Man-Eating Goshiwon Exploration Stream - Complete

Hehe!I've come in.You're in now.This is my space.This is our space.You can't escape.It's my space.Not without my permission.Absolutely.You can't get out.Hehehe.

I glanced around. A perfect cube of space lined with crimson flesh-walls that looked just like human body parts. It writhed as if alive, bulging veins protruding everywhere. And just like in room 404 earlier, eyes and mouths covered the walls in clusters.

"Hmm."

Hehe, let's kill it. Time to kill now.Should we pluck out the eyes first? Or the ears?It's been so long since we had a new toy.Last one died in a day.This time, we play longer.Hehehe! This'll be fun!

"Ho, interesting. Hmm."

I stroked my chin, scanning every corner with eyes faintly glowing red. Fascinating.

What are you doing?Aren't you scared?Not afraid to die?

"You know what this is?"

I ignored the mimic's babble, muttering to myself as if it wasn't there.

"The most important thing in necromancy... is data."

The necromancy I'd seen in Earth's mass media was humanities—shamanistic, emotional approaches to sending spirits to the afterlife. But this world's necromancy was science. Necromancers here thoroughly investigated, analyzed, and controlled spirits. Otherwise, their own servant spirits would kill them.

In that other world, the number one cause of death for necromancers was losing control of their own servant spirits.

The same went for fighting spirits. The technique I'd used so far—absorbing spiritual energy—was fine. It followed the simple equation 1-1=0. But mess it up, and you could make the enemy even stronger. Like those common tales here: trying to curse someone, failing, and getting hit with a worse curse yourself.

"Not this time."

I had plenty of data now. I'd faced three evil spirits and seen the ritual that created them. And finally...

"You think you caught me?"

I'd seen every inch of this mimic-mimicking evil spirit's innards, thanks to its necromancy.

"I let myself get caught."

When its tongue grabbed me, I could've escaped instantly. But why bother? It was dragging me in to show off its guts in detail.

"Thanks. You've made this a lot easier."

What're you talking about?Necromancy?Thanks for what?You let yourself get caught?This is weird.Spit it out!I hate this one!

"Who said you decide?"

I raised both hands. At my gesture, countless chains burst from the black walls—one of my signature necromancy spells, Chains of Hell. Hell was a prison even demons couldn't escape. No way such chains would fail against a mere artificial evil spirit.

Aaahhh!No! No! No!Scary! Get away!

"Let's see, first..."

I grabbed one of the dozens of chains coiled around me and yanked hard. The flesh-wall impaled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at its end tore open, and a woman's soul spilled out.

Nooooo!!It's mine! My possession!I won't let you take it!!

Innumerable hands lunged to seize the woman's soul. But they were too late.

Clank!!

The chains scattered everywhere responded to my gesture, automatically binding the hands. The woman's soul settled safely into my arms.

"If it were a frail soul, you'd have had the advantage."

Play with it like a toy, tear it to shreds, digest it into itself. The missing people probably met that fate. This woman must've been special to it—stashed away like a treasured obsession.

"But I'm the Necromancer King."

From what I could tell, it hadn't been an evil spirit long. Not even a real one—just a monster mimic. Weak points everywhere. No way I'd lose in a setup this perfect.

"Farewell."

Its spirit core glowed plainly in my sight. I hurled my spirit-energy-infused kitchen knife straight at it.

Whoooosh!

Aaahhh nooooooo!!

Splat! The knife pierced the core.

A... aaaah...

The space crumbled like smoke. That's what you get for inviting a predator inside your shell. Snickering at the mimic's stupidity, I slipped quietly from the collapsing void.

"What a shame..."

Watching that spiritual energy dissipate always killed me. Absorbing it would've healed me some. But like medicine turning to poison in a bad state, I still couldn't handle evil spirit absorption right now. Smacking my lips, I exited the mimic—heading back to where Mirinae and Lee Seola waited.

"Huh?"

The moment I stepped out, my jaw dropped.

S-Seorin-nim...

Lee Seola lay collapsed, her body half-dissolved.

I frantically scanned around—no sign of Mirinae.

"Lee Seola! Where's Mirinae?!"

A-An evil spirit that looked just like you... took her just now...

"Damn it!"

I'd assigned Lee Seola as guard precisely because of this! A Necromancer King's servant spirit, losing to another evil spirit?! No, wait. At least she'd bought time till I returned—small mercies.

"We'll talk later."

I flung open the door and bolted.

I ran. No time for breathing—full sprint. Down the stairs to the first floor.

There.

Mirinae, walking slowly with a dazed expression. And arm-in-arm with her—another me.

I instantly manifested Chains of Hell, seizing the evil spirit disguised as me by the arm.

Crunch!

"Hm?"

The evil spirit looked at me. I stared back.

"Hey, you..."

Its eyes were abyssal voids. A familiar fishy stench hit my nose—one I'd smelled before.

Realizing what it was, I grinned.

"...The one that ran away back then, huh?"

The stench from Gwiam Reservoir. The evil spirit that Bishop guy controlled—the one that nearly died to me and fled. Got you now.

Heh!

It laughed too.

Hehehe! Hihihihihihihihihihihi!

Its mouth split ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wide in a grin. It was smiling, but I felt the killing intent toward me.

Why... did my master... die?

"How should I know?"

Hahahahaha!

In that instant, it lunged at Mirinae.

"Who said you could possess her?"

After all I'd done to save her! I yanked the chain with all my strength.

Rrrumble!

Thankfully, the chain stopped full possession. But half its body was already inside her.

"A-aaaaah!!"

Mirinae screamed.

Hehehe! Mine now—this body's mine!

"No! Stop... aaah!"

Mine! Mine! Mine! Hehehe!

"My head—my head hurts so much... hngh!"

Two voices from Mirinae's mouth: her agonized cries, and the evil spirit fighting for control.

Mine! Master promised me this body!

"Bishop... ugh, who—who's doing this to me! Seoriiiin!!"

"Mirinae! Hang on just a bit longer!"

Damn. This evil spirit was leagues beyond the rookie I'd just crushed. No exposed weaknesses—and purely, brutally strong. Had it powered up, or had I weakened? Ugh, maddening!

Anyway, this wouldn't do. I couldn't let my friend die again.

"No choice then—"

Even if it cost my remaining lifespan again...!

That moment.

"...Huh?"

Power. Slowly... returning?

"What the."

The evil spirit, half-buried, started getting dragged out inch by inch.

Come to think of it, since starting the stream today, my breathing had felt oddly easier—wait. Stream?

I glanced at my phone.

My phone. My account. My broadcast—definitely on.

Power... flowing from the phone. To me.

"No idea what's happening, but..."

This was my chance.

"Raaaaah!!"

Roaring, I yanked the chain. The spirit thrashed but lost to raw force, fully expelled.

I reeled it in with the chain, capturing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

A... aaah...!

"You've caused me enough trouble."

Time to die. I plunged my hand into its body, gripped the spirit core—and crushed it.

Screeech—!!

Kyaaaaaaaah!!

The core shattered; the evil spirit vanished.

I waved away the smoke, recalling that influx of power.

"No way..."

I picked up the phone.

The viewers who'd just seen it were flooding the chat with praise for me. Power still trickled in from the phone. My mind raced with guesses.

"Ugh... ungh..."

Mirinae, nearly possessed, groaned and opened her eyes.

"Mirinae, you okay?"

"Yeah... what happened..."

Right then—as she mumbled—the evil spirit's dissipating remnants swirled rapidly toward her.

"Wha—!"

I reached to block it, but too late. They absorbed into her body.

Why? Destroyed spirit cores meant total erasure. Remnants usually faded into nothing.

But last time too—and now—the remnants all funneled into Mirinae.

"Ugh!"

"Mirinae! You alright?"

She wobbled like dizzy, but didn't pass out like before.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine... More importantly, Seorin."

"Y-yeah?"

"Actually, I have a confession."

She sighed deeply, head hanging.

"Confession?"

Sudden confession? Not romantic, surely... What?

"I... actually knew."

"Knew what?"

"That we might get attacked this time."

She gnashed her teeth in frustration.

"That the Jin-hon Gu-won Association might target me."

My face hardened.