Focus all firepower onto a single point.
The method I had come up with was just one.
*Create a path for the attack.*
I imbued the hydrogen explosion with directionality.
Having already experienced real combat at the Black Demon Oga’s villa once before, I decided to put it into action immediately.
At that moment, I received my friends’ help.
*Thanks to the kids, it’s easier to aim.*
Lisa opened a subspace with her Gift, and my friends launched attacks through it to keep the First Spirit in check.
Yeon Haneul and Min Arin obscured the First Spirit’s vision, while Cha Eunsol and Cha Eunseo drew its attention.
Gang Hanbyeol and Nam Yuri bound its feet.
In the meantime, I was able to finish my preparations.
Unleashing the Wall Lightning imbued in the Guncheon Sword, I looked up at the stream of water drawn across the night sky.
The stream of water that Cha Eunsol had created beforehand led straight to the center of the First Spirit’s abdomen.
The point where the vessel was located.
Having perceived it with my eyes, I—
*Magic originates from concrete imagination, and the best way to solidify concrete imagination is to give it a name. The same goes for swordsmanship. So, Patriarch….*
—slashed my sword down along the water track.
The Wall Lightning exploded.
*I’ll get permission in advance. I’ll have this incorporated into the Suwang style as well!*
Lion Flash Path.
The Wall Lightning, completely liberated from the Guncheon Sword, carved a streak of light across the night sky along the water track.
A ferociously roaring blue flash charged without hesitation toward the exact point I had aimed at.
Soon, it pierced through the First Spirit.
Bbbeeeelllloooowwwww!!!
The First Spirit roared.
A scream seemingly filled with pain spread across the night sky.
But the sound of the blue flash exploding was far louder.
In the end, the First Spirit’s scream was quickly buried.
Meanwhile, the streak of light that had torn through flesh and dug deep finally….
*Reached.*
Not only did it devour the vessel, but it passed straight through the First Spirit and out the other side.
When the blue flash finally subsided, a tunnel had been bored through the First Spirit, revealing what lay beyond.
The vessel was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed to have been annihilated, caught in the explosion.
As if to prove it.
Beeeellloooowwwww….
The First Spirit, no longer able to support its body, toppled to the side.
Trees collapsed in its wake, and a cloud of dust rose up.
*It’s disappearing.*
The First Spirit was growing transparent.
Particles of mana fluttered around it.
It was vanishing because it had lost the strength to maintain its existence.
No—it was returning to nature, freed from the shackles of Sunghwan Chaga.
Only then did it seem to come to its senses.
Ah….
The First Spirit’s eyes turned white, and its pupils gradually rose.
Killing intent was no longer felt.
Realizing that the battle had truly ended, we quickly went to the First Spirit.
“Are you coming to your senses now? Are you alright?”
Cha Eunsol, sitting beside the First Spirit’s head, asked with a worried tone.
The First Spirit seemed to remember her.
*Eunsol, is it…. You’ve changed much since I last saw you. Have you been well all this time?*
A gender-neutral voice resonated in my head.
It was a telepathic message sent by the First Spirit.
Cha Eunsol responded with a simple, “Yeah.”
“I’ve been well. I enrolled in the Academy and made friends who share my heart. I came with them and Eunseo to rescue you. I’m sorry for using you as we pleased all this time. I’ll apologize on behalf of the clan.”
*I… see….*
“You may punish us if you wish. You have every right to do so. If it’s a sin, I’ll accept it willingly.”
*…No, that is not necessary.*
*I cannot say there is no resentment toward you. When my mind was gone, I wanted to destroy you. But knowing there are still spirits who like you, my thoughts changed. I have no intention of punishing you all. However….*
“You mean you won’t let those responsible for making you this way go free.”
The telepathic message delivered in a gentle tone contained unwavering resolve.
As if affirming Cha Eunsol’s guess, the First Spirit slowly closed its eyes.
It seemed as though it was trying to sleep.
*I have been manifested for too long. For the time being, I wish to return to nature and rest deeply….*
“Yeah, do that. Rest easy.”
*And then afterward….*
“….”
*I wish to enjoy my regained freedom and look upon this changed world….*
“Yeah. I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
*Is it not? Then… lastly, I express my gratitude to you all. Thank you.*
With that final telepathic message, the First Spirit completely vanished.
Our eyes took in the particles of mana riding the wind.
Soon, a message appeared.
[You have earned the favor of the spirits by liberating the First Spirit.]
[The spirits, including the First Spirit, shall not forget this grace.]
[You have acquired a skill.]
[Spirit Affinity (All Attributes) Lv 1]
In the game, this was a reward message given to characters who contributed to clearing the episode.
Cha Eunsol was excluded.
Because she already possessed Spirit Affinity, and since she had appeared as the episode’s boss, she hadn’t contributed to clearing it.
*A tidy profit.*
Spirit Affinity (All Attributes) Lv 1.
Characters who obtained this reward could learn some skills of the spirit arts line.
It meant obtaining means to change their combat style or to assist in battle.
In my, Yeon Haneul’s, and Min Arin’s cases, we might be able to link it with elemental magic.
It would also help the others in various ways.
*Anyway, is this the end?*
The objective had been achieved.
The remaining task was to return to Academy City as quietly as possible so our tracks wouldn’t be discovered.
I called my friends together to descend from Seonsan.
It was then that I sensed something amiss.
Crackle!
*…Huh?*
My evasion instinct suddenly triggered.
Feeling a chill run down my spine, I slowly turned around, following my Gift’s appeal.
“Who are you?”
“….”
Months ago.
The same red eye I had seen at the Black Demon Oga’s villa was staring at us.
* * *
“I saw everything.”
“….”
A single red eye, surrounded by black energy, floating alone in the empty air.
The moment we met its gaze, we couldn’t move.
We were overwhelmed by its presence.
*What in the world… is that?*
It was ominous.
We must not approach it.
Sensing danger without needing to rely on my evasion instinct, I faced the red eye with tension.
At the same time, I stretched my arm to the side, warning my friends behind me not to act rashly.
It was then that I heard a telepathic message.
“So it was you.”
“Ugh….”
Unlike the First Spirit’s telepathy, it was filled with unpleasant static.
I grimaced at the throbbing sensation in my head.
The other friends probably felt no different.
Groans came from behind.
Be that as it may.
“You did not exist before the end.”
*What is it saying over and over?*
The red eye paid no heed and continued sending telepathic messages.
Completely incomprehensible thoughts kept churning through our heads.
There was no way we could respond in such a situation.
….
Only then did the red eye seem to realize there was a communication problem.
Gradually, a comprehensible language began to mix into the telepathy.
“So… it… was… you.”
“….”
“You… did… it.”
A voice modified to sound like a machine, neither male nor female.
My headache eased slightly, and I chewed over the sound ringing in my head.
*What does it mean we did? Could it be… talking about defeating the First Spirit?*
A memory of what had happened in the shrine suddenly flashed through my mind.
Just moments ago, when the First Spirit had transformed into a deer in the Sunghwan Chaga shrine.
Back then, a black lightning bolt had suddenly crashed through the ceiling, bestowing power upon the First Spirit.
The moment my thoughts reached that point.
*That eye might have been involved.*
I couldn’t help but suspect a connection.
Meanwhile, the red eye rolled and stared at each one of us.
“Who… are… you?”
Finally, the red eye’s gaze fixed on me.
“Who… are… you?”
“….”
For some reason, I felt as though I shouldn’t speak.
My friends seemed to feel the same.
Then the red eye….
Slowly.
As if losing interest, it gradually closed its eyelid.
Once the eye was fully closed, the red eye vanished without a trace.
The suffocating pressure disappeared like a lie.
Only then could we relax and let out a sigh.
“What in the world… was that?”
“….”
Gang Hanbyeol voiced the question.
I don’t know.
We all shook our heads.
*Just like with the Oh Junsu incident, it might be related to the game’s destruction somehow….*
No matter how much I thought about it, it was no use.
It was a problem with no clear answer.
However, I couldn’t shake the premonition that I would encounter the red eye again and again in the future.
* * *
“Did you hear the news?”
“Ah, that?”
The day the First Spirit was liberated, the secret of Sunghwan Chaga was revealed to the world.
The news spread in an instant through those who had contracts with spirits.
It was physically impossible for Sunghwan Chaga to suppress it.
Moreover, there was undeniable evidence: the main house half-destroyed by spirits’ attacks, as if signaling the clan’s downfall, and the spirit tree of Seonsan uprooted.
“I heard spirits were pure, so I thought spiritists were pure too, but I guess not. Turns out they’re greedy humans just like us? After preaching about non-possession like that….”
“Non-possession? Did anyone actually believe that? If they’d truly practiced it, would they have built a clan? And what do you mean ‘us’? Watch your mouth. Are they the same as us? Their greed far exceeded ours….”
“They confined the First Spirit to Seonsan for over 200 years and exploited its blessings…. They’re completely different from us. And they call themselves human? Even villains would be kinder than them!”
“To think those bastards saved the world—truly disappointing. The world’s going to the dogs.”
“Spirits are like friends? They must have meant to say slaves!”
Sunghwan Chaga had to face the world’s condemnation with no room for excuses.
No one defended them.
In such a situation, internal conflict was inevitable within the clan.
“….”
The members who realized Sunghwan Chaga’s secret reacted in various ways.
Some defended it as an unavoidable sacrifice for the clan’s glory.
Some fell into depression from guilt toward the spirits.
Some became disillusioned with the clan and decided to leave entirely.
Yet, they all commonly harbored a certain question.
*Who brought shame to the clan?*
*Who revealed the truth?*
*Who orchestrated this?*
Just who was the one who liberated the First Spirit?
The clan’s people reasoned.
There was only one person they suspected: Cha Eunsol.
*Wasn’t it her?*
*It’s most likely Eunsol.*
*Is this Cha Eunsol’s doing?*
The shrine on Seonsan where the First Spirit had been confined.
Not many people knew the way there.
Only the Patriarch, his loyal confidants, and Cha Eunsol.
At this point, if you excluded those with no motive to liberate the First Spirit, she was the only one left.
“….”
The Patriarch of Sunghwan Chaga, Yeonggun Cha Taein.
No matter how this situation ended, he would have to step down from the position of Patriarch—and he had reached the same thought.
As it happened, Cha Eunsol had come to Chungju from Academy City to perform the Seonsan Rite.
Though the Seonsan Rite had been canceled, she was currently staying here under the clan’s summons.
So he called for her.
And immediately asked.
“Was this your doing?”
“….”
The clan’s 200 years of glory had collapsed under his generation.
Cha Taein couldn’t help but be furious.
Normally one to hide his emotions, he revealed his displeasure.
Cha Eunsol answered with a calm face, without a trace of fear.
“Yes, I did it.”
“….”
“I did it alone.”
If Sunghwan Chaga set its mind to it, the truth would come out anyway.
So Cha Eunsol decided to admit it obediently without hiding anything.
If she revealed herself as the culprit, there would be no investigation, and her friends wouldn’t be implicated.
She also calculated that even if Cha Taein’s anger was fierce, she wouldn’t be in mortal danger.
“Why… in the world… did you do such a thing?”
“Because the First Spirit was pitiful.”
In fact, Cha Taein ground his teeth and created an oppressive atmosphere, but did not harm her directly.
The world was watching Sunghwan Chaga.
In such a situation, he had to be as careful as possible.
He must not touch Cha Eunsol.
There was only one punishment he could hand down.
“From this moment, I expel you from the clan. I will inform you of the reason later. Now get out of my sight.”
Just as Cha Eunsol had expected.
Suppressing a satisfied smile, she opened her mouth as if dejected.
“Okay.”
“….”
“I’ve been in your care all this time. Thank you. I’ll get going now.”
While Cha Taein glared.
Cha Eunsol bowed her head in greeting and immediately turned around.
Her steps as she left the Patriarch’s office were infinitely light and cheerful.
I became the childhood friend of a mid-boss.