I gazed up at the small officetel, pondering.

 

So, this is where Lauis... no, Louisville is.

 

Having dropped out of high school and left the facility, I was on my own. With little money, I sought the cheapest lodging I could find.

 

“I thought goshiwons* were the cheapest option.”

 

But who would have thought an officetel would be the most affordable? Just 600,000 won for a 12-month lease, including utilities, it was such a steal I immediately rushed to the real estate office and signed the contract.

 

The contract had odd clauses like ‘No cancellation even if evil spirits appear’ and ‘No contract termination once signed,’ but I didn’t care. 

 

Legally, there was nothing wrong with the contract.

 

“Probably haunted.”

 

Otherwise, why would an officetel in Seoul be this cheap?

 

But it was a non-issue for me.

 

What does it matter if I can’t see ghosts?

 

I’d rather have a powerful spirit around so I could actually experience what a ghost is.

 

And to avoid getting caught for not seeing ghosts, a cheap place was ideal.

 

People living here weren’t likely to be strong psychics.

 

Those Rich folks wouldn’t live in a place like this.

 

And so, I entered Louisville.

 

Right away, I encountered an old man.

 

“Who might you be? You don’t seem like you’re from Ilwol-Oakmoon sect.”

 

“Me? Oh, hello. I’m Yoo Hajin, just moved in today. As a struggling newcomer, I can’t offer much, but here’s a trash bag...”

 

“A trash bag?”

 

The old man looked at the trash bag with a blank expression. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea to give a bundle of trash bags to the neighbor as a gift.

 

Then, as I climbed the stairs, I heard the sound of someone kicking the door. A woman wearing a slightly oversized suit was staring at me, mumbling to herself.

 

“I’m curious about you.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I have a curious question!”

 

That woman, she seemed off, like a young person possessed by a ghost. Probably abandoned by her parents or from a poor background, unable to afford a shaman. Then, like me, dumped into a cheap officetel to fend for herself.

 

She looked neglected and pitiable. Yet, with her natural beauty, she managed to create a unique charm despite her circumstances.

 

The old man hastily advised.

 

“Ah, that girl is Nayu. Be careful with what she says. It could be dangerous without special skills. She’s a shaman of the sky itself...”

 

“Oh, I get it. A pitiable sad story.”

 

Probably abandoned because no shaman could help, or her family couldn’t afford one. Predictable.

 

“Uh, huh? You think she’s pitiable?”

 

“Yes, she is.”

 

“Nayu feels pitiful!”

 

“Did you say Nayu?” It seemed pointless to give her a regular trash bag, so I decided to offer something else. I had intended to eat this as a snack after moving in, but oh well.

 

I handed Nayu a pack of chocolates.

 

“Nayu chocolate, cho-co-late.”

 

Nayu muttered as she held the pack of chocolates.

 

“Nayu polite thank you.”

 

“No need to be so formal.”

 

“Wait, you understand what this child is saying? I’m still barely getting it.”

 

The old man asked in astonishment.

 

“Yes, somewhat. Her way of speaking is a bit odd, though.”

 

“Nayu shocked exclamation!”

 

“No need to be shocked.”

 

Having conversed with the neighbors, I arrived at my room, 302. 

 

This roughly eight-pyeong* officetel was now my castle.

 

Just as I was about to unpack...

 

“Hey, you!”

 

A spirited young girl charged at me, wagging her finger. 

 

So, she was a resident here too, maybe like a daughter to the old man I met today.

 

“Tsk, I won’t use a curse on someone like you. I’m leaving.”

 

She formed hand signs like the ninjas in Naruto. The way she did it was quite stylish, almost like a theatre actor.

 

“Principle activation. Eternal Blossom Technique!”

 

Of course, nothing happened.

 

How should I react to this?

 

“Ah, how come? Principle activation. Soul Submission Technique!”

 

She changed the hand signs and shouted something else. Again, nothing happened. I needed to show some reaction.

 

“Why, why is this... Then, Yin-Yang Reversal. Enlightenment Tower.”

 

“Argh, I’m hit.”

 

“Did, did I defeat you?”

 

I pretended to fall, acting defeated. The girl, who looked about middle school age, burst into a bright smile and jumped for joy. Seeing her so happy was actually pretty cute. This must be why people enjoy playing with kids.

 

“That’s it. The Yin-Yang Reversal worked!”

 

“Cough. Defeated, you say? Jamsuni, talking like that could bring the dead back to attack you.”

 

“What, what?”

 

Jamsuni looked at me in shock.

 

She really gets into playing, wholeheartedly.

 

“I never thought I’d be cornered like this.”

 

Suddenly, Jamsuni’s expression turned serene. Honestly, I was now quite intrigued to see what kind of performance she would put on. She made hand signs again, like a ninja.

 

“Spirit Gate Opening. Paradise...”

 

“Hold on, Sojin! Are you planning to see this through with no grudge at all?!”

 

And so, Jamsuni’s performance ended with the old man’s intervention. She huffed and turned to look at him.

 

“Don’t interfere!”

 

“Do you have some grudge against this man? Planning to unleash your arts without reason and bring chaos to the world again?”

 

“Ha, as if I had no reason. You talk of honor and justice, yet show cowardice. That’s the last thing I want to hear from you.”

 

“...”

 

Watching their exchange, it was clear.

 

They weren’t family.

 

Looking around the officetel, it seemed there were only three residents: Jamsuni, the old man, and the ‘crazy’ woman. That meant Jamsuni was also an abandoned child.

 

What a world we live in.

 

I said with a smile.

 

“Old man, don’t be too hard on her. Playing with Jamsuni was actually fun.”

 

“What? You find her attacks amusing?”

 

“Jamsuni, it seems you don’t go to school. Come hang out tomorrow. I’ll show you something fun.”

 

“What, what?”

 

The old man and Jamsuni looked bewildered.

 

And me, wondering what to have for dinner.

 

That’s how another day in Louisville passed.

 

 

Park Il, the leader of Ilwol-Oakmoon Sect and a formidable figure with the soul of the sun itself, sighed after downing tequila. 

 

In his hand was a trash bag given by Yoo Hajin.

 

“What on earth is that guy?”

 

Yoo Hajin had given him a trash bag. Park Il couldn’t help but ponder the meaning behind it.

 

“He’s definitely no ordinary man.”

 

The answer was clear. The corrupt executives of Ilwol-Oakmoon Sect. The trash bag symbolized the sect’s trash, and he, their leader, was being tasked to clean them up.

 

 

 

Among them were his own children.

 

Park Il grimaced, clutching the trash bag.

 

The bag had now completely burnt to ash.

 

It was a provocative statement.

 

Daring to instruct a father to deal with his own children. Such words were directed at him, one of the three supreme beings who had eliminated the Gwizon* spirits.

 

Despite his anger, Park Il acknowledged the man. After all, Park Il had lived his life pursuing honor and justice, growing his small flame of a soul into the sun itself.

 

“No, honestly, I’m impressed.”

 

The audacity to stand up for one’s own justice.

 

Park Il admired that courage.

 

He also had to acknowledge the man’s ability to understand Nayu’s words and effortlessly withstand the attack of a spirit.

 

Park Il decided to keep an eye on this man.

 

 

The girl who was called Jamsuni today stood under the sky, watching someone. They were assassins, ready to lay down their lives to take hers.

 

Lightly - Kim Sojin landed softly on the grass.

 

The startled assassins shouted.

 

“Prepare for battle! The witch has descended!”

 

“Everyone, swear your vows to enhance your powers!”

 

A vow, a solemn promise sworn on one’s soul. Swearing a vow could bring about restrictions like the Geas in Celtic mythology, but it also drew out greater strength. However, Kim Sojin was not so weak as to need to swear vows against such adversaries.

 

Yet, Kim Sojin waited for her enemies to complete their vows.

 

Then the battle began.

 

“Principle activation. Eternal Lotus Dew.”

 

A soul psychics in combat uses one of three methods. First, summoning strong controlled spirits to attack the opponent.

 

Eternal Lotus Dew was such a technique. It summoned the collective spirits of the lotuses she had gathered, creating an eternal lotus. The dew formed on this lotus was irresistibly sweet to the soul.

 

“Damn it. The spirit bodies are losing control!”

 

“That’s the technique of Heavenly Nectar!”

 

The spirit bodies, driven by instinct, drank the dew, and thus their souls were bound to Kim Sojin. The spirit bodies, now completely berserk, started attacking their own comrades.

 

“Damn! Why is that witch using the Nectar Technique?!”

 

It was merely a mimicry of the Nectar Technique.

 

But those men were unaware of this fact.

 

A few spirit bodies who resisted the temptation, along with spellcasters wielding the principles of close combat and martial arts, started charging at Kim Sojin.

 

Kim Sojin was just a girl.

 

It was certain she’d be weak in close combat.

 

However, Kim Sojin, unfazed, demonstrated the second method of combat for a soul psychic.

 

“Principle activation. Soul Circulation Array.”

 

The second method: attacking the opponent’s soul directly.

 

A user of soul principles wields greater control over souls closer to their own.

 

Thus, they could extract a living soul to use as their own power or take it prisoner. Those spirit psychics who attempted close combat lost their souls in the process.

 

“Good. Begin!”

 

With that command, long-range attacks started flying in. It seemed like the senior disciples or elders of the Qi practitioners had arrived. Kim Sojin smirked and muttered.

 

“Yin-Yang Reversal, Buddha’s Bell Tower.”

 

Every soul is composed of Yin and Yang spirits. However, most spirit psychics can only harness abilities belonging to the Yang essence. But a rare few monsters, who had reached the extreme, could also use abilities from the Yin essence of the soul.

 

Just as Park Il, who had the soul of the sun, used Yin-Yang Reversal to wield the moon’s power, and Nayu, a shaman resonating with the sky, could resonate with the earth, Kim Sojin, a highly adept psychic, could also reverse her own principles.

 

This was Yin-Yang Reversal.

 

And this was the third method.

 

Only the soul could hear the loud ringing of a bell, and all attacks directed at Kim Sojin were reversed. The nature of all incoming spiritual forces was inverted.

 

And those attacks rained down on the sorcerers and shamans. Hit by their own spells and techniques, they perished, their souls obliterated without even becoming wandering spirits.

 

A force capable of annihilating an entire sect.

 

That force was annihilated in less than 10 minutes.

 

Kim Sojin looked at the only survivor.

 

“Polluted Oil Technique."

 

The Polluted Oil Technique. It summons impurity and coats the body with it. Impurity is shunned by all souls, so coating oneself in it can defend against another’s spirit abilities.

 

Of course, one cannot use their own abilities until the impurity is removed. And...

 

“Coating yourself in impurity weakens the soul and diminishes power.”

 

“But I’ve survived the longest, haven’t I? It’s bearable to this extent.”

 

“That’s brave.”

 

Kim Sojin acknowledged this man. To survive, he had dared to coat himself in that fearsome impurity. 

So she muttered,

 

“Then I’ll show you my ultimate technique.”

 

Kim Sojin formed a hand sign.

 

And shouted,

 

“Spirit Gate Opening, Paradise Palace Gate.”

 

The surviving man, watching the spirit gate open behind the girl, thought there was no way to defeat her. This fight was foolish from the start.

 

Thus, the 20-minute battle ended.

 

After the battle, Kim Sojin thought,

 

“That man told me to come back tomorrow.”

 

'I’ll make sure to win tomorrow.'

 

With that resolve, Kim Sojin ascended into the sky.

 

 

[TL: Goshiwons: Goshiwons are small, affordable living spaces in South Korea, similar to tiny dorm rooms, typically used by students. They offer basic amenities and shared facilities, ideal for budget-conscious individuals.

 

Pyeong: Pyeong is a traditional Korean unit of area measurement, often used in real estate to describe the size of rooms or buildings.

 

Gwizon: Gwizon actually means noble or honoured one. It is a respectful form of address typically used in formal or official contexts. But here it is used as name for the level of the spirit.]