The baby Golden Grim Reapers were happily playing in Yerin’s apartment.

As I continued watching the children play, I suddenly felt a strong urge to try the rides myself.

These childish amusement rides probably wouldn’t be fun, but it wouldn’t hurt to try them out as a test.

I tried to create one of the rides, but there simply wasn’t enough space.

Ugh.

The apartment was too cramped!

At first, I thought about secretly destroying the Mini Grim Reaper roller coaster to make room for a new one, but then I had a simpler solution.

If there’s not enough space, just make it bigger!

As soon as I thought of this, I put the Halo of the Labyrinth above my head and enlarged Yerin’s living room by ten times.

I first called over the Black Grim Reapers who were playing in the garden to help me create a giant spring.

Then, I grabbed a large white carp, big enough for me to sit on, and mounted it on top of the spring.

Kyu-hing-hing.

The white carp made a noise that sounded like it was annoyed, but I ignored it and began hollowing out the inside of the carp to make a seat.

And just like that, I had created an amusement ride identical to the one the Blue Grim Reaper had used.

Of course, this one was designed to fit me, making it far larger than the Mini Grim Reaper ride.

Whee, whee.

I climbed onto the carp, rocking back and forth, and found it surprisingly fun.

It wasn’t much, but it made me smile for no particular reason.

Hee-hee.

When the Blue Grim Reaper noticed I had arrived, he pulled his hat low, covering his face completely.

But he didn’t get off the ride.

Well, it was hard to give up something this fun.

Click, click.

Yerin, silently and with a very serious expression, was taking pictures.

I watched her expression closely.

Her eyes sparkled as though she had discovered the most amazing thing, and a smile spread across her face only to disappear again in a fleeting moment.

I wondered what she found so fascinating.

Then, I suddenly thought, perhaps Yerin wanted to try the ride too.

‘I should make one for Yerin.’

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I immediately acted.

I called over an even bigger white carp, mounted it on the spring, and hollowed it out to make a seat. I noticed Yerin’s eyes growing wider as she watched the process.

“Uh... Grim Reaper, could this be...?”

Before Yerin could even finish her sentence, the ride was complete.

I didn’t say anything and simply gazed up at it. Yerin, with a happy expression, took off her slippers and climbed onto the ride.

Whee, whee.

Now, Yerin was shaking beside me.

Her ponytail swirled around in the air, looking as though it was dancing, which was amusing to watch.

As we both enjoyed the ride, the Mini Grim Reapers, too, became curious and started to approach.

At first, the Mini Grim Reapers hesitated and only watched, but soon they mustered the courage to hop on the ride.

The joyful energy of the Mini Grim Reapers echoed from all directions.

“Mom!”

“Hee-hee.”

“Fast!”

When Yerin, the Blue Grim Reaper, and I were riding, it felt like a calm amusement ride, but once the Golden Grim Reapers joined in, the movement became much more intense.

It was like a centrifugal carousel.

With Yerin, me, and the Mini Grim Reapers all riding together, there was an odd atmosphere in the apartment.

I continued riding, enjoying myself, unaware of the passing time as the night grew deeper.

After a while, several Golden Grim Reapers bumped into the walls.

“Agh!”

They had been shaking violently, and with one last shake, they shot forward.

The cause? Drowsy driving!

It was an accident caused by the Golden Grim Reapers who had dozed off during the late hour.

Soon, it was time for the Golden Grim Reapers to sleep.

As I got off the ride and headed toward the living room, the baby Golden Grim Reapers who had been riding the roller coaster had dozed off and crashed to the floor.

“Ah!”

Another baby Grim Reaper, who had been nodding off on the spinning roller coaster, fell off, hitting its head with a clunk and waking up.

If it had been a human, it would have been a deadly situation, but the Golden Grim Reaper rubbed its head with its hand and, after a brief chuckle, lay back down to sleep.

“Such a mess.”

The living room of Yerin’s apartment was now filled with sleeping Golden Grim Reapers, almost as if some sleep gas had been released, causing them to doze off in every corner.

I walked around, admiring the cheerful sight of the living room.

Yerin followed behind me, carefully placing the sleeping Golden Grim Reapers into their soft, Golden Grim Reaper-only sleeping quarters.

Though, calling it a “sleeping quarters” was a bit of a stretch—it looked more like a soft pigeon coop.

‘?’

As I continued to admire the sleeping Golden Grim Reapers, I noticed a small collection of tools in the corner of the living room.

There was a desk sized for Mini Grim Reapers, along with crayons and piles of drawing paper.

“Mini Grim Reaper-sized drawing tools? Did Yerin make these?”

I picked up one of the crayons and looked at it closely. It had the Sehee Research Institute seal on it, with “Test Sample” written on it.

“Sehee made these…”

Unfortunately, due to the amusement park, the drawing tools hadn’t been very popular. Only one Golden Grim Reaper, among many desks lined up, was using them.

Even though it was nodding off, it was holding onto the crayon tightly and drawing.

I slowly approached and looked closer, and I was taken aback.

The Golden Grim Reaper was surprisingly good at drawing.

Was it one of those Grim Reapers who was skilled at things like sculpture or combat?

At that moment, Yerin, having finished putting the Golden Grim Reaper into its sleeping quarters, yawned and said:

“Grim Reaper, let’s go to bed too.”

Then, Yerin picked me up like a cat and carried me into the bedroom.

As I lay in her arms, I drifted off to sleep.

Yerin’s house grew quiet, but in the dark living room, it still felt as though the energetic emotions of the Mini Grim Reapers lingered.

I fell into a deep dream.

The scene before my eyes seemed somewhat different from the usual dreams I had seen before.

A massive jade temple loomed in the distance, and the sky was covered in black clouds.

The sun was hidden in the darkness, and only a faint light leaked out.

Beneath my feet was a dizzyingly high cliff, and below it, what appeared to be a wriggling evolutionary liquid was surging.

In this bizarre landscape, two figures stood facing each other.

One was a girl with blue hair, identical to mine, and the other was a tall man with a face that was blurred like smoke.

The atmosphere between them was strange.

It was highly antagonistic, yet at the same time, they seemed to know each other.

Between them was a thick, sturdy piece of parchment.

[Let’s confirm the contract once more.]

The voice of the smoky man echoed.

The parchment contained neatly written contract details.

<'The Book of Contracts' and 'The Last Alchemist's' contract>

• 'The Last Alchemist' gives up immortality in exchange for two aids.

• Afterward, 'The Book of Contracts' will no longer appear before 'The Last Alchemist.'

 

<The Two Aids>

1. It will create a small lamp and teach how to divide the ranks.

2. It will send the 'Book of the Dead' to its destination as quickly as possible, departing from this blackened world while keeping the current body intact.

 

At the bottom of the contract, additional clauses were written in tiny, almost illegible handwriting, with the ink still wet, and the handwriting style changing with each clause.

<Additional Clauses>

• Upon completion of the contract, ‘The Book of Contracts’ must ensure that ‘The Last Alchemist’ reaches their destination before any other books of magic.

• After the contract is fulfilled, neither 'The Last Alchemist' nor any being born from their abilities can harm 'The Book of Contracts.'

• After the contract is fulfilled, if ‘The Book of Contracts’ appears before 'The Last Alchemist,' the book will be instantly and permanently destroyed for breaching the contract.

• Meeting with ‘The Last Alchemist’ refers only to when the ‘The Last Alchemist’s’ soul is still within their current physical form.

 

The girl with blue hair slowly read the contract, then looked up at the smoky man.

“Alright. This seems good enough. The Book of Contracts.”

The smoky man smiled slightly and bowed in an exaggerated manner.

[Then let’s begin fulfilling the contract.]

His expression was so meaningful that I felt a sense of unease, as if the blue-haired girl had made a grave mistake.

Snap.

The moment the smoky man clapped his hands, the space around them distorted, and the dream ended.

I woke up on the bed.

Yerin’s arm was wrapped around me.

“Mm, Grim Reaper…”

When I pulled away from her, Yerin, half-asleep, waved her hand around.

I placed the large white carp into Yerin’s arms and made my way toward the living room.

Kyu-hing-hing.

I stood by the window, looking out at the night view.

Once a ruin, Songpa District now had a more urban feel to it.

Looking up at the sky, I saw colorful moons and the massive black planet in the background.

It was a reality that was strangely shifting in a different direction than the dream.

I stood there for a while, gazing at the scene.

I wondered what the meaning of the dream I had just seen was.

It was a strangely unsettling night.