As Yerin idled around with the Golden Reaper in the isolation room, she suddenly turned up the TV volume upon hearing the news about the Gray Reaper's appearance.

At the same time, Seoa, in the Deputy Director's office, was also watching the same news with keen attention.

"[According to the information shared from Russia, it's reported that a certain area of Siberia is currently unobservable.]"

The TV continued to detail the mysterious phenomenon surrounding the object.

"[Not only humans, but even drones go missing the moment they cross the boundary of the snowy area.]"

"[It's not just about losing control; the moment they cross the boundary, they disappear, even when tracked by satellites.]"

It was an object phenomenon that seemed daunting just to hear about.

However, the high-resolution long-range photos of the Gray Reaper that followed showed an unexpected outcome.

Thump, thump.

The Gray Reaper, with their distinctively steady gait, crossed the object’s boundary without disappearing, continuing to walk across the snowy landscape.

The camera that kept capturing the Gray Reaper showed them standing still, gazing blankly up at the sky with their golden eyes, as if lost in a dream while staring at the moon.

"What do you think about this?"

Seoa turned away from the TV, which she had been watching intently, and asked the Sprout Reaper for their opinion.

But, as she looked around, the Sprout Reaper was nowhere to be seen on top of the monitor, where they usually lounged.

Suspecting something, she turned her head and found the Sprout Reaper sticking their head inside the lunchbox she had set aside, sneaking a bite.

‘Stealing food again, are we?’

Maybe because of their frequent interactions or perhaps due to the deepening mental bond or psychological contamination, the Sprout Reaper, who had initially seemed like a figment of Seoa's imagination, was now affecting the physical world.

Their intelligence was a plus since they could assist with simple tasks, but their habit of sneaking food was a definite drawback.

Unlike other Mini Reapers, they rarely ate things like snacks or pudding, as if enjoying nothing more than catching Seoa off guard.

With a long sigh, Seoa pulled the small feet of the Sprout Reaper out of the lunchbox, revealing them holding a giant sausage in their mouth.

Hehe.

Seeing the Sprout Reaper give a cute smile, as if saying, "Oops, you caught me!" Seoa couldn't help but smile, forgetting any intention of scolding them.

In my vision, I saw a man who resembled the young leader of the Eye Sect and a blue-haired girl.

The moment I saw them, I extended my hand and prepared to tear through space, targeting the blue-haired girl.

Even though she looked like the Blue-Haired Girl, I didn’t hesitate. The real Blue-Haired Girl in this timeline should be fleeing from ninjas.

My instincts whispered that this Blue-Haired Girl was a fake, likely a black-tinted hermit crab contaminated with evolution fluid.

Even if I was wrong, the world would just reset once again. Though further resets were risky, I bet on this Blue-Haired Girl being fake.

As I gripped the space, I felt the logs in my heart depleting. This body was less efficient than the Gray Reaper’s, consuming more logs than I expected, but it wasn’t a major issue.

The logs in the body of the Otherworldly Yerin were as vast as the sea, turning teaspoons into tablespoons with ease.

As I tightened my grip, the space around me began to warp and distort.

A massive force surged toward the Blue-Haired Girl, as if an invisible hand were squeezing the very fabric of space.

The fake Blue-Haired Girl struggled to escape, but was helpless against the crushing force.

My hand also started to twist and contort. If I were in the Gray Reaper’s body, my hand would have merely blackened, but a human body could hardly withstand this.

Still, I endured the searing pain and squeezed the space again.

Five lines of scars carved through the space around the Blue-Haired Girl, shredding it. Beyond, a void of utter darkness roiled.

Unable to bear the intense pressure, the fake Blue-Haired Girl’s form shattered beyond recognition.

"No!!!"

As fragments scattered, the man who looked like the leader cried out in agony. He reached for the bloodstained fragments but soon hesitated, his expression shifting to confusion.

The scent of blood in the air was replaced by the smell of oil, and the shattered remnants turned into fragments of a broken shell.

"Evolution fluid? A black-stained hermit crab...?"

The man's hands, which seemed ready to grasp at the air just moments before, fell limp. He looked around, dazed.

"Was it fake? But a hermit crab is a follower of the purple moon. Why would it do this?"

The man, clearly flustered, muttered to himself as he collected his thoughts and quickly composed his expression.

"In that case, she must be in danger."

Realizing the Blue-Haired Girl was likely still being pursued by ninjas, he began drawing a massive figure on the ground.

No sooner had he completed the intricate symbol on the ground than the Blue-Haired Girl suddenly appeared from the void.

"Wow, that was close!"

She, who had been chased by ninjas just moments ago, plopped down on the ground with a sigh of relief.

"Master, why were you so late? Did something happen?"

The ever-punctual Master, missing a rendezvous—what could have happened?

Puzzled, she looked at him with a questioning expression.

The man merely clenched his mouth shut and pointed to the fragments of the black hermit crab lying on the ground.

The Blue-Haired Girl turned to look, but her attention was quickly drawn to a young girl dressed in elegant black and white attire.

Though the young girl appeared suspicious, that didn’t seem to bother the Blue-Haired Girl.

The black-and-white-clad girl, looking annoyed, slowly backed away, but the Blue-Haired Girl dashed over, embracing her and asking the Master,

"Master, who is this? A new disciple?"

The sparkling eyes of the Blue-Haired Girl gleamed with enthusiasm, almost too bright for comfort.

Sure enough, the moment the Blue-Haired Girl spotted me, she pulled me close and began to cuddle.

It happened every cycle; I’d grown used to it, surrendering to the inevitable.

Besides, Mini Yerin was cute—it was hard to argue against it.

If there were an object that could turn a human into a child, I'd probably be tempted to turn the real Yerin into a Mini Yerin, too.

Hehe.

With me in her arms, the Blue-Haired Girl started to speak seriously.

Of course, the man who looked like the leader wasn’t keen on me overhearing.

But thanks to the Blue-Haired Girl's staunch claim, "This child is definitely an ally!" I was allowed to stay.

The Blue-Haired Girl, wearing a serious expression, lifted a heavy green jade tablet.

She said it was an artifact from the ancient alchemist era, known as the "Sect’s Relic," said to be indestructible by any alchemy or magic.

The tablet bore 14 inscriptions, some of which were scratched out as if clawed by something sharp.

The marks seemed odd for something supposedly unbreakable.

She pointed to a phrase on the tablet:

<I bestow upon you the wisdom to defeat ■ ■ ■ with the true power of the outer god.>

However, the tablet’s inscription was damaged, obscuring what was to be defeated.

"Just as I suspected, the relic mentions a forgotten entity."

With a sigh, the Blue-Haired Girl resumed, "Even the supposedly indestructible text is damaged."

Holding her head, she muttered, "Where should I find more materials now?"

Then, she began pulling out aged documents from her bag, including parchments made from objects.

All the documents had sections erased by what looked like sharp claws.

Staring at those documents, I felt a slight tickle in my chest, as if something inside was stirring.

In a different timeline, the Blue-Haired Girl would have already died, triggering a reset. But as time passed, strange events began occurring in the city under the purple moon.

Strange symbols appeared in the night sky, growing more complex as if hinting at some prophecy.

Objects touched by moonlight floated as if gravity had vanished.

Reflections in mirrors and windows grew distorted, grotesque.

Flowers blooming in the dead of night bled crimson, radiating red light.

Shadows tainted by the purple moonlight began to move independently, acting separately from their owners.

The warped shadows under the purple moon seemed like pathways to another world.

Despite the fear and chaos engulfing the city, neither the Blue-Haired Girl nor the Gray Reaper had noticed any of it.