The Ghost Finds Peace
Bullets had pierced Hendrick's vitals, and as he spat blood from his mouth, gasping for breath, his fading vision captured the sight of his comrades being torn apart by the monster.
It was a truly horrific scene, but deep down, he felt relief.
…Or perhaps even joy. Kill more— no, kill them all!
How could a human harbor such filthy thoughts? If the Virgin Mary witnessed this ugly side of him, she'd strike him down, and he'd plummet straight to hell.
But none of that mattered. What truly worried him was his daughter's safety.
With the thought that maybe he had sold his soul to the devil after all, the sea's curse, the madness of men—everything converged and swallowed him in an instant.
*
"…Hendrick."
Watching someone you knew—someone you'd been fairly close to—die right in front of you was heartbreaking.
"Wh-who… are you?"
I could only manage a bitter smile at his trembling, gasping question demanding to know my identity.
The man he knew and the me standing here now were clearly different people.
His gaze grew hazy as consciousness slipped away, his thoughts no longer coherent.
Yet even in his final moments, his concern for his daughter remained unchanged.
"My daughter, Lisbet—"
With those words left hanging, his head lolled forward, strength draining from his body.
This was a flashback quest; events from the past couldn't be altered, even virtually.
Hendrick was a ghost who had died long ago, an unchangeable fact.
"The witch is escaping—grab her!"
Even amid the chaos of battling the monster and Hendrick, a few broke from the ranks to pursue the fleeing Lisbet.
"Hendrick, I'll put this to good use."
I snatched the bundle of gunpowder from his cooling embrace and gave chase.
*
In her panic, the little girl fled desperately, dropping her cherished hairpin and doll along the mountainside path.
But how far could a child's body carry her?
The distance to her pursuers shrank rapidly until they were within arm's reach.
"Rick, Uncle Rick, I did wrong. I won't do it again."
"Shut it! Gotta finish her quick before she bewitches me like Hendrick."
Realizing escape was impossible, Lisbet collapsed in tears. Ignoring her pleas, the men—prioritizing their "witch judgment"—yanked her by the hair and pressed a gun to her temple.
Bang!
A lead shot pierced the head of the sailor named Rick.
Her captor's grip slackened, and Lisbet tumbled to the ground.
"Lisbet, run!"
I shouted for her to flee.
I'd already mapped out the sailors' numbers and positions.
Leaving the girl—who was scrambling to escape on all fours, legs giving out from exhaustion—I blocked the pursuers' path.
Four chasers, including the one I'd just dropped. The main group was probably wiped out by now.
That left three more for me to handle alone.
"Humans are such scheming bastards."
Back in the martial world, I'd cursed my crippled body as trash, but now I missed it.
This slender sailor's frame—different from Yujin's muscular build—felt woefully inadequate against them with my ordinary talents.
"Another one's bewitched by the witch!"
"We must free that poor soul!"
Their counterattack began.
I dueled them using a small rock for cover, but unlike my initial ambush, the fight grew increasingly unfavorable.
To buy time, I hurled gunpowder bundles left and right and reloaded.
Boom!
The blast briefly cowed them, but only for a split second.
They spread out, closing the angle. Gunfire from both sides was inevitable at this rate, so I moved to strike first.
Bang! Bang!
Shots rang out from both directions.
I confirmed one more sailor down from my bullet, but then felt blood spray near my heart.
"Mister!"
Lisbet clung to me in panic.
"…Guess I'm not quite old enough to be called 'mister' anywhere."
Such idle mutterings aside, wasn't this pain too real for a flashback character?
"Lisbet, don't die. For your father who loved you, live on strong—even if alone."
Though a stranger, I poured my strength into shoving her toward the hillside beyond.
It looked steep but was gentler than it seemed, cushioned by fallen leaves. No need to worry.
With a clatter, she tumbled away. I turned back to the pursuers.
They approached to finish the fallen me. Cough—hot blood welled up in my mouth.
The taste of hot iron, but my lips curled in victory.
"This bastard's smiling?"
"Must be mad from the devil's hold."
Their muzzles aimed at my head.
One trigger pull, and this frail life ends. But you know what? You dragged this out too long.
"Kieeeek!"
"Wh—argh!"
A monster's claws, defending its territory, cleaved the rightmost pursuer in half.
The left one panicked, firing at it to no avail.
"H-heek! Spare me!"
Crunch—head and torso split, he slumped lifelessly.
My eyes met the monster's as I lay there.
Its expression suggested this wasn't hunger-driven but pure territorial defense.
"You've had it rough too, huh."
Its claws lunged for my heart.
Splurch! To die by the hand of a monster I'd slay in the future—irony at its finest.
Darkness slowly claimed my vision.
. . .
How much time passed? Not long, it seemed.
A ship of unfamiliar design anchored near the wrecked vessel stranded on the beach.
"Set me down here."
A woman disembarked, scanning the island warily.
"Fishermen passing nearby spoke of thunderous booms. If cannons, likely the Yang barbarians' work."
The Ming imperial court strictly controlled gunpowder.
Such firepower on the open sea pointed to Western ships.
Not all martial artists were foes of the court.
Prominent allies included the Emei Sect, and among them, lay disciple Yu Yeon—roaming the secular world for training—witnessed the bizarre scene.
She found a grimy girl sleeping soundly on the beach.
"What a strange child. Who are you, and where did you come from?"
The girl stirred, slowly opening her eyes and rising.
The screen faded as Yu Yeon faced the awakened child.
Thus ended the uninhabited island's tale.
Target 'Lisbet' protected.
Escaping from fragments of the past.
Before I knew it, against the pitch-black night sky, I stood facing the ghost sailor shrouded in negative emotions.
What could I say to him? Did I even have the right? Doubts about my qualifications flooded me.
But since I'd received his grace, I wanted to ease his heart, even a little.
To the still-furious Hendrick glaring at me, I pulled out the doll and hairpin I'd kept safe.
[…What's that?]
Though years had passed, he recognized them instantly. He reached as if handling treasures, but his ghostly form merely passed through.
"…Lisbet seems to have escaped the island safely."
I carefully delivered the words he most longed to hear.
[Is that… true?]
"Yes."
[No, no… I can't believe it until I see for myself.]
Despite my firm answer, he frantically denied it, insisting he needed to confirm with his own eyes.
[The captain's cabin… I couldn't bring myself to check inside. No trace of her anywhere on the island. …Even after what I did, if she's lying cold in there, I won't go mad quietly.]
But I was certain.
"Shall we check together?"
This poor soul had wandered the island for decades.
As a grudge-bound spirit, the stronger the resentment, the more its range shrank, like gravity.
Time was running out for him. Now, I had to prove she'd escaped safely.
The final step: verifying the one area the ghost sailor hadn't searched—the captain's cabin.
We walked the familiar beach in silence.
The once-treacherous cliffs were now easy with my vine ropes, a testament to my long stay here.
Life here was improving bit by bit.
We stood side by side before the captain's cabin on the bridge deck, exchanging glances.
"I'll open it."
His face was still tormented, but beyond it lingered hope.
He nodded in agreement. No warning popped up as I approached—conditions finally met.
Creeeak—I turned the worn handle gently, hinges groaning as the door swung open.
And there…
[…She's gone. Not here.]
Thank goodness. My proud disciple's words were true.
There stood my master—usually boasting as a tough guy—bawling his eyes out.