I was engulfed in a sea of blue mist.

Everything in my field of vision was drenched in a soft, pale blue hue, and the sun had hidden itself within the mist, leaving no trace of light.

Surrounded by the mist, the only clear outline was the solitary silhouette of the ship, hovering like a ghost amidst the swirling fog.

Looking down from the deck, I saw an even denser layer of mist undulating below, so thick it appeared almost liquid.

The dense waves of mist ebbed and flowed onto the deck like the tide at a beach, advancing and retreating as if the mist itself were breathing.

Staring at it, I felt as if the boundary between reality and illusion had become blurred.

Amid this dreamlike atmosphere, the faint, whining voices of the Mini Reapers drifted into my ears.

“Ugh.”

“I feel dizzy…”

“There are so many Moms!”

The Mini Reapers wobbled around me as if they were tipsy.

To me, it was just a piercingly cold mist, but it seemed different for the Mini Reapers.

The humans aboard must have sensed the danger in this blue fog, for they had retreated indoors the moment the mist appeared.

Most of the Mini Reapers had followed their bonded humans into the ship’s interior, but those who were determined to stay with “Mom” were still clinging to me, staggering as if drunk.

I lifted one of the wobbly Golden Reapers onto my palm and poked its plump cheek, causing it to tumble over.

“Who poked me?”

It cocked its head in confusion for a moment before biting down on my finger with a small “chomp.”

Not recognizing its own mother… this mist was clearly harmful to the Mini Reapers!

With this fog thick all around, the Mini Reapers wouldn’t be of much help…

I opened the entrance to the Mini Reaper Garden and slipped the entire James Explorer inside.

As the ship disappeared, my body began to sink into the mist.

The mist was so dense, it felt as if I were being drawn into the depths of the ocean.

With no sense of direction, I felt as though I were endlessly falling, deeper and deeper into the abyss of the mist.

Even though I was only sinking to the depth of the ship, it felt far more profound.

Suddenly, I felt an icy chill wrap around me.

For a human, this chill would be cold enough to cause immediate hypothermia.

Had I finally reached the surface of the ocean?

Yet everything around me was still shrouded in darkness.

I floated on my back, staring up at the sky, which was entirely covered in blue mist.

“What should I do now?”

As I pondered, the mist around me began to thin, like the lifting of a stage curtain, revealing a new scene.

I was floating on the dark blue sea, my body bobbing gently.

Above, the sunless sky was filled with twisted clouds that writhed like living creatures.

A dark blue glow seeped through the gaps in the clouds, dizzying to look at.

So dizzy…

I suddenly understood why the Mini Reapers had been so disoriented.

“It’s like two worlds are layered on top of each other…”

One world was the ominous blue sea and tangled clouds obscuring the sun.

The other world was devoid of the sea, filled instead with strange, organic substances resembling spider webs and mold.

The two worlds overlapped in my vision.

I consciously pushed the twisted, organic world out of my awareness.

As I did, my vision returned to normal, revealing the world of the eerie sea and strange clouds.

Once I had fully dismissed the organic world, I could see a massive island looming in the distance.

A foreboding island, wrapped in an eerie shade of blue.

The island’s outline was distorted, as if someone had twisted a clay sculpture with their hands.

It looked unmistakably like the nest of a Foreign God.

Step by step, I walked over the surface of the sea, ghost-like, heading toward that ominous island.

The late afternoon sun cast its orange glow over the construction site of the theme park on the outskirts of Songpa District.

“No one’s here?”

The theme park was nearly complete, so this should have been the busiest time, bustling with workers. But something was amiss.

Seo-ah felt a slight unease as she stepped into the construction site.

The paperwork needed approval—it was three months overdue, and the head of Sehee Research Institute, Dr. Lee Sehee, had disappeared. Seo-ah had to find her as soon as possible.

If she missed Dr. Lee today, there was no telling when she’d return to work next.

Crunch, crunch.

With each step, the sound of gravel crunching beneath her feet echoed through the empty site.

Trailing behind her, a Golden Reaper leapt from pebble to pebble, mimicking her steps.

[Hehe.]

Watching this, the Sprout Reaper on her shoulder chuckled softly.

Past the entrance, Seo-ah was greeted by a gigantic statue of the theme park’s mascot.

“It’s pretty big…”

It was a towering statue of the Gray Reaper.

Though it was covered with a cloth, the statue appeared to be posed with one hand on its hip and the other raised high to the sky.

As Seo-ah moved past the statue, a deep rumbling sound began to reverberate through the site.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Deeper within, the noises and vibrations matched the atmosphere of an active construction site.

Turning a corner, she spotted a massive steel structure moving forward slowly, with no one touching it.

Next to it, a worker carefully observed, ensuring it wouldn’t topple.

“?”

Who was moving that structure?

Thud!

The steel structure finally settled into place, and a nearby worker squatted down with a satisfied grin.

“Well done.”

Then, a Black Reaper wriggled out from under the steel structure, beaming brightly as it replied with a cheerful whistle.

As Seo-ah watched, she pictured a future where Mini Reapers would become a part of Korea’s construction sites.

Strong Black Reapers could fully replace human laborers, needing only delicious food as their “wage.”

…

Continuing past the Black Reaper and its human partner, Seo-ah arrived at a clearing where people were eating.

What stood out was that there were far more Mini Reapers than humans.

“Isn’t this a bit too many Mini Reapers?”

Seo-ah was curious, but her question was soon answered.

In the distance, she saw Dr. Lee Sehee handing out cookies paired with Mini Reapers to everyone.

As she handed out treats, Dr. Lee spotted Seo-ah.

“Eek!”

Her face turned pale as she yelped and bolted in the opposite direction.

Thinking it was a game, the Mini Reapers in the cookie boxes took off after her in a playful chase.

“Yay!”

“Tag!”

Seeing Dr. Lee fleeing with a trail of Mini Reapers behind her, Seo-ah stood there in shock, unsure of what was happening.

“Why is she running?”

Signing paperwork might be annoying, but it’s not worth running away over…

“!!!”

Suddenly, Seo-ah snapped to attention.

“What on earth did she do??”

Finally realizing the urgency, Seo-ah took off in pursuit of Dr. Lee.

Step by step, I walked to the shore of the twisted island.

Even from afar, the island had looked unsettling, but up close, it was even more foreboding.

A beach covered in dull blue sand.

A bizarre mountain rising high enough to touch the clouds.

A periodic rumbling that shook the entire island.

Black, twisted trees growing close to the shore.

Pockets of dark blue mist sporadically rising from the sand.

And yet, I couldn’t sense the presence of the Foreign God who surely inhabited this island.

Only its ominous aura filled the air.

Rustle, rustle.

Leaving footprints in the blue sand as I walked, I spotted a faint, golden light.

It was a small, sun-like glow.

I hurried toward it, finding a Golden Reaper lying there, clutching a golden orb with all its might.

“???”

“A Golden Reaper… injured. How did I not know?”

A wave of confusion swept over me.

“Is this what’s been causing my unease?”

Although the Mini Reapers were unharmed, I had sensed an inexplicable foreboding.

Humans hadn’t noticed, but it was clear that the Pacific Ocean had already been tainted by the Foreign God’s presence.

The fallen Golden Reaper clutched the golden orb so tightly I couldn’t pry it loose.

Though its body had no firewood left, the orb still glowed softly, radiating a gentle light.

I placed the Golden Reaper and the orb on my palm and began to breathe firewood into them.

The soft light within the golden orb grew stronger, and the will of the Golden Reaper emerged.

To the human I haven’t yet met.

Every Mini Reaper has a destined human. So, I must have just not met mine yet, right?

I wonder what they look like. What kind of voice they have?

I’ve wanted to meet them so much.

There’s so much I want to do together.

I want to eat cookies together and tell funny stories.

And… and… I want to look into their eyes.

Dying isn’t that scary, but not meeting them is terrifying.

If I die here, I feel like I won’t be able to return to Mom.

…

I’m so sleepy.

Even when I try to keep my eyes open, they keep closing.

Mom… it’s so cold.

Mom, where are you?

I miss you.

…