Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Complicated Worldly Affairs, Even Here It's Complicated (3)
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Land where crops won't grow.
I'd definitely seen something like this before.
Since I've traveled everywhere with Master and met just about every kind of ghost out there.
Judging by the stench coming from the farmer uncle, it's probably that same thing I saw back then.
"How mysterious."
Whether this world or that one, places where people live seem to have similar forms of resentment.
That's why there are similar ghosts, I suppose.
Irene, who had been following alongside me, asked.
"Chris, is this related to spirits too?"
"We'll know once we check, but the chances are high."
Irene had been sticking to me like she was determined to observe everything I did.
I barely managed to stop her from following me into the bathroom.
The old men had even stepped away, so what was she hoping to see by clinging like this...
Where had those old men gone, anyway?
I'd seen them drag off the juniors, saying they had something to discuss.
With those elders' laid-back personalities, they were probably just giving them a lecture.
"Can't beat a nobleman."
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the two old men appeared, following along.
"How did you know to come back?"
They'd shown up without me even calling, which was impressive since I had no idea where they'd gone.
"Why does Elder Parmon have that hammer...?"
"Ah, I was just teaching the juniors how to sculpt on my way back."
Elder Closel's gaze as he looked at me was anything but ordinary.
It felt like he saw me as a walking bundle of bizarre phenomena.
"What's it this time?"
"Crops aren't growing."
"Ho ho, you know how to farm too? You do all sorts of things."
I was getting tired of explaining now.
At first, I'd answered everything, but Elder Closel's questions never ended.
Something about me being inexplicable even by magic?
That's when a stench brushed past my nose.
"What is this smell..."
The odor grew stronger the closer we got to where the farmer uncle was leading us.
It was like the smell of rot...
An utterly repulsive stench.
But the people around me didn't seem to notice it at all.
"Only you can sense it again, huh."
"Hmm... People who communicate with spirits perceive smells differently, it seems."
"W-We did spread fertilizer, but..."
The stench intensified.
At this point, I could probably find it without the farmer uncle's guidance.
"Uncle, it's that way, right?"
"Just as the rumors say..."
"They call that talent."
It seemed I'd gained a reputation for figuring everything out spot on.
I wondered when people would finally understand what a shaman actually did...
A little further on, the barren land we'd heard about appeared, just as described.
Everywhere else we'd passed had crops growing abundantly, but here, not even a single blade of grass.
Of course, something had taken root and claimed the place.
"That's it, right?"
As I spoke with certainty, people looked at me with sparkling eyes.
They seemed to expect something miraculous.
Elder Parmon quietly spoke up.
"Feels familiar."
"Ramon, you sense it too?"
The two elders and Irene whispered among themselves, as if they had some inkling.
Closel approached me with gleaming eyes.
"Go on, show us."
"Pardon?"
"Frankly, I have my suspicions about this phenomenon... but I want to see you handle it."
They had an idea?
How did the elders know about this?
I hadn't even seen many ghosts like it myself.
"Hmm... Let me see..."
The land was already heavily tainted.
It was filled with chilling yin energy and resentment, feeling just like a vengeful spirit.
The land itself had no reason to hold grudges.
"This is a Land-Bound Spirit."
"Ho ho? You call this monster a Land-Bound Spirit?"
Monster?
This wasn't a monster; it was a Land-Bound Spirit.
"It's not a monster; it's a vengeful spirit."
"No, it's definitely a monster's trace. Though you might perceive it differently."
Elder Closel muttered softly.
"Lucky no one's been hurt... Well, this monster wouldn't hurt anyone anyway."
Land-Bound Spirits differ from other ghosts in one major way.
They have their own territory.
"It's right in its own bedroom."
A ghost that stays rooted in one spot.
There, the Land-Bound Spirit devours the surrounding environment.
Almost like turning it into its own body.
That's why the land had become like this.
"From here... to over there?"
The territory was quite vast.
Tainted land.
Patches of stained resentment everywhere.
The grudge emanating from it was greed.
"Quite the greedy one."
Do you know the trait of ghosts overflowing with such greed?
They hide their true form to protect the object of their greed.
Desperately ensuring no one takes it away.
It was a miracle the farmer uncle hadn't touched it.
Ding-a-ling-
"Even in death, still indulging in greed..."
Hiding its body tightly was pointless.
No need for a full shaman ritual to summon it either.
The closer I got to where the greed was concentrated, the more rage directed at me I felt.
"Can't even greet a guest properly."
I shook the rattle and struck the ground.
Deliberately provoking the Land-Bound Spirit.
If what lay beneath was the object of its greed, this alone would make it burst out in fury.
Ding-a-ling-
The yin energy vibrated.
Furious tremors rippled through the aura.
"Still not coming out?"
I whistled, infusing it with spiritual energy.
A sound to lure ghosts.
For a Land-Bound Spirit, it'd be infuriating.
Someone invading its territory and whistling away.
And from a shaman, no less—it'd feel like outright mockery.
The reaction came swiftly.
The yin energy surged, and a hazy form emerged from underground.
A gust of wind whipped up simultaneously.
"Hm...?"
My guess was right; it was a Land-Bound Spirit.
But its condition was extremely odd.
Overall, it had a bluish tint, almost like...
It was visible to the naked eye.
This wasn't like seeing ghosts with Spiritual Eyes.
"Can you elders see this too, by any chance?"
Elder Closel walked over from beside the terrified farmer.
"It's a monster called a Wraith."
"Wraith...?"
"A rare ghost-type monster."
That explained why the elder called it a monster...
The unexpected truth was a bit disorienting.
For a Land-Bound Spirit, I'd just exorcise it or resolve its grudge.
But if it was a monster, did I have to kill it outright?
"Wraiths have territories. The surroundings usually die off like this."
Elder Closel stood beside me, admiring the Wraith like he'd encountered a rare specimen after ages.
"Origins unknown, but the prevailing theory in magical academia is that they form from corrupted human souls clumping with dark mana."
Apparently, this world had ghosts like this too.
Under the name of monsters.
"If it's too much, say so. It's a monster I can dispatch with magic easily enough."
"Huh..."
Looking closer at the elder's words, its physical form was peculiar.
Similar to a spirit taking bodily form, but made of filthy sludge overall.
The key point: it definitely had a body.
"A ghost imitating a human."
The Wraith's bluish eyes met mine.
Ghostly energy rippled; anyone weak-willed might faint.
"Tsk tsk..."
Not a chance against me.
I'd never lost a battle of auras to even the fiercest evil spirits.
From what I sensed, this Wraith's spiritual rank was far below mine.
"What do you think you'll achieve by glaring?"
As if deciding to attack in earnest, yin energy surged from the Wraith.
"Let's see some tricks, then."
I whistled teasingly once more, and it reacted immediately.
Swoooosh-
Chilling energy and spiritual power spread, touching the ground.
Embedded stones floated into the air.
If my past self had seen this, they'd have thought it no ordinary fiend.
Resentment thick enough to lift stones.
But now, it seemed less threatening and more pathetic.
To the point where I felt like playing along.
"All that fuss from something so minor. I can do it too."
You have to crush a ghost's spirit right from the start.
I shook the rattle, spreading my spiritual energy.
Ding-a-ling-
In an instant, the surroundings were enveloped in my spiritual energy.
Stones floated up just like the Wraith had done.
"Ho ho, that's no magic."
"Heh heh..."
My spiritual energy gradually encroached on the Wraith's territory.
I'd seized the floating stones and was taking its home too.
"No need for divine help here."
The Wraith struggled desperately.
It had probably planned to attack with those airborne stones, but not a single one would budge.
"Not moving, huh?"
The Wraith was rigidly frozen in midair.
A creature whose home was stolen couldn't exert any power.
"Body not moving either?"
As I approached, I even sensed killing intent.
The more I saw, the more fascinating it became.
A ghost with a body.
Not possession of a living human's body, but an independent one.
I could feel yin energy from the ground flowing into the Wraith.
"It's sucking up the land to build its body."
Maybe it was possible.
With my hand gathered spiritual energy, I blocked some of the flowing yin energy.
Swoosh-
Panic filled the Wraith's eyes as one arm vanished.
"Oh?"
Blocking another part made a leg disappear this time.
"Where should I erase next..."
Terror rose in the Wraith's eyes.
"Should I resolve this thing's grudge... or kill it since it's a monster..."
Then, the farmer uncle's urgent voice came from behind.
"W-Wait!!"