It was a late afternoon, with the sun yet to set, at the Sehee Research Institute.

In the courtyard, where the warm sunlight gently fell, researchers and mini Reapers were lounging around.

The researchers, who had stopped by the courtyard to rest, and the mini Reapers, who ate both the researchers' emotions and the snacks they provided, created a peaceful scene.

However, something unusual was happening in the courtyard, where the peace was often disturbed by the occasional emergence of strange objects.

An Object was sprouting from the ground.

These anomalies, Objects that appeared spontaneously wherever humans were, were happening without warning.

'What’s this?'

One Reaper, a Gaki Reaper, was observing the Object closely.

It wasn’t a mini Reaper.

Nor was it a subspecies of a Gaki Reaper.

Was it a harmful Object? It didn’t seem like it. But at the same time, it wasn’t harmless.

It was an Object that, like a false Golden Reaper created by the yellow moon, tried to deceive others with mental interference, making it appear as a Golden Reaper.

However, the weak mental interference from the Object wasn’t enough to fool anyone, and its appearance was quite far from a real Golden Reaper.

It wriggled around like a ghost wearing a cloth, with a soft, jelly-like golden body.

Stretching out its plushy hands toward the researchers, it seemed to crave attention, but no one paid it any mind.

The Gaki Reaper poked the jelly-like Object, no bigger than a pudding, with a curious finger.

'Who are you?'

The Gaki Reaper’s will resonated as it asked the question, and the golden Object turned and responded with its own weak will.

'I don’t know.'

It seemed the Object didn’t know what it was, likely because it had only just been born.

Moreover, its form was unstable, swaying and changing according to its surroundings.

'Interesting.'

The Gaki Reaper observed with fascination.

Unlike the mini Reapers, this Object didn’t have a firewood-filled heart.

Nor was it under the control of any master, like the Objects in the mini Reaper’s garden.

Normally, anything without a master would be considered harmful to humans, but this Object didn’t seem to emit any dangerous vibes.

Just like the round-headed Object that once created the light sword for the Golden Reaper, it didn’t seem immediately harmful—though, like that Object, it might grow more dangerous over time.

'!'

When a researcher carrying snacks walked nearby, the golden Object stretched out its tiny hand, but the researcher passed by without even a glance.

'Sad.'

The golden Object drooped, melting into the ground like a black Reaper.

Was it because it reminded the Gaki Reaper of its master, who used to take exquisite desserts with intricate finger shapes but now recoiled in disgust, muttering, “Ugh, Tantalus’ cooking again!”?

The Gaki Reaper, moved by the sight of the forlorn golden Object yearning for human attention but receiving none, felt the urge to help.

Scooping the melting Object into its palm, the Gaki Reaper extended its will.

'I’ll help you.'

The first task was to fix its wobbly form.

It needed to resemble the mini Reapers, at least in shape.

With careful manipulation, the Gaki Reaper began molding the Object on its palm, helping it take on a form similar to the mini Reapers.

Using precise techniques, including swordsmanship and flames that could reshape Objects, the Gaki Reaper successfully altered the golden Object’s form.

Then, it took the newly-shaped Object to the magic mirror in the courtyard to show it the result.

'!'

The golden Object, now looking much more like a mini Reaper, beamed with joy as it stared at its reflection.

And thus, the golden Gaki Reaper was born.

'Looks similar!'

Watching the golden Gaki Reaper giggle shyly, the Gaki Reaper smiled in satisfaction.

Thanks to this “cosmetic surgery,” the golden Gaki Reaper was soon chosen by one of the researchers.

'If you ever need help, just call with your will. I’ll come to help you.'

As the golden Gaki Reaper slowly moved away from the courtyard, it waved happily at the Gaki Reaper, expressing its gratitude.

It was a slightly special day in the life of the Gaki Reaper.

The man sat in the dark, unlit hotel room, smoking a cigarette as he looked down at the bustling street below.

Next to him, leaning against the wall, was the purple Reaper, smoking a cigarette made of shadows.

The Reaper’s posture was overly exaggerated, trying to mimic the man’s, but to a ridiculous degree.

The man’s lips curled slightly into a small smile, as if to say, ‘How could anyone smoke like that?’

He reached out and ruffled the purple Reaper’s head with his fingers.

As the man smiled while smoking, the purple Reaper, who had been trying to mimic the smile, stopped its act and laughed, enjoying the man’s touch.

The man’s gaze returned to the street, and he muttered inwardly.

'Another dead end, huh.'

The person he had been looking for had posted something on social media.

The man opened his phone and checked the post again.

[The current government is connected to the 'Organization.']

[The reason the Southern Italian interim government tries so hard to kill every 'Chosen One' isn’t because of public safety.]

[It’s to keep the 'Chosen Ones' from taking proper jobs, driving them into the shadows.]

[And eventually, to induct them into the 'Organization.']

The post was filled with wild theories.

But there was one line that had grabbed the man’s attention.

[Have you ever seen a 'Chosen One' die, surrounded by blue light? That happens when a 'Chosen One' refuses to join the 'Organization.']

It seemed to describe exactly how his sister had died.

The man’s instincts told him there was something to this.

And today, his instincts had been strengthened by further evidence.

'Definitely suspicious.'

The street below was unusually packed with 'Organization' members.

While it wasn’t odd for the 'Organization,' which conducted operations everywhere, to be present, it was the people walking the streets that caught his eye.

The problem wasn’t just the 'Organization’s' presence—it was the appearance of the cleaners, who were essentially the 'Organization’s' military police.

Something was definitely happening.

Whatever it was, it was important enough for the 'Organization' to send in the cleaners.

'Staying here any longer will be dangerous. I should head back.'

Hopefully, the old man had some relevant information.

The man took one last look at the cleaner, codenamed 'Penguin,' and then left the hotel room.

Late in the evening, close to quitting time.

I had escaped to the deputy director’s office, evading the Golden Reapers that clung to me.

Realizing that I wasn’t throwing them off, the Golden Reapers had started shouting, ‘Mom is kind!’ and latching onto me.

Even though it was “Gentle Mom Week,” it was getting too annoying, so I ended up running away.

They had clung to me so much that it had become difficult to move properly, putting “Gentle Mom Week” in danger of ending prematurely.

Turning my head, I saw Seo-ah sitting in front of a monitor with a sprout Reaper, both of them watching something intently.

On the monitor, footage from the “spirit camera” installed in the sleeping room was being displayed.

If I had still been a researcher, I would have found the spirit camera fascinating, but since I could now see spirits myself, it didn’t seem as impressive anymore.

On the screen, the once finger-sized mini sprout Reaper had grown considerably, now almost a head shorter than the larger sprout Reaper.

'What are they doing?'

The sprout Reapers, who usually played and napped in someone’s arms, were behaving in ways I had never seen before.

The larger sprout Reaper held the mini sprout Reaper under its arm, repeatedly pointing its finger at someone.

Each time, the mini sprout Reaper would shake its head.

After several rejections, the larger sprout Reaper seemed tired and hugged the mini Reaper, lying down on a flowerpot.

Then, it started squishing the mini sprout Reaper’s puffed-up cheeks like they were a ball of mochi.

Seo-ah, watching this, seemed mesmerized, and she reached up to grab the sprout Reaper on her shoulder, tugging at its plump cheeks.

Suddenly feeling the urge to do the same, I approached Seo-ah and gave the sprout Reaper’s swollen cheeks a gentle poke.

If the sprout Reaper had been as big as the Gaki Reaper, I would have wanted to bite those cheeks.

Then, something on the screen changed.

Poke, poke.

The mini sprout Reaper began poking the larger sprout Reaper’s side with its tiny finger.

When the larger Reaper got up, the mini Reaper pointed at a researcher with its small finger.

In response, the larger Reaper began swaying its leaves gently, emitting a soft navy light to draw the researcher’s attention.

Once the researcher turned to look, the larger Reaper plucked off a fruit and offered it to the researcher.

As the researcher, almost entranced, took the fruit, the mini sprout Reaper climbed up onto the researcher’s shoulder.

'Oh, so that’s how it works?'

That night, Seo-ah and I realized how the sprout Reapers spread.

The man, with the purple Reaper on his shoulder, was slowly walking down a familiar back alley.

He was heading toward the quiet shop run by the old man.

As they walked, the purple Reaper suddenly jolted in surprise and quickly stood up on the man’s shoulder.

With a panicked expression, it began tugging urgently at the man’s collar.

Sensing that something was wrong, the man started running through the quiet alley.

As he neared the old man’s shop, the smell of blood began to grow stronger.

'Blood.'

The ominous scent made the man’s expression harden as he drew his gun.

When he reached the old man’s shop, it was in complete disarray.

The building had a large hole in it, as if it had been hit by a wrecking ball, and it looked ready to collapse at any moment.

From inside, the thick scent of blood wafted out.

Entering through the gaping hole, the man found the old man’s lifeless body, brutally killed.

The purple Reaper, upon seeing the scene, became furious.

Its entire body turned black with shadow, and the shadows around it bubbled like boiling water.

The old man’s body was crushed from the chest down, as if it had been struck by a massive wrecking ball.

'This mark… Wrecking Ball?'

It was the signature of a 'Chosen One' who wielded a wrecking ball used for demolishing buildings.

Why had the Organization attacked the old man?

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the man scanned the surroundings carefully and noticed something unusual.

The old man’s hands looked unnatural.

His right hand had its thumb bent inward, as if forming the number 4.

His other hand had only the index finger extended, seemingly representing the number 1.

41.  

It appeared to be a code the man and the old man had used frequently.

Storage location 41.

I need to check that.

The man gently closed the old man’s eyes and left the destroyed shop.

Covered in dust and debris, he stepped outside, straightened his back, and dusted off his black coat.

His blue eyes gleamed with vigilance, and his lips were tightly set.

Suddenly, the sound of metal echoed through the darkness, and a huge man began to walk into the light of a nearby streetlamp.

“Gunslinger. You are to be disposed of.”

The 'Gunslinger,' with his sharp blue eyes, held his gun lightly as he quickly scanned the surroundings.

The huge man, dragging a wrecking ball, steadily closed the distance between them.

As their gazes locked, the tension in the air grew thick, as if even the atmosphere itself were tightening.