Back Alley of the Free City Alliance.

Cheong was walking through the streets, dimly lit by flickering neon signs, having left her hideout after receiving a call from PIG. The air was thick with fog, and the toxic particles floating through it twisted around telephone poles, only to merge again and flow downward. It was a strange sight, one that was rare and fascinating no matter how many times she saw it.

Out of curiosity, Cheong reached out to touch a passing clump of yellow fog. It felt soft, wrapping gently around her fingers before sliding away. The sensation made her feel like she was swimming through a deep ocean, polluted with vibrant colors. The neon signs blinked lonely in the distance, and the streets were nearly empty. On a day like this, even the residents equipped with Object lungs would avoid venturing out unless absolutely necessary.

Cheong, however, was walking through the streets more heavily armored than usual. She wore a hoodie, mask, and goggles—completely covering herself from head to toe. Underneath her hoodie and baggy pants, she had a sealed suit, like a wetsuit. For someone without Object skin like Cheong, direct contact with the contaminated air was dangerous.

She couldn’t use the weather as an excuse not to go. After all, the items she had requested from PIG were highly anticipated, and she was already accustomed to running errands in this weather.

Walking cautiously, Cheong hugged the Orange Scion close, who was sitting atop her head. As she strolled through the deserted streets, she began to chatter to the little creature in her arms.

“People keep telling me I should get some Objects implanted in my body,” she began, her tone casual. “From the brokers who bring me jobs to the mercenaries I work with, they all say the same thing.”

“I really don’t want to, though. I can’t bear the thought of cutting off my healthy limbs just to attach some Object.”

“But even with this mask, it feels like it’s getting harder to breathe. How long can I keep going without getting an Object?”

She talked about her mercenary work and the idea of Object prosthetics.

“They say the Free City Alliance is run by the Three Great Houses, but mercenaries see it differently.”

“The Colossus.”

“A lot of them think he’s the real ruler of this city.”

She moved on to talk about the most famous mercenary in the city.

“I need to make a lot of money.”

“There’s a keepsake of my mother here in the city. That’s why I came to the Free City Alliance—to buy it back.”

“And once I do, I’ll leave this city of death. That’s the plan.”

“I just have to survive here for three more years. Of course, staying alive in this place won’t be easy.”

She even shared her dreams and future plans—things she rarely talked about.

‘Why did I spill all of that?’

Cheong sighed softly, realizing she had said too much. Objects weren’t supposed to understand human speech, but there was something different about the Orange Scion. It felt like the little creature could understand her, and in her excitement, she had shared more than she should have.

The Orange Scion nodded or shook its small, round head as if it understood her feelings.

As she chatted with the Orange Scion, Cheong realized they had almost reached PIG’s factory. Passing through neon-lit alleyways, she came to the most remote part of the city, where PIG’s factory was located. The area around the factory always felt dark and littered with trash, like a scene out of a dystopian movie. For some reason, no one ever ventured close.

‘It’s way too quiet,’ Cheong thought, the eerie silence making her uncomfortable. She held the Orange Scion tighter and walked cautiously.

The closer she got to the factory, the stronger the feeling of unease grew.

It was too quiet.

Even with the thick pollution in the air, it was odd not to see any people.

‘It’s not usually this bad, even on days like this,’ she thought.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a sharp metallic flash suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the empty space before her.

Cheong instinctively tried to dodge, but the speed of the blade that appeared without warning was too fast.

‘!’

The cold blade was aimed to slice her throat, and Cheong tightly hugged the Orange Scion, closing her eyes.

Mini Scion Garden, in the middle of the snowy plains.

I looked down at the beautifully crafted Ice Palace, feeling a sense of pride.

Wow, it’s finally done.

The restoration of the Golden Scion Ice Palace, a task that had seemed like it would never end, was finally complete.

‘Finished!’ ‘Finished!’

The Golden Scions seemed overjoyed by the completion of their mini-sized palace. They wandered around the palace, some exploring the interior, while others jumped up and down, celebrating near the palace or perched on my shoulder, looking down at the structure.

Each of them expressed their joy in their own way, but the radiant smiles on their faces were all the same.

Sitting near the Ice Palace, watching the Golden Scions, I stood up slowly, sending out my intention.

‘It’s about time to go back.’

As soon as I sent the thought, all the Golden Scions stopped what they were doing and turned their heads toward me simultaneously. The scene was straight out of a horror movie, and I instinctively took a step back.

After staring at me for a moment, the Golden Scions began clinging to me, their faces suddenly turning sad.

‘Mom!’

They burrowed into my hair, grabbing onto my strands and holding on tightly. One of the easier-to-grab Golden Scions clung to my arm, flailing its limbs desperately when I tried to pull it off.

‘Nooo!’

The tiny Scion looked as desperate as if it had lost its pet dinosaur.

Feeling bad for it, I let it go back to its original spot in my hair, where it settled in happily.

Ever since the restoration of the Ice Palace began, it felt like the Golden Scions had started clinging to me more than usual.

Maybe only the clingy ones were involved in the restoration project?

I wasn’t like Ye-Rin, who could distinguish each Golden Scion by their appearance and personality, so it was hard for me to tell.

Leaving the Golden Scions nestled in my hair, I began to think about the tasks ahead.

There was a lot to do, and I needed to prioritize.

Task #1: Roast Kyuhee the Giant Devourer.

Task #2: Roast the Orange Scion.

Task #3: Visit the Free City Alliance.

Unfortunately, as soon as the Ice Palace was finished, both the White Devourer and the Orange Scion had disappeared somewhere.

Even when I asked the Golden Scions, they just shook their heads as if they didn’t know.

While they weren’t helpful in tracking down the ones who had fled, they did know a lot about the Free City Alliance and quickly answered when I asked about it.

‘No humans!’ ‘Lots of harmful Objects!’ ‘Full of Objects!’

As I pondered which destination would be the most interesting, a group of Black Scions carrying a massive hunk of metal approached.

Beep. Beep.

The Black Scions made warning sounds like squeaky baby shoes as they moved closer.

When they finally reached me, they set the huge piece of metal down in front of me.

‘What’s this?’ I asked, tilting my head.

The Black Scions replied in unison.

‘James!’ ‘Mecha T-Rex!’

One of the Black Scions handed me a thin sheet of paper—a picture-only assembly manual that looked like it came from a toy set.

‘!’

I examined the contents—it was an instruction manual for assembling the Mecha T-Rex.

‘Finally!’

Seeing the collaboration between the alchemist and James, I had instructed the Golden Scions to deliver a drawing of the Mecha T-Rex to James’ forehead once every hour.

It was the perfect plan to get my Mecha T-Rex.

And finally, my brilliant plan had borne fruit.

Although, unfortunately, it wasn’t a pure Mecha T-Rex, but a glowing dinosaur costume that fit over it.

Well, I guess I can’t have them fight…

Still, my heart pounded with excitement, like receiving a new toy.

After all, the Mecha T-Rex was packed with features that made my heart race!

Hehe.

Once it’s completed, I’ll take it on a performance test to the Free City Alliance.

Just as the blade was about to slice through her neck, the concrete floor beneath Cheong gave way, collapsing under her.

‘!’

Because of the collapse, the sharp blade missed its mark, barely grazing over Cheong’s head.

Quickly regaining her composure, Cheong drew her pistol from her chest and fired in the direction where the invisible enemy had been.

Bang! Bang!

But all she heard was the sound of gunfire echoing around her. There were no signs of the bullets hitting anything.

She reached into her pocket with her free hand, pulling out her phone to alert her comrades to the attack. However, there was no signal, no response.

‘A signal jammer? This is a serious, professional attack. What do they want?’

Whoever they were, they were clearly professionals.

Cheong realized that her chances of surviving this were slim.

Her only hope was to hold out long enough for her comrades to realize something was wrong and come to rescue her.

She knew that staying in the hole would only leave her vulnerable to grenades or other weapons, so Cheong cautiously peeked out from the edge of the pit.

‘!’

But what she saw outside was completely unexpected.

Standing on top of a streetlamp with tiny feet, the Orange Scion raised its hand toward the sky.

The sky was roaring furiously in response.

‘Thunder!’

The Orange Scion had been slowly burning through probability, manipulating the odds around it.

Lightning struck down from the sky, and chunks of concrete rained from the buildings.

The colorful pollutants swirling in the air shot toward the enemy’s purification filters.

And under the Scion’s manipulation, the pollutants bypassed the filters entirely.

The enemies fell, struck by lightning, impaled by falling rebar, and suffocated by the toxic substances they inhaled.

Cheong looked up at the Orange Scion, which had returned to her side, and spoke to it.

“It’s already over?”

The Orange Scion nodded in agreement, bobbing up and down.

Cheong slowly climbed out of the pit and surveyed her surroundings.

The first thing she checked was the bodies of the black-clad assassins.

Their gear was top-of-the-line, equipment she had rarely seen, even in her time as a mercenary.

Moreover, their bodies had been completely modified with Objects, leaving behind almost no trace of human flesh.

As a result, their corpses had disintegrated to the point that there was hardly any evidence of their identities left.

‘Is PIG okay?’

Still stroking the Orange Scion, Cheong began walking toward PIG’s factory, worried about the strange man.

‘!’

What she found inside the factory shocked her.

The interior was filled with blurry bloodstains and dozens of slug-shaped prosthetics identical to PIG’s.

Cheong, overwhelmed with a mix of horror and confusion, muttered to herself.

“What in the world happened here?”

Swallowing her disgust, Cheong followed the faint trail of blood leading deeper into the factory.
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TL note:

I know you're all eagerly waiting for the next chapters, and I truly appreciate your excitement for the story. I do my best to provide as many chapters as possible each day, but please understand that I’m also working on several other books simultaneously, which can sometimes slow down the process a little. Your likes and comments mean the world to me and keep me motivated to continue. If you'd like to support my work further, don’t forget to check out the donation link [❤️ ko-fi.com/satabog ❤️] – your support is always appreciated!

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

[SataBog]