Chapter 529

James stood by the window in the top-floor office of the Tower, lost in deep thought.

In one hand, he held an old book with leather binding, and in the other, a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

The sweet scent of the hot cocoa tickled his nose.

The view outside the window was so changed that it could no longer be called Earth as it once was.

Endless stretches of green jungle filled his vision, and the leaves, shining in the morning sunlight, shimmered like emerald waves.

In the distance, a massive mountain range stood tall against the blue sky on the horizon.

It was a landscape that was hardly recognizable as Seoul or Songpa District.

At first, this scene had felt foreign, but now it had become a part of James’ daily life.

He took a sip of his hot chocolate, savoring it, and shifted his gaze toward the surroundings of the Tower.

Beneath the Tower, construction was underway to mark the birth of a new city.

Massive construction machinery moved busily, clearing the jungle and laying the foundations for a new shopping district.

James smiled lightly as he watched the scene.

It was, in fact, only natural.

Even though humanity had scattered due to the fusion with the black planet, there was no reason to continue living like that.

Especially when considering the employees commuting to work at James Tower, it was obvious that such a development was necessary.

Along with the completion of the shopping district, roads, sewage systems, electricity, and gas—everything that would become the lifeblood of the city—began to be put in place.

Although most of the area was still undeveloped, James wasn’t worried about it.

One day, all these spaces would be filled.

Just as Earth had once been, humanity would once again fill the planet.

Click—

A heavy metallic sound echoed through the quiet office.

James stood in front of the storage cabinet and looked at the book in his hand.

It was the prophecy book of the Blue Girl.

He gently ran his hand over the worn leather cover of the book before carefully placing it inside the cabinet.

He would no longer need to open this book.

All the secrets of alchemy contained in the prophecy had already been perfectly stored in the internal servers, and most importantly, the most crucial prophecies had already fulfilled their roles.

James stood in front of the cabinet, recalling the past.

When he had first obtained the book, the prophecies written inside had been as enigmatic as a riddle.

The words, written in a language with a completely different system from Earth’s, seemed to be a jumbled mess, as if someone had hurriedly scribbled them down.

There were ambiguous pictures and sentences whose meanings were hard to understand.

Even after being able to interpret the words, some prophecies could only be understood after the events had passed.

But now, every prophecy written in the book had been fulfilled.

This meant that the shadow of the apocalypse, which had once threatened humanity, had finally been lifted.

Times were changing.

The American Object Association had already begun massive restructuring and privatization.

Now, the era had shifted from preparing for the apocalypse to managing the Objects safely and beneficially.

In such an era, private companies that could create new demands and products would have the upper hand.

James Research Institute was also in the midst of this transformation.

Instead of reducing its research division, it was expanding its business scope.

The institute’s goal was clearly to model itself after ‘Sehee Research Institute.’

It was a research institute that had a higher business ratio than any other and had achieved business success.

As part of this, James Research Institute was strengthening its collaboration with Sehee Research Institute.

After closing the cabinet, James returned to his desk and sat down.

A newly written report was spread out on the desk.

The title, written in dark black ink, immediately caught his attention.

<Gray Reaper Investigation Report> <Confidentiality Level: Top Secret>

<Document Number: 2810451 – 1497367887>

He slowly began to turn the pages of the report.

Each page contained detailed records of the strange incidents that had occurred recently.

The event in which the existence of the ‘Mini Reapers’ and ‘Gray Reapers’ completely disappeared from people’s memories.

And the investigation records about the people who had gathered at Sehee Research Institute before and after those events.

What particularly caught his attention was the report on the changes in the Gray Reaper.

There were reports of the Gray Reaper becoming kinder toward the Mini Reapers, as well as observations of it frequently feeling sleepy and becoming reluctant to move.

The report recorded even the smallest changes, no matter how trivial they seemed.

As he flipped through the pages, he came across a photo of numerous Mini Reapers playing with the Gray Reaper.

James smiled lightly as he read through the report.

After finishing reading the report, James slowly closed it and reached into his pocket.

His fingers brushed against a small, warm being.

He pulled out a small Mini Reaper, glowing softly in golden light.

The Mini Reaper, James’ cherished companion, was peacefully sleeping, its faint blinking like it was breathing.

Looking at it, James felt uneasy.

If he had misjudged and thrown it away back then…

‘Thinking about it now, I break out in cold sweat…’

Of course, the good Mini Reaper would understand and smile at him, but James’ own heart would have been uncomfortable.

James must have blamed himself for quite a while, thinking, ‘Why couldn’t I make a smarter judgment?’

‘…’

James whispered softly as he gazed at the peacefully sleeping golden Mini Reaper in his palm.

“It’s time to wake up. James Research Institute’s Vice Director.”

At the sound of the word ‘Vice Director,’ the golden Mini Reaper twitched slightly, as though it had been soundly asleep forever.

It began to slowly wake up, rubbing its eyes with its tiny hands.

With sleepy, blurry eyes, the golden Mini Reaper looked up at James, a bright smile spreading on its face.

‘James, hello!’

Still half asleep, the golden Mini Reaper continued to rub its eyes and tried to fully wake up.

Its appearance was so childlike that James couldn’t help but smile warmly.

He gently placed the golden Mini Reaper on the desk.

“Now, it’s time to work.”

At James’ words, the golden Mini Reaper suddenly jumped up and picked up a pen that was much larger than its size.

It looked like a little knight wielding a gigantic sword, and James couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.

The golden Mini Reaper, moving the pen at an astonishing speed, soon came running back to James with a satisfied expression.

‘I’m done!’

James then picked up the golden Mini Reaper and walked toward the snack corner for Mini Reapers set up in his office.

On the desk, the Gray Reaper report lay untouched.

<Vice Director, Golden Mini Reaper.>

In the signature section of the report, in the unique round handwriting of the golden Mini Reaper, it was written: “Vice Director, Golden Mini Reaper.”

Looking at the innocent handwriting, James thought to himself.

There would no longer be any threat of an apocalypse.

It was just a feeling with no basis, but somehow, James couldn’t shake the thought.

The morning sunlight streaming through the window glistened off the small body of the golden Mini Reaper.

It was as bright and warm as the dawn of a new era.

In the afternoon, as the sunlight shimmered across the surface of the lake in Yangcheon District, it created a picturesque scene.

The dense jungle surrounding the lake made it look like a small paradise.

Where it once resembled an urban lake, it now had a distinctly exotic feel.

The water was so clear and blue that it added to the sense of foreignness.

Small and large cruise boats leisurely floated on the water, and the various facilities installed on the surface resembled a tiny village floating on the water.

On this day, the employees of Sehee Research Institute visited Yangcheon Lake for a long-awaited company event.

The faces of the staff were full of excitement as they escaped the daily routine of the institute and took a break in nature.

Of course, from my perspective, the daily life at the institute didn’t seem all that difficult.

“There’s a strangely refreshing scent in the air, isn’t there?”

A researcher wrinkled their nose slightly and said.

Another researcher nodded and added, “Yeah, it’s like… the scent of a Blue Reaper.”

I quietly applauded in my mind as I watched them. Just as the staff had said, this lake was indeed related to the Blue Reapers.

This lake was the birthplace of the Blue Reapers, so the little ones sometimes took care of it.

At that moment, a lively voice rang out on the deck.

“Alright, we will now begin the Sehee Research Institute membership training!”

Sehee shouted from atop a high railing.

Her eyes sparkled with mischievousness, something rare for her.

But at that moment, the probabilities seemed to twist slightly, and Sehee lost her balance.

“Ahhh!”

With a short scream, Sehee fell into the lake.

‘Well, since it’s Sehee with all those Mini Reapers clinging to her, I’m sure she’ll be fine.’

In the blink of an eye, the staff ran toward the scene with worried expressions, but I wasn’t too concerned.

‘Bad little sister!’

‘Sister!’

Meanwhile, the orange Reaper who had caused the twist in probability was being chased by the furious Golden Reapers.

Now, even probability manipulation was being detected…

Since the White and Black Reapers incident, the Golden Reapers’ growth had been nothing short of remarkable.

While this commotion was going on, Yerin quietly sat in a corner, diligently writing something.

Scratch, scratch.

Her figure, scribbling in a thick, luxurious-looking book, piqued my curiosity.

As I looked at her, my antennae curved into question marks in wonder, Yerin smiled slightly and closed the book.

She then hugged me and said, “Now, let’s go play too!”

And so, the Sehee Research Institute’s MT began.