The battle with the giant in the United States was truly exhausting.

It always felt difficult whenever I fought an Object in America, and it wasn’t just my imagination.

Next time I go on an overseas trip with Yerin, I’ll make sure to choose somewhere other than the United States.

Lying flat on the ground, staring up at the sky, I let the tension drain from my body. The twinkling starlight and moonlight bathed the landscape.

Mini moons, much like the Mini Reapers, were irregularly arranged around a massive gray moon, as if mimicking their playful nature.

Surrounding the mini moons was a large, glowing ring that etched a circle across the sky.

The ring wasn't particularly bright, but it was noticeable. It looked exactly like the ring of light I had seen inside the "eye."

Apart from its sudden appearance in the sky like the mini moons, the eye didn’t seem particularly special.

It would have been fun if that ring of light could shoot beams—like shouting “Satellite Attack!” or something.

Gathered around me, the Black Reapers and Golden Reapers were rolling around, playing in the dirt of the clearing created by the aftermath of the fight.

Thud, thud.

A Golden Reaper swung its tiny fist, which the Black Reaper expertly blocked with both hands.

Shake, shake.

The Black Reaper shook its head, then struck a pose, demonstrating a punch that was sharp and precise, unlike the playful punches of the Golden Reaper.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Impressive!"

The Golden Reaper clapped enthusiastically, clearly impressed by the Black Reaper’s punch.

The Black Reaper grinned with its sharp shark teeth, radiating pride.

It seemed like martial arts had become popular among the Golden Reapers, as more and more of them were grabbing Black Reapers and eagerly receiving fighting lessons.

Seeing the tiny Reapers flail their limbs was strangely amusing.

As I smiled and watched the mini Reapers training in combat, one Black Reaper approached and started poking my cheek.

"Mom too!"

The Black Reaper beamed, inviting me to join them.

Hmm...

I’m not really confident in physical activity, but it’s hard to say no.

Soon, more and more mini Reapers gathered around me, their numbers growing until I was surrounded by countless Golden and Black Reapers.

With bright, sparkling eyes, they all looked up at me like meerkats, brimming with curiosity.

Unable to resist, I reluctantly stood up, and there, waiting for me, was a Black Reaper my size, fists at the ready.

The mini Reapers formed a circle around us, creating an impromptu Mini Reaper Colosseum.

Wait, they really expect me to take a fighting lesson?

I’m not even as athletic as the Golden Reapers, let alone the Black ones!

"Mom, you can do it!"

Encouraged by the cheering Golden Reapers, I reluctantly raised my fists. The Black Reaper, with expert footwork, quickly closed the distance between us.

Boom!

A loud impact echoed from my head as the Black Reaper’s punch slipped through my guard like flowing water.

Thanks to physical immunity, it didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t land a single punch in return.

"Mom is weak!"

The Golden Reapers giggled in delight.

This feels like domestic abuse!

The "abuse" continued until members of the U.S. Object Association arrived to investigate the scene.

 

Time passed, and by the next morning, the forest was filled with employees of the Object Association, scouring the area for information and taking photographs.

They documented the giant’s footprints, the damage to the trees and buildings, and most of all, the myriad small and large baby footprints.

There were footprints from the mini Reapers, the Gray Reaper, and the enormous 5-meter Reaper.

The scene proved, once again, that the Gray Reaper had a remarkable ability to traverse long distances.

But the head of the investigation team had a different problem on his mind.

Inside a large investigation camp, the lead investigator sat at a table surrounded by documents.

As he slowly flipped through the papers, he muttered to himself in a low voice.

"This is serious."

The documents contained a preliminary report on the people rescued from the Eye Cult.

"Yes, I think it’s very serious," a quiet voice responded.

Startled, the lead investigator looked up to see a serious-looking investigator from the support team approaching the table.

Recovering quickly, the lead investigator calmly addressed the investigator from headquarters.

"You’re fast. I haven’t even submitted a proper report yet."

"The matter is extremely serious. The Object Association views this as a significant issue."

The report the investigator laid down on the table was a rough compilation of handwritten notes and field observations.

At the top of the report, scrawled in large, hasty letters, were the words:

<The Possibility of Artificial Superhuman Awakening through Torture.>

The investigator massaged his temples, groaning in frustration.

"This is a huge problem. If this information gets out, we’ll see an explosion in kidnappings and torture."

"And it won’t be easy to control the information. The Eye Cult isn’t limited to just the United States."

A breeze fluttered the pages of the report, revealing more details: a discovery that the victims of the Eye Cult were manifesting Object-like abilities or superhuman powers.

 

After undergoing questioning by the association over the Eye Cult kidnapping case, Seo-Ah returned to the lab, only to find it transformed into a massive construction site.

"Construction? What kind of construction is going on all of a sudden?"

It didn’t look like some minor repairs; this was a full-scale operation.

Following the construction materials, Seo-Ah found her way to the basement where the giant golden statue used to be.

Large amounts of construction supplies were being hauled down there, and work was already underway to build a massive bath.

As Seo-Ah looked around in confusion, she spotted Sehee giving orders to the workers with a bright expression.

"Director Lee Sehee!"

"Ah!"

Upon hearing her name shouted, Sehee let out a small groan and immediately took off running.

"Director Sehee! Where is the money for all this construction coming from?" Seo-Ah called out as she chased after her, but Sehee covered her ears and fled even further, pretending not to hear.

"Ugh, my head..."

Failing to catch the nimble director, Seo-Ah groaned in frustration and clutched her head as a sudden headache overwhelmed her.

She’d have to visit Sehee’s office eventually, so there was no need for her to run away like that.

Grumbling to herself, Seo-Ah scanned the area.

She had initially planned just to take a quick look around, but what she saw at the construction site was rather peculiar.

It had to be Sehee’s doing.

Perched on the workers’ shoulders, Golden Reapers were happily wiping away their sweat, while giant Black Reapers carried the heavy building materials.

The Golden Reapers, apparently envious of the Black Reapers' strength, carried tiny pebbles on their shoulders, marching along and mimicking their heavy-footed steps.

One Golden Reaper would drop its pebble with a small "thud" at the debris pile, then mimic the Black Reapers' heavy movements with exaggerated steps.

Seo-Ah almost thought the Golden Reapers were cute, but she snapped back to reality.

These Golden Reapers are so adorable, I nearly forgot my duties as a researcher.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Seo-Ah felt a growing sense of frustration as she surveyed the basement.

Exposing the workers to mentally contaminating Objects? This is madness!

Rubbing her temples to ease the worsening headache, Seo-Ah observed the scene.

Blue Reapers floated gently, caring for the workers.

Orange Reapers drifted about, moving pieces of concrete.

A sprout Reaper sat in a small planter in the workers’ break area.

The Black Reapers showed off their crane-like strength, while the Golden Reapers offered encouragement and cleaned up the debris.

It was hard to tell whether this was a construction site or a Mini Reaper garden.

After reviewing the facility’s blueprints one last time, Seo-Ah hurried off to find Sehee.

The documents contained something ridiculous.

An indoor swimming pool and bath in the basement, and a water park that connected the basement and the ground floor.

And the water park was more than twice the size of the lab grounds, specifically designed for the Mini Reapers.

She had to find Sehee and stop this.

 

Late at night, in a hospital room near Songpa-gu.

A security team member slowly opened his eyes.

The unfamiliar ceiling, the hospital-like bed with curtains.

The faint hum of the fridge’s pump.

Ah, thank goodness, it’s a hospital.

It had been two days since he’d arrived, but every time he woke up, he feared he was still trapped in that hellish cavern.

The younger sibling he had been searching for was now in quarantine.

Though it wasn’t due to Object-induced mental contamination, they had suffered severe trauma and were undergoing treatment.

As he shifted uncomfortably in his bandages, he heard a soft sound.

Scratch. Scratch.

A scraping noise came from beyond the curtain.

It sounded like someone peeling an apple with a knife.

No way...

Slowly pulling the curtain aside, he peeked out and saw a Blue Reaper sitting on the table, carefully peeling an apple with a focused expression.

"Reaper!"

Overjoyed, the security team member tried to jump up, but the bandages and pain kept him pinned to the bed.

<Please lie down and wait.>

The Blue Reaper, seeing the wince of pain on his face, spoke in its usual unreadable script and applied a strange, soft pressure, causing him to sink gently back into the bed.

Clumsily, the Blue Reaper continued peeling the oversized apple, then offered a small chunk of it, skewered on a fork made of water.

<Say ah.>

The Blue Reaper was trying to feed him!

The security team member was touched.

No matter how close he’d grown to the Blue Reaper, this was something it had never done before!

Brimming with anticipation, he opened his mouth wide and waited.

But the trembling apple chunk missed his mouth and poked his cheek instead.

The apple rubbed awkwardly against his face, as the Blue Reaper, flustered, struggled to find the right angle.

It seemed the Reaper’s hat was pulled down too far, obstructing its view and making it difficult to feed him.

Still, the security team member smiled warmly at the sight.

<Please close your eyes!>

The Blue Reaper, noticing his expression, promptly forced his eyes shut.