“Master, I’ve brought it!”
As morning arrived and the sunlight shone, the black smoke disappeared. Unable to sleep a wink all night, I summoned the Girlie as soon as the morning bell rang. Girlie, without any hesitation, provided the ingredients I requested.
“Well done.”
I placed the pig’s head, deer blood, and brass bell that the Girlie had prepared on the table.
In my past life, when I occasionally heard ghosts, those who practiced the ‘Shamanism’ profession often helped me. Every time, the ghost would vanish like a lie, but I knew roughly how to handle it.
Still, I wasn’t sure if my methods would be effective. No pain, no gain—I began to recall memories and started to perform the ritual.
“Wait outside, Girlie.”
First, I sent the Girlie away.
Placing the pig’s head in the center of the table, I sprinkled deer blood.
Ancestral rituals varied, but cleansing impurities with deer blood was a potent method.
Magic existed, demons existed, and so did ghosts.
How could one be certain whether these mysterious actions were effective without trying?
Actually, I knew.
A rat’s horn wouldn’t be effective either.
My judgment was clouded by a lack of sleep.
Ching! Ching! Ching!
I rang the brass bell, comforting the ghost.
Since I’ve prepared this much, I might as well give it a try.
Imitating the shaman’s dance, I jingled the brass bell rhythmically.
Kaaaah!
Was it effective? I was startled by a scream but soon realized.
“Master, something’s strange!”
Thinking she was being called by the bell, Girlie rushed in, surprised and falling.
With wide-open eyes and a gaping mouth, Girlie trembled sweetly.
“Hik! Devil worship!”
“No, Girlie.”
I put down the brass bell and spoke to Girlie.
“I was practicing a dance. My birthday is coming up, right? I was practicing a dance to show at the party.”
“Oh, is that what it was? But why a pig’s head?”
“If I get hungry while dancing, I can eat it.”
“Oh my, you shouldn’t eat it raw. Should I cook it for you?”
I suddenly felt that the Girlie was too naive.
* * *
That night.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, I witnessed the slow emergence of black smoke.
I stood still, watching it intently.
Despite swirling around me, there was no discernible intent to harm.
Ghosts aren’t commonplace, as the rumors suggest.
They linger in this world due to deep and potent grudges.
At least, that’s how the ghosts I’ve encountered were.
Spirits would appear, one or two, in war-torn fields or desolate cities, and often they would fade away with time.
It was rare for a ghost to attach itself to a living person. Except, perhaps, for me.
“What troubles you?”
In times like these, genuine conversation is essential.
I encountered a spirit in the depths of the Abyss. The moment it saw me, it lunged at me and vanished through my throat. It started appearing to me after devouring the spirit.
Was it the ghost of the priests from Azhibita Church who died at the hands of demons in the Abyss?
Wait, doesn’t that mean I inadvertently offended the devout Azhibita Church by bringing a good soul into this otherworldly struggle?
“…You don’t want to kill me, do you?”
The black ghost silently floated around me.
I continued to speak, but there was no response.
“What do you want?”
The spirit wandered around me before stopping abruptly.
As long as I stared at it, it maintained a certain distance and didn’t approach.
But if I closed my eyes or used a blindfold, it would sneak up and tickle my eyes subtly.
The sensation of hair brushing against me sent shivers down my spine.
“For crying out loud!”
In the end, I kicked, but the black smoke effortlessly evaded my attack.
I observed for a few days. He doesn’t cause me any harm.
But just because there’s a ghost attached, life has been twisted.
Damn, even though it wasn’t the first time, it was the first time I’d been tormented by a spirit for so long. It was terrifying.
To spend a lifetime with that guy?
Spirits are wicked.
So there’s this thing called ’emotion.’
To resolve resentment, one doesn’t think about the life of the mountain person.
But this guy was different.
When the black smoke slowly emerged as dusk fell, he grabbed my right arm and shouted that there was a black dragon in my hand.
I wanted to do something crazy to see the spirit’s reaction.
But he had no reaction.
Gradually, it began to be unclear whether he was a spirit or not.
Even my well-trained mind was reaching its limit.
In the end, I decided to use the last resort.
If I can’t resolve the resentment, disappear, you damn ghost.
***
Just as Wooshas returned, I happened to find myself going to her room.
Normally, I would never involve myself, but this time, I went to my third sister’s room on my own accord.
As night fell, black smoke slowly rose, and that’s when I encountered Wooshas.
However, as soon as I opened the door to her room, the black smoke vanished in an instant.
“Cantavia?”
The black smoke that had been tormenting me disappeared in an instant.
I looked at Wooshas’s pale face and glanced around.
The evil spirit wasn’t in sight.
“This rascal, so you are not afraid of me, but you are afraid of Wooshas?”
Even though I taunted, nothing appeared.
Wooshas furrowed her brow.
Yes, I get it. She’s scarier than any evil spirit.
Wooshas stuck out her tongue at me.
“Cantavia, I’m not a doctor. Go to the medical ward for counseling.”
Suppressing my fear, I spoke to Wooshas.
“Wooshas, there is a ghost.”
“A ghost?”
Wooshas’ eyes seemed to flash for a moment.
“A very strong ghost. How can we get rid of it?”
Wooshas suggested an incredible solution.
“To eliminate a spiritual being, it’s not a bad idea to become a spiritual being yourself. Cantavia, will you trust me and play dead for a while?”
I replied with a laugh and gently closed the door.
***
On the way back to my room, once again, the ghost revealed itself.
However, by coincidence, I crossed paths with Ranista, the guy who had just come back training with the Blue Wolf Knights.
True to form, the ghost immediately showed its true colors.
“Ik!”
This ghost had no sense of boundaries. He was a ghost playing favorites with people—can you believe it?
It clung to me like a stubborn mutt.
***
Tonight, once again, I found myself in a supernatural skirmish.
“Hey.”
Melissa, my sister who had been out of touch with me since the incident in the Abyss, came to my room.
The ghost vanished instantly, but my mood wasn’t great.
In retrospect, it was all because of the twins that the spirit was invoked.
If Melissa hadn’t kicked me, I wouldn’t have ended up stuck in the Abyss.
I usually make an effort to appear friendly when dealing with my siblings, but this time, I wished she could understand my wounded feelings even a little.
Without a word, Melissa sat down beside me with a solemn expression.
“You’ve changed.”
“What?”
“Why did you hide it? There’s something inside you.”
Maybe she thought something change in me.
“That day in the Abyss, I ate something wrong. It was some kind of ghost or whatever; it’s fine. As long as I’m alive.”
“Oh.”
Melissa sighed inexplicably and then pulled something out of her pocket, thrusting it towards me. It was a blood-red gem.
Slightly larger than a coin, it was evident at first glance that it wasn’t an ordinary gem.
It shimmered with brilliance, but this gem was different. In my eyes, it seemed to… absorb light.
Showing me the gem, Melissa said, “It’s a treasure we found in the Abyss.”
That day, when they abandoned me and hastily went their separate ways.
The reason they left me alone for an hour.
“It was just this one thing, a red gem. I had high hopes because of its peculiar structure, but it turned out to be useless.”
“So you ignored me because of this gem from the Abyss.”
“That’s right.”
She admitted it too easily.
“We had to move quickly to claim ownership before those guys.”
Recently, spending time with my siblings for a few days, they seemed more like ‘human’ compared to the rumors from my past life. However, this incident made me realize a fact. They couldn’t be trusted.
The little trust that had built up over the past few days collapsed like a house of cards.
“Is this the treasure of the underground warehouse? It’s nothing special.”
“If you’re curious, touch it.”
Melissa handed me the red gem, and as I received it with a sigh, the black smoke that I had been hiding from Melissa suddenly appeared.
The ghost reacted to the gem.
Moreover, it started to change its appearance.
“A powerful energy response?”
Melissa didn’t see it.
“Cantavia, you can see it with your eyes.”
I stared at the spirit taking a distinct form from the black smoke.
As expected.
The spirit was wearing the priestly robes of Azhibita Church.
Had the ghost become an entity due to the accumulation of the priest’s soul?
“This guy.”
It was time to confront him.
Suddenly, the gem, which had been as clear as a rock, began to shine brilliantly,
beginning to absorb the spirit wearing Azhibita Church’s priestly robes.
Damn, am I dealing with Ghostbusters or what?
“It’s a strong reaction. Interesting.”
Finally, the gem swallowed the spirit, and unlike a while ago, it became a gem that emitted an incredibly brilliant light.
In response, Melissa, with nine tails fiercely swaying, expressed her interest.
