Unlike the snowy plains under the purple moon, warm sunlight flooded the courtyard of Sehee Lab.

I lay on a fluffy marshmallow under the sun, surrounded by a crowd of Golden Reapers. They clung to me, rolling around with gleeful expressions.

When I woke up from the dream and met the Golden Reapers, I was quite shocked.

Golden Reapers never show themselves in places where there are no humans, so I thought I'd never get caught!

At first, I suspected that one of the Sprout Reapers had sensed the dream and tipped them off, but the Sprout Reapers all shook their heads, insisting it wasn’t them.

Truthfully, I had intended to leave immediately due to something from the dream that continued to bother me.

Instead, I was calmly apprehended within a snowman and taken to Sehee Lab.

The Golden Reapers, likely thinking I might escape, looked at me with curious eyes as I willingly went along with them.

To my surprise, the Golden Reapers didn’t demand any grand punishment but instead asked for something quite simple.

They wanted me to lie in the Sehee Lab courtyard with them, rolling around and munching on snacks together.

Now that I think about it, Golden Reapers have always enjoyed clinging to me.

Lately, I had been annoyed by their clinging, tossing them off, so perhaps this was their wish as payback.

I half-expected them to make me drink a liter of evolutionary fluid as punishment, but they seemed surprisingly mild.

Actually, I’d hidden some evolutionary fluid underground in Gwanak District in case I ever needed it for a similar situation with the Golden Reapers.

Hehe.

One of the Golden Reapers, crunching on a long, oddly textured snack, seemed to enjoy it enough to offer it to me.

‘Mom!’

As I took the snack into my mouth, chewing on it, the Golden Reaper laughed happily, apparently delighted.

‘!’

And then, all the other Golden Reapers began offering their favorite snacks, each one trying to shove something into my mouth.

If I were human, my stomach would have burst from this torturous feast.

And yet, I wasn’t the only one suffering in Sehee Lab’s courtyard amidst this cruel scene.

Buried like sprouts in the flowerbeds were four Orange Reapers, suffering in silence.

What had they done to end up buried like their fellow Mini Reapers?

Orange Reapers absolutely despise dirt and mud, so their expressions were tightly scrunched up in displeasure.

Nearby, a Red Reaper was playing in the dirt, happily scooping up handfuls of mud and smearing it all over the fluffy Orange Reapers while building a sandcastle.

Next to them, the white Jaw, with a candlewick inserted into its belly like a candle, was whimpering.

Kyuheeng-heeng.

Seeing it tied up alongside the Orange Reapers, I guessed that the white Jaw and Orange Reapers had likely teamed up in a small rebellion.

As I watched the suddenly eventful courtyard, lunchtime approached, and I saw Yerin waving at me as she walked over.

"A Reaper!"

It had been a while since I last saw Yerin, and as always, she greeted me with a cheerful smile.

I started to focus on Yerin’s neck.

The real reason I had followed the Golden Reapers so obediently was that I needed to return to Sehee Lab to check on Yerin anyway.

Initially, I thought it was all just a dream, but something had been bothering me.

The timing and number of the Purple Reapers seemed off.

They had appeared the moment I held out for an hour and defeated the "Nameless."

And there weren’t just one or two—they were several.

So it was strange to think they’d emerged simply because I destroyed the purple moon.

It made more sense that they had appeared after I defeated a group of shell monsters that had disguised themselves as humans.

If that’s the case, then the shell monsters I destroyed in the dream might have been real.

‘Could it be that the mini Yerin from the other world…?’

That thought struck me, and I looked closely at Yerin.

Around her neck was a faint purple line that formed a perfect circle, as if drawn with a pen.

It looked too neat to be a scar but was clearly a mark from an object.

‘Oh no! My Yerin is hurt!’

My heart ached, thinking I was to blame for her getting hurt.

Yerin had felt something was strange from the moment she arrived at Sehee Lab that day.

‘The Reapers are acting weird.’

It had started at the entrance to Sehee Lab.

A small Golden Reaper emerged from the security booth—designed like a little woodpecker’s house—and began patting her neck with a worried look.

Every Mini Reaper she passed afterward seemed startled by the sight of her neck, displaying signs of concern.

For Yerin, the scar on her neck was a familiar one, something she had since childhood and barely noticed.

The Mini Reapers usually ignored it, so their sudden concern felt strange.

Even the usually indifferent Gray Reaper was taken aback at the sight, which prompted Yerin to check her reflection in a mirror, inspecting the old scar.

But there was nothing unusual about it.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Underneath the endless waterfall of evolutionary fluid, the blue-haired girl and her master stood.

They had safely escorted the survivors to a nearby town and then returned to examine the sinkhole.

"It’s too massive to even attempt any precautions."

Her master looked up at the waterfall of fluid from the sky with a troubled expression.

"If we don’t resolve this, humanity will have to start living on mountaintops in about 30 years."

The blue-haired girl added quietly, “This is quite serious,” as she closed her notebook, filled with complex calculations.

Then, she smiled slightly and said, "By then, as an infinitely growing alchemist and Magic Tome, I’ll have surely reached the level to solve this."

Her master chuckled and replied, "I believe in you, the Last Alchemist."

He then grew serious once more.

"I’m going to the capital to report the evolutionary fluid issue. You have your own tasks to handle."

"Yes, I will."

The blue-haired girl nodded solemnly.

This situation held a multitude of implications.

The disappearance of the moon that had protected humanity, the fall of the city.

The magic tome, tainted by evolutionary fluid, that refused to die.

And was the evolutionary fluid truly beneficial to humanity?

In her mind, the girl doubted that her master’s message would resonate with those in power.

The alchemist guild had long become little more than a possession of that man.

Separating from her master, the blue-haired girl walked through the snowy plains, an endless expanse of white.

It was there that she found a lone shell creature lying on the ground.

‘Even after the purple moon’s destruction, its minions remain.’

Sensing that this shell creature might play a crucial role in the future, she picked it up and, with her now larger white Jaw, set off.

Night fell over the courtyard of Sehee Lab, now illuminated by beautiful starlight.

I was still lying there.

The Golden Reapers seemed intent on keeping me there indefinitely.

Three days of lying in the courtyard, clung to by Golden Reapers, was too much.

Next to me, the white Jaw, transformed into a candle with a wick inserted into its belly, whimpered.

Kyuheeng-heeng.

The candle-like white Jaw had been lighting up the courtyard day and night for three days straight.

At first, I thought they were simply laughing off their anger with the wish, "Let’s lie down and have fun together."

But maybe they were quite upset?

Judging by their mood, the Golden Reapers looked prepared to stay here for over a week.

But lying here instead of in the comfort of isolation quarters wouldn’t work.

‘!’

An idea struck me—a way to appease the Golden Reapers.

It was a plan filled with dreams and adventure, far better than simply lying around.

The brown walls.

A ceiling low enough for Mini Reapers to touch if they jumped.

A narrow corridor that didn’t allow much room to spread their arms.

The Golden Reaper cautiously made its way through the maze-like corridor, a nervous expression on its face.

In its hands were a large shield and a short sword.

Trailing close behind, the Red Reaper carried a long spear made of fire.

At the back of the group, the Blue Reaper followed carefully, wielding a staff.

They formed a perfect party: swordsman, spearman, and mage.

As they moved forward cautiously, a shadowy monster appeared in front of them.

‘Attack!’

The Golden Reaper raised its sword with a cry of intent.

It pressed forward with its shield, while the Red Reaper struck from behind with its spear.

Kieek!

The shadow monster ignited in flames, letting out a shriek before disappearing.

In its place, three large star-shaped candies appeared.

The Mini Reapers each grabbed a candy, grinning as they continued through the passage.

How long had they been wandering this labyrinth?

After quite some time, the Golden Reaper stumbled upon a suspicious spot.

‘Halt!’

The Red Reaper, with its fiery spear, and the Blue Reaper, holding its staff, stopped in their tracks.

In front of the Golden Reaper stood an elaborately decorated giant door.

‘The boss room!’

The door, shrouded in shadows, radiated an ominous glow.

The Golden Reaper, the Red Reaper, and the Blue Reaper exchanged excited looks as they pushed open the final door to the dungeon.

As the Golden Reaper took a step into the room, torches around the chamber flared to life, illuminating the boss’s lair.

When the darkness receded, revealing the vast space, a deep voice resonated.

‘You’ve finally arrived, challenger.’

Standing atop a grand pedestal, posed dramatically, was the final boss.

It was the Purple Reaper, its shell horns wrapped in shadows, transformed to resemble the horns of a demon.

Standing atop the grand pedestal, the final boss, the Purple Reaper, had transformed its shell horns into shadowy, demon-like horns.

The Golden Reaper, Red Reaper, and Blue Reaper faced the towering, ominous figure. Their excitement grew as they prepared for the battle ahead. They knew this was the ultimate test, the final challenge they had wandered the labyrinth to reach.

With weapons at the ready, the three Reapers took their positions. The torches around them crackled, casting long shadows across the floor, and the air filled with a tense silence.

The Purple Reaper raised its arms, shadows swirling around its body, solidifying into countless weapons and strange shapes. Its presence was overwhelming, yet the Mini Reapers stood their ground, undeterred by the daunting figure before them.

‘For glory! For adventure!’ thought the Golden Reaper as it charged forward, shield raised, the Red Reaper close behind with its spear of flame, and the Blue Reaper weaving spells from the rear.

The clash between the Mini Reapers and the Purple Reaper was intense, a battle of light, shadow, and fire. Each side pushed the other to its limits, the room alive with the energy of their duel.

As the fight raged on, the Mini Reapers realized they needed to work together, combining their skills and strengths to stand a chance against the Purple Reaper’s formidable powers.

In the end, it was their camaraderie and teamwork that gave them the edge, slowly but surely wearing down the mighty Purple Reaper.

The final blow was struck, and with a resounding cry, the Purple Reaper fell, its shadowy form dissipating into a burst of light and color, leaving behind a glittering treasure trove of star-shaped candies and sparkling stones.

Exhausted but triumphant, the Golden Reaper, Red Reaper, and Blue Reaper collected their rewards, basking in the glow of victory. They had conquered the dungeon, defeated the final boss, and emerged as heroes, their adventure complete.

As the Golden Reaper took a step into the vast chamber filled with endless darkness, torches mounted on the walls burst into flames, illuminating the boss room.

The darkness receded, revealing the enormous space, and a deep, resonant voice echoed through the room.

"You've finally arrived, challenger."

Atop a grand pedestal, the final boss stood, posed dramatically.

It was the Purple Reaper, whose shell-like appendages on either side of its head were shrouded in shadows, transformed to resemble demonic horns.