Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: New Stats (2)
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Adrian couldn't exactly be called an earthbound spirit, to be precise. If anything, he was tied to the island. But he was also free enough to roam the entire massive island. In other words, Adrian had the ability to leave the island on his own, even without Yeonwoo. But the reason he hadn't—or rather, believed he couldn't—was simple. It was the existence of the obsessive thoughts.
‘He probably wanted to leave the island, but his grudges toward those obsessive thoughts held him back. Not knowing why, he must have just believed he was bound to this island.’
That was how precise and sharp the instincts of the dead were.
[I am more than satisfied. I offer my deepest gratitude to my benefactor. My comrades and I have finally found our freedom...]
Adrian grew fainter and fainter. The fragments scattering in the wind increased. Like smoke dissolving into the air, Adrian's final words echoed as he vanished.
[As I thought, my eyes did not deceive me. Please make good use of the ability I gifted you. It will surely be of help. I am fortunate that my power could reach my benefactor.]
With those words, Adrian's presence completely disappeared.
Farewells with the departed always left a wistful feeling.
However.
“...No way. You were doing all that on purpose until now?”
He'd been making him do all sorts of unnecessary tasks.
No way...?
The problem was that the one he wanted to ask was already gone to the other world.
“...”
It felt like he'd been had, but the result was good, so it was fine.
‘Well, it actually did help.’
If not for Adrian, the ones hunted and lying dead would have been Yeonwoo and the humans, not the obsessive thoughts.
Come to think of it, the corpses of the obsessive thoughts remained.
If the Child Spirit were here, he definitely would have gone,
[I'll eat that, me! Give it to me! It looks so tasty!]
But the Child Spirit wasn't here; he was by Kwon Sung-hyun's side.
‘If I called, he'd come eagerly, but he'd complain about how hard it is for ghosts to cross water. He'd make such a racket that it's better not to call.’
Lately, he'd been taking sparrow form a lot, and his behavior was starting to resemble one too—chattering nonstop like chirps.
The issue was that leaving them like this felt uneasy.
‘There are no trivial ghosts around, but with that much spiritual power, something unnecessary could get drawn in and cause trouble later... Better to deal with them first.’
The obsessive thoughts, once fused into one mass, met a perfect death as shattered pieces.
All that remained were lumps of spiritual power they'd diligently accumulated by devouring people and animals.
Ordinary obsessive thoughts would have vanished from the world upon exorcism, but these were different. Having once been worshipped as gods, they had a significant presence. Well, now they were just ownerless lumps of spiritual energy.
It wouldn't matter to leave them, but the problem was how appetizing they looked to most spirits.
[Give it to me! I'll eat them all! I'll take them all!]
With the Child Spirit's nagging auto-playing in his head, it said it all.
“Hoo...”
Sweeping back his rain-soaked bangs, Yeonwoo let out a long breath.
Once this was handled, all future troubles would be neatly resolved. All obstacles gone.
The concentration around had changed, so he couldn't just scatter them carelessly.
Reluctantly, Yeonwoo pulled out a memo pad, wrote sealing incantations, and pressed them to the corpses.
-Ding!
[Massive spiritual power detected.]
[Acquire massive spiritual power?]
[Yes/No]
“...?”
A message popped up out of nowhere.
*
‘What the?’
Yeonwoo's head tilted.
‘This... can be harvested besides lifespan?’
The system alert floating before his eyes was clear.
No need to hesitate.
“Of course yes.”
Yeonwoo's finger poked the air.
And simultaneously.
-Ding!
[Acquiring massive spiritual power.]
-Ding!
[Attribute of this spiritual power exists.]
[Can extract attribute of this spiritual power as stats.]
[Acquire stats?]
[Yes/No]
Unfamiliar alerts scrolled up. A completely new type he'd never seen before.
‘Spiritual power has attributes? And extract them?’
Of course, it wasn't entirely unheard of. Powers varied by the type of force used. A shaman who purified body and mind wouldn't wield the same power as one who specialized in curses, right?
But that was for humans. These obsessive thoughts had once been gods, unlike evil ghosts.
‘Curious.’
Incredibly curious!
He'd rolled through enough ordeals to claim experience with most cases, but this was definitely a first.
One way to satisfy his curiosity.
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo's hand poked the air.
-Ding!
[Congratulations! Acquired new stats.]
[Reward: Worship for the Forgotten God][S]
His finger pressed the unfamiliar name again.
And...
“This... is insane?”
After reading the status window fully, Yeonwoo muttered quietly.
The memory of struggling against the obsessive thoughts evaporated in that instant.
*
As soon as the obsessive thoughts were removed, the sky that had been pouring cleared up as if the downpour had never happened. With the oppressive energy gone, signals worked perfectly, so he sent a rescue request just in case.
He'd heard that due to abnormal weather, rescue signals were backed up, prioritizing emergencies.
‘The rain was the problem. No rain, no issues now.’
With the rain's culprit gone, rescuers weren't even necessary.
Sure enough, reaching the cave where the filming team had huddled, people with improved complexions rushed out to greet Yeonwoo.
Adrian was gone, but thanks to the A+ grade ‘Finding the Way Without a Compass’ he'd been forced to receive, he found them easily.
“Oh my god, Yeonwoo-ssi!”
“We thought you got lost on the way, Yeonwoo-ssi!”
They rushed out with faces of those who had cheated death, but the highlight was.
“Yeonwoo-ssi! Are you safe?!”
Ji Director, with his bear-like massive build and surprisingly shy demeanor, came running first, grabbing Yeonwoo's shoulders and checking him over.
“No injuries? This is something I, as director, should have stepped up for... I put too heavy a burden on you, Yeonwoo-ssi...”
Shaken as he was, it wasn't his usual ant-like voice.
Everyone knew he had the grit to film a controversial romance against opposition, yet was endlessly delicate.
No one was unaware of how much care he put into every scene.
Judging by the films alone, he was a director overflowing with sensitivity, delicate and fragile.
His real personality wasn't much different: a shy, taciturn man whose rugged, bearded mountaineer look belied it.
Until now, except during shoots, he'd relayed even essential instructions through his assistant director.
“Sorry, Yeonwoo-ssi. Tell me if you're hurt. I'll make it better without pain. Sigh... Because I lacked courage...”
This bear—no, Ji Director—running up, fussing over him with a teary face felt so unfamiliar.
His voice was this normal?
More than that.
‘His eyes look red?’
And now, tears welled up!
A staff member burst into hearty laughter at the sight.
“Aigoo, don't even ask. Yeonwoo-ssi. You don't know how much the director blamed himself after you left. He was agonizing that sending a slender guy like you could lead to disaster.”
“Slender...?”
“You're so delicate, Yeonwoo-ssi...”
Ji Director sniffled.
Yeonwoo stared at him silently.
A sturdy body that could match two average people. And not fat—mostly muscle.
He was still wearing wet clothes that didn't fit properly alone, wasn't he?
The massive muscles visible through his half-soaked shirt weren't an illusion.
“Compared to Director, anyone's a stick figure! Comparing to him is unfair.”
Thankfully, a normal person backed him up.
“Still, Yeonwoo-ssi is too skinny...”
Yeonwoo felt a bit wronged. Sure, he'd lost some muscle lately, but he'd built his body steadily; not to that extent.
“Director. I'm fine. No injuries. The rain stopped on the way down, so no slipping.”
“Really...?”
“Yes. Rain seems stopped, but I reported it properly anyway.”
“That's not what I'm worried about... Really no injuries...?”
“None. Anyway, with the rain gone, let's head down quick. Better return to base camp just in case.”
At Yeonwoo's firm words, Ji Director mumbled.
“Right. Let's go down, regroup, recover our bodies. Check actors' conditions too. Everyone's mentally scattered; need recovery time. Thanks to Yeonwoo-ssi finding this shelter, we avoided the full downpour—fortunate.”
The assistant director stepped in to wrap up.
As they heaved their heavy bodies and followed Yeonwoo down one by one.
“But Yeonwoo-ssi, rescuers coming already?”
“Huh? No. They said reports are backed up; they'll come by urgency. Ours might be delayed.”
“Huh? Then what? Something's coming fast this way...?”
“What is...?”
“Look over there.”
A staff pointed to a spot on the sea.
Far off, a white dot drew a white line straight toward them at high speed.
Boosting his spirit eyes slightly, it was indeed a boat.
‘Doesn't seem they'd send one so soon. What?’
The all-white boat bore no rescue markings.
“Let's head down first. Director, stop crying and come on. Yeonwoo-ssi's fine, so relax now.”
“Yeonwoo-ssi, let me take your bag...”
Even then, Ji Director fretted over helping Yeonwoo.
In the end, Yeonwoo descended empty-handed, bag snatched away.
‘What. This intensely unpleasant feeling.’
The closer they got down, the nearer the white boat.
His senses screamed unease intensely.
The sensation peaked as the group reached the beach fully.
“ Weird. Doesn't look like a rescue boat?”
The white boat—no, massive yacht undeserving of ‘boat’—slowly anchored, spraying water.
From within, one person stepped out slowly.
Everyone's eyes widened at the sight.
“The investor...?”