Oh my gosh, the Reaper was just absolutely adorable with that gigantic pudding!
I mean, I could hardly contain my squeals when I saw it—so cute, just munching away, like a little kid with a giant candy!
“Let me ask this again: Would you like to come to the United States of America with the Gray Reaper?”
When Sehee unnie mentioned ‘America,’ you could see the Reaper’s antennae perk up instantly. They started swinging around like they were at a party!
“…I see. Let us sit down and chat for a bit,” Sehee unnie said, leading us to the Reaper’s containment room.
Okay, so technically it was a containment room, but honestly, it was more like a cozy lounge with chairs and snacks galore…
I mean, could we really use the ‘containment room’ to have an important meeting?
I plopped Reaper on the bed (it wasn’t moving anytime soon with that pudding), and then I settled in next to it, hugging it because it was just so soft and warm.
Ah~ it’s so soft and warm~!
The rest of the crew, including James and the slightly useless interpreter, took their seats.
James’s bodyguards stood like statues outside, and the Golden Reapers started making themselves comfy.
The Golden Reapers who were resting on the bed looked happy as soon as they realized that the containment room was crowded.
They huddled together before jumping up to hunt a place on people’s shoulders.
Some managed to snuggle up on people’s shoulders, while others looked grumpy as they flopped down on the bed.
“May I know why you’re asking us to go there?”
James, looking all serious, started explaining.
“It’s about Relic No. 0.”
“So far, the Gray Reaper has reacted to two different Relic No. 0’s. Thus I wanted to see if the Reaper would also react to other Relic No. 0’s.”
Relic No. 0, hmm? I hadn’t heard of it in Korea, but I had seen one of them at the pudding factory!
“Ah! You mean that book-like Object?”
“Yes, that’s what we call Objects like that.”
Sehee unnie’s eyes lit up. “Why not just bring the Relic No. 0 here to test it? It seems like a lot easier than hauling the Gray Reaper across the globe.”
“First of all, there is no clear standard for ‘Relic Number 0,’ so there are quite a few Objects that were considered as Relic Number 0.”
James cleared his throat and lowered his voice as if he was about to say something important.
“Well, there’s no clear standard for Relic Number 0, and some Objects can’t be moved. We need to test the Gray Reaper’s reaction to the ‘Immutable Black Ball’. It’s the first Object ever defined.”
The ‘Immutable Black Ball’ was legendary—everyone knew about it. It was the first Object discovered, and no one could move it, like, ever.
It was the very first ever Object to be discovered. To be more precise, it was the first item that displayed supernatural phenomena and thus defined as an Object.
It was a gigantic sphere with unknown abilities that could neither be broken nor moved.
It was a time when Objects were still a government secret, so the sphere was disguised as a structure decorating the city.
“So, the Immutable Black Ball is also Relic Number 0?”
“We don’t really know.”
James shrugged, shaking his head helplessly.
“All Objects that existed before the ‘Immutable Black Ball’ are called ‘Relic Number 0’. But it appeared pretty early compared to other Objects.”
“To test our theories, the Gray Reaper has to go to America. Since the Immutable Black Ball can’t be moved, it’s the only way.”
Sehee unnie nodded after thinking it over for a while.
“Alright, we’ll need to consult with the Korean Object Association. Let’s figure out the cost and schedule.”
With that, Sehee unnie and James shook hands and headed out, probably to draft up some fancy contract or something.
Seoah unnie’s going to have a hard time again I see…
Meanwhile, the Reaper was still totally engrossed in its pudding. It seemed super chill about America but not so much about ‘Relic No. 0’.
I had never been abroad until now, so I was a little excited.
I had never been abroad, so I was kinda buzzing with excitement. Plus, getting to travel with Reaper? That’s gonna be epic!
Ah, I want to go there quickly!
But first, I need to find some fun spots to hang out with Reaper!
Yerin had dashed off in the name of some kind of important investigation, and by the time I polished off the last bit of that enormous pudding, it was already lunchtime.
So, what did I do? I just sprawled out in the sunny courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute, soaking up the lazy afternoon vibes.
The courtyard was this adorable mix of grassy lawn and garden brimming with cookies and sweets. The sunlight was all warm and cozy, making me feel like I could just drift off into a nap.
The sky was a perfect blue, dotted with puffy clouds drifting lazily.
I leaned back against the soft, sweet-smelling body of the Hungry Ghost, feeling a mix of earthy leaf scents and sugary goodness.
It was like the universe was giving me a big, warm hug.
But, of course, that peaceful scene didn’t last forever.
Junior Number 2 burst into the courtyard with a loud “WOAH!” that shattered the calm.
She was practically glowing with excitement, her eyes wide as she watched the Golden Reapers rolling around and playing.
Looks like James’s dull stories have attracted quite a bit of an audience today.
Junior Number 2 brought along the Golden Reaper with soft, new horns—probably hoping to cheer it up by introducing it to its fellow Golden Reapers.
As the Horned Golden Reaper trotted into the courtyard, all the other Golden Reapers flocked around it like bees to honey.
It was like a mini-reunion, and the horned Reaper quickly became the center of attention.
The other Golden Reapers were practically crawling all over each other, eager to touch its soft horns and give it envious glances.
It seemed like the horned Reaper was a bit puzzled by all the fuss. Maybe it didn’t quite get why it had horns in the first place?
I watched with a chuckle as a few of the Golden Reapers closed their eyes, their little fists clenched in concentration.
I could practically hear them saying something like ‘I want horns!’ in their mind.
And then, like magic, something started happening.
Even though none of them grew actual horns, a few strands of their hair began to twitch and curl up, mimicking the horned Reaper’s look.
They seemed to have gotten the same ability to move their antennae like mine! How adorable!
Ta-da! The Reapers who succeeded were absolutely thrilled, spreading their arms wide and showing off their makeshift horns.
It turned into a full-on Golden Reaper horn-wishing prayer room, with everyone closing their eyes and focusing hard.
Meanwhile, the Horned Reaper, now free from all the attention, made its way onto the Garden of the Mini Reaper.
It pranced around the marshmallow land with a big grin, its little steps turning into joyous leaps.
At that moment, Junior Number 2 snapped a picture with a misty-eyed expression, clearly moved by the Reaper’s playful antics.
In the midst of the Seoul Forest, nestled within the confines of a log cabin adorned with intricate tattoos, the woman’s younger sister was voicing her discontent.
“Unnie, can’t we just move to Seoul?”
The woman’s head tilted slightly as she pondered the question.
“Is it truly so uncomfortable here?”
When her sister, whose insistence on growing herbs in the forest had always seemed inflexible, responded with a surprising degree of affability, the little sister nodded her head furiously in response.
“If we get the chance, we can move…”
“Indeed. But given our limited funds, we may not find a particularly desirable place.”
“That’s alright! Anything’s better than this forest where we can’t even use electronic devices!”
Despite her earlier conviction about the necessity of the forest for her herbs, the woman had been swayed by the allure of the ‘Sehee Research Institute’ in Seoul, rumored to have an alchemist.
Her sister, who had been busy grinding herbs, looked noticeably brighter at the prospect of moving to Seoul.
“Oh, by the way, Unnie, in the place you used to live, didn’t they call Objects ‘Magic Books’? So, did someone create Objects?”
“I’m not acquainted with the origins of Objects. However, I do know the origin of the term ‘Magic Book’.”
“Did a book written by someone become an Object?”
“No. The first Object discovered in my world took the form of a book. The discovery of this ‘Magic Book’ was so remarkable that it retained the name, even though subsequent Magic Books discovered did not resemble books.”
Satisfied by this explanation, the younger sister’s curiosity waned, and she returned to chattering animatedly about their potential new life in Seoul.
I strolled around the Garden of the Mini Reaper, excitedly testing out my new ability.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to get any new powers this time, so finding out I had this quirky skill was a delightful surprise.
Turns out, I could send out text. Like, a glowing gray bead would appear in my hand with whatever I thought written on it.
It seemed like the lamp’s ability was to make people understand words even if it was in an unknown language.
When I thought ‘Hello’, a bead popped into my palm with < Hello > written inside it. It wasn’t written in Hangul or any other Earthly language, but it was perfectly legible.
Though it seemed pretty useless for someone like me, who couldn’t speak anyway, I had an idea.
A prank! A text prank!!
After crafting a long, elaborate message, I placed the bead in the arms of a sleeping Golden Reaper.
It was so cute, hugging the bead as if it were my finger, and smiling away in its dreams.
I settled down nearby, pretending to be asleep, and eagerly waited for the Golden Reaper to wake up.
This was going to be so much fun!
The Golden Reaper slowly awoke from its slumber, feeling something unfamiliar in its hand. It tilted its head in confusion, staring at the odd orb that had appeared.
The bead, slightly transparent, held a jumble of letters that piqued the Golden Reaper’s curiosity.
As it peered inside, its eyes widened in shock at the disturbing message it read:
< This is a cursed letter! >
< The beloved human of whichever Golden Reaper reads this… >
< THEY WILL DIE IN THREE DAYS. >
< If you want to prevent that, you must split this orb in two and give it to two other Golden Reapers. >
The Golden Reaper’s eyes grew round with fear. It quickly looked around, its tiny heart racing. Tears began to well up as it clutched the bead tightly, its worry palpable.
It hugged the orb close, its thoughts filled with apologies to its beloved human who would soon be dying.
Determined to protect its friend, the Golden Reaper set off towards the farthest corner of the Garden of the Mini Reaper, where no other Golden Reapers roamed.
It moved with a sense of urgency and sorrow, each step filled with sorrow.
Its destination was the depths of the Garden of the Mini Reaper where there were no Golden Reapers.
So, it hugged the marble tightly and threw itself into the deep ocean of hot chocolate.