Leaving behind my shocked self, Koo Hui-seo staggered to his feet. Before leaving my home, he said, You must come on Sunday, okay?

I barely managed to see him off; as soon as Hui-seo left, I ran from the front door and blocked Seo Dawons way. After all, an important issue had remained.

Is there really some smell emanating from me? I asked.

You cant smell it either waywhat would change if I explained it?

Because Im bothered, of course!

I didnt know you cared that much about me. Seo Dawon slyly grabbed my shoulder and gently pushed me along. It seems he was still a little upset about what I had promised Koo Hui-seo a while ago, ignoring the Mage.

At those words, I was struck speechless. Retreating, I hit the sofa and sat right there, dazed. At that moment, Seo Dawon, casting a shadow directly above me, smiled as our eyes met. Ill make sure you dont smell after Kyung-sik-ie is summoned.

Is that possible?

Ill make it so bastards like Koo Hui-seo wont be able to smell it.

That nuance It felt as if the Mage was more upset at the fact that Koo Hui-seo could perceive my scent.

As I was about to say that wasnt the point, Seo Dawon spoke first, Reach out your palm.

Huh?

The contract.

Right now?

I was bewildered, but my body followed his order and stuck a hand out. Seo Dawon lightly pressed my palm with his finger and drew a cross, the Chinese character for 10. Exactly the shape that would have been drawn with a dagger.

Nngh

Does it hurt? It shouldnt.

Ah, it doesnt hurt Just surprised.

After all, how could the gentle touch of a finger break skin? In reality, I was flustered because, just as Seo Dawon said, nothing hurt. Looking closer, his fingertips glowed with a faint lightthat was probably a skill.

Contracts including sacrifices proceed in a slightly different way.

R-Really?

Yeah. Here, hold it tightly with both hands.

During our conversation, a new magic circle, making vibrating sounds, shined beneath the sofa I was sitting on. Seo Dawon handed me the crimson stone comprised of Koo Hui-seos compressed blood; as I did as the Mage said, the blood began to flow out of my clasped hands.

Huh?

When I grabbed the stone, I felt uneasy. It was a bit lukewarm in temperature and, furthermore, the stone seemed to pound and beat as if I was holding a heart. Surprised, my shoulders flinched; Seo Dawon gently pressed my shoulders down and whispered for me to calm down. His pulse is directly transmitted from this. Breathe deeply and take your time.

Whew Whenever I slowly exhaled, the stone subtly glowed crimson. It was as if I was holding some red light.

Seo Dawon kept his eyes trained on the light-filled stone and informed me of the correct timing. Its now. Take out the [Vengeful Ghost Essence].

Just as he said, I took out Choi Kyung-siks [Vengeful Ghost Essence] from my inventory.

As if the [Essence] was the last piece of the puzzle, the magic circles state was drastically transformed as soon as it was taken out of the inventory. Piercing my eyes, the light exploded like a bomb; as soon as the pouring light made me close my eyes, the mechanical ping of the [System Message] rang in my ear.

[Vengeful Ghost Summoning Penalty has been offset by Contaminated Blood.]

[Certain essential conditions for Vengeful Ghost Summoning have been substituted with Contaminated Blood. Summoning difficulty has been increased.]

[New methods of sacrificial summoning have been added to your unique skill.]

[Your Servant Seo Dawon has been acknowledged for his outstanding ability, devising auxiliary summoning magic circles and sacrificial summoning methods. As a reward, Servant Seo Dawons magic power has been increased by 10%]

[A new clause, Control, has been added.]

[As the servant, Seo Dawon, increases in ability, the amount of control the master, you, can exercise over Seo Dawon decreases.]

[If the masters degree of control falls below a certain threshold, then the Vengeful Ghost cannot be summoned. Please be cautious.]

[Activating memory playback of the deceased, Choi Kyung-sik.]

What?

Perhaps because the method used this time was different, new conditions were added instead of the familiar messages that denoted a memory playback. I wanted to check on those additions, but I felt like I was thrown off of a rollercoaster and soon lost consciousness.

* * *

Gasp! When I woke up from this endless nightmare of continuously falling, I was laying in some unfamiliar bedroom. The air was coldbut not exactly refreshing. Recoiling from the cold, I stood up from the bed and looked around; it was such a huge room that I could only describe it as grand.

Where am I now?

Furthermore, I felt a similar dissonance to when I had summoned Woo Ragi. That feeling was comparable to when, in Woo Ragis [Vengeful Ghost Memory], I experienced the incongruity of returning to my younger self.

I-Is anyone there?

This time around, without Seo Dawon sitting in the seat behind me, I was literally alone inside a spacious bedroom.

After I stopped shyly and awkwardly looking for people, I looked around the room; the interior was incredibly luxurious and simultaneously intimidating in its opulence. The duvet was made of orange silk, detailed with one tiger in all of its majesty; all the furniture in the room was splendidly flashy.

The painting hanging beside the bed also seemed to be some modern art At least it seemed to be modern art, but, even to an outsider like me, the aura emanating from the black and red painting was unusual.

If I slept with this above my head, Im worried Id get sleep paralysis

My eyes grew exhausted looking at the painting, so I crossed the marble floor and headed towards the door. I had a strong feeling that I had to exit this room. If my premonitions were correct and this was similar to Woo Ragis [Vengeful Ghost Memory], then I might be placed in a tough situation if the rooms owner were to enter.

Maybe Is this room Seo Dawons room back in his Red Lotus days?

As I had that thought, before I opened the door, I glanced around the bedroom again. I had remembered that, following the pattern from before, Seo Dawon appeared shortly after I woke up.

I began to think that it was plausible for this to be Seo Dawons room. Rather than some common person, this room suited a person like Seo Dawon

Though, its a bit too much

However, I felt no other presence while I was lost in contemplation.

Eventually, I cautiously opened the door and exited the bedroom. The hallway walls and floor were similar to the bedroom and lined with marble. Large and small paintings hung uniformly on the wall. And, when I finally came to the living room of this spacious house

Hnngh!

Oh my, have you woken?

Some lady was cleaning up. I was so surprised I inhaled my breath, but she simply smiled and greeted me. It was as if she knew me well.

Ive just finished cleaning now. Should I prepare breakfast for you? She said.

Ah. A-About that Flustered, I stood straight. A puzzled look overtook the ladys kind face. No maam. I continued. 1

Understood. Ill come again tomorrow morning.

Yes I was nervous because I didnt know what variables would change with my actions, and, because I didnt want to raise her suspicions, I refused her offer. After a polite parting greeting, the lady disappeared into the hallway, and I was left alone in this clean and luxurious living room.

What on earth

A lush forest and lake could be seen from the living rooms open window.

The view is good, everythings good, but Where the heck am I supposed to find Choi Kyung-sik?

Faced with a helpless situation, I suddenly suffered a headache; I grabbed my head in reaction. Suddenly, a strange dissonant feeling passed through memy own appearance, reflected in the window, was a stranger to me.

Startled, I immediately lowered my gaze and observed my hands. It was pale and beautiful, but It was clearly different from the hands I remembered.

These arent my hands? I mumbled dumbly. For a while, I couldnt come to my senses; goosebumps crawling up, I ran to any random doors and opened them.

The second door I opened contained a shower; I ran inside the bathroom and looked into the mirror. The man I saw when I looked into the mirror shocked me so much I couldnt even shout.

How did thisWhy?

The face in the mirrorthe wide eyes staring back at mesurprisingly belonged to Jung Garam.

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TL: Seo Dawons dislike of Koo Hui-seo being able to smell Lee-kyungs scent gives credence to some of the readers comments in the !

Also >.< Welcome to the next arc you guys! Chapter 200 is coming up at some point. Once again, I wanted to do a poll for whos your fave (human) character. I feel like if I put up Lackey, the skeleboi would win. This is just an advance noticethe actual poll will come later, after you meet a few more characters!

Footnotes