Chapter 497
Tokyo, barely surviving the foreign crisis.
The girl stood by the window on the second floor, taking in the view beyond.
Perched on her shoulder was her small companion, who had been with her ever since the labyrinth.
The scene outside the window seemed as if two worlds were coexisting.
This side was a typical residential area of Tokyo.
The sounds of footsteps from people finishing work, the laughter of students still roaming the streets, the ringing of bicycle bells at the corner of an alley — everything was ordinary.
But just a few blocks away, it was different.
There was nothing there.
To be precise, everything had vanished.
No buildings, no roads, no trees.
Not even a single weed grew in the empty land that stretched all the way to the horizon.
It was as if a giant eraser had wiped the world away.
Even now, after quite some time had passed, the land remained empty.
Despite the waves of mourning that had swept across the country due to the foreign crisis, it was still like that.
Perhaps it was the object-related influence, but not even a weed had grown there. People felt a sense of unease about the area of the foreign crisis and avoided approaching it.
People called it the “Blank Zone,” and no one dared to come close.
In the face of this phenomenon, which even object specialists couldn’t explain, people instinctively felt a sense of foreboding.
The girl, staring at the endless “Blank Zone” stretching to the horizon, often found herself wondering.
“What would have happened if the foreign crisis zone had spread just a few more blocks?”
If that Blank Zone had expanded just a little more…
If it had spread just a few more blocks…
What would have happened to my house, my family, and me?
But strangely, the people around her didn’t seem to care much.
It was as if such a supernatural phenomenon had become a part of daily life.
Of course, it was much better than people panicking, but it was still a bizarre phenomenon.
Could this be due to the Golden Reaper’s mental contamination?
“Well, since it’s what the Mini Reapers are doing, it must be a good thing.”
The girl muttered as she pulled her gaze away from the scene outside the window.
The stairs leading down to the living room were unusually silent today.
Normally, the sounds of footsteps and lively conversations from her family would echo, but today, everyone had left for their own affairs, leaving the house eerily quiet.
In the empty living room, only the girl and her Attachment Reaper, the Black Reaper, remained.
She sat on the sofa, playfully poking the round cheek of the Black Reaper as she spoke.
“Today, it’s just us at home. Should we order something to eat?”
At her words, the Black Reaper’s small eyes sparkled.
As if it had been waiting for this moment, it raised its arms high into the air.
“Snack!”
And with a bright smile, it laughed happily.
The girl smiled softly at the sight and took out her phone to open the most popular delivery app of the moment, “Golden Reaper Delivery Service.”
As soon as she opened the app, a flashy interface caught her eye.
She added a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese for herself and chocolate biscuits for the Black Reaper to the cart.
Just as she was about to press the order button, a peculiar menu caught her attention.
<Golden Reaper Delivery> <Baby Golden Reaper Delivery>
Next to the “Baby Golden Reaper Delivery” option was a small flame-shaped icon and the “Popular” tag.
Curiosity piqued, she checked the detailed information, only to find some unexpected disclaimers.
<Precautions> – Baby Golden Reapers are likely to get lost. – Baby Golden Reapers are likely to steal food, so please be cautious. – Baby Golden Reapers are likely to want to eat with you, so please be cautious.
‘???’
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
Why was an option with only drawbacks so popular?
There was a risk of a delayed delivery, and the food might not come complete.
The delivery fee was even higher than the regular delivery.
Her finger hesitated for a moment.
Logically, she should have chosen the regular delivery.
But her curiosity had already grown too much to resist.
Unable to hold back, she selected <Baby Golden Reaper Delivery>.
As she pressed the order confirmation button, a small smile appeared at the corner of her mouth in anticipation.
After spending some time watching TV, the girl’s phone buzzed briefly.
Checking the screen, it was the long-awaited delivery completion notification.
“Finally here.”
She got up from her seat.
As she walked toward the door to collect the pizza, a small question crossed her mind.
‘Who sends the delivery completion text? It doesn’t seem like it’s the Mini Reapers…’
With curiosity in her heart, she opened the door, but, unlike usual, there was no one there.
Only a pizza box, wrapped in a black plastic bag, sat alone in front of the door.
The girl felt a slight disappointment.
Normally, Golden Reapers, who were fond of meeting people, often waited by the door until it opened.
“Could it be because it’s the Baby Golden Reaper Delivery…?”
With a faint sense of doubt, she glanced around, but there was no sign of the Golden Reaper anywhere.
Feeling a bit let down, she took the pizza and returned to the living room.
As she placed the box on the table and opened the lid, she froze.
“Uh…?”
To her surprise, a small guest had already settled there.
A Baby Golden Reaper, with its plump cheeks, was happily munching on a slice of pepperoni.
The unexpected sight caused the girl to freeze for a moment, but she quickly pulled out her phone to capture the moment.
Looking at the photo, the girl felt proud of her agility.
If she hadn’t had the experience in the labyrinth, she wouldn’t have been this quick!
“Ah!”
As the Baby Golden Reaper eagerly chewed on the pepperoni, it suddenly realized it had been caught and quickly hid the slice behind its back, then giggled.
The innocent laughter made the girl smile as well.
“Ah, so that’s why Baby Golden Reaper Delivery is popular.”
The regular Golden Reapers, whom she normally met, were always elite and handled their tasks quickly and precisely, but this Baby Golden Reaper was different.
It got lost, snuck bites of food, and even had a more expensive delivery fee…
But this pure, innocent behavior made up for any inconvenience.
Naturally, the girl reached out and gently petted the Baby Golden Reaper’s round head.
At this, the Baby Golden Reaper smiled even more happily and leaned into the girl’s touch.
“Let’s eat together.”
At the girl’s words, the Black Reaper, sitting on the sofa, also moved toward the table.
Thus, the girl spent a joyful evening, sharing a warm pizza with two Mini Reapers.
The courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute, blanketed with white snow, created a serene winter scene as night fell.
The sledding hill, which had been lively during the day, was now wrapped in silence, and there, only I lay on the ground.
Moonlight faintly illuminated the massive sled slope I had built.
Yerin had, as usual, tried to stay with me until the end, but I had sent her home, insisting it was better that way.
It was obvious that something would go wrong if an ordinary human tried to keep my lifestyle.
An object could sleep for a month or stay awake for a month, so it didn’t matter.
Instead, the Golden Reapers, who had been playing on the sled, one by one, attached themselves to my body and fell asleep.
The children’s firewood flickered slowly, like quiet breaths, repeating their dimming.
Before me, the familiar night sky stretched out.
A white, glowing halo adorned the night sky like a crown, and seven moons rose, shining in different colors.
A red moon, a blue moon, a yellow moon…
The seven-colored moons blended like a rainbow in the sky, creating a mysterious spectacle.
Though I had seen it countless times before, it still felt magical and far from ordinary.
I looked up at the night sky, lost in thought.
“Have all the foreign agencies interested in Earth been dealt with?”
That was the sudden question that crossed my mind.
Beyond this peaceful black sky, the dreadful, multicolored universe I had seen in my dream still existed.
If I enhanced my vision by burning some firewood, I’d probably see that endless colored universe beyond this calm night sky.
The endless universe with infinite foreign entities flying about.
But I didn’t really want to see that.
If I observed them, they would be able to observe me as well.
Of course, most of that vast, colorful universe would be filled with ordinary foreign entities, far from the Red Foreign Entity.
But if I tried to confront them, I had no idea how long it would take.
It was annoying…
I sighed silently, a habit from my human days.
I just wanted to eat delicious food and spend time with Yerin, watching TV.
But strangely, or rather ominously…
I felt like I was going to have to dive into that sea of foreign entities.
Once, the snow-covered moon had lingered over the snowy plain.
Now, on the much-expanded land, the Golden Reapers had gathered.
No other Mini Reapers were present, just the Golden Reapers.
Other Mini Reapers, lacking an Attachment Human, were too few to cover the expanded Earth, and the Black Reapers rarely wandered aimlessly, unlike the Golden Reapers.
“It’s an amusement park!”
“An incredibly large amusement park!”
A continent-sized theme park had appeared in this remote place.
It was clearly an object-created structure, but the Golden Reapers were in a dilemma.
Should they tell their mother or not?
Bumping their soft heads together, they shared their opinions.
“We should call Mom.”
“Mom said not to call her about any new amusement parks.”
“Even if there are objects?”
“Even if there are objects, she said not to call.”
“Hmph.”
After a brief Golden Reaper conference, they made a decision.
“Let’s explore!”
“Adventure!”
They decided to explore the amusement park together.
With excitement, they dashed towards the entrance of the park, their small, round bodies filled with joy and curiosity. Despite the chaos and the uncertainty of their world, the amusement park stood as an odd symbol of fun and wonder amidst the eerie emptiness.
The Golden Reapers, typically so serious in their duties, found themselves acting like children in a playground. They ran through the gates, their laughter echoing through the deserted area as they climbed on giant rides and explored the various attractions. The park, made by the objects, was more than just an ordinary place—it was a world created from their whims and curiosity.
One of them tried to ride a giant spinning teacup, only to lose balance and tumble out, but they got up quickly, laughing at their own clumsiness. Another Golden Reaper attempted to take a ride on a roller coaster designed for much larger beings. The thrill of the ride sent him spiraling out of control, but again, there was no fear—only more laughter.
As they continued their exploration, the park seemed endless. The vibrant lights of the rides were a stark contrast to the empty land outside, where not even the weeds dared to grow. The Golden Reapers, however, had no care for the outside world; they were too caught up in their own mischief and the strange, joyful reality that had unfolded before them.
But despite their joy, something still felt off in the air. The strange phenomenon of the “Blank Zone” was never far from the girl’s mind. It was as though, for all the fun and innocence of the Golden Reapers’ antics, the world around them was still shrouded in mystery. And, as the girl watched the Golden Reapers playing, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this peaceful moment might be fleeting—soon, something else would emerge from the shadows, and their strange, whimsical world would face new challenges.
But for now, all she could do was smile as she watched the tiny creatures play and explore, their joy untainted by the mysteries that lay beyond the amusement park gates.
