Mini Reaper Garden, Milk Bingsu Fields.

The ghostly object, which had become a hot topic among the Golden Reapers, was now drifting around the fields.

"Where am I?"

"Who am I?"

"I don’t know."

The ghostly object felt as if everything was new, like it had just been born.

So, to understand itself and the world, it began wandering through the Mini Reaper Garden.

The first thing it noticed was the Golden Reapers.

"Ghost!"

"Find it!"

The Golden Reapers left small footprints on the cold snow as they toddled around, looking for the ghost.

"I feel a faint connection with those golden objects."

The ghostly object sensed a subtle link and a feeling of kinship with the Golden Reapers.

It saw an endless flame of affection within the golden reapers, shining warmly like the sun.

"Does that mean I’m a golden object like them?"

With this question lingering, the ghostly object left the Milk Bingsu Fields.

Avoiding the Golden Reapers who were meticulously searching the fields, it moved to the Sea of Hot Chocolate, where it spotted a small gingerbread house floating atop the chocolate waves.

Inside the little house, a Blue Reaper peeked out.

There were no hiding spots in the Sea of Hot Chocolate, so the Blue Reaper and the ghostly object made direct eye contact.

"G-Ghost!"

The Blue Reaper, looking extremely startled, left only the words, "P-Please help me escape!" before disappearing in an instant.

"I feel a faint connection with that blue object too."

Along with the link to the Blue Reaper, the ghostly object saw a gentle flame within, though faint.

"Am I a golden object? Or a blue one?"

After seeing the Blue Reaper, the ghostly object felt even more confused about its identity.

"I wish I were a warm object like the golden or blue ones."

The ghostly object thought vaguely as it floated toward the Jelly Jungle.

"!"

Then, in the shadows of the forest, it spotted an Orange Reaper floating around with a gentle expression.

But despite the Orange Reaper's kind expression, there was a dark desire swirling within—a wish to cause trouble.

"Today, I’ll sneakily steal the Pudding Reaper’s pudding."

The ghostly object, still inexperienced, couldn’t fully interpret the Orange Reaper's thoughts, but it roughly understood the meaning.

"Stealing the cherished possession of a weak object? What a terrible object, bullying the weak."

What was worse was that it also felt a connection and kinship with the Orange Reaper.

The ghostly object became slightly fearful of discovering its true identity, but it shook its head to dispel the thought and continued on its way.

Arriving at the Marshmallow Plains, it felt an intense pull toward an object lying there.

It was the Gray Reaper, sleeping comfortably on the ground.

"Ruler? Creator?"

"No. Mom!"

Strangely, the moment it saw the Gray Reaper, the ghostly object realized its identity.

Floating closer, it noticed "Mom" surrounded by Mini Reapers of various colors, all sleeping peacefully.

"Mom" seemed to be having a nightmare, her face slightly scrunched with a faint hint of discontent.

"I don’t want to work."

"If only the Mini Reapers would wipe out all the outsiders…."

Upon hearing this, the ghostly object understood its purpose.

"Mom is struggling!"

"I have to help Mom!"

"I must bear the throne in her place!"

The ghostly object, with yellow eyes ablaze, slowly began approaching the Gray Reaper.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Suddenly, I felt something poking my forehead, waking me from my sleep, only to find a strange-looking object stabbing my forehead with a knife.

Not just any object, but a Mini Reaper carrying firewood.

And it was a completely new one I’d never seen before.

Does that mean Mini Reapers can be born from non-lunar objects if they're strong enough?

Or is it because that white one used powers similar to mine?

As I lay still with my eyes closed, observing quietly, the excited Mini Reaper began muttering something odd.

"I am inheriting the throne, Mother!"

As if stabbing me with a knife wasn’t strange enough, it was saying things like that…

I opened my eyes, grabbed the new “rebellious” Mini Reaper by the head, and snatched the knife away.

"No! My filial duty!"

With its knife taken, the rebellious Mini Reaper squirmed and radiated a sense of frustrated determination.

It even shed a tear in its helplessness.

"Filial duty? Is this supposed to mean a knife that shows filial respect?"

What kind of “filial duty” is that?

As I closely examined the struggling Mini Reaper, its appearance reminded me of something I’d heard before.

A white ghost.

Blood-red marks.

A ghostly cloth-like figure.

"Ah, this must be it. The ghost of the snowy plains?"

It looked like the “ghost” that had become the Golden Reapers' new exploration target.

"This knife is confiscated."

I took the soft, rubbery knife from the ghostly Reaper’s hand.

It didn’t hurt, but getting stabbed with it felt unpleasant for some reason.

I should give it as a gift to the Mini Hippo in the inner courtyard later.

Hehe.

"No!"

Seeing the rebellious ghostly Reaper crying sadly only made me feel better.

Near Songpa District, James Tower.

It had been several days since the Gray Reaper had slashed through the sky.

Finally, with some free time, James sat back in his chair in his private quarters, relaxing.

“It’s finally over.”

Upon hearing James’s weary voice, the Golden Reaper perched on his shoulder patted him as if in approval.

Then, James lifted his cup to take a sip of warm coffee but instead tasted something entirely different.

A rich flavor, smooth texture, and an intense sweetness filled his mouth—it was hot chocolate.

The taste, which coated his mouth naturally, was quite familiar to James.

It was the hot chocolate from the Mini Reaper Garden.

Surprised, James set down the cup and looked toward the Golden Reaper, who only grinned in response.

It was almost as if it were saying, “I got rid of the poison and brought you something tasty!” which made him chuckle a bit.

“Well, hot chocolate is fine for now.”

With a smirk, James slowly sipped the hot chocolate again.

While soft TV sounds played in the background, James let his thoughts drift.

“Just like it says in Artifact No. 0, the Gray Reaper has gathered all seven colors of the moon.”

James recalled memories from long ago.

There had been two choices for James and America.

One was to use Artifact No. 0 and the Gray Reaper to navigate the Object Crisis.

The other was to rely on the "Ninjas," a group in black masks who claimed to hold the “only solution” to the Object Crisis.

The decision revolved around different stances on the “Immutable Black Orb.”

The masked men had warned never to let the Gray Reaper come into contact with the Black Orb.

And the vision seen in Artifact No. 0 showed a future where they did come into contact.

In the end, the choice was made to trust the Gray Reaper over the dubious black-masked group.

“Yet now, we have no idea where they are or what they’re doing.”

The moment James and America chose a different path, the masked men disappeared.

The regular communications he’d had with their leader also ceased.

Their disappearance felt as though they were waiting for something, which left an unsettling feeling.

Just then, the TV began reporting another incident.

[Strange objects and ruined buildings have been discovered across the country recently.]

[Reports suggest that items seemingly from the medieval or fantasy world have appeared out of nowhere as if they fell from the sky.]

[The Korean Object Association officially declared this phenomenon as the "Object Phenomenon."]

[Since the exact cause and nature of this phenomenon are still unknown, the public is urged not to approach any discovered items or buildings.]

[The government and relevant agencies are investigating the Object Phenomenon, prioritizing public safety and preparing appropriate responses.]

[The Korean Object News will promptly report any further information. We encourage viewers’ attention and tips.]

“No rest, it seems.”

James looked down at his personal communication device, which was beeping non-stop, and downed the remaining hot chocolate in one gulp.

On the screen, part of a message was displayed.

<The current spatial convergence incident appears to match the phenomenon described in Artifact No. 0. Awaiting swift response.>

Late at night, deep within Seoul Forest.

Near the Steel Tower, where the Gray Reaper had entrusted the Mini Reapers.

Thump, thump.

Black Reapers carrying long, watery spears circled around the Steel Tower.

They were Black Reaper sentries guarding the Steel Tower.

Normally, the task of guarding the Steel Tower had fallen to the Golden Reapers, but since they fell asleep at night, the Black Reapers took over the night watch.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Like soldiers marching in step, they thumped rhythmically, beeping along.

Then, a massive hunk of metal fell from the sky.

Beep?!

A Black Reaper, crushed under the metal, crawled out and looked up, only to see the Steel Tower twisting and crumbling piece by piece.

At the same time, the entire Seoul Forest began to tremble.

The towering presence of the Steel Tower, which had dominated Seoul Forest, began to lose its shape and collapsed.

Like a massive giant kneeling, the Steel Tower fell slowly but completely.

"!!!"

Seeing this, the Black Reapers were stunned, creating exclamation marks over their heads.

In that moment, a black light shot up into the sky from the debris, and at the tip of the light, a sinister black star appeared.

The black star seemed like an omen, signaling the arrival of a new era.

“We need to call Mom!”

The Black Reapers, radiating a sense of urgency with thoughts of "This is a disaster!" scurried around near the Steel Tower, panicking.