I couldn’t believe it—I wasn’t able to fly.

The Mini Reaper wouldn’t lie to me, so it was probably true.

To be honest, I didn’t really care about flying until I was told I couldn’t, but now I wanted to fly more than anything.

It’s not that I’m strange.

Everyone has the urge to break the rules when they’re told they can’t do something.

Filled with sadness and frustration, I tore into the white anglerfish in front of me.

Kyuu-hing-hing.

As if sharing in my grief, the white anglerfish cried along with me.

Speaking of which, my children have really multiplied.

Gold, blue, navy, black, red, orange, and even that big adopted one that’s larger than me!

I was particularly intrigued by the relationship between the giant adopted girl and the Black-Clad Agent.

They had gone somewhere for now, but I couldn’t wait for them to return and show me their drama.

As I pondered these thoughts and flopped dramatically onto the bed, the Golden Reapers that were beneath me wriggled out from under my weight.

Hee-hee.

Watching the Golden Reapers punch me with their tiny fists, I suddenly heard something on the news that piqued my interest.

“Since the appearance of Objects, cults have been spreading globally.”

“However, the situation has worsened recently.”

“There is a particular cult that has spread worldwide in just a few days, and caution is advised.”

“The cult uses a symbol of an eye with five pupils, so if you see it, please report it to the Object Association.”

A cult, huh?

Since the rise of Objects, many cults had appeared and disappeared, but for some reason, this one felt different.

As I lay there blankly, staring at the ceiling and listening to the TV, the Black Reapers looked down at me with worried expressions.

I could sense a hint of guilt in them.

It was as if they thought I was feeling down because of what they had said, and they didn’t know how to handle it.

Suddenly, a funny idea popped into my head.

What would happen if I unleashed my sadness and anger and sent the message, "It’s your fault!" to them?

They’d probably turn into slimes and cry pitifully, wouldn’t they?

It would definitely be amusing…

But considering how much pain the Black Reaper was in last time, I decided to let it go this time.

I’m such a kind mom.

As I lay there doing nothing and staring at the ceiling, the Golden Reapers and Black Reapers huddled together, whispering to each other, before leaving the containment room.

Some time passed.

I had dozed off, but I was awakened by the soft, gentle pressure of something pressing against my cheek.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the Black Reapers and Golden Reapers had gathered on top of me.

As soon as they saw me wake up, the Mini Reapers grabbed my pinky and started tugging, leading me somewhere.

They brought me to the courtyard of Se-hee’s lab, where a large shadow loomed overhead.

I looked up at the sky and saw a giant cloud whale floating above Se-hee’s lab.

The Mini Reapers bounced up and down, urging me to climb up onto the whale.

With the teleportation ability of the Black Penguin, I was able to get onto the whale, where a crowd of Mini Reapers was waiting for me with cheerful smiles.

As soon as I arrived on the whale’s back, it began to soar swiftly into the sky.

“Mom!”

“It’s okay if you can’t fly!”

“You can just ride the whale!”

The Mini Reapers swarmed around me, showering me with encouragement.

Did I really look that down?

I hugged the adorable Mini Reapers tightly and patted them affectionately.

Before I knew it, the whale had ascended through the clouds, and a sea of clouds unfolded before us.

Countless cloud creatures followed us, swimming gracefully through the fluffy waves.

Each Mini Reaper had claimed a small cloud creature, riding them happily and waving at me with bright smiles.

It was such a typical Mini Reaper event.

I stood at the top of the whale, gazing at the scenery below.

A mesmerizing sea of white clouds stretched out beneath us, with cloud creatures gliding smoothly through the soft, cotton-like waves.

It was quite a beautiful sight— a gift from my children.

Through the window, I could see an unfamiliar, exotic landscape slipping into darkness.

The fresh, dry air of the Rocky Mountain region, along with the faint scent of pine and earth, slowly drifted in through the open window.

In the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard, gradually approaching before fading away as they cut through the dark streets and alleys.

It was the sound of Association vehicles, patrolling the town, never tiring in their relentless pursuit.

The silhouette of a woman appeared in the window as she gazed down at the streets below, deep in thought.

Her expression grew slightly irritated from the periodic wail of the sirens.

“Hmph, the Association vehicles are still circling this area.”

The red-haired woman muttered under her breath as she watched the vehicles drive through the alley.

Clunk.

Annoyed by the noise of the sirens, she pulled the window shut.

With a sharp click, the noise that had been filling the room was cut off completely.

She pulled the curtains closed, sealing off the outside world, and turned her gaze toward the dining table.

On the table lay a Golden Reaper, resting with its hands on its round, bloated belly.

Pat, pat.

Gently tapping the little protruding belly, the red-haired woman smiled in satisfaction.

“Are you full?”

The Golden Reaper didn’t understand her question but smiled happily nonetheless.

The table was littered with the remains of fast food—pizza, hamburgers, and the like—all of which the Golden Reaper had devoured.

The woman picked up a French fry and held it near the Golden Reaper’s mouth.

Nom, nom.

The little creature took small bites, chewing on the fry with a contented expression.

Watching the Golden Reaper eat, the woman felt an odd sense of happiness.

She was on a diet, so she couldn’t eat the food herself, but watching the Golden Reaper eat the food she wanted gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.

“Take your time and eat plenty.”

Chuckling softly, she handed the Golden Reaper a milkshake.

But just as she did, an ominous sound echoed through the room, breaking the peace.

Thud, thud, thud.

“This is the Object Association. Please open the door, Miss Rachel.”

Are they here to take the Golden Reaper away?

Startled, she looked toward the front door, ready to hide the bloated Golden Reaper, but the creature had already vanished.

Thinking it had probably escaped safely, she approached the door and opened it.

Clank.

With a quick, light sound, the door opened to reveal a weary-looking Association agent.

“I apologize for the late hour, Rachel.”

“No, it’s fine. What’s the matter?”

The agent handed her a piece of paper.

It bore a symbol of an eye with five pupils.

Trinity Sinkhole, Gangnam District.

Surrounding the recently-formed sinkhole were high walls that encircled the area.

These weren’t newly constructed walls; they were remnants of the original walls from Trinity’s First Research Lab.

The sinkhole had swallowed everything inside the walls, leaving only the walls behind, as if measured with exact precision.

“There’s no shaking the feeling that this was man-made.”

The director of Trinity’s Second Research Lab placed his hand on the white-painted wall, his expression one of frustration.

It was clearly the work of the Gray Reaper.

No other Object could have caused such destruction.

According to the Association’s investigation, the Gray Reaper was still in containment at Se-hee’s lab, but the Second Lab Director didn’t believe it.

Even if the report was true, the Gray Reaper was more than capable of deceiving Se-hee’s lab.

That cursed liquid couldn’t be properly utilized, yet for some reason, the country’s powerful figures and research labs were obsessed with it.

Even now, the Second Lab Director received constant requests for information about the “Evolution Fluid.”

Trying to use an unverified substance?

It was practically mental contamination.

It was like a scene from a movie where an alien parasite was considered beneficial based on flimsy evidence, and people would recklessly implant it in their bodies.

No, it was even dumber—it was like trying to implant the parasite in your body after watching it rip through someone else’s stomach.

Still, there was a point to understand.

Those privy to hidden information feared what was coming.

The end of humanity was drawing near.

Especially for Korea, the end was close.

Control had long been lost over most areas except for a few major cities like Seoul and Busan, and there was now more Object-controlled land than human-controlled land.

In desperation, people grabbed hold of any potential solution to eliminate the Objects.

But the “Evolution Fluid” was not the answer.

The Second Lab Director pulled a notebook from his coat pocket.

It was a copy of the Third Research Director’s notes.

The notebook contained data and methods for producing the Evolution Fluid.

He held the notebook up to the lighter and set it aflame.

“It’s better to pretend this notebook never existed.”

As the notebook burned, he tossed it onto the ground, where it continued to blaze until it was reduced to ashes that scattered in the wind.

Knock, knock.

The Black-Clad Agent knocked politely on the ornate wooden door.

The blonde girl stood at the landing, smiling contentedly as she basked in the sunlight streaming through the window.

“It’s strange. No one seems to be at the detective office.”

Holding a phone in one hand, the Black-Clad Agent glanced at the blonde girl, puzzled.

At the very least, the employee known as “Junior No. 3” should have been there, but the office was eerily silent.

“Since their phone is off, it seems like something is going on. What should we do, miss?”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s come back later.”

The blonde girl had come to thank the detective for helping her walk under the sunlight, but it seemed he wasn’t in.

She turned and started descending the stairs.

“You don’t think something’s happened to him, do you?”

“He’ll be fine. He’s got a sharp intuition.”

As they exchanged small talk, the Black-Clad Agent and the blonde girl began heading back to Se-hee’s lab.

As they left, the detective office once again fell into an ominous silence.