Gwiam Reservoir (7)
How should I even describe that thing?
Its body jiggled like a water balloon, plastered with dozens of faces crammed together in a tangled mess. Some looked like they were writhing in agony, others seething with rage. Its arms were unnaturally long and withered, the skin resembling rotten tree roots. Black tendrils dripped from its entire form, resembling either soaked hair or twisting vines. It was the kind of creature straight out of a horror game.
Any normal person would have pissed themselves on sight from the sheer oppressive dread—but I wasn't normal, so it didn't faze me.
Still... doesn't look like a pushover.
I wasn't scared, but that didn't mean I could let my guard down. I glared at them.
The vengeful spirits' eyes locked onto me. I could feel it vividly—their resentment toward the living.
Well, couldn't blame them for that.
Vengeful spirits were souls that met unjust ends, dying prematurely or in screams of agony, forever wandering between this world and the next. Their grudges didn't stop at their killers; they came to hate all living humans. That was their instinct.
The vengeful spirits cackled as they thrust out massive hands twice the size of my body.
But—
Slash!
My scythe whipped through the air like lightning, cleaving one palm clean in half.
The severed hand regenerated, but they clearly felt the pain—they shrank back in fear.
"W-What... is that...?"
Mirinae, huddled behind me, pointed at the scythe with a trembling hand.
I smirked and gave it a shake.
"What? Got a problem with my scythe?"
"It looks weird... Kinda like a normal scythe, but also like this massive blood-red blade."
"Good eye."
More talent than I expected? I'd have to test her properly later.
But first—deal with these bastards.
"What're you waiting for? Come at me."
I stepped forward, taunting the vengeful spirits. They didn't bite.
"Fine. I'll come to you."
Taat!
I charged. They swung desperately, but two flashes later, both arms were gone.
The flashes? My scythe, infused with my spiritual power, of course.
No time for them to flee. I reached out, making contact.
Thud.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Whooooom!!
Space warped where my hand touched, and their spiritual bodies began dissolving into black smoke. Most scattered into the air, but some absorbed into me.
"Tsk! Hooo—"
I felt my battered soul slowly mending.
But a splitting headache crashed in.
The memories embedded in the souls flooded my mind at once.
Stabbed in the gut. Hammer to the head. Legs broken. Hanged. Burned alive. Arm severed.
It hurts. Hurts. Run. Die. Run. Caught. Die. Take the drugs. Quiet. Hate it. Don't wanna die. Wanna die. Despair. Cold. Hard. Hate. Sad. Hate. Hate. Wanna live. Living's too hard. Wanna kill. Wanna die. Wanna be warm. Humans are scary. Can't breathe. I see. Deep in the reservoir. Devouring countless vengeful spirits. Toying with human souls like playthings.
Them.
"Urghhh!!"
I couldn't hold back the wave of memories—I puked.
Staggering back, stomach churning like mad, but I forced it down.
"Seorin!"
"Stay back!"
I stopped Mirinae as she rushed over. Not yet. Not yet.
The "real boss's" laughter echoed in my ears. It had waited for me to weaken before showing itself.
Panting, I looked up. A hazy woman in white mourning clothes stood on the water's surface, gazing down at me.
An evil spirit. A powerful soul born from malevolent forces, on a whole different level.
"Hah... Why not hide in your meat shields like before?"
"Think you can handle me now?"
Those vengeful spirits were just scouts, probing my abilities. Which meant this evil spirit had sized me up and decided it could win.
The evil spirit stopped laughing abruptly and floated toward me, lowering its head to meet my eyes.
"......"
When an evil spirit repeats itself like that, there's only one reason: an unresolved obsession from life. Just like the kindergarten director turned evil spirit kept babbling about protecting the kids.
This one was lashing out at me because of its lingering regret.
If I were a shaman, I'd have used that clue to find a way to exorcise it.
"But you know what?"
Why the hell should I?
"Even if my body's not in top shape—"
To the world's strongest necromancer, death spirits weren't something to appease.
They were something to conquer.
"—I'm not about to get looked down on by some pissant evil spirit."
Chains of Hell
I thrust my hand toward the evil spirit. Chains erupted from beneath the water, binding its body.
It thrashed to escape, but I held firm.
"Ha, finally talking? Must be desperate."
Chains of Hell—a necromancy spell fueled by all the spiritual power I'd absorbed from the vengeful spirits, plus a chunk of my own soul. No way a spirit used to bullying weak Earth shamans could break free from a technique crafted by the king of death spirits.
Next, I slammed my scythe down toward the water.
Pfook!
"Thought I wouldn't notice you hiding?"
The vengeful spirits' memories had already tipped me off. There were two evil spirits in Gwiam Reservoir.
I shoved my hand into the screaming evil spirit's mouth. My fingertips brushed the spirit core.
"That's what you get."
I gripped the spirit core.
"For messing with me."
Crack—!!
The core shattered in my hand. The evil spirit's body began misting away from the face down.
I let its remnants dissipate without absorbing them. The kindergarten incident taught me regular vengeful spirits were one thing, but evil spirits were still too much to handle.
Besides, I had zero interest in its backstory.
Now, just one evil spirit left to deal with. Once it was gone, the trapped vengeful spirits would be freed, and Gwiam Reservoir would revert to a mere haunted spot.
But.
"Huh?"
For some reason, the remnants coalesced into a single mass, slipping past me toward Mirinae.
"W-Wha?"
"Mirinae!"
By the time I spun around, the remnants had already seeped into her body.
"......Oh no."
The focus vanished from Mirinae's eyes, and she collapsed limp.
"Fuck!"
Clang—!!
In my moment of distraction, the female evil spirit shattered the chains.
"Damn it—"
Whoooosh—!!
A fierce ghostly wind propelled it into flight.
I could chase and kill it right now.
But no. I had to protect Mirinae.
"......Shit!"
I let the fleeing evil spirit go and rushed to Mirinae.
"Mirinae! Mirinae! Snap out of it!"
I slapped her cheeks, yelling. No good.
I couldn't let her die like this. I wouldn't lose another friend.
"Mirinae......"
I had to make a choice.
"Sorry."
With a deep sigh, I placed my hand on her head.