Deep within Sehee Research.

The once-empty isolation room had its owner back.

Though the room had always held numerous mini reapers, it felt noticeably empty until now. Even though the Gray Reaper wasn’t particularly loud or large, Yerin could definitely sense his absence.

Nom-nom.

The Gray Reaper, looking utterly exhausted, nestled in Yerin’s arms, munching on popcorn as they watched TV.

[According to detailed investigations, many of the missing individuals have been confirmed to be on Red Lightning Island, where they had previously disappeared without a trace.]

[The Japanese Object Association has announced that the rescued individuals will be returned to their families after undergoing various assessments and health checks.]

The news was reporting on Red Lightning Island, the very place the Gray Reaper had recently visited. Despite being directly involved, he watched the news with a strange curiosity.

[According to survivors, the island's object involved completing various missions, resembling a labyrinth city.]

The mention of a labyrinth city caused the Gray Reaper’s antennae, hidden within Yerin’s arms, to wiggle joyfully.

[The Japanese Object Association has officially lifted the island's object status and plans to develop it into a tourist attraction.]

[However, the decision was made within just a week, raising concerns among object experts both domestically and in Japan about the hasty judgment.]

As soon as the news mentioned plans to turn the labyrinth city into a tourist spot, the Gray Reaper’s antennae started swaying like seaweed in a rough tide.

Watching his antennae dance as if he were savoring a delicious pudding, Yerin began planning a visit to the labyrinth city with the Gray Reaper once it opened to the public. Although others voiced concerns about the dangers, Yerin was confident there would be no issues.

After all, wherever the Gray Reaper went, the objects seemed to become safer, making her judgment quite reasonable.

[The reasons for the Gray Reaper's sudden visit to Japan, where he appears to have dismantled Red Lightning Island, remain unknown.]

The news shifted to show footage of the Gray Reaper himself. It was a video of the Gray Reaper appearing after the giant vortex on the island disappeared, filmed by a drone sent as soon as the clouds around the island cleared. Although the footage was grainy, it unmistakably captured the Gray Reaper being swarmed by black reapers.

Of course, even now, in the isolation room, the Gray Reaper was covered in black reapers clinging to him like remoras with their sharp little teeth.

What kind of mischief had the Gray Reaper caused to warrant being gnawed on for so long?

Even when he had turned into a red reaper and set the orange reaper’s hair on fire, it hadn’t been this severe.

Worried that he might be in pain, Yerin tried to pull one of the black reapers off by its foot, but they were latched on too tightly for her to budge them. It was as if they were expressing their intense displeasure with him.

The chirping of sparrows.

The warmth of a cozy bed.

The tantalizing smell of delicious toast.

Elements of an ‘ordinary morning’ began to register with the girl lying in bed.

Though already awake, she burrowed deeper under the covers, savoring the comforting atmosphere for a bit longer.

But under the blanket, a pair of white and yellow eyes stared back at her.

Beep!

The black reaper gave a small chirp, as if telling her to get up.

Feeling a little annoyed at the reaper’s daily wake-up call, the girl grabbed the black reaper under the covers and started tickling him.

“Take that!”

Whether it was the tickling itself or simply playing with her, the black reaper beamed and laughed, enjoying every moment.

After rolling around under the covers with him, the girl, now fully awake, placed the black reaper on her head and sat up, gazing out the window at the scenery.

Moments like these, just taking in the mundane view, brought her a profound sense of peace.

‘This isn’t the labyrinth.’

‘It’s my home, my everyday life.’

Even though she had returned from the labyrinth city to her normal life in Japan some time ago, she still often felt as if she might wake up back in the labyrinth city whenever she lay down to sleep.

She had only spent about three months trapped in the labyrinth city, so it was hard for her to imagine what it would feel like for those who had been there for a year, or even ten years.

Though she had managed to rejoin society, many of the other survivors were still not ready.

Having lived so far removed from societal norms, these adventurers needed extensive evaluations before reintegrating. They weren’t accustomed to rules like laws, often resolving conflicts with brute strength.

Moreover, those who spent significant time in the labyrinth had abilities that far surpassed ordinary humans. If she had cleared more levels of the labyrinth, she, too, might still be held back.

Her interest in the other survivors' reentry into society was mostly due to her concern for ‘Dog Meat Uncle.’

She had casually asked around to find out when he might be released back into society.

But based on what she’d heard, it would likely take a considerable amount of time before he could return.

He had survived the most levels among the ‘current survivors.’

He had been on the island for nearly fifteen years.

He possessed almost every condition that would make it difficult to reintegrate into society.

She was eager to see Uncle again in Japan.

As she pondered these thoughts, her hand touched the cold windowpane, and just then, her mother’s voice called from downstairs.

“Come down for breakfast!”

“Coming!”

The girl transformed the black reaper into a bracelet and put it on her wrist, answering with a lively voice.

It was the beginning of a simple, happy day.

In the stillness of night, while the mini reapers were fast asleep, I had woken up unusually early after dozing off in front of the TV.

Munch, munch.

I felt something biting my cheek and touched it, finding a black reaper still latched on.

‘Still here, huh.’

Though the black reapers were undoubtedly asleep—making tiny, rhythmic “beep” sounds—they remained firmly attached to me.

I could easily shake them off with my ghost form, but that would only make them angrier.

All I did was bury them in sand, and now they’re sulking for this long!

Normally, a single pudding was enough to calm them down, but maybe they were going through a rebellious phase?

Thump, thump.

With the black reapers clinging to me, I walked to the Sehee Research courtyard, where the soft glow of moonlight greeted me.

The white marshmallow-covered ground, a table with a mini TV, and a chair made just for me glowed mysteriously under the colorful lunar light.

I looked up, tracing the light, and saw multiple moons in various colors and three bright Halos.

I reached out to the sky and summoned the Halo I’d recently acquired into my hand.

It was the Halo I had obtained from the labyrinth city.

This Halo had the power to create illusions and manipulate hallucinations, just as the old man had shown.

But as a “divine eye,” its output far surpassed ordinary objects.

Beyond creating illusions strong enough to deceive me, it could craft realities to fool the entire world.

It could transform ordinary substances into illusions and manifest them as tangible items, like the items in the labyrinth city or the island that suddenly appeared in Japan.

This power approached the divine ability of “creation” itself.

Of course, it had its limits.

Just like the trials of the nine steps I experienced, it couldn’t create advanced materials and was confined to illusions.

Still, it was a remarkable ability.

My first thought upon gaining this powerful ability had been, ‘I could make as much pudding as I want!’ But I quickly dismissed that notion.

It wouldn’t be worth the effort to wear the Halo just for pudding.

It was akin to setting myself on fire just to earn a single pudding during my human days.

But the idea of using the Halo for playful mischief? That was worth considering.

I hadn’t thought of any fun pranks yet, but with the power to deceive reality itself, there were endless possibilities for amusement.

Hehe.

Crunch, crunch.

In the isolation room, the golden reaper was munching on some hard kibble.

The cheap food was tough and not very tasty, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

After all, his beloved human was watching him!

Nibbling at the hard kibble, he occasionally glanced up at the human staring back at him from behind the glass.

As long as he had the attention of his beloved human, the golden reaper found everything delightful and tasty.

The woman who had captured and confined the golden reaper watched him eat, mumbling to herself.

“He’s more docile than I expected.”

She felt a bit disappointed, as if all the elaborate containment facilities she’d set up to isolate him were wasted.

If she wanted to establish a credible research lab, she needed this containment to succeed.

All the equipment had been provided by some dangerous partners, leaving her short on time.

If she had known just how risky they were, she would never have collaborated with them….

Originally, she had even prepared for a dissection experiment once she captured the golden reaper, but seeing him happily munching on the cheap kibble with such an innocent face, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Ugh, what am I supposed to do now?”

As she muttered, a loud noise began to resonate through the building.

Bang, bang, bang.

It sounded like someone pounding on the door with enough force to break it down.

The lab’s soundproofing was good enough that she couldn’t hear voices, but she could imagine someone yelling something like, “Open up right now!”

“Yikes.”

Hearing the noise, her already pale face grew even paler.

The golden reaper, who had been calmly chewing his food, stood up and stared intently in the direction of the sound.