Seodaemun-gu, in a place marked by fog and a grid-patterned sky.

In this strange setting, the bob-haired girl shouted toward the man slowly walking down from the heavens.

“Grant my wish right now!”

As she cried out, she lifted the orb high into the air.

“You said if I gathered ten orbs, you’d grant my wish….”

Strangely, it was only now that she started realizing the truth, yet her mind was beginning to understand.

“You said I could save my sister….”

She knew that no suspicious object would grant her wish.

“But you promised….”

And even though she was desperate, she knew clearly how odd it was to have believed such a suspicious man’s words.

“Please, grant it now. Please.”

Still, she didn’t want to give up.

Her sister.

The hope of saving her sister.

The girl, who had been shouting with her mouth open, suddenly clamped her lips shut, bowing her head.

Tears began to drip down her cheeks from her bowed head.

The man with the halo, seeing her like this, stopped in his tracks and looked down at her with an expression of curiosity.

[Doubting, are we? A slight increase in resistance, how intriguing.]

The man with the halo paused briefly but then continued moving.

[To think of incorporating such a function into the lead doll from the start? Insignificant and useless. How typical of her to repeat meaningless attempts.]

The man no longer even glanced at the bob-haired girl.

It was as if her words and actions no longer held any relevance.

The Golden Armored Reaper, hovering in the sky, looked down at the crying girl with a sorrowful expression.

It clenched its teeth, then looked up at the man with a fierce expression.

[Come forth. A mere byproduct of meaningless attempts. You are fitting to adorn the finale of this great endeavor.]

In that moment, the Golden Armored Reaper emitted a radiant light from its entire body and rushed toward the man with the halo.

A golden beam stretching across the sky.

The Golden Armored Reaper, moving as swiftly as light, reached the man’s line of sight and crashed into him at incredible speed.

Boom!

A blinding golden flash erupted like an explosion, and the man fell from the stairway in the air, sucked into the heart of the maze-like city below.

At that instant, the Golden Armored Reaper floating high in the sky began to radiate a light as brilliant as the sun.

A light intense enough to burn away the fog and erase all shadows.

And transformed into that light, the Golden Armored Reaper descended upon the city center where the man had fallen, like a thunderbolt from the heavens.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Again and again, and again.

Blinding flashes and surging shockwaves.

The city, once a replica of Seodaemun-gu under the gridded sky, turned into ruins in an instant.

Creeeak.

Then, as if unable to hold on any longer, cracks began to slowly spread across the gridded space.

During the time when multicolored moons rose over the Seoul night sky, a building tucked away in a corner of Seodaemun-gu bustled with unusual activity.

The building, an emergency command center hastily arranged by James, was surprisingly sophisticated inside.

State-of-the-art equipment lined the walls, and a large screen in the center constantly blinked, updating data.

In the midst of all the equipment sat James, slowly reading through a report displayed on the monitor.

His eyebrows drew together in a deep furrow, and his lips remained tightly closed.

As he read, he rubbed his temples as though nursing a headache.

The report James was reviewing had come from the American Object Association and was related to the “mass cognitive ability loss incident” that had occurred in Seoul.

Originally, his intention had been simply to find similar cases and devise an effective response, but the reality far exceeded his expectations.

Under the fluorescent lights, James’s face looked pale.

With every line his eyes followed in the report, his expression darkened further.

Contrary to his expectations, the report wasn’t just a list of similar cases.

It was a mirror-like reflection of identical incidents.

“To think this kind of object has gone undiscovered until now.”

James shook his head in disbelief.

According to the report, nearly identical incidents had occurred all around the world.

The number of victims maxed out at eleven.

Perhaps only the unreported or accident-related cases were missing, but it seemed eleven victims emerged each time.

Each of them had visited a specific location without reason, and within three months, they had completely lost their cognitive abilities.

Moreover, the report contained records of similar incidents dating back to the early days of the object crisis, several decades ago.

An object affecting such a wide area and for such a long time.

A grim thought crossed his mind.

‘If this is indeed the work of a single object, it could be on par with objects like the Lunar Frost or Nameless.’

James placed his hand on the desk, standing up, and walked toward the window.

The view of Seoul’s nightscape came into focus.

“This time, the pattern is completely different.”

James muttered, rubbing his chin.

In most countries, such phenomena only occurred once.

If it had been the same in Korea, it might have gone unnoticed amid the myriad of other strange object phenomena.

Why now, had the pattern changed?

This was the third time such an object phenomenon occurred in Korea alone.

This suggested two possibilities.

Either Korea was special, or this period itself was special.

James sighed deeply.

Both scenarios hinted at significant trouble.

James hesitated for a moment.

Wasn’t his thought too far-fetched, too speculative?

But he quickly steeled his resolve and called for his assistant.

He ordered them to broadcast a major announcement regarding the “cognitive loss incident.”

The assistant looked surprised for a moment, but soon nodded and left the room.

Watching the assistant leave, James muttered softly.

“Anything related to objects, no matter how absurd, always seems to become reality.”

As he murmured to himself, he resumed examining the report in detail.

In the depths of the Sehee Lab, the Gray Reaper’s isolation room maintained its usual cozy atmosphere.

White wallpaper, soft lighting, and the most important feature, a large, fluffy bed!

Lying on it felt like sinking into water, a soft and comfortable bed.

Though it was perhaps a bit warm, the snack I held made up for that.

Munch, munch.

Nibbling on a milk snowflake dessert I’d brought from the Mini Reaper Garden’s snowfield, I nestled deep in the soft blanket, watching the large TV on the wall.

Yes, this was the paradise I’d wished for.

But there was one problem in the paradise I’d crafted in the isolation room.

A problem that arose after the Object Association disappeared.

‘There haven’t been any interesting news stories lately.’

The usual mundane news and the dull conversations of the people on screen.

I missed the days when the association caused strange incidents daily.

Fighting off boredom with slight dozing, a faint sound brushed my ears.

Peeking out from the bed with a toe, I saw the Mini Reapers cautiously approaching.

Tiptoeing.

The Blue Idol Reaper and Golden Reapers were walking on their toes, moving closer.

‘Mom’s asleep.’

“Hehe.”

The Golden Reapers giggled quietly, amused by something.

The Blue Idol Reaper wore a solemn expression, even donning the Speech Halo as it followed the Golden Reapers.

Curious about what they were plotting, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

The Golden Reapers, who had snuck up to me, carefully observed my face, even lifting my eyelids.

‘Mom’s really asleep.’

‘Now’s the time!’

Now that I looked closer, those Golden Reapers looked familiar, though I couldn’t quite place them.

The Blue Idol Reaper, following the Golden Reapers’ signal, raised a microphone with a nervous expression.

[Become…]

[Become…]

The Blue Idol Reaper’s speech wavered with hesitation.

What kind of speech begins with “Become,” I wondered.

Just as I mused over the possibilities, the Blue Idol Reaper completed the speech and directed it at me.

[Become a Daetji!]

‘!!!!’

Ahh! The rebellious speech!

Startled, I shot up from the bed, but it was too late to evade the speech.

Pop.

But as the Blue Idol Reaper’s speech hit me, it crumbled away without effect.

‘Oh!’

‘Mom’s awake!’

The Golden Reapers tried to flee the moment I rose, but there was no escaping my angry Daetji Beam.

‘Nooo!’

‘Aaah!’

The Blue Idol Reaper, startled by my sudden movement, stood trembling, unable to run.

When our eyes met, the Blue Idol Reaper awkwardly smiled.

Hehe.

After smiling back, I fired the Daetji Beam right away.

[Daetji…]

The Blue Idol Reaper, in shock, touched its chubby cheeks, muttering gloomily.

Kyuheehee.

Behind it, the White Maw watched the Daetji-turned Mini Reapers, snickering.

As I pondered how to torment the impudent White Maw, an intriguing story began on TV.

[According to the James Research Institute, the current 'mass cognitive ability loss incident' in Korea is…]

[Consequently, the Object Council has declared Seodaemun-gu a danger zone…]

[Even the Golden Reaper who entered Seodaemun-gu appears to have vanished…]

Normally, I would have thought, “Finally, some interesting news,” but the last sentence changed the entire story.

‘The Golden Reaper went missing????’

The grid-patterned sky world that had begun to collapse.

In that world, what looked like a brilliant golden sun slowly started to dim.

And from within the light emerged the Golden Armored Reaper, looking somewhat weary.

Then, from the cloud of dust rising from a collapsing building, a voice emerged.

[Impressive. To think mere byproduct would be this powerful.]

Snap.

As a finger snapped, wind whipped around, blowing away the dust cloud.

‘!’

From the ruins, the haloed man emerged, without a single scratch, and the Golden Armored Reaper gritted its teeth harder.

‘He’s too strong.’

Yet the Golden Armored Reaper did not give up.

If once was not enough, then once more!

Resolving itself, the kindling within the Golden Armored Reaper ignited once more, radiating a brilliant light.

Boom!

Transforming into a golden comet again, but this time, it failed.

No, it didn’t even reach him.

An impenetrable transparent barrier separated the man and the Golden Armored Reaper.

‘Why?’

The Golden Armored Reaper couldn’t comprehend it.

For an attack that could even bypass “Mom’s Quack” to be blocked this way.

Would the First Sword have discerned the structure of this barrier?

Or perhaps another Golden Reaper with sharper senses?

Despite lacking talent, the Golden Armored Reaper did not give up.

Even with “Mom-level” sensory limitations, it would not yield!

The Golden Armored Reaper transformed into a golden comet, continually striking at the haloed man.

If it wouldn’t work now, then until it did.

But that attempt ended as soon as the haloed man muttered.

[Hmm, a lack of intelligence, perhaps? Seems to not know when to give up.]

With a bored expression, he muttered, and the space divided into grids, instantly dissecting the Golden Armored Reaper.

The armor that once shone brilliantly scattered, limbs sliced apart, sprinkling golden kindling.

It looked like golden blood.