Lying on the fluffy carpeted floor of the isolation room, I gazed at the ceiling, where a pudding floated in the air surrounded by bubbles.

Within the bubbles encircling the pudding, reflections of the isolation room appeared, distorting into intricate patterns and scattering in odd shapes.

I could see the bed, the pudding factory, and myself lying on the floor.

The warm air and the cozy bed.

And the Golden Reaper happily working at the pudding factory.

The isolation room was as calm and peaceful as ever, but I lay on the floor with a gloomy expression.

One of my life’s joys, playing pranks on Mini Reapers, had ended in failure!

As I lay there looking despondent, the Red Reaper approached, presenting me with a black hake—expertly grilled to perfection, without a trace of white left on it.

“Gwee-heeng-heeng.”

The hake, thoroughly charred so that no white remained, let out a pitiful sound.

The Red Reaper, who had gifted me the hake, radiated an encouraging smile, urging me to eat up and regain my energy.

Nom nom.

As I munched on the small, bite-sized black hake, my thoughts drifted to the ability I had gained from handling the Yellow Moon.

It wasn’t a particularly useful ability, so I hadn’t paid it much attention. But I decided to give it a test now that I had the chance.

As I used the ability experimentally, the Red Reaper, watching from the side, opened its mouth wide in surprise.

‘Red Mama!’

The shocked expression gradually transformed into one of delight, and the Red Reaper started hopping around, genuinely excited.

The new ability I gained after dealing with the Yellow Moon allowed me to change my skin color.

It wasn’t like the Yellow Reaper’s costume with mental contamination or mimicry; it was purely a color-changing ability.

It might not be practical, but I figured the Mini Reaper kids would probably enjoy it.

However, the Red Reaper’s reaction was far more enthusiastic than I’d anticipated.

The Red Reaper seemed so thrilled that it tugged insistently at my pinky finger as if begging to go on a walk, like an eager puppy.

It seemed eager to head out to the courtyard, where the other Mini Reapers were, to show off.

‘Mama’s the same color as me!’

Feigning reluctance, I slowly stood up, allowing the Red Reaper to settle onto my head.

Thump thump.

And so, following the Red Reaper’s lead, I walked slowly towards the courtyard, where it looked incredibly happy.

An ominous labyrinth lit by green torches.

In the center of that labyrinth, a girl sat squatting by a campfire that had burned down to ashes, waiting for someone.

“Where could the men have gone?”

When the girl woke up, the campsite was deserted.

Although she felt a little uneasy, she wasn’t too worried.

The campsite was still filled with the items the men had left behind.

Thinking they wouldn’t abandon all their belongings, she figured they would return eventually.

So she decided to wait for them, sitting beside the pile of ashes that still held some warmth, absentmindedly stroking the black sword in her arms.

But no matter how long she waited, the men didn’t return.

The girl slowly caressed the blade of the black sword and raised it to eye level.

As if speaking to it, she looked into the sword and asked,

“What should we do? The men aren’t coming back. Should we leave the campsite and head deeper into the labyrinth on our own?”

Beep.

In response, the black sword gave a high-pitched, lively sound, as if in agreement.

The girl continued her conversation with the sword, which seemed to respond as if it understood her.

“Should we go ahead without them? But what if someone steals the stuff in the campsite?”

Beep.

Again, the black sword gave a high-pitched, energetic reply.

Strangely, it sounded as if it was encouraging her to abandon the campsite and leave.

“Hmm. Let’s wait just a little longer.”

The girl resolved to wait a bit longer for the men.

As she made her decision, she passed the time by gently stroking the beautifully patterned blade of the sword.

Beep.

The sword responded with a contented hum, as if it was enjoying the attention.

The surface of the black sword felt soft to the touch, making it satisfying to stroke repeatedly.

And since the sword seemed to respond so positively, the girl made an effort to pet it as often as she could.

She carefully examined the blade as she stroked it, as if inspecting and caring for a cherished treasure.

There was a reason behind her actions.

When she had woken up that morning, the sword’s pommel had turned white.

It had definitely been yellow!

While the pommel’s color wasn’t particularly important to her, the sight of the white pommel made her feel as if the black sword was sad, and that worried her.

“It’s almost yellow again. You’d prefer to be yellow rather than white, right?”

Beep!

As she stroked the sword, seemingly comforting it, the pommel gradually regained its yellow hue.

The girl continued stroking the black sword, and at that moment, the green flames of the torches suddenly shifted.

“!”

The ominous green torches began to burn a familiar red once again.

With a sinking feeling, the girl looked up at the ceiling, where she saw a pattern of numbers she recognized.

She hurriedly opened her map book to compare the numbers, then jumped to her feet and shouted,

“It’s back! Now we can return!”

Beep.

The black sword also let out a cheerful sound, as if sharing in her excitement.

The man the girl referred to as “Dog Meat Guy” was a middle-aged man, wiping the blood from his hands with a cloth as he looked up at the sky.

Above him was the sky of the labyrinth city, which remained consistently bright and sunny, 365 days a year.

“Another fake sky, bright as ever.”

As he lowered his gaze from the sky, he looked down at the two bloodied men sprawled painfully on the gravel.

“Honestly, how could anyone try to scam an innocent little kid like that?”

He crouched down, meeting the men’s eyes as he sighed heavily.

But the two men, unable to do much more than groan in pain, were in no condition to respond.

Not that the man really expected an answer—he wasn’t waiting for one. He brushed off his hands and rose to his feet without a second thought.

“You already tracked them down and handled it? Must be quick on your feet—guess that’s expected from someone who’s ventured into the depths of the labyrinth.”

A woman in an apron approached him from behind, speaking as she drew near. She was the street vendor who had informed him about the scam involving the girl.

The vendor was someone the girl frequented to buy snacks from before heading into the labyrinth. She had noticed something unusual when the girl just browsed her stand without buying anything, prompting her to investigate.

The vendor had discovered a group who had scammed the girl by selling her a fake sword and glue at an exorbitant price. She had then informed the man, whom the girl called “Dog Meat Guy.”

“Anyway, now I need to return this money to the girl somehow, but I’m not sure how.”

Dog Meat Guy tossed a hefty purse into the air, catching it repeatedly as he pondered his dilemma.

While he was weighing his options, he heard something he couldn’t ignore.

“Incident alert! Incident alert! An anomaly has occurred in the labyrinth! Green torches have appeared!”

The girl who had entered the labyrinth just a few hours earlier was now in danger.

“Hmm. This is strange.”

The girl kept glancing between the ceiling and her map book, worrying over what she was seeing.

“It’s definitely correct. I followed the map precisely.”

She had carefully checked the ceiling plaques and the map book at every step, reaching the final room. But there was something odd about this last chamber, which was supposed to be the way out.

The plaque on the ceiling in this room indicated it was the exit.

However, the chamber she was currently in differed distinctly from the map. Instead of an exit torch, there was a crudely carved stone door.

“Dog Meat Guy said to never open a stone door like this…”

“But he also told me to trust and follow the map…”

Her face showed uncertainty, unsure of what to do.

“Is going through this door the right answer?”

She raised the black sword and asked, and the sword responded with a bright, cheerful “Beep.”

“Alright, let’s go in!”

With a determined expression, the girl slowly pushed open the stone door.

Creeeak.

As the door slid open with a grating sound, she stepped through to the other side.

And as soon as she entered, the stone door vanished.

Although she was now effectively trapped, the girl was too captivated by the mysterious atmosphere of the room to feel afraid.

The room was incredibly spacious, unlike any other chamber in the labyrinth.

It was as if the walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in polished purple gemstones, reflecting like mirrors.

At the far end of the room stood a glossy purple figure.

“Wow, how amazing.”

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked around, eventually turning her gaze towards the figure. She sensed something peculiar.

‘Did that figure just move a little closer to me?’

Upon closer inspection, the surface of the glossy figure was riddled with jagged cracks.

The girl, feeling uneasy, continued to explore the room, examining every corner.

‘There’s no plaque. I can’t tell where I am…’

She searched her map book to see if anything like this room was described, but there was nothing.

Beep!

Just then, the black sword let out a loud beep, startling her. She looked up quickly and saw that the purple figure had crossed half the room, approaching her.

The cracks on its surface had widened, splitting open.

This time, there was no mistaking it.

The figure was moving towards her.

The girl felt a sudden wave of anxiety as the figure drew closer. She raised the black sword, her voice trembling as she asked,

“W-what should I do? Is it a monster?”

Beep.

The sword responded with a bright, high-pitched tone, as if agreeing.

The sound didn’t echo, as if swallowed by the eerie stillness of the room.

Every surface reflected like a mirror, creating an unsettling sense of endlessness.

The figure was drifting towards her like a ghost.

She took a deep breath, her face pale with fear.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the purple figure suddenly appeared right in front of her.

The cracks on its surface had opened wide, revealing a writhing mass of eyes within.