Chapter 469
Sehee Research Institute, a remote area, unused isolation room.
This space, once used as an isolation room for Yerim, was now completely occupied.
Inside the isolation room, I was surrounded by Golden Reapers, cocooned tightly.
But this cocoon was nothing like the usual soft and warm ones.
The difference was that it wasn’t a loving cocoon that gently rubbed my cheek, but an angry one, filled with fury, gnawing away with its soft, malleable teeth.
The Golden Reapers’ teeth were dull and soft, but their anger was unmistakably conveyed.
Kyu-hing-hing.
For reasons I didn’t understand, one White Reaper was burning fiercely in the corner of the isolation room.
The fact that the Golden Reapers had specifically brought it with them suggested it was related to one of my pranks, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out the cause.
Well, if it’s a Reaper, they often ignite without any special reason, so there probably wasn’t any particular meaning behind it.
‘They woke up much faster than I expected…’
I sighed inwardly.
My original plan was to wait until some time passed, then go watch the Golden Reapers, knocked unconscious, piled up like mountains.
But when I went to check on them with some popcorn, they were already all awake.
It was a complete failure of a prank.
The large open space at the end of the maze had been specially prepared for the Golden Reapers to pile up like a mountain, but now it wasn’t even half full, and they’d all woken up.
Sadly, I had only just realized that even if I concentrated espresso a hundredfold, it wouldn’t keep them unconscious for a hundred times as long.
When I doubled the concentration, the unconsciousness duration seemed to increase proportionally, but…
I guess the Golden Reaper abduction experiment wasn’t quite enough.
Hmph.
Turning my gaze from inside the cocoon, the scene in the center of the isolation room came into view.
Yerim and the Saint Doll were sitting side by side, focused on some task.
Same face, same clothes, same desk.
Under the fluorescent lights, their figures oddly resembled mirrors.
Yerim’s face was full of exhaustion.
Of course, it made sense. She had been living the peaceful life of a carefree, unemployed person and was suddenly dragged to the research institute this morning.
The existence of the Saint Doll had been discovered.
Seora’s lecture was long and drawn-out.
Starting from her failure to report a dangerous object that mimicked humans, to unauthorized concealment and illegal use.
The most emphasized part was that while the situation might be laughed off within the research institute, if it spread to the outside world, it could become a major problem.
And then, the lead doll incident that had occurred recently was brought up, followed by a sigh-filled reprimand.
Throughout the entire time, Yerim had simply bowed her head and listened silently.
Well, legally, it would certainly be problematic, but could humans really accuse my Yerim of anything?
Hehe.
“Hmph…”
Yerim, looking exhausted from her work, slumped forward onto the desk, letting out a sigh.
Her voice was filled with disappointment.
“Ah… it was perfect, why did it get discovered?”
That wasn’t wrong.
The Saint Doll had almost perfectly mimicked Yerim.
It wasn’t just her appearance that was identical.
Her mannerisms, gestures, even the relationships she had with others were faithfully replicated.
But now, the Saint Doll no longer needed to mimic Yerim.
It radiated a calm, warm aura typical of the Saint Doll.
A quiet and warm atmosphere, like the real Saint herself.
It was completely different from Yerim’s cheerfulness, but it was still an attractive vibe in its own right.
[“There’s always an end to shortcuts.”]
The Saint Doll spoke with a soft smile.
[“I know, because I’ve been there too.”]
Her tone was almost like that of an older sister comforting a younger sibling, who was pouting.
When they first met, the Saint Doll had seemed somewhat intimidated by Yerim, but now they seemed to have developed a more comfortable and friendly relationship.
Over time, a unique atmosphere had naturally settled between them.
Turning my gaze to the side, another special sight unfolded in the isolation room.
The lead doll, emitting a soft blue light, was gently petting the White Reaper and the Mini Reapers one by one.
It looked like a zookeeper at a small zoo.
What was unusual was that a few blue Reapers, who hardly ever appeared in places like this, were looking up at the lead doll with curious expressions.
Those guys seem to love the same color as their size.
Maybe later, I should give them an exciting LED gaming Gray Reaper?
As I looked around the isolation room, the whole scene felt strangely fascinating.
Yerim and me.
Fake Yerim and fake me.
Inside the isolation room, there was Yerim and the Saint Doll who perfectly replicated her, and there was also a lead doll who mirrored my own form.
It felt like looking into a mirror, yet with the reflection slightly twisted.
‘Definitely feels strange.’
Is this the feeling one gets when they meet their doppelgänger?
[?]
At that moment, the lead doll seemed to catch my gaze, suddenly turning its head toward me, sending an inquisitive wave.
‘How did it know?’
I was amazed.
I hadn’t even moved my head, nor my eyes.
I had merely peeked through the small gap in the cocoon at my side, so how did it figure it out?
The lead doll tilted its head, as if asking why I was even questioning the obvious, then slowly raised a finger and pointed at my head.
[Hair.]
‘Could it be…’
At that one word, I lifted my gaze, and the shocking scene entered my view.
My antennae were moving like radars, following my gaze.
It felt as though I had discovered a hidden secret, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
‘So this is what it was!’
Only then did everything become clear.
Why Yerim had been unusually sensitive to my gaze, and how some people could immediately tell when I was watching them.
The small truth I had never noticed until now was finally revealed.
Songpa District outskirts, an empty large open space.
In that place, the Purple Girl, Master Reaper, and the Pink Girl with her master, the Alchemist Doll, were gathered.
Contrary to the Gray Reaper’s expectations, the Purple Girl reached James through a completely different method, not with the help of Cheong.
The Purple Girl met the Pink Girl, who was the attachment human of the Blue Idol Reaper, and that meeting led to the Pink Girl’s master, the Alchemist.
Through the Alchemist, who continued to interact with James’ research institute, James himself got involved.
James, as expected by the Gray Reaper, arranged suitable housing and a respectable status for the Purple Girl.
But getting a house proved more difficult than expected because of the massive amount of stone Reapers the Purple Girl was bringing along.
Unless it was a mansion of considerable size, they couldn’t house the numerous stone Reapers.
Without intending to store them in a warehouse, they needed a noble-sized mansion.
However, it takes time to build such a house, and the stone Reapers almost ended up in James’ research institute’s warehouse.
But Master Reaper assured that if they had land, building the house would be easy.
And so, Master Reaper’s group arrived at the plot of land provided by James’ research institute.
“Is this really possible?”
The Pink Girl asked her master with a slightly hopeful expression.
“I’ve never heard of a Guardian being able to use alchemy. Plus, if alchemy on this scale is possible, it would mean you’re at the level of legendary alchemists…”
The tattooed Alchemist Master had a slightly negative expression.
Before long, Master Reaper, now dressed elegantly in earth-made clothes, scattered several samples into the air and began chanting.
Yellow petals collected from Seoul Forest fluttered in the air, and water droplets, created by the Blue Reapers, sparkled above.
At the same time, the Halo of the Commanding Eye shone brightly above Master Reaper’s head.
[Dreaming yellow flowers, water droplets of the blue moon, the eyes of the commanding god.]
Then Master Reaper struck his staff into the ground, completing the alchemy.
Kyu!
[Construction of Dreams!]
Suddenly, the mansion from the Purple Girl’s dreams rose abruptly on Earth.
The large mansion where she spent her childhood.
From the flowerbed she loved to the garden where she enjoyed her tea.
It was all exactly the same.
Had James seen this, he would have been extremely intrigued by the otherworldly plants, but sadly, James was too busy.
While the Purple Girl laughed happily without a care, the tattooed Alchemist stared wide-eyed in shock.
“Wh… how? In a world centuries ahead, even the Guardians can use this kind of alchemy?”
For the tattooed Alchemist, it was truly divine-level alchemy.
In this way, Master Reaper took two more alchemy apprentices besides the Purple Girl.
“If I could learn, I would have learned from the Guardian, but I never expected it to actually happen…”
The tattooed Alchemist murmured.
At that moment, Master Reaper turned to face the tattooed Alchemist with a serious expression.
The tattooed Alchemist, thinking Master Reaper was glaring at him, jumped back in surprise, but Master Reaper was looking at something else entirely.
What he was looking at was the giant planet filling the sky.
It was the Black Planet, now tinged with blue, but still called the Black Planet.
As everyone followed Master Reaper’s gaze, the Black Planet began to grow larger in the sky.
No, it was getting closer.
As if surpassing some critical point, it was approaching faster and faster.
And as the Black Planet touched Earth, the world was enveloped in white light.
