In the middle of a sea of hot chocolate floated a witch's gingerbread house.

Once destroyed by the brutal Gray Reaper Shark, the gingerbread house had been rebuilt stronger than before.

Though, of course, it was still made of gingerbread.

Inside the now larger and more ornate house, all the Blue Reapers had gathered.

The Blue Reaper that had called them all together stood with a resolute expression, etching a message into the air.

<My attachment human is in danger. Please help!>

The dreadful news that an attachment human was in danger shocked the Blue Reapers, causing them to clutch their broomsticks tightly.

They had already been talking about how the attachment human hadn’t been seen since the day before, and now they’d heard that he was in a perilous situation.

The Blue Reapers, listening as if the story were their own, grew sadder as the tale unfolded.

After the story ended, the other Blue Reapers approached the sorrowful Reaper and patted it gently.

It was a comforting gesture for the brave Blue Reaper, knowing that if their own attachment humans disappeared, the others would spend at least three days locked away in the gingerbread house, crying.

Finally, they all nodded in unison and took to the sky.

Eastward.

The Blue Reapers soared eastward, determined to save the attachment human.

The moment the Blue Reapers left, something suddenly shot out of the hot chocolate sea.

It was the Gray Reaper, watching the direction in which the Blue Reapers had flown.

The Gray Reaper emerged from the hot chocolate sea, gazing in the direction the Blue Reapers had flown.

Had the Blue Reaper’s attachment human really disappeared?

While I was preparing Mini Reaper shiitake stew, I noticed the Blue Reapers gathering together, so I hid myself and watched. Unexpectedly, I overheard some interesting information.

Honestly, I thought they were planning another "Marshmallow Hammer Mk. 2," in which case I was ready to prepare my "Gray Reaper Shark Mk. 2," but the conversation took a different turn.

The Blue Reapers sure are brave.

Even without any physical immunity, they rushed off without saying a word to me.

It must mean the attachment human situation is really urgent.

I’m worried that the fragile Blue Reapers won’t be able to handle it alone. Should I send another Mini Reaper to follow them?

But who should I send?

The Golden Reaper and Black Reaper are too cheerful to pull off a stealth mission.

The Sprout Reaper sleeps all day, and I’m not sure if it can act on its own.

So it’ll have to be the Red Reaper or the Orange Reaper.

With that decision made, I summoned the Orange Reaper to the palm of my hand.

A soft, fluffy white ball popped out onto my hand.

As I stroked the silky hair of the Orange Reaper, a relaxed orange face emerged from the fluff.

I squeezed its soft cheeks and passed on my instructions.

‘Fly through the sky, keep an eye on the Blue Reapers, and call me if anything happens.’

The Orange Reaper, enjoying the contact, nodded without any objection or hesitation, then soared into the sky.

It floated gently after the Blue Reapers, disappearing into the courtyard sky.

As I looked up, all kinds of cloud creatures had begun to gather and follow the Orange Reaper in a massive migration.

I had chosen it for its calm and graceful demeanor, but it turned out to be the perfect choice for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Trying to shake off my lingering worry about the Blue Reapers, I made my way to the isolation room where Yerin was waiting.

Inside the Object Association’s building in Gangnam, within the Object Research Management Division.

In one of the individual offices, Seo-ah’s voice echoed.

“So the association has no plans to deal with the ‘Eye Cult’?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Seo-ah rubbed her temples in frustration, trying to calm herself.

After being rejected five times due to incomplete paperwork and finally securing a meeting, all she got was a “there’s nothing we can do” ending?

She had heard rumors about the Object Association being a mess, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

How could they do nothing while the Blue Reaper was in distress?

The association employee, wearing a suspicious helmet that looked like a motorcycle helmet, continued with an apologetic tone.

“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation. I’ve submitted several reports to the higher-ups myself, but all we’ve received are orders to take no action, so I’m just as frustrated as you are.”

The employee added, bowing their head, “In the end, all I can tell you is to wait. I’m sorry.”

It seemed clear now that Se-hee’s research team would have to handle this on their own without any help from the association.

Seo-ah felt deflated by the thought. As she slumped in her chair, she noticed the odd helmet the employee was wearing.

None of the other employees were wearing helmets like that. Why was he?

It looked terribly uncomfortable.

“What’s with that helmet?”

“Oh, this?” the employee responded, pausing their work to answer.

“Lately, there’s been a detection of mental contamination throughout the entire Object Association building. I suggested closing the building, but unless it’s severe contamination, they won’t even file a report.”

Mental contamination?

Hearing that, Seo-ah suddenly felt a warm, sunny scent wash over her senses.

Could it be…?

Kikikik.

Startled, Seo-ah turned to look at the Sprout Reaper on her shoulder. It was giggling to itself, as if something amusing had happened.

Could it be that the Golden Reaper had snuck out of the research facility and into the association?

As chaotic as things were at the research facility, they wouldn’t have deliberately released it, right?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sound of water droplets echoed slowly.

In the dim cave, where a single dangling incandescent bulb provided the only light, a security officer from Se-hee’s research facility opened her eyes.

“Haa... haa…”

She tried to breathe steadily, but her breaths were shallow and broken, making it hard to draw a proper breath.

Her entire body was a wreck, so much so that it was difficult to breathe at all.

‘I should have brought a gun...’

Who would’ve guessed that the cult leader would be strong enough to fight dozens of people at once and still come out on top?

If only she’d brought a gas gun from the security office, she wouldn’t be in this situation.

The security officer’s body was so damaged that she could hardly move, her bones likely fractured all over.

Though she wanted to groan in pain, she clenched her teeth with sheer willpower.

She had to save her little brother and get out of here.

And once she was back, she could see the Blue Reaper again.

The thought of the Blue Reaper welcoming her back brought a glimmer of hope, dulling the pain.

If she could just hold on a little longer, the association or the research facility would send someone to rescue her.

As disorganized as Se-hee’s research facility was, its welfare system was top-notch...

A fleeting thought crossed her mind—what if the Blue Reaper got sad? But knowing how carefree the Mini Reapers were, they’d likely forget about it soon and happily bounce around again.

Step. Step.

While she was holding on to memories of the Blue Reaper to endure the pain, she heard familiar footsteps approaching.

“Sis. Are you okay?”

It was her missing brother’s voice, whispering in her ear.

She looked up and saw him standing there, wearing neat white clothes and looking completely fine.

“Ah, you’re still conscious. Most people lose consciousness from the pain, but you’re tough as always, sis.”

But something felt off to her.

Something was wrong.

“Let go of your body, sis. Abandon the flesh and join us in the eye of the cult.”

“What are you talking about? Snap out of it!”

Had he been mentally contaminated?

But the security officer didn’t sense any mental contamination here.

All she had experienced was brute violence.

As she spoke, her brother’s expression remained sad as he muttered the Eye Cult’s teachings and tightened his grip on her arm.

“The body is the prison of the soul. Only through suffering can you escape that prison.”

“Urgh…”

His face didn’t change at all as he gripped her broken arm, causing intense pain.

The security officer, who had been holding out with gritted teeth, finally succumbed to the overwhelming agony and lost consciousness.

Nom nom.

I sat in Yerin’s arms, shoveling pudding into my mouth.

But it didn’t taste as good as usual.

Hmm.

The image of the Blue Reaper with its arm missing kept popping into my mind, making the pudding lose its flavor.

Noticing my troubled expression, the Black Reaper, who had been resting nearby, looked up at me with a concerned face.

‘Mom, are you hurt?’

Then, it disappeared and returned with a large anglerfish, offering it to me.

‘Eat this, it’ll make you feel better!’

My children are all so sweet.

Maybe it was because I was already worried about the Blue Reaper, but the small gesture of kindness from the Black Reaper touched me more than usual.

‘Thanks,’ I thought briefly, conveying my gratitude before accepting the white anglerfish from the Black Reaper and taking a bite.

Squish.

I wasn’t really in the mood to eat the body today, so I just devoured the legs before setting the anglerfish aside.

I stood up and gathered my resolve.

I couldn’t just sit here in anxiety—I needed to check on the Blue Reaper myself.

If things were dangerous, I could offer some subtle help. If not, I could just watch the Blue Reaper in action.

After patting the Black Reaper on the head, I used the Black Penguin’s ability to teleport to where the Orange Reaper was.

In the sky over Gangdong-gu, where cloud creatures were flying around in flocks.

The Blue Reaper drifted carefully, scanning the skies with a focused expression, following the trail of its attachment human.

<Find the traces.>

Guided by its magic, the Blue Reaper moved forward, though it had a sense that it already knew where it was going.

It led to a large, abandoned building—one of many left vacant after an Object incident.

Terrible emotions were radiating from inside the building.

Pain, despair, and twisted joy.

The Blue Reaper landed on the roof of the building, and tears began to roll down its cheeks.

It was too much. The humans inside were suffering terribly.