An Unwanted Guest
"Mmm."
I opened my eyes.
It was a familiar ceiling.
Specifically, the very ceiling I had stared at intently for the past year.
I blinked, staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment before pushing myself up.
It was supposed to be a refreshing morning, but I felt utterly gross.
Then again, I hadn't had a single clean wake-up since joining the Martial Alliance.
"Ugh..."
My head and body felt incredibly heavy as I tried to sit up. My head made sense, considering it was injured.
But why did my body feel so leaden? It felt as if I had been suffering from sleep paralysis—
...
So I really was paralyzed.
And probably all night long, at that.
The moment I sat up, the voice echoed right in my ear.
I didn't turn my head. Even without looking, I knew.
Right next to me.
That massive old man from yesterday was hovering right beside me.
Keeping my expression completely blank, I scanned my surroundings.
"Are you up?"
"Good morning, senior."
To my left, Yu Hyeongin was just sitting up.
It wasn't just him. The other seniors sleeping in the barracks were also waking up and stirring.
...
Crazy bastard.
The sound right next to my ear almost made me flinch reflexively.
The old man clapped his hands in delight, looking thoroughly amused.
Had he been here all night? This was bad.
The fact that he could move between different buildings meant he wasn't a bound spirit.
He belonged to the most troublesome category of ghosts.
Persistent, bizarre freaks. This old man fit the bill perfectly.
"Hey. Dumbass, what are you doing?"
As I sat there frozen, a senior in front of me barked.
Hearing his voice, I quickly got out of bed.
"Apologies. I'll get ready immediately."
"This bastard. All the seniors are getting ready, and you're just sitting there?"
Seriously. To anyone watching, I was absolute trash.
Swallowing a sigh, I hurriedly changed my clothes.
"Tsk, totally undisciplined..."
"Leave him be. What would a guy like him know? He's as useless as he is clueless."
...
I was already annoyed, and his commentary only made it worse.
What a fantastic start to the morning.
Mornings in the Martial Alliance almost always began with training.
I hadn't experienced other organizations, but at least that was the case here.
"Two more laps!"
I frowned at the shout from the front.
How many laps had it been already?
On average, we ran about fifteen laps a day.
My legs were trembling.
Even though I was rationing my internal energy, I was reaching my limit. The tiny drop of qi I possessed was barely of any help anyway.
I felt like dying every single morning.
Why wouldn't my damn qi vessel grow?
Still, I ran like a dog, gritting my teeth.
Normally, it was at least somewhat bearable. But today, even this was agonizing.
It was undoubtedly because of this damn old man chattering right next to me.
Please, just shut up.
My vision was blurring. It was hard enough just to endure the physical strain, but his constant noise was driving me insane.
Not much left, my ass. I still had two more laps to go.
I was seriously going to lose my mind.
Where on earth did this old man pop out from?
I had already mapped out most of the ghosts in this area.
I knew their routes and roughly what they used to do when they were alive.
He's a ghost I've never seen before.
This blue-eyed old man was completely new to me.
Which meant he had probably died recently.
Is he not from around here?
There were only a few reasons a new ghost would suddenly appear.
First of all, it was rare for someone to leave behind enough regret and lingering attachment to become a ghost in the first place.
If they did become a ghost and appeared in a specific area, it was usually because:
They died here.
Or this was the hometown where they were born and raised.
And if it was neither of those...
It meant someone possessed by their spirit was here.
You know, like being possessed by an evil spirit.
While most spirits, commonly called bound spirits, were tied to a piece of land or a building, some attached themselves to a person and wandered around.
Was this old man one of those?
If so...
Then go to the person you're possessing. Why the hell are you bothering me?
I was caught in a terrible mess.
That was exactly my current situation.
"Haa... haa... whew..."
I panted heavily.
Because I couldn't focus, my breathing was completely out of sync. And because I couldn't breathe properly, my movements began to falter.
"Junior Bang. Are you okay?"
"...Yes... yes..."
Yu Hyeongin approached me, his voice laced with concern.
It was hard to even squeeze out an answer.
"You don't look well. Are you really okay?"
"...I'm... fine."
Even if I wasn't, what could I do? Falling behind even a little would draw everyone's glares.
I had to endure.
My lungs felt like they were collapsing.
My injured head throbbed painfully, but I didn't stop running.
The old man let out an intrigued sound as he watched me.
Aside from him, I felt another gaze on me. Squinting through my trembling vision, I saw Yeon Socheon running ahead.
The moment our eyes met, Yeon Socheon flinched and quickly looked away.
What was that? A coincidence? Or did I misinterpret it? I was probably just seeing things because of exhaustion.
Why on earth would a guy like him look at me?
"Ugh... haa..."
Fifteen laps.
I ran exactly fifteen laps.
The moment we finished, I collapsed onto the ground, stumbling.
While the others caught their breath as if it were nothing, I was the only one in this pathetic state. Even after a year of morning runs, nothing had changed.
Ah, this useless body.
Why wasn't I improving despite all this training?
Was it because I took after my father? Maybe. No, that was definitely it.
What a shitty life.
"Ugh, I'm dying..."
As I gasped for air, something appeared in front of my eyes.
Yu Hyeongin was holding out a gourd filled with water.
"Want some?"
I took it with trembling hands.
"...Thank you."
"Good work."
"What good work... I can't even do this properly."
"Haha."
Yu Hyeongin let out a soft chuckle at my response.
Watching him, I carefully brought the water to my lips.
Or rather, the moment I tried to drink—
"Pfft!"
The old ghost popped up right in front of my face, making a bizarre expression and letting out a ridiculous sound.
Seeing that, I spat out the water reflexively.
Damn it. I let my guard down.
The sprayed water passed right through the old man.
I was screwed.
I thought there was no escaping this, but...
"...Huh?"
My eyes widened, and I froze on the spot.
The water that had passed through the ghost—of all things, it had drenched someone else.
"..."
A body dripping wet with water.
Yeon Socheon, completely frozen like me, clearly hadn't expected this.
He was staring at me with a blank expression.
"...Ah... uh..."
The old man, looking coy despite his massive build, shifted slightly as if he hadn't expected this either.
Yeon Socheon, who had been frozen for a long moment, stiffly turned his head.
His eyes locked onto mine.
"..."
"..."
I couldn't say a word and just swallowed hard.
What on earth was happening? How did things turn out like this?
Why did Yeon Socheon...
...suddenly walk up to me? Flustered, I remained speechless for a moment before stammering out an apology.
"Uh... uh... I'm sorry."
Apologizing came first.
Excuses could wait.
"You, uh, approached so suddenly that I was startled..."
"Do you... spit water whenever you are startled?"
"...It was a highly unfortunate coincidence. I'm truly sorry. It wasn't intentional."
Yeon Socheon wiped his wet forehead with the back of his hand and stared at me.
Specifically, he stared at my bandaged head and spoke.
"Because you are a patient. Because you are injured... right?"
"...What is?"
I observed Yeon Socheon as I spoke.
His other hand was twitching toward the sword at his waist, repeatedly reaching for it and pulling back.
Was he seriously going to draw his sword if I weren't injured?
Just as I was freezing up in the tense atmosphere—
"You crazy bastard!"
A loud roar erupted from behind.
Oh, great. Of all people, it was the squad leader.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"I know, right? What am I doing?"
I muttered, scratching the back of my head, but the squad leader marched toward me in a rage.
And then—
Slap!
He struck me right across the cheek.
My head whipped to the side.
The impact rattled my brain.
"If you're useless, the least you can do is stay quiet! How dare you cause trouble?!"
I caressed my burning cheek.
Fortunately, my teeth didn't seem loose.
Ignoring me, the squad leader quickly rushed over to Yeon Socheon.
"Squad Member Yeon, are you alright? What a terrible thing to endure. I will make sure that wretched bastard is severely punished."
"...No, it is fine. It was merely an accident. I was actually approaching... him to speak with him."
He definitely hesitated just now because he didn't know my name.
Hearing that he had business with me, the squad leader's eyes widened in surprise.
"What business could you possibly have with that useless fool...?"
"The conversation we had yesterday left quite an impression, so I wanted to..."
"It's Bang Seongyeon."
"...pay my respects to Young Master Bang."
I knew it.
He really didn't know my name. He used it immediately after I introduced myself.
And "Young Master"?
That's a title I haven't heard since I was a kid.
In fact, I hadn't heard it once since my family was completely ruined.
"...Pay your respects?"
The squad leader stared at me, looking even more incredulous.
I felt the same way.
What respects?
If he meant our conversation, he must be referring to last night. Could it be...
Is he here to put me in my place for what I said?
It was highly plausible.
A nobody suddenly showing up in the dead of night to lecture him would naturally make him angry.
Wait, isn't this a really dangerous situation then?
I had forgotten because that old ghost had distracted me.
Just yesterday, I had told Yeon Socheon—whose background was a complete mystery—not to act out and to behave like a proper junior.
And now, I had literally spat water in his face when he came to find me.
Hmm.
I nodded to myself as the realization set in.
I'm going to get fired.
No matter how I looked at it, the future seemed bleak. I should probably pack my bags and head back to Yoryeong immediately.
Haha.
I was absolutely screwed.
Just as I was mentally preparing to sever ties with the Martial Alliance in this worst-case scenario—
"...So please, do not be too harsh on him."
Yeon Socheon spoke up, seemingly trying to stop the squad leader.
I tilted my head, watching him.
What? So he didn't come to pick a fight?
Seeing him defend me, maybe that wasn't his intention after all.
Or perhaps he was letting it slide because I had already been slapped.
Right. The latter seemed much more likely.
"..."
The squad leader looked at Yeon Socheon, then glared at me.
"...Sigh."
He looked like he wanted to say more, but since Yeon Socheon had intervened, he couldn't do anything.
"...Just looking at you exhausts me. Get out of my sight before I lose my temper."
"I'm the one who got slapped. Why are you the one who's..."
Grind.
"Yes, sir. I'm leaving."
Seeing that another blow was imminent, I moved quickly.
"Ah...!"
Yeon Socheon let out a brief exclamation at my hasty departure, but I fled the scene before the squad leader could roar again.
I had patrol duty later, but I just needed to stay out of sight until then.
With that plan in mind, I slipped into a secluded area and scanned my surroundings.
This was a spot inside the Martial Alliance where barely anyone ever walked.
Moreover, since everyone was supposed to be training right now, it would be even quieter.
Was there really no one around?
After carefully checking one more time, I let out a deep sigh.
"...Haa."
I turned around and asked.
"What is it?"
"I'm asking what on earth you want from me."
At my question, the old man, who had been picking his nose, widened his eyes.
He immediately checked the surroundings just as I had done.
Realizing I was speaking to him, his face lit up, and he coyly clasped his hands together.
"..."
Seeing him act so dainty despite his massive frame made me feel incredibly annoyed for some reason.
He stood nearly eight feet tall, with muscles packed so tightly it was hard to believe he was an old man.
With scars scattered all over his body and those piercing blue eyes, nothing about his appearance was normal for a ghost.
And yet, he was striking such a coy pose with that rugged body.
It was infuriating.
Truly.
"Whew."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
I had sworn to never acknowledge him.
Tsk...
As I thought before, normally I wouldn't have acknowledged him.
Even if a ghost realized I could see them, all I had to do was feign ignorance until the end.
But...
Spirits like him are always troublesome.
This old man had too many red flags.
First of all, he wasn't impatient.
Usually, ghosts harboring deep grudges were furious about dying without resolving their lingering regrets. The moment they found someone who could help them, they would cling to them desperately.
But this old man showed none of that urgency.
Granted, it had been less than a day, so there was only so much I could gather.
But how many ghosts have I seen in my life?
A split second was more than enough to size one up.
In that sense, this old man fell into a highly annoying category.
He clearly wanted something from me, yet he wasn't rushing. Instead, he was playing around, looking at me with amusement.
I had met a few ghosts like him in my past life.
And every single one of them was a lunatic.
Without exception, not a single one was normal... or rather, a normal spirit.
Just thinking about them made me shudder.
Their behavior and that distinct look in their eyes were one thing, but...
...they were also exceptionally vivid.
Among the usually translucent ghosts, there were always those who appeared exceptionally solid.
Those were the ones who behaved like this.
Every single one of them was selfish, doing whatever the hell they wanted.
I couldn't even count how many times I had been screwed over by getting dragged into their business.
Judging by my past experiences, this old man was no different. He was trouble.
And on top of that...
What kind of ghost has legs?
It was my first time seeing a ghost whose body was vivid all the way down to his feet.
Even now, it was the same.
The old man's feet were planted firmly on the ground.
As if he were a normal human.
If there was any difference...
He has no shadow.
There was no shadow beneath him.
If only I had noticed that earlier, I wouldn't have ended up in this mess.
I had made a mistake because we met at night.
If it had been daytime like now, I would never have slipped up.
But even considering that...
He is extraordinary.
This ghost was far from ordinary.
Which meant I had to be even more cautious. No matter how great of a figure he might have been in life.
The moment you try to exploit them, you end up getting swallowed whole instead.
Having seen and experienced this dozens of times, I couldn't help but be extremely careful.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I asked the old man.
"...What do you want?"
"You wanted me to notice you, so why are you disappointed now?"
Unbelievable.
"If you don't like it, forget it. I can just go back to ignoring—"
"..."
I was already exhausted.
As expected, this old man was going to be a massive pain.
"...I won't listen for long. What is your business with me?"