Chapter 486

A massive cloud whale slowly descended through the sky, preparing to land.

Its fluffy body, resembling an island drifting in the sky, drew closer to the ground. As it neared, passengers who had been waiting on it began to disembark one by one.

Where they stepped down was a small airstrip amidst the jungle, where the trees had been neatly cleared away, forming a clean open space.

Golden Reapers, their uniforms gleaming with the Sehee Research Institute logo, were there to greet the passengers.

The Golden Reapers wore neat, professional stewardess uniforms, reminiscent of an old airline’s flight attendants. Yet, their faces still carried that innocent, childlike smile typical of Golden Reapers.

“Human, hello!”

“See you again next time!”

The cheerful spirits of the Golden Reapers echoed in the air, their small hands waving toward the passengers as the Sehee Research Institute logo sparkled in the sunlight with each wave.

The researchers from James Research Institute, dressed in neat uniforms, began to step down.

Their faces bore the exhaustion of a long journey, but also the tense energy of people preparing for something important.

Finally, the tattooed Alchemist and Master Reaper appeared.

The Alchemist, holding a large bag, whispered as she set foot on the ground.

“James couldn’t come himself, but… it’s fortunate that he’s supported us so fully without any doubt.”

Her small voice carried a sense of relief.

“Kkyu.”

[Hmm.]

The Master Reaper nodded briefly, acknowledging her words.

The Alchemist paused for a moment in thought.

She had expected that James would reject their urgent request.

The danger regarding the Dome in Japan was merely a hunch, an instinct, after all.

It was just a vague suspicion without proper evidence, a thought that could easily be dismissed as delusional.

But James had accepted their request willingly and provided the necessary personnel.

As the cloud whale vanished into the sky, another group emerged in the distance.

At the front of the group was none other than the Golden Reaper.

Dressed in a neat white coat, the Golden Reaper was the head of Japan’s largest research institute.

A Golden Reaper as the director?

To an outsider, this scene might appear somewhat strange.

But in Japan, it was already a familiar sight.

The culture of having a Golden Reaper as the head of the institute started here and gradually spread throughout Japan. Their success had proven that this unusual tradition was not wrong.

“Hello!”

The Golden Reaper Director, with a will that humans could not hear, waved its small hand toward the James Research Institute staff.

Starting with the Golden Reaper’s greeting, the staff from both the James and Golden Reaper Institutes bowed politely to one another.

“Well, let’s get going.”

At someone’s suggestion, everyone nodded in agreement.

They quickly made their way forward.

Their destination was the institute that had proposed the dangerous idea of maintaining the Dome and utilizing its energy.

“Actually…”

One of the Japanese researchers spoke up.

He glanced up at the ornate palanquin carrying the Golden Reaper Director, continuing.

“After receiving the warning from James Research Institute, we wanted to check it ourselves, but it was impossible. The director strongly opposed it.”

It seemed likely that this was due to the Golden Reaper Institute’s peculiar internal rules.

<Any research or activities that the Golden Reaper Director opposes are absolutely forbidden.>

At first glance, this rule seemed incredibly unreasonable.

After all, how could a Golden Reaper judge anything?

But, as if to mock everyone’s predictions, the Golden Reaper Director’s choices had always been right.

At least, they had never been harmful to humans.

The Japanese researcher chuckled and jokingly said that the biggest problem was that they could only have one cup of coffee a day, then laughed softly.

As they walked down the temporary path cut through the jungle, they arrived at a relatively small research institute.

“The first to propose the idea was that research institute. There are a few others that proposed similar ideas, but unfortunately, due to the fusion crisis, their locations have not been determined yet.”

The Master Reaper carefully observed the small institute as it spoke.

There was no sign of life in the tiny building.

“Kkyuu…”

[This is ominous.]

The building glowed eerily under the red-tinted sunset.

Deep in the Mini Reaper Garden, the path leading to the area where the Immutable Orb floated was as quiet as always.

Only the occasional hot chocolate breeze from the sea broke the silence.

I was quietly following the lead-colored doll Reaper, now tinged with blue.

‘Is it going to eat the Immutable Orb again?’

With each step, my chest filled with a sense of excitement.

The lead-colored doll Reaper skipped ahead with lively, light steps.

It seemed to be enjoying itself, and that made me even more curious.

‘I wish the Hug Reaper had come along. It would’ve been fun…’

But the Hug Reaper, sensing that the lead-colored doll Reaper was truly uncomfortable, had refused to follow it and disappeared somewhere else.

On this path, there were no white Reapers, who would usually affectionately pat the Mini Reapers, nor any of the playful Mini Reapers rolling around.

Only the Immutable Orb, far in the distance, floated alone in solitude.

Suddenly, the previous event came to mind.

At that time, I had only seen the lead-colored doll Reaper after it had eaten the Immutable Orb and transformed into a transcendent being, but I had never witnessed the moment when it consumed the Orb itself.

Could it be?

Perhaps that was why I was now so intensely curious to witness the moment firsthand.

[….]

When we finally reached the Immutable Orb, the lead-colored doll Reaper stopped and slowly lifted its head.

It then stared intently at the blurry purple Immutable Orb as if it were a mirage.

Even humans and most Mini Reapers couldn’t fully see it, but the lead-colored doll’s eyes captured it clearly.

For a long while, the lead-colored doll did not move, continuing to gaze fixedly at the Orb.

As the moment grew increasingly tedious, suddenly the lead-colored doll began to move.

As though it had been waiting for this moment for a long time, it slowly raised both arms toward the sky.

It looked as if it was about to embrace the purple Immutable Orb.

At that moment, something incredible began to happen.

The color of the purple Immutable Orb in the sky gradually became clearer.

It was as if the ghostly image was fading.

And as the color deepened, the size of the Immutable Orb started to shrink.

It was as if ink spreading through water was converging into one spot; the Orb, following the lead-colored doll’s gesture, seemed to coil up like a thread, gradually condensing.

The blurry Immutable Orb was being gathered together as if it were forming into a single mass.

How much time passed?

Finally, the Immutable Orb had shrunk to about the size of the lead-colored doll’s fist.

And now, it had fully materialized into a solid purple orb, gently settling into the lead-colored doll’s palm.

With a small ‘thunk’ sound.

The lead-colored doll looked down at the Orb and licked its lips as if savoring it.

In that moment, there was a hint of greed in its expression, something reminiscent of a Golden Reaper’s hunger.

But just as it opened its mouth to consume the Orb, something unexpected happened.

From the Orb, limbs suddenly sprouted, and it began to flee at high speed.

[No….]

The lead-colored doll’s desperate call echoed through the air.

Its hand reached out, but the Orb’s movements were too quick to catch.

Stumbling, but never falling, the Immutable Orb darted around the garden at incredible speed.

Whenever it seemed like it was about to be caught, it would bounce like a rubber ball.

The lead-colored doll, desperate, ran after it, but just before it could catch it, the Orb leapt into my arms.

Caught off guard, I was momentarily stunned, but then I began to examine the unusual creature with curiosity.

As I slowly observed the Orb in my arms, the lead-colored doll approached and stared at me intently.

It was like a Golden Reaper wanting to eat pudding.

“Wait.”

Wanting to inspect this creature further, I gently pushed the lead-colored doll’s face away, but it made a sad, forlorn expression, as if it had lost something precious.

After brushing off the lead-colored doll, I finally had time to study the Immutable Orb.

Upon closer inspection, it strangely seemed like a Mini Reaper.

‘Should I call this a Mini Reaper?’

It carried firewood, was small in size, and even had antennae… it almost seemed fitting.

This strange, round, and somewhat disgusting creature reminded me of the Orange Reaper when it ran along the ground without flying.

Under the ominous red sunset, the Master Reaper and Alchemist slowly began to enter the research institute building.

“Don’t go in!”

“It’s dangerous!”

The staff at James Research Institute couldn’t enter because of the anxious, almost tearful expressions on the Attachment Reapers.

Reluctantly, only the Master Reaper and the Alchemist entered.

Golden Reapers, clinging to the Alchemist’s shoulders, followed with worried expressions, their will clearly visible.

“It’s not safe here!”

“There’s nothing here!”

“It’s just dangerous!”

The Alchemist, hearing their anxious concerns, slowly opened the institute’s front door.

“?!”

When the door opened, a long, dark corridor stretched out before them.

The end of the corridor was so enveloped in darkness that it seemed endless.

Step by step.

The Alchemist began to walk slowly and cautiously.

One of the walls of the corridor had a window, but strangely, the view outside seemed filled with a reddish mist.

“It seems like mental contamination. What do you think?”

The Alchemist asked, glancing at the window, but no response came.

A deep sense of discomfort began to settle in.

‘I was sure I came in alone. Why do I feel like there’s someone else here?’

The Alchemist tried to dismiss the feeling, thinking, ‘This must be the effect of mental contamination.’