“Why is the Golden Reaper here?”

The man, tense from his unexpected encounter with the Golden Reaper, began to cautiously open the car door.

He moved as quietly as possible, making sure not to make a sound.

I did notice that the car smelled like warm sunlight, but I brushed it off…

Now regretting his earlier oversight, he took deep, steady breaths through his nose, trying to keep calm as he reached for the door handle.

Got it!

Just as he was about to slip out, the Golden Reaper sprang from the glove box, a radiant smile on its face, and leapt right at him.

“Argh!”

The man, already on edge, reacted as if a snake had lunged at him, pushing the door open and bolting out of the car.

“Boss?”

Outside, the man’s subordinate looked back in confusion, seeing his superior flee from the Golden Reaper, which was jumping after him.

With swift reflexes, the subordinate caught the Golden Reaper mid-air with his bare hands.

The Golden Reaper, now captured by the subordinate’s massive hands, looked up in awe and beamed at him.

Wow, this human is impressive!

Though his limbs were restrained, the Golden Reaper seemed delighted, its smile as bright as ever.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. As they say, this one’s pretty gentle,” the subordinate replied, holding the Golden Reaper securely.

The man, now covered in dirt and bruises from his hasty retreat, stared in disbelief.

“Golden Reapers are popular with kids these days. I even heard there are fan sites for them. Didn’t you know?”

The man, of course, knew about their growing popularity. He just didn’t believe in their safety or their popularity.

The government and associations are likely manipulating public opinion to downplay the dangers of objects and make them seem more approachable.

Even now, watching the Golden Reaper calmly in his subordinate’s hands, he couldn’t shake the unease. He recalled an image that haunted him—a photo of countless bodies with holes punched through them in the shape of a Golden Reaper.

“Apparently, even moms on those parenting forums are into them now, saying they protect their babies or something.”

The man looked at his subordinate, who was still rambling about the Golden Reaper’s supposed safety and popularity, with a sympathetic gaze.

“Sure, let’s say it’s safe. But isn’t this the same Golden Reaper we supposedly contained?”

The subordinate paused, inspecting the Golden Reaper closely. “Hmm… they all look the same, so it’s hard to tell.”

“Well, we’ll find out on our next inspection. Let’s go, we need to meet Viper.”

Reluctantly, the subordinate wandered into the forest and tossed the Golden Reaper into a patch of soft grass like releasing a bird.

The Golden Reaper landed gracefully but immediately bounced back, landing on the subordinate’s hand with a playful grin.

“Go on, we need to see the boss,” he said, gently placing it back in the grass. But the Golden Reaper shook its head vigorously and hopped back, refusing to stay put.

After repeating this routine a few more times, the subordinate finally had an idea.

“Hey, boss! Didn’t Viper say he needed a contained object? Why don’t we take this one along?”

Raising the Golden Reaper, who was still smiling brightly and giving a thumbs-up, the subordinate made his suggestion.

In the corner of a containment room, I stood before a large mirror, squinting as I tried to see something hidden within.

The reflection in the mirror showed the usual me:

Soft, grayish skin. Light spilling from beneath the surface, like smoldering embers. Long hair that flowed all the way to the floor. Eyes glowing like burning logs.

I can’t see it.

Though I could see myself, what I was truly trying to see remained hidden. I wanted to glimpse my own destruction condition.

Every time I used my “eye” ability to search for it, I grew stronger. I had assumed that if I got strong enough, I’d eventually be able to see it, but still, nothing appeared.

It wasn’t a limitation of the mirror, as I could see the destruction conditions of the Mini Reapers just fine.

I considered a few theories for why my own condition remained hidden.

First, that I was indestructible. Perhaps I couldn’t see it because I was destined to regenerate or survive through other means, no matter what.

Second, that my ability was fundamentally designed not to work on myself. This theory was logical but, unfortunately, untestable.

Third, that my ability only worked on targets of lower “rank” or “presence” than myself. I’d never encountered an object with a greater presence than my own. Ever since I first awoke in Seoul Forest, I knew my presence exceeded that of others.

I turned away, but then something caught my eye.

?

Was this… inside me all along?

For the first time, I noticed something embedded within me, almost perfectly fused with my flesh. It looked just like a Halo.

Realizing they couldn’t shake the Golden Reaper, the men decided to bring it to Viper.

The subordinate remarked that the Golden Reaper was as good as contained, given how gentle it was, but the man didn’t agree.

He had encountered objects that looked harmless but were incredibly dangerous.

Since it was impossible to escape its persistent company, they decided it was better to pretend they’d brought it along on purpose.

Slowly, they made their way down the path to the valley, carrying the smiling Golden Reaper.

When they arrived, Viper was reclining on a large platform, resting. He lifted a hand in greeting without turning around.

“Hey, you’re here?”

“Boss!”

The two men approached, shouting their greetings. The subordinate, as usual, began his report on their latest activities and the Golden Reaper.

But before he could finish, Viper tensed up, his face filled with fear.

On the platform, the Golden Reaper stood, its expression menacing.

Evil object!

Raising its arms toward the sunlight, the Golden Reaper began to glow brighter and brighter until its light filled the entire valley.

The intense light was so blinding it felt like a flashbang, but mysteriously, it didn’t hurt to look at.

When the light faded, only a charred spot remained on the platform—no trace of Viper or the Golden Reaper.

“Boss?”

The place where Viper had been now held nothing but scorched earth, surrounded by an eerie silence.

In the deserted valley, dusk had begun to fall, casting the landscape in a fiery red glow. The waters rippled with the color of flames, reflecting the reddening sky.

A large platform stood nearby, still marked with ominous black scorch marks.

Amidst the quiet, a strange grinding sound began to echo.

Crunch, crunch.

Pebbles scattered along the shore started to shift, moving as if alive, clattering against one another as they formed a perfect circle.

As time passed, the pebbles ground against each other, creating a series of concentric circles.

Then, as the sun dipped below the horizon, darkness settled over the valley, bringing an uncanny stillness.

From the center of the circles, a figure emerged—a man made entirely of green jade.

Wrapped in a tattered cloak, the jade figure stared at the scorched platform, silent and unmoving.

Eventually, a single tear rolled down his face, and he whispered as if overwhelmed by emotion.

“At last.”

“At last, I’ve found the traces of that despicable god.”

Tears continued to flow as he repeated the words over and over, feeling that the time had finally come to fulfill his long-cherished wish.