Thud.

The heavy impact of fists colliding sent shockwaves through the forest, scattering dust into the air.

I pushed forward, cutting through the swiftly dispersing dust.

Step, step.

With light steps, I made my way toward the battlefield where the Black Reaper and the giant clashed.

My destination was the massive eye beneath the giant’s feet!

As I approached the giant, the noise and vibrations of the battle intensified, and the unsettling white flames clung to my body.

It felt like an uncanny valley, a dish that looked delicious but reeked of filth—the white flames resembled logs, yet filled me with disgust.

Looking down at the eye beneath the giant, it was clear it served as a passage to another world.

Though colorless, it was filled with something opaque and mysterious.

Before jumping into the eye, I glanced up at the Black Reaper, who was fighting fiercely.

The giant 5-meter Black Reaper noticed my intentions and waved its hand energetically to see me off.

Even with its massive size, it waved just like when it was a mini Reaper, which made me chuckle a bit.

Leaving the Black Reaper behind, I leapt into the eye.

 

Seo-Ah was running through the outskirts of Gangdong-gu.

Behind her, staff from the Object Retrieval Team, fully equipped, followed closely.

Armed with large transparent shields and batons, wearing sturdy body armor and helmets, they looked prepared for anything.

The only odd detail was the black antennae sticking out from their helmets.

Though Seo-Ah was running through a deserted danger zone, she didn’t appear anxious.

It wasn’t that she trusted the research team.

She trusted the Black Reapers, who had merged with the retrieval team’s helmets.

The Black Reapers, like slime, clung to the top of the helmets, occasionally peeking out and giggling as they looked around.

"Take a left at the next alley!"

Seo-Ah darted through the winding alleys as if she knew them by heart, thanks to the sprout Reaper perched on her shoulder.

Hehe.

The sprout Reaper's laughter, heard only by Seo-Ah, guided her path.

After running through the alleys for what felt like forever, Seo-Ah and the retrieval team arrived at a building exuding an unsettling atmosphere.

Thump. Thump.

The ominous sound, like something was being constructed, echoed from the building.

Sweating from the tension, Seo-Ah and the retrieval team cautiously entered the building.

The source of the heavy vibrations was coming from the basement.

After finding the entrance to the basement and descending, they discovered people with their bones completely shattered.

"Deputy Director, it doesn’t look like we can move these injured people with our current equipment."

"You're right. Let’s have some of the team stay here and call for ambulances."

Though they appeared to be sleeping peacefully, their bodies were too broken to be moved carelessly.

Oddly, the scent of these severely injured but peaceful-looking individuals was familiar—fresh and reminiscent of the color blue.

As Seo-Ah led the remaining team deeper into the cavern, a giant water golem was in the middle of delivering a dynamic dropkick.

<Gentle Mom Golem Dropkick!>

<Dropkick!>

Behind the enormous gray water Reaper golem rampaging about, the missing Sehee Lab security staff and several small Blue Reapers could be seen.

Surrounding them were clones, identical in appearance and dress.

When Seo-Ah and the retrieval team arrived at the chaotic clearing, the clone-like men all turned toward Seo-Ah and charged.

"Everyone, prepare for combat!"

The retrieval team leader, running beside Seo-Ah, moved to the front and shouted.

Seo-Ah retreated under the protection of the retrieval team.

Crash!

The sound of the shield clashing with fists reverberated, loud enough to seem impossible.

"Don’t think of them as human!"

With the team leader’s shout, the retrieval team moved in perfect unison, effectively handling the enemies.

Seo-Ah, impressed by the retrieval team’s unexpectedly competent combat abilities, thought to herself that they weren’t just spending all day in the gym—they must have trained for group suppression too.

<Warm Mom Golem Windmill!>

<Windmill!>

Of course, the Blue Reapers seemed much more impressive.

 

Once inside the eye, a strange environment awaited me.

The floor was a seemingly endless expanse of black mirrors in every direction.

The only landmark was a faint light far off in the distance, serving as a beacon.

A single ray of light stretched out in a straight line from the faint glow, like the only path through this world of darkness.

Along that single path of light, countless people lay prostrate.

I stood at the far end of that glowing path.

The giant's destruction condition was <Retrieve the eye from within the eye.>

The eye must be beyond that light.

Step.

As I took my first step toward the light, a sound of something crumbling echoed, followed by a vision.

It was a man crossing a scorching desert, his lungs burning from the heat.

<May my wish reach the gods.>

Even though his flesh was completely burned, the man’s voice continued, as if he would never stop walking.

At the same time, a red flame appeared on my fingertips.

It clung to me like a curse, unwilling to let go.

I gritted my teeth against the bone-burning pain.

The agony was nearly paralyzing, but thankfully, it began to subside.

From my heart, the warm glow of the golden log gifted by Yerin flowed, erasing the pain of the cursed flames.

When I looked down, the man who had been prostrate had crumbled into ashes.

Looking back, the distant end of the path seemed much farther away now.

Placing my hand over my warm heart, I took another step forward.

Step.

As I moved forward, I saw an old man traversing a frozen wasteland where all life had perished.

<May my wish reach the dead god.>

Simultaneously, my fingers began to disintegrate into ice dust.

The white flame had erased my immunity, and my logs were burning constantly to regenerate me.

But I still had plenty of logs left.

Step, step.

I continued walking toward the light.

With every step, I encountered more people waiting for the gods, hoping that their trials and sufferings would reach divinity.

They set themselves ablaze, thrust blades into their bodies.

When their bodies burned or were pierced, mine would do the same.

If I were human, I would have long since died from the injuries, but I was fine.

I had enough logs.

The warmth Yerin had given me was still there.

Now, I could see the end of the long path.

I reached the light source, which illuminated the path like a lighthouse.

Unlike the despairing people who had decorated the path, there was something different lying along the way.

A blackened mass and a completely shattered iron lamp lay abandoned.

Step.

I took one final step toward the last obstacle.

A vision appeared of a man walking across a desolate land.

Dressed like a noble, the man carried an elegant iron lamp and walked across the blackened earth.

The ground had already melted into a sludgy mess, and with each step, the man’s body melted away.

<May the gods hear my wish.>

<May eternal doom come to humanity, who killed the gods.>

At the same time, my legs turned black and crumbled away.

Thud.

I collapsed to the ground, both legs lost.

It hurt.

As fast as my logs regenerated me, my legs melted at the same rate.

Was this... the 'evolutionary fluid'?

It hurt.

If I gave up and turned back, I knew all the wounds would heal and disappear.

'Physical immunity' was that kind of power.

But I had to keep going.

A world where giants like this roamed wasn’t safe for the Reapers, or for Yerin.

Clenching my teeth, I crawled across the ground using only my arms.

When I finally reached the glowing light, I saw it—the source of the light.

It was a massive ring of light.

Could that be the "eye"?

Standing before the eye was a muscular man in ornate clothing, staring at me.

He looked just like the giant outside, fighting the Black Reaper with such glee.

Was I supposed to fight here?

Startled, I struggled to stand on my melted legs, but the man’s eyes were unfocused.

It was as if he were looking far into the distance, somewhere else entirely.

He felt like one of the fragments of the past, like the many people decorating the path.

I carefully crawled past him, and as I did, a calm voice spoke out.

"So, I have failed."

The man continued to speak, still staring into the distance, seeing something I could not.

Unlike the giant's voice, soaked with madness, his voice was calm and steady.

"If so, then you must succeed. The final alchemist."

Startled by the sudden clarity of the voice, I turned to see the man’s body turning to dust and scattering.

Oddly enough, I felt as though a woman with blue hair stood where he had been gazing.

As I stared at the spot where the man had vanished, I slowly crawled forward, stretching my hand out to touch the glowing ring.

The moment I touched it, the ring shot into the sky, and the space around me began to crack.

Everything faded like a dream, and the many wounds that had covered my body vanished like bubbles.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the forest, where the traces of the giant’s fight with the Black Reaper remained.

The forest, once filled with loud echoes, had fallen into a serene silence.

The giant, having met the destruction condition, had disappeared somewhere.

As I looked around the quiet forest, golden light began to rise from the shadows.

The Black Reapers and Golden Reapers, upon seeing me, began to rush toward me from all directions.

"Mom!"

I collapsed onto the ground, a cocoon of black and gold, as the mini Reapers snuggled against me.

Looking up at the sky through the pile of mini Reapers, I saw the glowing ring of light hovering in the sky.

It didn’t look like an eye, but I knew it was the "eye."