Chapter 455

The Golden Grim Reaper gazed out the window with a concerned expression.

Outside, the never-ending darkness from the previous nights remained, but unlike before, no matter how long it waited, morning never came. It felt like an eternal night had settled in.

The violet-haired girl hadn’t eaten for several days, but she didn’t appear to be in poor health. However, the unsettling part was that her sleep was getting longer and longer. It felt as though she might fall into a slumber from which she would never wake.

Something needs to be done.

The Golden Grim Reaper made up its mind, staring down at the slowly waking violet-haired girl.

The violet-haired girl found herself in a dream.

In this dream, her laughter echoed across a well-maintained blue lawn. It was a garden she knew well, the one she had seen every day, tended carefully by colorful guardians.

And in the dream, time passed quickly. Before long, the dream version of the girl was practicing alchemy with a bright smile on her face. She opened a thick alchemy book, carefully burning mixtures while pouring her wishes into them.

Whenever she grew tired of alchemy, a giant guardian would appear and carry her on its back, running happily around the garden.

This guardian, much larger than the ones in her mansion, wore a long robe, like an alchemist, which made it look a bit comical.

After running around the garden, the girl would rest on the soft grass. Then, the guardians—red, blue, yellow—would gather around her, spending time together. They shared sandwiches and cool drinks, as though they were enjoying a delightful picnic.

How enviable…

Such friendly, cute guardians… This was a sight she could never see in her own mansion. The guardians in her mansion were like emotionless machines, fulfilling their duties without any warmth.

…

The violet-haired girl gazed at the dream version of herself, who looked so happy. Watching her filled her heart with warmth and satisfaction, but strangely, an overwhelming sense of emptiness and sadness also began to settle in.

Carrying both of these conflicting emotions, the girl began to wake up from her dream. The memories of the dream scattered like grains of sand and sank deep into her heart.

“Mm…”

As she rubbed her eyes, the girl felt as though she had dreamed something important, but the reason remained elusive. She was left with a vague emptiness and no clear answers.

Human!

She turned her gaze and saw the small golden friend, hopping around and looking up at her.

Trying to soothe her empty heart, the violet-haired girl gently lifted the small friend and embraced it tightly.

As she did, the familiar sun-like fragrance filled her hollow heart. It was the perfect scent to match her friend, who always smiled brightly like the sun.

The girl gazed out the window at the darkness still filling the sky, as the sun never seemed to rise.

At the Sehee Research Institute on a peaceful afternoon, the soft autumn sun filtered through the trees.

Unlike the usually quiet Seoul Forest, an unusually large number of Golden Grim Reapers had gathered in one place, all staring in the same direction.

They were watching a Golden Grim Reaper, sound asleep in the palm of my hand.

I smiled slightly as I looked at the little Golden Grim Reaper resting on my palm.

Looking at it made me strangely want to play around.

Should I turn it into a “Daeji”?

Of course, this little Golden Grim Reaper hadn’t done anything wrong, but sometimes, for no reason at all, you just feel like playing a prank.

Besides, if it gets upset later, I could always calm it down with a bowl of pudding, right?

Thinking of that, I couldn’t resist the urge to have some fun.

With a mischievous chuckle, I used all my abilities and woodcraft to turn the Golden Grim Reaper into a Super Daeji.

It became so round that, from a glance, it almost looked like an Agwi rather than a Golden Grim Reaper.

Still asleep and motionless, its shape resembled a puppet, so I used my space control ability to manipulate the Super Daeji Golden Grim Reaper like a marionette.

I spent an enjoyable time controlling the Super Daeji Golden Grim Reaper, making it punch the other Golden Grim Reapers and, at times, laying it down on the ground and tapping its round belly like a drum, creating a fun rhythm.

Of course, some of the Golden Grim Reapers were upset by the prank, but those who got angry all turned into round, plump Daejis, becoming part of the puppet show.

Soon, the Seoul Forest was filled with rolling, round Golden Grim Reapers.

Hehe.

The moment the girl disappeared, the mansion seemed on the verge of collapse.

The entire space trembled precariously, and objects that once existed vanished or transformed into something entirely different.

Amid the chaos of the mansion, the Golden Grim Reaper watched with a tense expression as an Agwi, dying, crawled toward it.

Can I win if I fight it?

That massive Agwi was half a good Agwi, but half a bad one.

With a firm expression, the Golden Grim Reaper stood face-to-face with the Agwi.

Then, an enormous amount of wood energy began flowing into the Golden Grim Reaper.

!!!

The Golden Grim Reaper looked up with a shocked expression.

Though the network wasn’t there, it could feel a maternal presence.

Mom’s helping!

The amount of wood energy was so great that the Golden Grim Reaper’s body was ablaze, flames spilling from every part of it like a raging fire.

With that sense of help from its “mom,” the Golden Grim Reaper looked at the Agwi with newfound confidence.

With the flames enveloping the Golden Grim Reaper’s body, it felt an unexpected surge of strength and confidence.

Mom’s help is here!

The flames that were pouring from the Golden Grim Reaper’s body intensified as it channeled all the wood energy. The fiery aura made it feel unstoppable.

The Agwi, which had been looming over the Golden Grim Reaper, seemed to hesitate for a moment, sensing the overwhelming surge of energy. With the newfound confidence, the Golden Grim Reaper prepared to strike.

It was as if the presence of “mom” was the catalyst, pushing the Golden Grim Reaper beyond its limits. The energy was coursing through its form, and it felt its body becoming stronger, hotter, almost unstoppable.

The battle began in earnest as the Golden Grim Reaper, now filled with power, faced off against the Agwi. The Agwi snarled, its twisted body still a formidable opponent, but the Golden Grim Reaper, with the newfound flames of determination, launched itself forward with a force unlike before.

This time, I’ll win.

The confidence radiating from the Golden Grim Reaper was palpable. It felt ready to take on any challenge.

In the midst of the fight, it seemed to glow brighter, the flames almost as if fueled by the strength of the bond between it and “mom.”