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After dealing with the blue moon and stepping out of the cave, I found that the lake was just fine.

The lake remained calm, clean, and mysterious, just as it was.

In fact, I thought that since the lake itself was such an absurd phenomenon, it would naturally disappear if the blue moon was destroyed.

I figured it would either dry up for failing to maintain its water level or the submerged city would rust and decay, leading to a polluted clean lake.

I expected it to be one or the other, but it was neither.

The ownership had simply changed hands.

Yangcheon District Lake maintained its appearance and had become mine.

The mental pollution ability that favors the object and the lake was inherited as well.

It had deteriorated to the point that it wasn’t very noticeable, but still.

The blue reapers looked very happy that the lake had appeared.

The energetic blue reapers asked me to let them manage the lake, and when I agreed, their expressions were ecstatic.

The blue reapers were already gathering and dividing up the areas they would take charge of.

Why are they so happy about it?

Is it just that the lake is nice?

Ultimately, the abilities gained from dealing with the blue moon were twofold.

A bit of mental pollution ability and an additional area I could govern freely like a garden.

It seemed dawn was approaching, as the sky began to turn blue.

With the incident concluded, I brought the research institute staff who had been evacuated to the garden back onto the sightseeing boat on the lake.

There was a slight smell of hot chocolate, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

The blue light of dawn began to illuminate the sprawled-out research institute staff.

They seemed scattered and turned in various positions as if they had fallen asleep after having a fun party.

Now that I think about it, quite a bit of time had passed, so they must be really hungry.

But looking at everyone’s complexions, they seemed to be in decent shape.

Had the mini reapers been taking care of them?

The golden reaper might have fed them something like hot chocolate, or the blue reapers had done something magical.

As the sunlight grew stronger, casting a warm golden hue across the entire deck, the researchers began to wake up one by one.

Sehee, who had been lying in the center of the deck, stirred awake and mumbled.

“Ugh. Is it already morning? When on earth did I fall asleep?”

Stretching and shaking off her slumber, Sehee looked slightly flustered as she gazed at the brightly shining lake reflecting the morning sun.

Looking a bit drowsy, Sehee pulled out her phone from her pocket and upon checking it, she gasped in surprise and shouted.

“What happened? Why did so much time pass all of a sudden?”

Waking up and realizing so much time had passed seemed to leave Sehee quite flustered.

Sehee reported the incident due to the object and called Kim Jungrwi to ensure everyone’s safety first.

“There are no injuries or missing persons. Fortunately, it seems everyone was just asleep.”

“Ah, thank goodness. There’s nothing more troublesome than accidents happening while you’re on vacation.”

Perhaps due to the sudden realization of how much time had passed, the atmosphere on the deck became increasingly chaotic.

Still, no one seemed injured, so the mood wasn’t too bad.

“Reaper. I wanted to have a blast playing at the lake, but time flew by!”

Yerin looked a bit downcast, as if she were sad that her vacation had been ruined.

Even after the object incident, Yerin remained the same.

Since there was nothing to be done about the lost time, her conversation about making the most of their remaining time clashed with the urgency of returning to the institute due to the dangers here, and it seemed no conclusion was being reached.

But the outcome came from a totally different side.

“Is this the Sehee Research Institute? We’re from the Object Association. We need to investigate regarding the Yangcheon District Lake incident, so please cooperate with us.”

All the research institute staff, including Sehee, were dragged away by the investigators from the association.

I looked at Yerin, who looked particularly sad, from inside the makeshift isolation room and popped a pudding into my mouth.

It seemed everyone would take a while to return, so I should head back to Sehee Research Institute first.

Hehe.

*

[Over 780 confirmed dead at Yangcheon District Lake. Combining this with the uncounted missing persons, thousands of victims are expected.]

The TV in the Sehee Research Institute Security Room was blaring news coverage about the Yangcheon District Lake incident.

It was expected.

The entire nation of Korea was in a state that felt as if it had just awakened from a trance.

It was as if the whole of Korea had been dreaming.

Looking back, it seemed almost inconceivable to understand.

<Everyone living in Korea wanted to visit Yangcheon District Lake.>

<Anyone living in Korea liked Yangcheon District Lake.>

<It would be odd if anything related to the object didn’t cause some sort of incident.>

How terrifying it is that everyone shares the same thought.

[Currently, look here. There are countless empty boats left behind. The joyful traces of those within weigh heavily on the heart.]

The security staff watching the broadcast showing the traces of the party left behind in the empty cabins spoke up.

“To think people wanted to go to such a dangerous lake, maybe we should be glad they didn’t.”

“Indeed. I heard there were a lot of deaths this time, and while our institute was okay, it’s still horrific.”

While munching on potato chips while watching TV, one staff member threw out a question.

“Speaking of which, it felt strange. Don’t you think so, senior?”

“What do you mean?”

The security staff frowned at the thought of something truly terrifying occurring.

“What if you came back to your one-room apartment after showering, and found all your laundry neatly done? How would you feel? I’d probably scream, call the police, and sleep at a friend’s house.”

“Probably, I’d go through the room with a baseball bat in hand.”

“Right? It’s only normal to be incredibly scared.”

The security staff member rummaged through their phone and continued speaking.

“In that regard, it seems the ‘Yangcheon District Lake incident’ might have had its good points.”

“Good points?”

“Think about it. Now that we know it’s due to the blue reaper, it’s not scary; it’s just cute. But what if the ‘Yangcheon District Lake’ didn’t exist? I bet people would have freaked out and caused chaos!”

The man deep in thought nodded his head.

“Of course, that would be the case.”

“Then our gentle-hearted and kind blue reaper must have felt so distressed watching all that. So there are indeed some good points.”

“Ah… really?”

The man made a puzzled expression and half-heartedly agreed.

The senior staff felt that their junior was overly fond of the blue reaper and was starting to feel distant.

The junior was constantly wandering around in search of the blue reaper these days.

But it seemed difficult to find the blue reaper, who appeared and disappeared in thin air.

“Senpai, senpai! Look at this.”

“What is it now?”

Yum yum.

What the senior discovered as they drew closer was a blue reaper sitting gently on the junior’s palm, indulging in pudding.

Though the hat was being pulled down tightly, obscuring its face, it was undoubtedly a blue reaper.

“How did this happen?”

“It’s because we shared our feelings! The blue reaper understood my heart!”

The junior looked quite cocky.

“Did you know the blue reaper is a bit cold like water? Aww, how adorable.”

While petting the top of the blue reaper’s hat, the junior looked delighted.

The senior thought that perhaps they should grab themselves a pudding too after witnessing that.

*

TV was showing the battle scenes between the hydra and gray reaper.

The incident that occurred in Korea had even made its way to the United States, indicating that there was definitely something unusual about the event in Korea.

An object that could sway the whole nation?

It was more shocking to human society than an object that physically obliterated things.

Amidst this, the scene of the battle between the gray reaper and hydra captured great popularity.

The site of overwhelming destruction.

The gray reaper, appearing expressionless yet almost bored as it bounced around in a place where it seemed impossible for anyone to survive, shocked the viewers.

And it dominated the hydra with overwhelming force.

Objects that intentionally destroy or control other objects are rare, making the gray reaper’s uniqueness all the more pronounced.

Especially as multiple objects that appeared to have been handled by the gray reaper emerged.

Consequently, there were even talks in the United States about needing to bring the gray reaper over.

Of course, one shouldn’t just focus on the surface; there were still more cautious voices calling for a careful investigation.

Still, it was undeniable that thanks to its characteristic expressionless face and calmness, a certain fan base had begun to form for the gray reaper even in the U.S.

Thus, James, upon watching that video, contacted the Sehee Research Institute using the number Yerin had given him.

In the end, through negotiations with the institute’s deputy director, they managed to reach a favorable conclusion.

They decided to sign a contract to feature the ‘Gray Reaper’ as a promotional model for pudding.

<The pudding loved by the gray reaper!>

This catchphrase, along with a photo of the gray reaper eating pudding, was used for pudding packaging.

Given the reluctance of many due to the pudding being made from objects, sales growth had stagnated, prompting a decision for bold marketing.

Of course, this choice came with considerable risks.

Starting from critical public opinion regarding objects to potential government regulations and other issues that could arise, James resolved to take on the risks.

In James’s hand was a new pudding featuring a photo of the gray reaper holding and eating pudding.

Thus was born <Gray Reaper Pudding>!

James was planning to return to Korea soon, as he had business concerning the gray reaper.

He had something he definitely wanted to show the gray reaper.

James glanced at the bag containing another artifact number zero with a significant expression.

 

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