Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Owner of the Ghost Sword (5)
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At that moment, a blue system window appeared in midair.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ghost Sword Star's noble sword has found its true owner.] [Mental corruption on the temporary owner is released.] [Ghost Sword Star recognizes the manager as the fixed target.] "Hoo..."
Siwoo panted heavily as he rolled up his right sleeve.
The exposed forearm was trembling faintly, like it was spasming.
"...What a vicious bastard."
The black-red veins writhing beneath his skin, stretching toward his heart, were receding like the tide with the system message.
As the endless torment finally eased, the sticky something that had been churning his mind felt like it was being washed away in cold water.
'If it'd been just a little later, it would've been dangerous.'
Siwoo wiped away his cold sweat.
He had felt his mind being corrupted but deliberately hadn't let go of the sword.
Ever since the resonance began, his brain had burned with pain, and something incessantly whispered murderous intent in his ear.
It continued whether he held it or not, just from being in the same space.
'If.'
What if he hadn't endured and just handed it over?
He clenched and unclenched his trembling hand.
'I'd have lost myself... or died.'
Siwoo's gaze turned to the sword in Ye-eun's hand.
The curse that had tormented him so fiercely as it flowed through his arm was now quietly humming in her grasp, like it had returned home.
That was when it happened.
"H-Hiiik..."
The three hunters, who had fainted and come to, looked up at the figure before them with trembling eyes.
It was too unreal.
To their eyes, Ye-eun no longer felt like the same human.
Black-red veins writhed over her corpse-pale skin like cursed tattoos.
Her pitch-black, deformed pupils, stained as if to swallow everything, were so deep and dark that no whites showed.
And the ominous aura emanating from the noble sword in her hand was freezing even the surrounding air.
Kim Ye-eun approached them with an expressionless face.
Her emotionless gait was mechanical, making it all the more terrifying.
The wet splat of her bare feet stepping through the pool of blood squeezed the hunters' hearts.
"D-Don't come closer...!"
"S-Sorry! P-Please, spare me!"
The bald hunter screamed as he scuttled backward on his butt.
His pants were already soaked with urine.
Their terrified states were pitiful, even pathetic.
The arrogance from moments ago, cackling over someone else's death as entertainment, was gone without a trace.
But there wasn't a flicker of hesitation in Ye-eun's black eyes.
Mercy? Forgiveness? Such words had long been erased from her dictionary.
She slowly raised her left hand.
Black smoke, like heat haze, rose from her fingertips.
"Spare you?"
Ye-eun's lips twisted.
Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes looked like they were crying—a grotesque expression.
"Who's dying? Killing you would be too merciful."
With a flick of her hand, the black smoke writhed like snakes and surged toward the hunters.
Without inflicting any physical pain, the smoke simply slipped into their noses, mouths, and ears.
It burrowed into their mucous membranes like a living creature.
"U-Ugh?! G-Guh!"
The hunters clutched their throats, retching.
But the real pain started deep in their brains, not their bodies.
"[Ghost Energy]"
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ [Ghost Energy] [Amplifies negative emotions thousands of times, directly scraping the brain]
The terror Ye-eun had felt on the brink of death.
The despair right before being devoured by the high orc.
And the contempt and disgust she'd endured her whole life.
All those dregs of negative emotions were amplified thousands of times, beginning to claw directly at their brains.
"Kuaaaagh!"
The bald hunter clutched his head and rolled on the ground.
"Stay away! Get lost! Monster! The monster's coming!"
"No! Not my legs! Don't cut off my legs!"
Before their eyes, not reality, but the most horrific fears buried in their subconscious were materializing.
Hallucinations of flesh being torn, entrails ripped out.
Their deepest terrors dominated their senses more vividly than reality.
"Hee, heehee... heehihit!"
One of them, unable to overcome the fear, lost his mind and laughed maniacally while bashing his head on the floor.
Thud, thud, thud.
Even as his forehead split and blood flowed, he didn't stop.
Forgotten pain, he self-harmed like a madman.
"Spare... sorry... heh heh..."
His pupils clouded over, foam at his mouth, flailing at empty air.
They were now half-vegetables, unable to even think straight, let alone hunt for life.
Ye-eun looked down coldly at the worm-like creatures crawling on the floor.
"Crawl in that hell forever."
The ghost energy pouring from her hand thickened further.
She was about to completely shatter their minds, turning them into vegetables.
Just as the black storm laced with killing intent surged once more—
"Kim Ye-eun."
A dry, low voice rang out.
Like cold water poured on a hot fire, Ye-eun's movements halted abruptly.
The rampaging killing intent stopped in an instant.
She slowly turned her head to see Siwoo standing a short distance away, arms crossed.
He was still glaring at the sword in her hand, clearly displeased.
"That's enough."
At that short command, the ominous killing intent enveloping Ye-eun scattered like a lie.
The demonic figure from moments ago was gone.
Like a robot with its power switched off, her shoulders slumped.
She thought:
What if he leaves me like the others who abandoned her?
What if he comes to hate her?
What if he discards her?
It felt like her old wounds were whispering to her.
'You'll be abandoned again.'
That thought dominated her mind, making her tremble like a leaf.
She didn't even know his name or identity.
But in this ashen world, he was the only human—hating him was unthinkable.
She couldn't accept rejection.
"Ah..."
Ye-eun's shoulders shook finely.
She hastily withdrew her ghost energy and looked up at Siwoo with anxious eyes.
Her black pupils quivered.
Like a puppy terrified of being scolded and abandoned by its owner.
She was gripped by fear that he might see her as a monster, despise her, and throw her away.
Siwoo slowly approached and indifferently kicked aside the collapsed wrecks on the floor.
Like clearing trash.
With hands in his pockets, he alternated glances between the hunters and Ye-eun.
"Don't use that power when I'm not around."
Siwoo's eyes narrowed.
"I'm not saying never use it. It's far more efficient than killing. But don't use it without me there. Dealing with the aftermath of these late-stage lunatics is far more administratively troublesome than you'd think. Police investigations drag on too."
Ye-eun let out a relieved breath at his words.
The fact that he wasn't stopping her out of disgust, but mere inconvenience, eased her.
Just knowing he didn't reject her felt like salvation.
"Y-Yes! Sorry. I won't... I won't do it again."
She nodded frantically.
Blood-matted hair stuck to her cheek, making her look pitiable.
"It's fine. Let's head to the car for now."
As Siwoo turned, Ye-eun desperately reached out.
"Y-You're not... throwing it away, right?"
Ye-eun cautiously grasped Siwoo's hem.
Her bloody hand stained the white shirt's edge, but he didn't brush her off.
She focused every nerve on that small contact.
It was warm. The fact that he wasn't pushing her away was profoundly grateful.
"Of course not."
Siwoo turned back and headed to his car.
His steps remained composed.
Ye-eun followed hurriedly, like a newborn duckling afraid to lose its mother.
Her mind held only one thought.
'I'll never let go.'
Left behind were the three foaming, convulsing hunters and the high orc's coldly cooling corpse.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Inside Siwoo's SUV.
The enclosed space brimmed with a strange tension.
Leather and blood scents mingled into a bizarre atmosphere.
'Insight Eye.'
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Kim Ye-eun ⭐ Awakening: Ghost Sword Star 📊 Rank: S-Rank (∞) ✨ Special: Uses Ghost Energy as black magic power Ye-eun fidgeted in the passenger seat.
Her blood-soaked work clothes made her afraid to properly sit on the luxury leather, barely letting her butt touch.
Everything felt like it would get dirty if she touched it.
She huddled, hands clasped on her knees.
"Sit comfortably. I'll just get it detailed."
Siwoo said flatly, reaching into the back seat.
He pulled out a pre-prepared envelope of documents.
"First, I have an apology to make."
"Yes?"
"I've been here for a while and was watching."
"...You were?"
"Yes. Sorry for not stepping in sooner."
Siwoo bowed his head, expressing sincerity belatedly.
But Ye-eun's gaze on his actions held an unexpected light.
"It's okay. I knew."
"Pardon?"
"You could've died."
"..."
As Siwoo fell silent, Ye-eun flicked the sword she held with her finger.
Then, with a sly smile, she said,
"It told me everything."
'...After tormenting me like that. So it has a conscience, huh. For a cursed sword.'
"Why?"
"...Never mind. Here's the contract."
[Exclusive Hunter Standard Contract]
Siwoo handed the contract to Ye-eun.
He glanced at the rearview mirror.
Red lights were flashing.
"Read it carefully, Miss Kim Ye-eun."
Ye-eun stared blankly before taking the paper.
Her eyes had returned to normal.
The black sclera was gone, revealing brown pupils again, though madness still lurked deep within.
"Miracle Management promises industry-leading terms. Revenue split 9:1—hunter gets 9, company 1. Includes initial settlement support, full gear provision, and legal protection."
The same groundbreaking 9:1 split as for Jia or Min-seok.
But such numbers didn't register with Ye-eun.
"Contract term is 5 years. Any objections?"
"Give me a pen."
Without even glancing at it, Ye-eun took the pen and moved straight to the signature line on the last page.
Money and terms didn't matter.
"I don't care about that."
Her voice was firm.
"I don't need money."
"Contracts must be done properly."
"Just... let me stay by your side, CEO. I'll do anything you say."
Her eyes burned with blind loyalty.
She wanted only one thing.
The sole light that pulled her from hell.
The one who reborn her—to stay by his side.
"Fine. Then the final clause."
Siwoo tapped the special provisions section with his pen tip.
"After the base 5 years, there's a 5-year renewal option. Renewal is at the hunter's discretion, but..."
Siwoo paused deliberately.
Standard contracts usually extended by 'mutual agreement' or 'hunter's choice.'
But Ye-eun cut him off.
"Sounds good."
"Pardon?"
"Extend it right now."
She nodded eagerly.
"10 years, 20, whatever you say, CEO. What if you abandon me? I hate that. So extend it now."
Was there a more perfect voluntary slave declaration?
She was putting the collar on herself and handing Siwoo the leash.
Begging to be bound.
Siwoo nodded with a feigned helpless expression.
Inside, he was cheering.
"...Understood. If that's your will, we'll add it to the specials."
Siwoo wrote boldly in the special provisions.
"So it's extended right away, right?"
"Yes, correct. Effectively a 10-year contract."
Practically a lifetime slave contract.
But Ye-eun smiled in relief, radiantly.
Blood-smeared, it was poignant yet beautiful.
"Thank you... truly, thank you."
With trembling hands, she signed and pressed her bloody thumbprint.
The red seal stamped clearly on the paper.
A deal selling her soul, yet she looked happy.
"Now, my master is you, CEO."
With her murmur, a system window appeared before Siwoo.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Contract established.] [Contract Target: Kim Ye-eun] [Passive Skill 'Growth Synchronization' activates.] [Shares 3% of target's acquired experience.] [Settling target's growth.] Siwoo's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Blue light enveloped his body.
The searing heat wrapping his whole body made him clench his fist involuntarily.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Massive amount of experience transferred.] ✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ [+9 Levels] B-Rank → A-Rank Threshold
Whoosh!
Siwoo's mana circuits forcibly expanded, wrapping his body.
Every vein toughened, senses sharpened.
Gripping the wheel, he panted roughly.
A straight shot of 9 levels.
Breaking B-rank walls to reach A-rank threshold—an immense leap.
Impressive, but the real reward was separate.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Reached Lv. 50.] [New skill unlocked for user.] [Skill Replication (Passive) - Visually scans managed target's movements to replicate their physical techniques.] 'Skill Replication?'
Siwoo curled his lips.
Not just sharing stats, but copying their techniques too.
"Hoo."
Siwoo exhaled long, reining in the boiling power.
His body felt light as a feather.
Clenching and unclenching his fist, power surged through every knuckle.
'The ultimate harvest.'
He turned to the passenger seat.
Ye-eun clutched the contract preciously, gazing only at Siwoo.
As if he were the world's sole existence.
Looking at her, Siwoo shifted gears and said,
"Let's go."
"Yes, CEO."