As the morning sunlight filtered through the window, the fun Baby Golden Grim Reaper party ended, and the usual daily life began.

After arriving at Sehee Research Institute with Yerin, she headed toward the office while I made my way to the Golden Horned Reaper containment zone.

It’s been a month... something must have changed by now.

Since a whole month had passed because of the butterfly dimension, I was expecting something. I was curious about how the Golden Grim Reapers had changed in that time, especially whether any of them had evolved into Golden Horned Reapers.

With this great anticipation, I teleported and quickly arrived at the containment zone.

As soon as I arrived inside, I opened my eyes wide.

!

The atmosphere of the space was completely different from before.

The starkness that used to fill the containment zone a month ago was completely gone, and just walking through the street, I could hear the thump thump sound, creating a lively atmosphere.

There are more Golden Grim Reapers than humans now...

Everywhere I looked, there were Golden Grim Reapers.

Previously, there were about two humans for every Golden Grim Reaper, but now that ratio had completely reversed.

This place was no longer just the Golden Horned Reaper containment zone; it was more like a natural habitat for the Golden Grim Reapers.

At that moment...

Ah!

Mom!

The Golden Grim Reapers who noticed me rushed toward me with bright smiles. They climbed up to my thighs and started nuzzling their heads against me.

It seemed they were remembering the time when I rubbed their horns last time while looking for them.

I smiled softly at the sight and slowly petted their heads.

I hope at least a small golden horn has started to grow today.

With that small wish in mind, I started petting the heads of the Golden Grim Reapers, one by one.

As I petted the heads of countless Golden Grim Reapers, I was searching for traces of the Golden Horn, which could become the core of automatic hunting.

However, as time passed, my expression grew more and more tired.

Hee-hee.

The Golden Grim Reaper, who had just received a scalp massage, laughed as if it felt ticklish.

Next.

In contrast, I called for the next Golden Grim Reaper with a slightly exhausted expression.

I had been searching for hours already, but still, there were no traces of horns.

Could it be that the Golden Horned Reaper was as rare as other special Grim Reapers?

I had assumed that the Golden Horned Reaper, with its personality and behavior, would naturally develop horns, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

In the end, there were no horns on the last Golden Grim Reaper’s head either.

Ugh.

Mom, are you tired?

Noticing that I looked exhausted, a Golden Grim Reaper gently patted my finger with a worried expression.

I absentmindedly sat down while continuing to pet the head of the Golden Grim Reaper.

The head feels soft, like a rice cake...

While continuing to pat the last Golden Grim Reaper’s head, I suddenly felt something even softer under my fingertips.

!

Startled, I picked up the last Golden Grim Reaper and began rummaging through its hair.

To my surprise, tiny horn-like structures had started to emerge on both sides of its head.

Golden horns!

Once I discovered the traces of the golden horns, all the fatigue pressing down on me disappeared.

Filled with joy, I tossed the last Golden Grim Reaper up into the air, like lifting it for a cheer.

Higher!

The Golden Grim Reaper, sensing my excitement, grinned widely.

Seeing that, the other Golden Grim Reapers rushed over with envious expressions.

Mom!

Me too!

To celebrate the appearance of the Golden Horn, I used my spatial manipulation powers to send the approaching Golden Grim Reapers soaring into the sky.

They shot up like bullets, and the sight resembled a golden fireworks display.

After the excitement settled, I looked down at the second Golden Horned Reaper and sent it some encouragement.

Go ahead, send some firewood! You can do it!

However, the second Golden Horned Reaper merely shook its head.

Could it be that the horn is still too small?

If we think of the Golden Horned Reaper like a radio, it’s as if the antenna is still short.

The mini-horned Golden Grim Reaper closed its eyes tightly and tried hard to send the firewood.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Golden Grim Reaper was distracted, I secretly grabbed its space and pulled the horn.

Sure enough, a tiny horn that had been hidden in its hair popped out.

Ah!

The Golden Grim Reaper stared at me in surprise, then quickly changed its expression to one of anger.

It charged toward me.

Thud, thud.

It seemed that the force I used to pull on the horn had caused some pain, as the Golden Grim Reaper hit me with considerable force.

And sadly, as it continued to strike, the horn shrank further, and by the time it stopped, it had disappeared back into its hair.

It seems pulling on it like an antenna doesn’t work...

Ugh.

On the top floor of James Tower in Songpa District, the view of the morning skyline of Seoul stretched out beyond the giant glass windows. James sat at his large desk, staring at the monitor.

The screen displayed a news article from an American newspaper, and a faint smile lingered on his lips.

"Object Association Intervenes to Disband Anti-Golden Grim Reaper Group"

Reading the article title once more, James shook his head.

Who came up with this idea?

His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the article.

The way the Object Association disbanded the Anti-Golden Grim Reaper group was simple but unusual.

They secretly infiltrated their headquarters and just left a bunch of cardboard boxes behind.

That alone had wiped out the anti-Golden Grim Reaper group.

The boxes were full of Golden Grim Reapers.

Those who had claimed Golden Grim Reapers would destroy America and bring about the downfall of the world had ended up meeting the Golden Grim Reapers and becoming so enamored with them that they left the group.

James rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

In fact, the operation carried out by the Object Association seemed to have been based on the report James Research Institute had submitted not long ago.

The report had stated that the members of the “Anti-Golden Grim Reaper Group” were all people living in areas where they couldn’t see any Golden Grim Reapers.

And at the end of the article, it expressed concern that such an operation was akin to biological warfare.

It concluded by suggesting that new laws be created to ban such “Object-induced mental contamination terrorism.”

Hmm.

Of course, James had similar thoughts to the journalist who wrote the article, but he decided it was unavoidable.

In a world crumbling under the influence of Objects, humanity had to do whatever it took to survive.

And after all, the Golden Grim Reapers weren’t particularly harmful.

Lost in these thoughts, James turned his gaze to the Golden Grim Reaper sitting on his shoulder, dipping a giant cookie into hot chocolate.

?

James smiled slightly, brushed it off, and slowly patted the Golden Grim Reaper’s head.

Remembering the name of the journalist who wrote the article, James thought to himself.

Soon, that journalist will have a Golden Grim Reaper delivered to him.

He was somewhat curious about what kind of article the journalist would write after being thumped by one of them.

James scrolled through the screen with his mouse, scanning other news articles.

At that moment, a sharp alarm sound came from his cellphone.

Bleep!

James picked up his phone.

As soon as he checked the screen, his expression froze.

A brief field report had just come in.

<Texas, Object confirmed.>

James let out a deep sigh.

The contents of the letter left by the Yellow Detective had turned out to be true.

He slowly stood up and walked over to the window.

The ability to control humans without mental contamination.

In an age where Mini Grim Reapers handle most problems, the Golden Horned Reaper is an essential Object for handling the crisis...

James stared out at the morning view of Seoul, pondering how to expose the Texas incident to the Gray Grim Reaper.

As the smoke dispersed, the Man of Lamps vanished without a trace.

It was as if he had been an illusion, and there was nothing left where he had been.

The second junior, now relaxed, exhaled deeply.

Hua...

With her sigh, the air around her began to move.

It was as if time had started flowing again, and the Golden Grim Reapers, who had been frozen in mid-air, gradually regained their movement.

Harmful... Object?

?

The Golden Grim Reapers looked around with confused expressions.

The powerful Object that had been in front of them moments ago had suddenly disappeared.

As they exchanged bewildered glances, they rushed toward the second junior.

Sorry!

Ugh!

Several Golden Grim Reapers, including the Golden Horned Reaper, clung to the second junior.

Their eyes were full of guilt and self-blame.

They were trembling, remorseful for failing to stop the harmful Object.

The second junior smiled softly and patted them gently.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

As they felt the comfort of her touch, the Golden Grim Reapers slowly began to calm down.

However, in the second junior’s heart, a lingering unease remained.

The thick parchment contract resting on her hand was proof of that.

Looking down at the contract, she mumbled quietly.

“Is this really okay... Senior?”

Her gaze lingered on a particularly ominous line in the contract.

“If all terms of the contract are fulfilled, the ‘Contract Object’ will return the ‘Yellow Detective’ and his group, who are sealed inside the lamp.”

Reading this line, the second junior’s heart grew heavy.

With a deep sigh, she muttered.

Sigh... Senior, why did you have to do something so ridiculous?

Her voice was filled with worry, disappointment, and subtle anger.

Knowing that her senior’s intuition had already reached the level of future sight, she must have known that she was as good as dead.

After muttering for a while, the second junior finally stood up.

Her eyes shone with a determined will.

Placing the Golden Horned Reaper on her chest, she boldly declared.

“Let’s go. To China!”

The Golden Horned Reaper and the other Golden Grim Reapers responded to her cry with sparkling eyes.

Her destination was the mysterious terrorist group that referred to itself as [The Sect].

Her senior had called it the suspicious “Ninja Sect.”