Chapter 457

When the teleportation to the Black Planet ended, I was greeted by a barren, desolate landscape.

‘Not this again…’

Whenever I travel to a completely different space like the Black Planet, I often end up far from the Mini Reaper I intended to reach.

The place I arrived at was a small cliff, and from there, the view of the dying planet, ravaged by the Evolution Fluid, was laid out before me.

Below my feet, the endless sea of Evolution Fluid stretched out, visible beneath the cliff.

The black sea, undulating endlessly like liquid oil, seemed to move slowly, almost as if it were a living creature.

Perhaps due to the malice in the Evolution Fluid, its movement seemed to carry some sort of intent, which made it all the more unsettling.

Looking up, I couldn’t see the sun, or even the sky.

A thick cloud cover, like poisonous gas, completely obscured the heavens, and the light that filtered through was pale and somber.

This light only seemed to emphasize the deathly landscape even more.

Turning my gaze behind me, I saw only a small patch of land, no bigger than a playground.

That too was covered with black, slimy mud contaminated by the Evolution Fluid and the slowly melting remains of buildings.

It was a miniature depiction of the planet melting away under the Evolution Fluid.

The air was thick with the distinctive foul stench of the Evolution Fluid.

The odor, filled with malice, seemed to reach beyond the sense of smell, and no matter how much time passed, I couldn’t get used to it.

In fact, the more I inhaled, the more repulsive it became.

‘I need to hurry, find the kids, and get back to the Seohui Research Institute…’

The foul odor of the Evolution Fluid was rapidly sapping my motivation.

I stretched my senses out in all directions, eager to find the kids.

But as I searched for them, an odd feeling started to creep over me.

‘Wait, didn’t it seem less bad when I came here last time?’

Even with my poor memory, it seemed like the environment of the Black Planet had grown harsher since then.

The level of the Evolution Fluid had risen, and the remaining land had shrunk.

The ominous clouds had completely blocked the sun, and the previously close-feeling colored universe now seemed even closer.

Because of that, I felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Especially since the Black Planet was drawing nearer to Earth, which made it even more unsettling.

It felt like a massive, unavoidable task was coming my way.

To calm myself down, I idly fiddled with the soft Super Dweji Golden Reaper I was holding in my hand like a toy.

Strangely enough, touching the Super Dweji Golden Reaper seemed to soothe my mind.

However, there was one problem…

‘Ah, it’s shrinking again.’

It seemed to be deflating like a balloon with a hole in it.

Still, compared to the soft texture, the constant need to add firewood was a small drawback.

Hehe.

As I played with the Dweji rubber ball, I felt the kids’ presence from the horizon, much closer than I expected.

I quickly created a path of white marshmallows over the black sea by eroding the surface of the Black Planet, forming a strangely pure white path that stretched across the black ocean.

Thud, thud.

After using my ghost form, I began walking swiftly towards the kids’ location.

When I arrived at the place where the kids were, it looked like an absolute battlefield.

The vast black sea of Evolution Fluid was lit up by the towering red sun.

It was as if the rose blooming in a nightmare, the sun’s corona burned the black sea.

And next to this sun, there was something I never could have imagined.

It was a massive pirate ship made of red flames, from which red Reapers continuously poured out, repeating the cycle of entering and exiting.

Like a carrier dropping bombers.

This red pirate ship was an aerial aircraft carrier, something straight out of sci-fi.

‘A ship like that… I want one too.’

How did they know I liked pirate ships, not just Tyrannosaurus Rexes, to create something like this?

When this battle ends, I think I’ll ask the red Reapers to make one for me. The thought made me smile.

Hehe.

At the center of the battle, the red Sun Reaper was shining brightly.

Above the red Sun Reaper’s head, a halo of nullification power glowed white.

‘When did they take it?’

I felt a bit confused about when they had taken it, but I was impressed they had put the halo on so quickly.

The more autonomous the Mini Reapers became, the closer my dream of automated hunting would be.

The opponent fighting against the red Sun Reaper was a ‘Foreign-Class.’

A giant shark-shaped Object that moved swiftly through the Evolution Fluid.

It seemed to be the weakest Foreign-Class I had seen, but it was still an official Foreign-Class.

A Foreign-Class that barely made the cut.

‘It oddly reminds me of the worm Foreign-Class.’

Strangely enough, this shark Foreign-Class gave off a similar feeling to the worm Foreign-Class I had seen before.

The worm Foreign-Class was a colony, while this shark Foreign-Class was a single entity—why did it feel like this?

Maybe it was because both were tangible Foreign-Classes…?

As I thought about the Foreign-Class, I felt a wave of unpleasant nostalgia for the times when I had reached the Foreign-Class rank myself.

I had become a being that didn’t want to play or even eat snacks anymore…

It was almost like being dead.

At that moment, another presence caught my attention.

‘Another Mini Reaper?’

It was a vague golden Reaper, one that had no physical form but was still clearly present, like a ghost.

The moment I spotted the golden Reaper, I realized why the Super Dweji Golden Reaper in my hand was shrinking so rapidly.

The spiritual body of the Super Dweji Golden Reaper had been forced to use the halo while fighting beyond its capabilities.

So, a considerable amount of firewood had been consumed.

Two Mini Reapers wearing halos were fighting one Foreign-Class, but it was still insufficient.

The situation continued to be precarious, teetering on the edge of collapse.

But strangely, I didn’t feel anxious.

Could it be that the Mini Reapers would eventually defeat the shark Foreign-Class?

Moreover, I felt a little regretful about not participating in the battle right now.

The golden Reaper’s rank was rising at an enormous rate while forcing itself to use the halo.

If this continued for a little while longer, it would soon reach the rank of the First Sword.

It almost seemed like a leveling-up event!

‘Well, if things get too dangerous, I can just jump in.’

I thought to myself and sat down at the top of a nearby mountain.

As I snacked on some treats from the Mini Reaper garden, I watched the battle unfold, when suddenly, the Super Dweji Golden Reaper began to slip from my hands.

As if the empty body was trying to find its true owner.

‘No! My attachment rubber ball!’

I reached out toward the air, but the Super Dweji rubber ball had already returned to its original owner.

The Golden Reaper gritted his teeth and continued fighting.

Every time the shark-shaped Foreign-Class moved, the Cycle Zone that the Golden Reaper maintained trembled as if it were about to collapse.

Moreover, just by continuously using the halo, it felt like his whole body would fall apart and he might awaken in the Mini Reaper Valhalla any moment.

Boom!

The persistent attacks from the shark Foreign-Class struck the Cycle Zone hard.

At that moment, a crack appeared in the Cycle Zone, and a few drops of Evolution Fluid splashed into the interior of the space.

‘No!!’

The Golden Reaper turned his gaze downward to the attachment human, Bora, who was still peacefully sleeping.

Fortunately, the drops of Evolution Fluid that had splashed in did not touch her.

‘At this rate, the human will die…’

Bora, who had become so weak, would die from just a few drops of Evolution Fluid.

In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if she died right away.

‘I need to quickly call Blue Brother.’

The Golden Reaper clenched his teeth and took another step forward with his crumbling legs.

‘In that case, I need to kill the shark Foreign-Class quickly!’

As soon as the Golden Reaper made up his mind, the halo began to shine even brighter.

But the Golden Reaper couldn’t tap into all of the halo’s power.

Even the strongest Golden Reaper, the First Sword, couldn’t.

The Golden Reaper could not wield the Halo of Command like the Blue Idol Reaper.

The Golden Reaper could not use the Halo of Complete Evasion like the Orange Crown Reaper.

The Golden Reaper could not use the Halo of Fusion like the Hug Reaper.

But to protect the attachment human, the Golden Reaper needed the full power of the halo.

Because the ordinary Golden Reaper, with just slightly heightened senses, wouldn’t be able to protect the attachment human.

‘Just a little more…’

‘Just a little more!’

It felt like his bones were grinding and his flesh was being torn away, but the Golden Reaper didn’t stop.

No matter how much he focused, or how much firewood he burned, the halo’s power barely changed, but he couldn’t stop.

The Golden Reaper had to wake up every morning and comb the attachment human’s hair.

The Golden Reaper had to make the attachment human’s favorite food.

The Golden Reaper had to…

‘I will live forever with the attachment human!’

In that moment, the Golden Reaper felt something bloom within him.

But something was different.

It was simply an evolution that allowed him to handle the halo better.

The ability to separate his spiritual body and freely control the halo.

The path of the ‘purely strong Golden Reaper’, like the First Sword, was closed to him, but it was enough for the Golden Reaper.

At that moment, his physical form flew through the air.

And at the same time, the Golden Reaper could open his eyes in a new form.