Outskirts of Songpa District, James Tower, Golden-Mecha-Tyranno Armor Assembly Factory.

In a meticulously sealed assembly room, robot arms controlled by AI were swiftly assembling the Tyranno armor.

Hopping around.

A Golden Reaper, in ghostly form, slipped into the assembly room, hopping around with an excited expression, watching the assembly process.

James, observing the Golden Reapers nimbly dodging the robot arms while watching from the control room, was finally enjoying a rare moment of rest.

A warm cup of coffee and a sweet dessert.

This was James’ well-deserved break after working long hours with little sleep to repair and improve the Golden-Mecha-Tyranno Armor.

James’ Golden Reaper was also seated on the table, nibbling on a cookie.

Of course, the Golden Reaper had tried drinking coffee too, but after several attempts, he had entirely given up.

This particular experience was even documented in James’ report on the Golden Reapers.

<After consuming coffee, the Golden Reaper extends its tongue for approximately one minute, showing extreme dislike as if it were drying out.>

<Conducted a similar coffee test on a random sample of 1,000 Golden Reapers, yielding the same result.>

At the bottom of the report was a photo of James swarmed by a thousand Golden Reapers playfully poking him.

Then, from the TV playing in the background, news about a missing person incident began to air.

“On the 15th, an elementary school girl went missing. CCTV footage captured her expression as she seemed to witness something shocking.”

“Police attempted to trace her movements based on CCTV footage but lost track of her whereabouts at a certain point.”

“The police suspect that this case might be related to an 'object' rather than a simple disappearance and have requested assistance from the Object Association.”

The TV displayed the image of the girl looking around frantically in a state of panic.

It appeared to be a fairly common type of object-related incident.

James took a slow sip of coffee, trying to push the incident to the back of his mind, but suddenly recalled a report he had recently reviewed.

“Wait, something about this seems familiar…”

Rummaging through the disorganized pile of reports on the table, James pulled out an old report and opened it.

<Case Number: 2xxx-xxxx-xxx> <Reporter: Kim Namsu (Male, 45)> <Report Summary: On the afternoon of [date], at around 3 p.m., Mr. Kim Namsu reported seeing an 'object' hiding near a road in Songpa, Seoul. Mr. Kim was overwhelmed with fear and seemed very certain of what he had seen.>

<Field Investigation Results:>

• After receiving the report, a field investigation was conducted immediately.
• No traces of the object were found on-site.
• During verification, Mr. Kim regained composure and speculated that he might have been mistaken.

 

<Additional Investigation:>

• At the request of the police, James' research institute conducted a further investigation but found no traces of the object.

 

Conclusion:

• Based on the field and additional investigations by James' Institute, Mr. Kim’s report was considered a misperception.
• No traces of the object were found, and Mr. Kim himself corrected his report, attributing it to a possible mistake.
• Consequently, the case was closed.

 

The report didn’t seem directly related to the girl’s disappearance.

“But it happened in the same area, with similarly terrified behavior.”

With a serious expression, James tucked the report under his arm.

It looked like an investigation was warranted.

Songpa District, secluded Yellow Reaper’s hideout.

The Ashen Girl, known to be missing, was here.

Thanks to the "Ordinary Passerby Doll Costume," crafted by Yellow Reaper, she had managed to arrive undetected.

This large doll costume, about 2 meters tall, had a potent mental corruption effect that made her look like an ordinary passerby.

While it didn’t work on her, it was effective enough to fool the objects and humans in that apartment complex.

Having arrived at Yellow Reaper’s hideout unnoticed, the Ashen Girl still appeared confused.

“Was everything… all fake?”

“All the people in my apartment, everyone I know, even my family—they were all objects.”

“Even I was.”

With vacant eyes, the Ashen Girl poured out her thoughts to Yellow Reaper.

She opened her mouth to speak, but only a creaking sound came out.

A monologue she couldn’t even hear herself.

“Everything I thought I liked, my daily routines—all fake. Were my feelings not real either?”

“Then what’s the purpose of my existence? Why am I here? Is there no other life for me but as someone’s puppet?”

But Yellow Reaper could hear her loud and clear.

To him, the Ashen Girl hadn’t changed one bit.

“Who created us? Who made us all? Why were we born?”

To Yellow Reaper, she had never needed to say it aloud.

“Am I truly alive, or just a doll pretending to be?”

Yellow Reaper removed the Golden Reaper costume he had been wearing for fun, stuck out his head, and sat on her shoulder.

“It’s okay. You’re real.”

Yellow Reaper gently patted her cheek, conveying his sincerity.

Though his intent didn’t reach her in words, the meaning came across.

“Is that… so.”

With black tears streaming down her face, the Ashen Girl gradually drifted into sleep.

Free City Alliance, China.

I returned to the city of Mini Reapers and Roll Cake Humans after a long time.

The reason was simple.

It was because of the “true” Tyrannosaurus that Green Reaper had created.

The Tyrannosaurus was simply too large to keep at the Sehee Research Institute.

And it didn’t quite fit in at the Mini Reaper Garden either.

In the fluffy Marshmallow Land, a Tyrannosaurus was better suited to look like a white maw.

The Tyrannosaurus I created with my limited imagination didn’t feel out of place, perhaps because it lacked detail….

But Green Reaper, an expert in biological creation, had made a Tyrannosaurus that felt extremely out of place.

It was like displaying a real fish maw next to a white maw.

So, I decided to set up a dinosaur park in an appropriate location and keep it there.

My first choice was Seoul Forest, a place of natural beauty with woods and grasslands!

But thinking it over, Seoul Forest had too many issues.

There was that bizarrely crumbling Steel Tower!

I had a strong feeling that if I left the Tyrannosaurus there, it would get torn to shreds.

Thus, I chose the Free City Alliance, where Mini Reapers and Roll Cake Humans were everywhere and where it seemed easier to manage.

We decided to create a massive dinosaur park in one part of the city.

Opposition?

There was no such thing in this city.

Haha.

As I strolled around, I saw Mini Reapers and Roll Cake Humans building the dinosaur park.

Using their unique object abilities, they worked several times faster than an average human.

In a corner, some Mini Reapers and Roll Cake Humans gathered, taking a break.

“Where’s Cheong now, I wonder?”

“Well, last time I heard, he left Korea for Japan, planning to visit the research institute with the Golden Reaper as its director.”

A man with four arms and a tall woman were surrounded by Mini Reapers, chatting together.

On the woman’s shoulder, a Black Reaper poked her cheek repeatedly.

“I want a snack too!”

Smiling slightly, the woman took a treat and placed it into the Black Reaper’s mouth.

Everyone looked so happy.

Even after being turned into objects or even roll cakes, they seemed quite content.

Perhaps it was because they were always replacing parts of their bodies with objects?

Anyway, a dinosaur park in the object-punk city sounded promising.

Haha.

James, looking grave, opened the report he had received.

<Midterm Report on the Death of Informant 'Kim Namsu'>

<Case Summary:>

• Informant 'Kim Namsu' was recently confirmed dead.
• The cause of death is presumed to be a simple accidental fall.
• However, connections with other cases were found.

 

Connections:

• Similarities were discovered with past deaths of construction company executives.
• All deaths were considered accidental, showing a common pattern.
• Further investigation is needed.

 

<Investigation Plan:>

• A thorough investigation into the circumstances of Kim Namsu’s death is planned.
• Additional investigation will be conducted to identify links with the deaths of construction executives.

 

<Other Notes:>

• Since this appears to be a socially intricate and carefully planned object-related case, ensure strict confidentiality during the investigation.

 

<Date of Report: [date]> <Author: Special Investigation Team, James Research Institute>

“This is turning out to be much bigger than I thought.”

James’ main concern was that the incident site was Songpa.

Despite the Mini Reapers swarming around, it went unnoticed.

This was certainly a powerful object.

Moreover, during his investigation, James had identified similarities with other incidents.

An infamous case known as the small-town devastation object incident.

It was the phenomenon of once-peaceful villages turning into ruins overnight.

The common thread was that at least one person reported seeing a “monster.”

And that person would invariably meet with an “accidental” death.

<Gangwon H-myeon, Devastated by Object Phenomenon Overnight…>

<D City, Chungbuk, Downtown Ruins… Residents’ Whereabouts Unknown.>

James gazed at his collected articles and let out a heavy sigh.