A warm energy enveloped the Golden Reaper's entire body.

It was an incredibly comfortable and happy sensation.

Amidst this warmth, the Golden Reaper was able to open its eyes.

As it did, it saw its mother, expressionless, scanning the surroundings.

Beyond that, the ominous yellow moon loomed in the sky, casting its unsettling light.

The sight of that cursed moon made the Golden Reaper remember where it had been.

Was the beloved human safe?

The Golden Reaper, rising from its mother's palm, looked around.

There it saw the beloved human, sitting on the ground, looking a bit dazed as they glanced around the area.

Hehe, such a strange expression.

After confirming that the beloved human was safe, the Golden Reaper checked its own body.

It had been battered and torn, but now it was completely healed.

Mother was amazing!

Though the Golden Reaper had gained the ability to slice through space, it wondered how long it would take to become as skilled as Mother.

No matter how much it thought about it, it seemed like a distant goal.

When the Golden Reaper looked at Mother with its newly acquired ability to see 'space,' it felt this fact even more clearly.

The vast amount of fuel Mother possessed couldn’t even be compared to its own.

And Mother's very presence distorted the fabric of space around her.

Mother’s power was so great that even comparing it to the Mini Reapers felt absurd.

But instead of feeling intimidated by the sight, the Golden Reaper clenched its fists, making a vow.

‘One day, I’ll become stronger than Mother and protect her!’

Though Mother was powerful, to the Golden Reaper, she didn’t seem very reliable.

After all, Mother always lost even the smallest bets or challenges that involved fighting.

With these thoughts swirling in its mind, the Golden Reaper, now fully healed, leapt from Mother's hand and began to explore its surroundings.

As the Golden Reaper looked around, it noticed how peaceful the area around Mother seemed—far from what one would expect in the middle of a battlefield.

The reason for this peace was that its siblings had scattered and were causing a ruckus all around.

The Blue Reapers, who were usually hidden away, were happily creating glowing strings of text in the air.

<The strongest Mom Golem punch in the world!>

<Punch!>

A massive Mom Golem, alongside the huge Black Reaper, was smashing the killers, immune to physical attacks, and sending them flying.

Though they couldn’t actually deal damage due to the physical immunity, the killers couldn’t withstand the sheer weight of the blows and were forced into a corner of the alley.

As the killers were herded together, the Golden Reapers rained down on them like a waterfall, drilling holes through the killers’ bodies, which quickly perished.

'Revenge for the First Sword!'

The four champions, chosen through the earlier contest, dashed around the alley with their lightsabers, slicing the killers to pieces.

Meanwhile, the Red Reaper lay on the ground, looking dejected, different from its energetic siblings.

It seemed to be feeling powerless against enemies with physical immunity.

Unlike its siblings, the Red Reaper had no overlapping strikes, nor did it possess a large, heavy form.

The Golden Reaper, thinking that teaching it some sword techniques might help, started to approach, but then noticed Mother quietly whispering something to the Red Reaper.

Did Mother actually have something to teach?

The Golden Reaper didn’t think so, but maybe she was offering some sort of comfort?

Curious about what was being said, the Golden Reaper moved closer, only to hear Mother muttering strange words in a low voice, too quiet to spread to others.

“Those who cannot break physical immunity, unite! This is the final struggle, so unite!”

As she said this, Mother guided the Red Reaper’s hands, making it cross its scythe and hammer together.

Though the Golden Reaper didn’t fully understand what Mother was saying, it seemed like some sort of joke. So, it dashed forward and headbutted Mother’s stomach in protest.

Not long ago, the Golden Reaper had collapsed, but now it had quickly regained its senses and stood up.

'Thank goodness.'

The student thought this to himself, then suddenly stopped in surprise.

Was he really worrying about an object?

The student recalled the common knowledge that objects, even those friendly to humans, were dangerous, but he quickly brushed the thought aside with a chuckle.

After all, he had been on the verge of death several times and had only survived thanks to the Golden Reaper’s help. It seemed a bit ridiculous to worry about such things now.

'The Golden Reaper is so harmless and devoted... I don’t need to think of it like a typical object.'

As the Golden Reaper wandered around, it suddenly charged headfirst into the Gray Reaper.

“!”

The two Reapers then clenched their small fists and began to playfully tussle.

What’s going on?

The student, still sitting on the ground in the alley, watched the Reapers’ actions with curiosity, though much of what they did was beyond his comprehension.

They seemed to be having fun for no reason, or sometimes communicating through silent glances.

The Gray Reaper was the most puzzling of all. It couldn’t sit still, constantly playing pranks, like tripping the Mini Reapers for no reason.

It was also hard to understand why the Golden Reaper had suddenly attacked the Gray Reaper, who had been comforting the tired Red Reaper!

And to top it off, the Golden Reaper had picked a fight with the Gray Reaper, who could tear space apart with ease. It seemed like a reckless decision.

Thud thud.

Surprisingly, though, the winner of the fistfight was the Golden Reaper.

The Gray Reaper, wearing a somewhat sad expression, collapsed beside the Red Reaper.

Meanwhile, the Golden Reaper, with its arms raised high, basked in the joy of victory.

Its expression seemed to say, “Mom is weak!”

Then, the Golden Reaper turned to the student and gave a bright, cheerful smile.

The smile was so pure and full of joy that the student couldn’t help but smile back.

Having lost the match with the Golden Reaper, I lay down next to the Red Reaper.

I can’t win…

The First Sword of the Golden Reapers had fought brilliantly.

Even as a novice in hand-to-hand combat, I could see that the First Sword was on a different level from the other Golden Reapers.

While the other Golden Reapers dodged my punches with agility, the First Sword deflected my blows with its tiny palm.

Every time the First Sword brushed against my fist, I lost my balance and rolled across the alley floor.

How could a human-sized being deflect a giant’s punch?

It didn’t make any physical sense.

There must have been some object-like influence at play.

Lying there, I muttered in defeat, “Gray Reapers of the world, unite.”

At that, the Red Reaper, who had been sulking over its lack of effectiveness against the physically immune enemies, giggled as if amused.

‘Mom is weak!’

It seemed like the Red Reaper had regained its energy, which was a relief.

Standing up beside the laughing Red Reaper, I looked up at the sky.

Even though the Mini Reapers had sliced up tens of thousands of objects, the presence of the yellow moon had only slightly diminished.

The Mini Reapers must have avenged the injured First Sword by now, after all the destruction they’d caused.

Looking up at the unnaturally large yellow moon, I checked the conditions for its destruction.

<Ensure no casualties during the Week of Madness.>

Hmm.

The Week of Madness likely referred to the nights when the yellow moon was out.

In other words, I just needed to prevent the yellow moon from killing anyone for a week.

What a tedious condition.

Staying in Mapo District for an entire week to fend off physically immune objects sounded like a pain.

I glared at the yellow moon and let out a sharp, mocking whistle.

A black sphere shot toward the moon, consuming it whole, but soon enough, the yellow moon reappeared, looking as intact as ever.

The whistle didn’t work.

I guess I’ll just have to meet the conditions.

Early morning sunlight pierced through the curtains, lighting up the dark room.

Along with the light came the sound of chirping sparrows and the smell of something delicious.

The student, waking from his sleep, knew he had to get up but felt so tired that he just wanted to pull the blanket over himself and drift back to sleep.

But as soon as he tugged on the blanket, he heard a soft slapping sound on his cheek.

Tap tap.

The Golden Reaper was patting the student's cheek with its tiny hands, trying to wake him up.

“Alright, I’ll get up.”

Rubbing his eyes, the student rose from bed, and the Golden Reaper stood with its hands on its hips, giving him a look that seemed to say, “Hurry up and get ready!”

As he stepped out of bed, the air felt slightly chilly.

The student trudged out of his room, and the Golden Reaper hopped onto his shoulder, patting his cheek as if to praise him for getting up.

In the living room, his parents were already awake, each with their own Golden Reaper perched on their shoulders.

When the student’s Golden Reaper made eye contact with its siblings, they all cheerfully raised a hand and waved.

Three days had passed since the night of the yellow full moon and the classmate's attack.

At first, the student had wondered if he had really died during one of the countless assaults, only to come back to life, but in the end, nothing had happened.

It was probably just a hallucination created by the full moon.

Now, three days later, life in Mapo District had completely changed.

Whether due to the whims of the Gray Reaper or for some other reason, the Golden Reapers had spread throughout every corner of Mapo District, each one taking responsibility for a human, one-on-one.

At first, some people resisted, but eventually, everyone fell under the adorable charm of the Golden Reapers.

And so, Mapo District had become a thriving habitat filled with Golden Reapers and their human companions.