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In the back alleys of the Free City Alliance.

Cheong stepped out of her hideout after receiving a call from Uncle PIG, walking through the dimly lit streets flickering with hazy neon lights.

In the fog so thick that she couldn’t see a hand in front of her.

The toxic substances floating like fog squirmed around, coiling around telephone poles before flowing down in unison.

It was a sight that was hardly ever seen anywhere, and still fascinating no matter how many times she saw it.

Curiosity got the better of her as Cheong reached out to touch a flowing Color Blob.

The yellow blob had a fluffy texture, gently wrapping around her fingers before sliding back away.

It felt as if she were swimming in the deep sea, polluted with vibrant colors.

In this street, feeling submerged in deep waters, only the neon signs shone lonely and flickered, while hardly any people were visible.

Unless it was something urgently pressing, even the residents with Object Waste would avoid going out on days like this.

Thus, Cheong traversed the street outfitted more heavily than usual.

With a hood, a mask, and even goggles.

She was equipped from head to toe without a single gap.

Underneath her hoodie and baggy pants, she wore a sealed suit like a diving suit.

Given her lack of Object skin, direct contact with pollutants was quite dangerous for her.

But she couldn’t just use the weather as an excuse not to go out.

She was looking forward to the items she had requested from Uncle PIG, and many tended to go make requests even in such weather, so she had no choice but to get used to it.

Moving her feet cautiously, Cheong cradled the Orange Reaper resting atop her head.

As she walked along the empty street, she began chatting with the Orange Reaper nestled in her arms.

“When you’re a mercenary, everyone insists on implanting Objects into your body.”

“From brokers bringing jobs to other mercenaries, they all say the same thing.”

“I absolutely don’t want that. I don’t want to cut off my perfectly good limbs and attach Objects.”

“But even wearing a mask, it feels like breathing is getting harder. How long can I keep going without an Object?”

She started talking about mercenary work and Object Bodies.

“They say the Free City Alliance is ruled by three major families, but mercenaries think a little differently.”

“Giant Deity.”

“Many mercenaries believe that man is the true ruler of the city.”

The tale of the most famous mercenary in the city.

“I need to make a lot of money.”

“There’s a relic of my mother in this city, and I’m here to buy it back by entering the ‘Free City Alliance.'”

“And my plan is to leave this city filled with death.”

“I just have to endure for three more years. Of course, surviving here won’t be easy.”

As she talked on, she delved into her dreams and future plans, which she considered important.

‘Why did I say all that?’

Cheong exhaled softly inside, thinking she had talked too much.

It’s generally accepted that Objects don’t properly understand human speech.

But strangely, she felt like she could communicate with the Orange Reaper, so she got a bit carried away.

The Orange Reaper with its small, plump face nodded and swayed as if it understood her feelings.

As she chatted with the Orange Reaper, she found herself drawing closer to Uncle PIG’s factory.

Passing through the alleys filled with neon signs, Uncle PIG’s factory was located in the most remote area of the city.

Cheong always felt that the area around the factory was dark and littered with trash, resembling a scene from a dystopia.

For some unknown reason, it felt like people strangely avoided this place.

Maybe it was because of the grim atmosphere suggesting a Scavenger might pop out?

‘Still, it feels too quiet?’

Cheong, feeling uncomfortable in the heavy silence, hugged the Orange Reaper tightly and began to walk slowly.

As she approached the factory, the sense of unease intensified.

It’s too quiet.

Even though polluted air thick like paint flowed through, there were simply too few people.

‘Wasn’t it like this even amidst pollution?’

As she pondered such questions, a sharp metallic flash flickered out of nowhere.

Instinctively, Cheong tried to dodge, but it was too quick for her to catch the blade that had appeared without warning.

‘!’

At the moment the cold blade was about to slice her neck, Cheong closed her eyes tight and clutched the Orange Reaper.

*

In the Mini Reaper Garden, right in the middle of the snowfield.

I was looking down at the ice palace splendidly made of ice, feeling a tad proud.

Wow, it’s finally over.

The restoration of the Golden Reaper’s Ice Palace, which seemed never-ending, was finally finished.

‘Completed!’

‘Complete!’

The Golden Reapers looked delighted at the completion of the Ice Palace meant for Mini Reapers.

Some were bouncing around the palace’s interior, while others hopped nearby cheering.

Some perched on my shoulder, looking down at the palace.

Though everyone was enjoying it in their own way, they all looked equally bright, like the sun on their faces.

Sitting nearby and watching the Golden Reapers, I slowly rose from my spot, letting out a sigh of determination.

‘It’s about time to head back.’

At that moment, all the Golden Reapers stopped what they were doing and turned their heads towards me simultaneously.

It felt just like a scene from a horror movie, making me instinctively take a step back.

As the Golden Reapers gazed at me, they suddenly started gathering around me, looking gloomy as if they had forgotten their joyful play.

‘Mama!’

Then they hid within my hair, clinging to it tightly.

One Golden Reaper that had latched onto an easier spot was desperately flailing its limbs, asking to be put back on again when I tried to pull it off.

‘No!’

It looked as desperate as a pet Tyrannosaurus that had just died.

Seeing it was flailing so violently, I put it back where it was, and it settled happily in my hair.

It felt like the moment I started restoring the Ice Palace, the Golden Reapers began to cling on too much.

Or were only the clingy ones put in charge of the palace restoration?

Since I couldn’t distinguish the looks and personalities of the Golden Reapers like I could with Yerin, it was hard to make a judgment.

I left the Golden Reapers in my hair and began to ponder.

There were lots to do, so I had to prioritize well.

Task number 1. Bake the Yummy Hungry Ghost.

Task number 2. Bake the Orange Reaper.

Task number 3. Go to the Free City Alliance.

Unfortunately, as the Ice Palace neared completion, the White Hungry Ghost and Orange Reaper had vanished.

Even when asked, the Golden Reapers shook their heads as if they knew nothing.

Though it didn’t help chase the fleeing ones, they were quick to respond when it came to the ‘Free City Alliance.’

‘No humans!’

‘Tons of harmful objects!’

‘Full of Objects!’

As I was thinking about where could be fun to go, a huge pile of metallic scrap began clattering towards me, pulled by the Black Reapers.

Beep—.

Beep—.

Issuing sounds like squeaky shoes of babies, the Black Reapers were warning others around them.

And when they spotted me, the Black Reapers dropped the scrap in front of me.

‘What’s this?’

I tilted my head and asked, prompting the Black Reapers to start answering.

‘James!’

‘Mecha Tyranno!’

One of the Black Reapers held out a thin sheet of paper towards me.

It looked like an instruction manual for assembling a toy, illustrated only with pictures.

‘!’

Upon inspecting, it was the assembly instructions for Mecha Tyranno.

‘Finally!’

After seeing the Alchemist and James join forces, I had directed the Golden Reapers to bring pictures of Mecha Tyranno to James once per hour.

It was the perfect scheme for my Mecha Tyranno.

And now my brilliant plan was finally coming to fruition.

But unfortunately, instead of a pure Mecha Tyranno, it turned out to be the suit worn by a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur.

I can’t exactly instigate a fight…

Still, my heart began thumping with excitement as if I had received a new toy.

Because the Mecha Tyranno was packed with exciting features!

Hehe.

As soon as it was completed, I had to fly to the Free City Alliance for a performance test with Mecha Tyranno.

*

Just as the blade was about to pierce her neck, the concrete floor supporting Cheong’s body crumbled away.

‘!’

Thanks to that, the sharp blade missed its target and skidded over her head.

Cheong quickly regained her senses and pulled out her pistol from her waist.

She shot towards the direction where the invisible enemy was.

Bang! Bang!

But only the gunfire echoed; she heard no sound or indication of a hit.

Trying to inform her comrades about the ambush, she quickly took her mobile phone out, but there was no response from it.

‘Signal interference? This is a serious ambush. What’s the purpose?’

The opponent was surely a professional killer.

Cheong had a gut feeling that survival like this would be impossible.

She could only hope her teammates, sensing something strange, would hurry to rescue her.

Remaining within the pit would only lead to death by grenades, so Cheong cautiously peeked outside the hole.

‘!’

However, the scene outside the pit was completely different from what she had expected.

There, standing on a small step of a streetlight, was the furry ball Orange Reaper, reaching towards the sky.

As it gestured, the heavens let loose a fierce roar.

‘Thunder!’

The Orange Reaper was slowly burning firewood, manipulating the probabilities around it.

Lightning surged down from the sky, and concrete debris fell from the buildings.

Colorful pollutants swirled and raced towards the enemies’ purification filters.

And the pollutants manipulated by the Orange Reaper simply passed through the purification filters.

Thus, the enemies fell from lightning strikes, pierced by fallen rebar, and inhaled toxic substances, leading to their demise.

Without realizing it, Cheong found herself speaking to the returning Orange Reaper.

“Is it all over already?”

The Orange Reaper nodded in agreement as if confirming that statement.

Cheong cautiously emerged from the hole, looking around.

The first thing she noticed was the bodies of the armed assailants in black clothing.

The equipment they used was state-of-the-art, hardly something Cheong had seen during her mercenary days.

Moreover, they had modified their bodies entirely into Objects, leaving almost no trace of flesh post-mortem.

Unfortunately, there were no identifiable marks left on the remains to determine the attackers’ identities.

‘Is Uncle PIG okay?’

Cheong gently stroked the Orange Reaper that had saved her, anxiously making her way towards the factory.

‘!’

Arriving at the factory, Cheong was met with an unexpected sight.

The factory’s interior was filled with faint bloodstains and bodies that looked just like Uncle PIG’s snail body.

Cheong was overwhelmed with shock and confusion, murmuring to herself.

“What on earth happened here?”

Cheong began walking along the faint trail of blood, forcing down the rising revulsion within her.

 

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