together!"

I called out, hoping the pudding would lure him back, but there was no sign of him.

Instead, Mini Reapers with hopeful expressions began to swarm around me, eager for the pudding.

Sigh.

The Reaper had gone off somewhere again.

I thought I’d get some rest after all the incidents in America, but the Reaper was still as busy as ever.

As I sat down and opened a pudding cup, the Golden Reapers and Black Reapers flocked toward me like baby birds, their mouths open, waiting to be fed.

"Alright, alright. I get it."

After snapping a picture of their adorable faces, I began feeding them pudding, spoonful by spoonful.

After giving each of the Mini Reapers a taste of pudding, and seeing their happy expressions as they savored it, I noticed the sky had darkened.

In the courtyard, only the mysterious bonfire brought by the Mini Reapers was left to light the area.

The fire had a strangely sweet scent, so I walked closer to inspect it.

"!"

Inside the bonfire, something transparent was slowly melting away.

What I saw was a clear flamingo, melting away in the flames.

Could it be the glass flamingo that the Golden Reaper had defeated?

I thought it was gone, but here it was, melting away in the fire.

The flamingo in the fire had a sorrowful expression, its head hung low.

The melted sugar dripped from its eyes like tears.

The flamingo’s desperate eyes seemed to plead with me, saying, "Please return me to the isolation chamber."

I felt a little sorry for it, but thinking about the trouble it could cause if it was discovered that the Object, reported as destroyed, was still alive, I averted my gaze and ignored it.

Sorry, flamingo.

Consider it part of paying for attacking our staff and the Blue Reaper.

Looking up, the river of cloud fish was still gracefully flowing through the sky, dancing across the heavens.

The river, which had seemed to stretch endlessly, finally ended at the summit of a remote mountain, far from Seoul.

Though it was far from the city, a broken sign lying on the ground made it clear where we were.

<Odaesan National Park Map.>

The path up the mountain was in disrepair, abandoned for a long time, its ruins starkly visible.

Yet the broken roads and overgrown foliage combined to emphasize the raw beauty of nature.

As I began climbing the mountain, the heavenly river of cloud fish faded into insignificance.

At the summit was a dome of fog, stretching out like a massive wall.

As I neared the fog, something felt ominous.

Though it was just mist, lightning crackled inside, and the faint smell of oil had grown stronger.

Black goo again, huh.

Once this situation is resolved, I’ll have to wipe out all traces of black goo in Gwanak-gu.

And if possible, deal with whoever is behind this mess!

I couldn’t believe someone was trying to use the substance that had destroyed Gwanak-gu.

Determined to grant the orange moon’s wish, I dashed into the fog, my heart pounding like a drum.

There was something thrilling about not being able to see even a step ahead.

As I delved deeper into the fog, the once-white mist lost its glow and darkened.

The only light came from the occasional thunder and lightning within the fog, making it feel as though storm clouds had descended to the ground.

Breaking through the stormy veil, I emerged into a village where the cloud fish swirled violently.

The normally docile cloud fish were bared-toothed, engaged in fierce combat, biting and tearing at each other.

The black-streaked, corrupted cloud fish clashed with the white cloud fish, their battle swirling in a chaotic spiral.

The cloud fish’s movements were like crashing waves in a violent sea, attempting to dominate and devour their enemies.

At first glance, the battle seemed evenly matched, but the white cloud fish were at a disadvantage.

One bite from the corrupted cloud fish was all it took to turn a white cloud fish into an enemy.

But amidst this losing battle, a small red flame was balancing the scales.

A small, fiery figure—the Red Reaper.

The Red Reaper was burning like a wildfire, spreading flames in every direction.

It flared up like a massive forest fire, only to shrink down to a small ember, darting through the air at incredible speed.

The fire spewing from the Red Reaper was so powerful that the corrupted cloud fish caught in it crumbled to dust in an instant.

Though my connection to it was faint, the Red Reaper was clearly a Mini Reaper.

Another new addition to the family.

However, while I could only see one Mini Reaper, I could feel the presence of two.

Was there another Mini Reaper hiding somewhere?

As I approached the scene where the Red Reaper was fiercely fighting, I suddenly felt an intense gaze.

Following that gaze, I turned and saw the familiar face of the blonde girl.

She was staring at me, eyes wide, as if she couldn’t tear her gaze away.