"……."A creeping, oppressive emotion seemed to swallow Mu-ryeong whole. It slithered up from his ankles, coiling around his calves, climbing past his waist, and wrapping around the nape of his neck. The suffocating weight of sorrow surged, darkening his spiritual energy like ink spreading through water.His hands clenched into tight fists. An exorcist’s abilities were deeply tied to their emotional state—fear and despair only heightened the danger. The more shaken he was, the greater the risk.Right now, his emotions were manifesting in the air around him, the surrounding energy growing thick with an ominous chill.Slowly, Mu-ryeong lifted his heavy eyelids. Beyond his murky vision, a deep, consuming darkness loomed. His normally sharp, bright eyes were now dull and unfocused. He blinked once, twice, and as he did, his shadow wavered, twisting unnaturally."……."It felt as if cold needles were scraping against his skin. Despite the suffocating heat of summer, the air around him was frigid enough to raise goosebumps. The sensation was undeniably unnatural—this was not the energy of the living. A thick, malevolent aura pressed down on his body like a crushing weight.From the writhing shadows, something began to emerge.A skeletal hand pressed against the ground, blood dripping from its fingertips. Slowly, a body slithered forward, dragging itself from the darkness.A vengeful spirit.Its long, tangled hair obscured its face, but its eyes—ghastly red sclera rolling wildly—were unmistakable. Its body, coated in a tar-like black sludge, moved in a way that sent a sickening chill through the air. A soul corrupted by rage and agony.The very soul of the younger brother Hwan-young had once wished to rest in peace."……."The ghost’s pupil-less eyes twisted grotesquely. Its head jerked at an unnatural angle, teetering as though about to snap. With a sickening crack, its cervical vertebrae protruded unnaturally, strands of disheveled hair spilling onto the ground like tangled roots.Mu-ryeong reached out, his hand enveloped in Hwan-young’s energy.He moved slowly—carefully—so as not to startle the vengeful spirit. His every movement was measured, calculated. He had to act before it could react, before it realized what was happening.This moment was crucial. Hwan-hee’s fate hinged on what happened next.A blend of tension and lingering sorrow gnawed at him. The oppressive energy prickled against his skin like a thousand burning needles, but Mu-ryeong’s grip remained steady as he seized the ghost’s wrist."……Got you."Their gazes met—or at least, it felt that way.The spirit froze.Mu-ryeong poured his energy into his grip, holding firm as he braced himself for the inevitable struggle.A distorted wail rang through the air. The vengeful spirit recoiled, its free hand raking against Mu-ryeong’s forearm. Long, jagged nails dug into his flesh, drawing beads of blood.But Mu-ryeong didn’t flinch. He took a step forward, securing his hold with both hands.Amidst the suffocating pressure, a quiet voice called out a name."Ki Hwan-hee."A sharp pause.The vengeful spirit went still.The swirling malevolent energy abruptly settled, growing heavy like an ocean before a storm.Mu-ryeong’s fingers tightened as he summoned his energy, a faint, knowing smile curving his lips.It was time to let Hwan-hee rest.***Hwan-young sat on the edge of his desk, staring blankly out the window at the full moon.The luminous orb seemed unnaturally large tonight, its brightness almost painful to look at. Against the dark sky, it hung like a glowing circle of light painted onto black canvas.[Brother.]If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the voice again.But lately, it had been fading.He had to struggle to recall it now, the delicate, gentle tone no longer whispering to him as naturally as it once did. It was a voice he could never forget—one he refused to forget—yet the fear of "forgetting" had lost its sting."…Stay still, will you?"With a sigh, Hwan-young turned away, shifting his gaze toward the goblin Mu-ryeong had left behind.The tiny creature had been showing off, shifting into different animals in a bid for attention. But now, it flitted erratically through the air, its flickering form making it seem less like a mischievous trickster and more like a brat throwing a tantrum.It was demanding payment."You’ve already eaten five."Mu-ryeong had only given him ten ten-won coins. Hwan-young had fed half of them to the goblin, unsure if they could even get "sick" from overeating. But caution dictated restraint, and so he’d decided to hold onto the rest.The goblin, however, was unimpressed with his logic.The fiery creature pressed insistently against his face, only to be pushed away by Hwan-young’s energy-cloaked hand."Tell your master to hurry up and come back."The goblin merely spun in place, pretending not to hear him. Hwan-young didn’t bother to press the issue. After all, there was only one person in this world capable of communicating with such creatures—Kim Mu-ryeong.[When is he coming back?]It had only been ten minutes since Mu-ryeong left. Not a long time, but long enough for boredom to set in.Maybe that was why he’d left the goblin behind—to keep him company.If so, it was a wasted effort. Hwan-young had no interest in playing along.[Even this brief moment feels empty.]Kim Mu-ryeong spent countless nights alone at school.Hwan-young, on the other hand, could barely stand a few minutes without him.How did Mu-ryeong pass the time during those long, solitary hours?"What does Kim Mu-ryeong do when he’s alone?"The goblin drifted closer, its faceless form somehow conveying an eerie sense of eye contact.Then, without a word, it spun lazily in the air."…He just exists?"Somehow, Hwan-young understood what it was saying.The way its form wavered up and down—it almost felt like a nod."Must be boring."The goblin didn’t disagree.If anything, it seemed to deflate slightly, hovering lower as if sulking.Something about its demeanor was strangely pitiful. Hwan-young found himself saying something he hadn’t intended to."Still, I guess having you around makes it a little better."At once, the goblin shot upward, flames flaring with enthusiasm.It was almost ridiculous how much pride it took in that simple acknowledgment.Hwan-young chuckled—only to be interrupted by a thunderous crash.Thud!The entire school trembled.His expression darkened.Another impact.Thud!"…What the hell was that?"This translation is the intellectual property of .Hwan-young shot up from his desk. He strode toward the window, flung it open, and leaned out, scanning the school grounds below.The moment he lifted his gaze, he saw something unbelievable.“What the hell…?”The rooftop fence was tilting outward.It hadn’t been installed that long ago, and there was no reason for it to collapse like that. His eyes widened in alarm, and then—Thud!Another impact.For the briefest second, Hwan-young saw it clearly.Someone had slammed against the unstable fence.And in that moment, he felt it—an unmistakable presence, sharp and chilling enough to make his skin crawl.“...Kim Mu-ryeong.”He breathed the name like a curse. His vision darkened momentarily, forcing him to grip the window frame for balance. In his ringing ears, he could almost hear Mu-ryeong’s voice.[I just have something to take care of. I’ll be back soon.]“Hah…”A bitter curse slipped through his clenched teeth.Frustration surged through him—anger at himself for not realizing sooner. How had he not considered this? On a night like this, on such an important day, what could Kim Mu-ryeong possibly have to handle alone?[We can’t afford to be separated, so wait here no matter what. Got it?]“……”Hwan-young’s expression hardened.He bolted for the classroom’s back door, shoving it open with urgency.Mu-ryeong was doing something reckless.The moment that realization hit, an unbearable sense of urgency gripped him.But just as his fingers wrapped around the doorknob—Click.Something stopped him.The door was locked.Tightly.***[…This is bad.]A sharp gust swept past Mu-ryeong’s cheek.It wasn’t the night air—it was an energy, thick and frigid enough to make his legs tremble. The suffocating pressure of pure malice.[What do I do…?]His back pressed against the metal fence as he braced himself.The vengeful spirit staggered closer, leaving a trail of fresh blood where it walked.[Stronger than I expected.]His original plan had been simple: purify Hwan-hee and lead him away before Hwan-young could interfere.But he had underestimated the spirit’s strength.[If I want to do this without harming him…]If he used his full power, he could erase the spirit in an instant.But exorcism wasn’t his goal—he needed to help Hwan-hee move on.If he made a mistake, he might end up damaging the spirit’s very soul.This was tricky.“…I’m not trying to hurt you.”Mu-ryeong had already been slammed into the fence twice.If he had been an ordinary person, he would have been knocked unconscious from the first impact alone.The bolts securing the fence to the rooftop had already begun to come loose.That was how violently he had been thrown.“Hwan-hee, can you hear me?”The spirit didn’t react.Mu-ryeong had hoped that some part of it still recognized its own name, but if there had been even a flicker of recognition before, it was gone now.When it had hesitated earlier, had that been coincidence? Or had it simply been startled?[I’ll have to scare it a little first.]His shoulder throbbed.Mu-ryeong gritted his teeth and tightened his grip.At least the spirit hadn’t retreated into the shadows yet.He had prepared a talisman just in case, but he wanted to avoid using it if possible.“……”He swallowed hard, steadying his stance.Since he couldn’t get close, he needed another method to restrain it.If he could extend his spiritual energy like a thread and wrap it around the spirit’s ankles, he might be able to pin it down.That was what Mu-yeon had taught him.But once again, things didn’t go as planned.The moment he gathered his energy—The spirit lunged.Its skeletal hand shot out, clamping around Mu-ryeong’s throat.“Kh…!”Thud!His back slammed into the fence.The spirit’s sharpened aura poured over him like a tidal wave, cold and suffocating.Suspended in midair, Mu-ryeong struggled to pry the spirit’s fingers off his throat.A sickening crack echoed through the night.The grating, eerie sound of something twisting.The sharp clink of metal shifting.When his foot accidentally nudged the fence, he heard it—The sound of metal bending.[…Shit.]A horrifying realization struck him.Even if he exorcised the spirit right now—Even if he won—He wouldn’t survive this.He was falling.The rooftop fence gave way, collapsing outward.

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