Chapter 25: Club (2)

Eyeball.

Part of the brain.

An organ that receives and processes visual information.

The retina receives an enormous amount of data.

Color.

Brightness.

Movement.

Objects.

Space.

Too much for the human optic nerve to handle.

So.

It receives light, filters it, and selects.

Gathering only what is necessary.

Compressing information.

When you consider the amount.

Only 10Mb/s.

Even that, the brain deletes, transforms, and supplements.

In the end, the world that humans see is not real.

It’s just a processed product edited by the brain.

But I am different.

I see the unedited.

The raw world without filters.

That’s why I had to hide my eyes.

The moment I open my eyes—

Information goes into overdrive.

The subtle vibrations of the air, the trajectory of dust particles.

The biochemical reactions and intracellular metabolism of living organisms.

The temperature flow of objects, the traces left on the surface, and the movement of microorganisms.

Invisible waves crossing space.

Energy spreading beyond the electromagnetic spectrum.

Even.

The status window that only I can see.

I see what others cannot.

The retina acquires hundreds of millions of pieces of information per second.

The boundary between what should be seen and what should not be seen collapses.

The brain is overloaded, and normal perception becomes impossible.

Just a few minutes.

I can’t endure more than that.

Leveling up.

And obtaining the Cheonmajiche and upper dantian has improved things a bit.

But still.

I’m practically disabled.

That’s why.

Because I can see everything, I can be sure.

In this information-filled world—

Ghosts do not exist.

But.

That belief, shattered in an instant.

In front of me.

There is.

A ghost.

“Oh, no, it can’t be…!”

I frantically waved my hands.

But it didn’t disappear.

Ghosts really exist?

The Earth’s population is about 7 billion.

The total number of people who have ever lived on Earth is roughly 100 billion to 120 billion.

If all those people became ghosts?

The small land of Korea should have been so full of ghosts that I couldn’t see anything.

Floating in the air, lying on the streets.

In the sky, underground, and on my bed, there should be ghosts.

Ghosts.

I’ve never seen one before.

There were none!

“You…. Are you really a ghost?!”

[I am a spirit.]

I moved my lips.

And blinked my eyes.

Looking again.

It looks more adorable than I thought.

Round, big eyes.

A small nose.

Round cheeks.

Small hands with a moist aura.

A silhouette that flows smoothly like the flow of water.

The form was blurry and transparent.

But its presence was firm.

“…A spirit?”

What’s that?

It’s a concept I don’t know yet.

I instinctively opened my eyes wider.

Deeper.

More meticulously, to see.

At that moment.

Our distance suddenly became intimate.

I met the spirit’s eyes.

Deep, clear, and pure.

A gaze like the center of the endless universe.

[Interesting eyes. You can see me.]

The spirit said.

And—

It politely clasped its small hands and asked.

[Help me.]

Schools always have ghost stories.

The academy is no different.

It’s not the usual trivial stories like the statue of Yi Sun-sin shedding tears of blood at midnight.

Or the skeleton in the science lab walking around.

The legendary book that no one can read.

But.

There’s a ghost story that if you read it, you will surely die.

The existence of the book has been rumored for a long time.

Some said it was hidden somewhere in the old library.

A professor said he tried to find the book when he was young.

Someone said a friend of a friend saw it.

A senior said it had already been burned.

The rumors were vague.

There were many who spoke, but no one who had seen it.

Ghost stories are like that.

Truth and lies are mixed, and fact and fiction become blurred.

As time passes, the story changes.

In the end, you don’t even know if it’s real or not.

‘The Book of the Dead.’

Does that book really exist?

Or is it just an urban legend?

Kouma Haruki.

She quietly sighed.

The winter light seemed to shimmer faintly.

White and fine white hair that seemed to contain the dawn light.

Slender wrists, pale skin, quiet and slow movements.

A frail girl who seemed like she could collapse with a single gust of wind.

But—

In those eyes, there was a power that could see through something.

Spirit Eyes .

Haruki was different from others from birth.

Even before awakening.

Things that ordinary people can’t see.

The flow of spirits, the trajectory of souls , the movement of invisible things.

She saw those things.

She was strong in the occult.

‘The Japanese academy is also excellent.’

But Korea’s status was higher.

A superpower that even hunter superpowers acknowledge.

The world’s best hunters, the best technology, the best academics.

And— the best academy.

There were many concerns in Japan as well.

Opposition to sending talented people overseas.

Especially the high-ranking officials of the Hunter Association reacted most strongly.

“The shrine maiden loved by the spirits is going to Korea?”

“Why is she going to Korea?”

“Our academy is also excellent enough!”

“The association spared no support! The best education, the best facilities, we gave her everything!”

The highest level of hunter education system, national support, and systematic training program.

Japan also had many talents recognized worldwide.

But, the choice of Korea was something that couldn’t be refused.

‘Because I have to find that book.’

She flipped the page with her fingertips.

The faint smell of ink that remained tickled her nose.

After a long period of contemplation, she looked up again.

Her eyes were tired from reading books all day.

‘This isn’t it either.’

An empty library.

Endless rows of bookshelves.

Such a vast space.

How long will it take to find the book?

This place, which was once full of people, was now just a closed space.

The books were lying around covered in dust, having lost their owners.

“Is it really in the academy?”

Unidentified Paranormal Phenomena Research Society.

A mere occult club.

A trivial gathering that talks about finding ghosts.

There’s only one reason for joining this place.

Perhaps.

The probability that it’s in a place like this.

It’s no use being disappointed.

The truth.

Might be hidden in the most ridiculous place.

“Okay, I’ll look for it. Wait. I’m working hard.”

The moment she was about to pick up the book again, comforting the pestering spirit—

A small shadow flickered in her vision.

Like a child.

An underdeveloped body.

A slender physique, even down to the fingers.

A graceful quality was evident in her movements.

The superiority accumulated over generations, engraved in the blood.

The unique dignity of a chaebol family.

Loran Esperance.

Like herself.

One of the geniuses who entered the academy.

‘The fourth-generation chaebol of the prestigious European Esperance family.’

The family itself is a brand.

The history of the Esperance family began in 18th-century European aristocratic society.

The dignity and craftsmanship valued by the royal family and nobility.

The family built a reputation by producing the finest handicrafts.

That legacy became a modern luxury brand.

And now, a super-giant conglomerate that controls the global economy.

Is that the end?

No.

Rather, it soared even higher.

The Cataclysm.

The appearance of the tower and the system.

The advent of hunter society.

An era where wealth and power were newly reorganized.

The craftsmanship that existed for the nobility now moved towards the superhumans .

The hunter equipment they make is worth waiting decades for.

A position where mega-guilds, corporations, and associations watch her every move.

A being who must have learned how to spend money from birth.

A natural ease was evident in her expression.

“Oh, there was a commoner here too. I joined this kind of club because it’s annoying to hang out with low-level people.”

A comfortable position seemed to have created her words and actions.

As was the unconscious attitude that prioritized status.

‘Commoner?’

Haruki was momentarily stunned.

Well.

It’s not like her family is well off.

Anyone would be a commoner in front of a chaebol.

But—

Haruki herself.

Isn’t she also a promising hunter representing a country?

A situation where anyone could have started a fight.

But Haruki wasn’t the type to waste energy like that.

‘Is she a voluntary outsider?’

One thing was certain, she didn’t seem to have any friends.

Since there was no particular reaction.

Loran picked up a book with an indifferent expression.

The texture of the cover, the thickness of the paper, the binding method.

Just by the feel of her fingertips, she could tell that it was no ordinary object.

“It’s strange. I get a feel for things when I see a lot of luxury goods. This is a bit special.”

Only then did Haruki’s eyes widen.

Her Spirit Eyes  opened on their own.

Death was intertwined with the book.

The Book of the Dead.

The forbidden book that is said to kill anyone who reads it.

‘Why does she have that?’

Is that all?

Loran was stroking the leather binding with her fingertips and was about to turn the page with a careless attitude.

Haruki quickly stood up.

“Ah, no! If you read that, you’ll die!”

She reached out to snatch the book, but Loran lightly twisted her body to avoid it.

Her movements were leisurely and elegant, but her toes were alive.

A speed that a spirit studies major couldn’t even touch.

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

“You can’t read that! It’s really dangerous!”

Haruki’s voice became urgently sharp.

But, such warnings are always ignored.

The expression on her small face was pure curiosity.

Just like a face that found a fun toy.

Like a third-rate extra in a horror movie.

She insists on doing what she’s told not to do.

“Really? But when you say it like that, it makes me more curious.”

Haruki gritted her teeth.

Do you know why safety rules exist?

It is.

Written in blood.

It’s not for nothing that they tell you not to read it.

“Somewhere, someone must have died, been injured, or gone crazy, so that legend was created!”

“That won’t be me.”

Aww.

So frustrating.

Haruki pounded her chest.

Whether she cared or not.

Loran eventually crosses the line.

She intentionally turned the page.

Flip—

The sound of the heavy paper turning.

Instantly, the air screamed.

The dust on the floor rose all at once and scattered in all directions.

Bang—!!

The texture of the air split.

A dark blue flash exploded out.

The color of cold and heavy death.

Something breathed in the darkness that seemed to suffocate even the air.

Like the breath of the abyss, crouching and finally inhaled after a long silence.

[…Who. Reads. Me.]

The very existence resonated, creating a rift in the world.

Haruki didn’t even need to try to understand.

Instinctively, immediately, without any doubt, she knew.

—It’s dangerous.

Her hair stood on end.

The goosebumps on her skin were as sharp as blades.

A high-ranking spirit?

It’s not at that level.

Her mouth went dry.

Her tongue stiffens.

‘Is this what they call a Spirit King?’

Everything was blurry.

Even her Spirit Eyes couldn’t properly perceive the spirit.

Then?

It wouldn’t even be visible to the eyes of an ordinary person.

Loran still had a face that didn’t understand the situation.

That ignorance  produces a fatal result.

“Cover the book!!!”

But, it was already too late.

The spirit’s eyes glowed red.

Ominously, violently, terribly.