Chapter 25 : New Family Member (1)

“…Gross…”

It’s disgusting.

That was the first thing I said when I saw a spirit up close.

I knew it wasn’t something you should say to an injured person.

But watching the tower forcibly heal a back burned down to the bone was just too grotesque.

Yeah, that’s pretty gross.

Uh-huh.

Whoa.

W-what is this?

‘I knew residents were protected in the tower, but this is a bit…’

Well, they don’t die, so I guess it counts as protection?

Residents receive a buff effect that grants them protection inside the tower.

It’s a buff that instantly heals any wound.

But seeing it for the first time myself, I couldn’t help but feel completely unsettled.

‘…This is what that protection looks like?’

Protection that only kicks in when you’re on the brink of death.

What the hell.

That demon must have done this to the spirit.

Seeing it being healed while unable to resist and getting dragged out helplessly, I could somewhat understand why it was so desperate to escape the tower despite such a powerful buff.

‘They called it filthy.’

If even a High Devil, who couldn’t do much against other monsters, treated them like that, then the other bosses probably saw them as nothing more than toys.

As the healing process neared its end, I subtly turned my head to respect the spirit’s privacy.

The camera also adjusted the screen.

“…Don’t clip this later. I think the spirit would be embarrassed.”

Eh?

It’s too gross, the clip would probably get taken down anyway.

;;

“…Also, let’s not say it’s gross. That’s not something you say to an injured person.”

???

[Info] You were the first one to say it.

LOL.

Uh, didn’t you say it first?

“…I’ll apologize when the spirit wakes up. If they didn’t hear me, then it doesn’t matter, right?”

What kind of logic is that?

LOL.

LMAO.

It didn’t take too long for the wounded spirit to fully recover.

As I was chatting with the viewers while waiting, I suddenly heard rustling behind me.

When I turned around, I saw the now fully healed spirit struggling to stand up, wobbling.

Then, as soon as they noticed the pile of black ash next to them, they started trembling in fear.

It seemed like they hadn’t yet realized I was in the same space.

“…Are you trying to run away right now?”

Looks like it.

No! 500 coins, don’t go!

Money, don’t run away~.

LOL, ran away after taking the friendship fee.

The spirit struggled to get up a few times before finally looking down in despair, checking the Soul-Absorbing Stone bracelet on their arm.

It seemed like their mana was completely drained, and the bracelet was preventing them from recovering.

“I guess I should help.”

Time for silver!

Hehe, come here.

Wanna live with me or die!!

“I-I’m not going to kill them.”

But you killed that High Devil without hesitation, LOL.

Uh-huh, Devil, Devil~.

LOL.

Tbh, that bastard looked way too happy, it was annoying.

That High Devil deserved to die.

A scammer who couldn’t even return the stolen goods had ruined a properly acquired 500 coins.

It was only fair to take out my frustration on it.

Besides, it was an absolute evil that contributed nothing to the world.

“Trash that’s useless to the world deserves to be burned.”

Whoa.

Humans are… useful to the world…!

P-please spare me…!

Humans are useful to the worl—wait a minute…?

“Ah, no, you guys are an exception!”

So basically, humans are useless?

Not wrong.

Sigh, guess I should go die if I’m not needed.

I couldn’t even argue with that.

“Ahem. Anyway, let’s go help our new family member, shall we?”

I smoothly changed the subject and walked toward the spirit.

They sat there, staring blankly into the air with a lost expression.

I quietly sat down next to them.

“…Hello?”

“…!!”

As I cautiously greeted them, they trembled and opened their mouth slightly, but no words came out.

They looked so fragile that I couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

Just what kind of treatment had they endured?

The chat seemed to feel the same, as messages flooded in expressing concern for the spirit child.

😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢

Oh no.

Why are they shaking so much.

I think they’re trembling because of the streamer, LOL.

They look so anxious, it’s heartbreaking.

I can’t bear to watch.

Damn that devil bastard!

After glancing at the chat, I turned back to the spirit child.

They hugged themselves tightly, stealing nervous glances at me, their mouth moving soundlessly.

‘…Are they scared of me?’

If that was the case, I had to show them that I wasn’t someone to fear—that I wasn’t here to hurt them.

‘She looked troubled because she was out of mana.’

As I locked eyes with the spirit, my gaze naturally drifted to her wrist.

A bracelet, seemingly made of black gemstones, was tightly fastened around her wrist.

For a spirit, whose very existence depended on mana, this was nothing short of a cruel punishment.

‘…She might not be able to speak because she has no mana.’

I slowly reached out toward her wrist while keeping my eyes on hers.

“Just for a moment, just a really short moment.”

“…??”

The spirit child, looking confused and wanting to escape, cautiously shuffled to the side.

Seeing that, I paused my hand and pointed at the bracelet instead.

“That thing, it’s uncomfortable, right? I’ll take it off for you. I won’t hurt you.”

“…….”

It seemed fear was the correct answer.

The spirit child shook her head vigorously, choosing to endure the pain instead.

‘…That must be really painful.’

Even for an Awakened being—a Hunter—running out of mana was extremely painful.

Dizziness, nausea, and an unbearable splitting headache would follow.

And since spirits needed mana to maintain their very existence, their pain had to be far worse.

She’s way too scared.

Damn, that must hurt like hell.

She probably can’t remove it herself.

How is she supposed to take off a Soul-Absorbing Stone by herself.

Everyone in the chat was worried about the spirit child.

I was just as concerned.

“…Ugh….”

“Hey, are you okay!?”

Her face suddenly turned pale as she covered her mouth with one hand.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she ended up vomiting.

I instinctively stepped closer out of concern, but instead of focusing on the pain, she trembled violently, staring at me in fear.

If she resisted this much, I wasn’t confident I could remove the bracelet without hurting her.

Still clutching her head, she seemed to be struggling with the dizziness.

‘…Should I use a skill or something?’

That’s when an idea popped into my head.

[Would you like to use the skill: Stealth?]

I had completely forgotten—I had the Stealth skill.

If I used it, I could remove the bracelet without her noticing.

“…I think it’d be best to use Stealth to erase my presence before approaching her.”

You have such a high-level skill?

Go, go, go!

Hurry up!

She looks like she’s about to pass out!

Yeah, she’s out of it.

She probably won’t resist if you go now.

Just as the chat said, the spirit girl remained frozen, trembling with her hands gripping her head.

Yet somehow, whenever I got close, she would sense it perfectly and, despite her pain, try to flee.

“…Am I really that scary…?”

Honestly, I don’t think so. I look fine—hell, I even look good.

Why is she so terrified?

Am I really that scary? (SSS-rank monster)

Am I really that scary? (S-rank monsters get roasted alive with a single breath)

Said the boss who kidnapped and locked up Choi Hanseong for three days.

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.

Uh-oh, stop teasing or they’ll actually turn evil.

“…..”

Hearing everyone’s reactions, I started to wonder if I really was scary.

‘…If they think I’m so scary, why do they even watch my stream…?’

I felt a little hurt for a moment, but surely they kept watching because I had other qualities they liked.

With that thought, I turned my attention back to my status window.

[Would you like to use the skill: Stealth?]

I nodded, and I could feel my presence slowly fading away.

‘…Feels familiar, but much more stable.’

It was definitely better than Presence Zero, that garbage skill.

That one always left me paranoid, thinking I’d get caught at any moment, but this stealth gave me absolute confidence that I wouldn’t be detected.

“…?”

“…!!”

The spirit girl, unable to sense me anymore, glanced around before scowling and trembling again.

‘…I’ll make you comfortable soon…!!’

I carefully crept closer to her.

“…Ugh…!!”

“M-My head…!! It feels like it’s burning…!!”

For the first time, I heard the spirit’s voice.

A tiny girl, writhing in pain, whispering in a hoarse voice.

‘…It’s okay now.’

I gently tapped the Soul-Absorbing Stone to minimize the shock.

WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!

CRACK!!

“…!!”

‘That… broke a lot more dramatically than I expected.’

I had only tapped it lightly, but the stone shattered as if it had taken a massive impact, scattering beautiful, star-like mana into the air.

The spirit girl looked absolutely stunned.

The released mana naturally flowed back into her body.

As her expression finally started to ease, I quickly shattered the bracelet on her other wrist as well.

“…!!”

Another startled reaction from the spirit girl.

Then, I stepped forward, released my Stealth, and smiled at her.

“Hi there?”

I greeted her.

But instead of a reply.

“KYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAH?!”

“?!?!?!”

She let out a deafening scream.