Why do people love their homes so much…?
Probably because it’s their own space.
A space that belongs only to them, not intruded upon by others.
But in Korea, the land is cramped, everyone piles up in boxes, and you’re forced to live stacked in the sky because you can’t fully claim the ground.
Noise leaks through walls, smells invade each other’s homes—people turn red in the face just trying to live.
You can’t truly heal in such tiny spaces, so people become obsessed with traveling overseas.
And of course, the smaller the space, the more likely others catch glimpses of your life.
You can’t help but live being conscious of others’ eyes.
Which is why…
“…Looks like I’ll have to go to Room 202.”
I owed her.
Wasn’t it my shoddy soundproofing and construction that let noise and ghosts invade her living space?
So yeah, I had no choice but to barge into her place.
I couldn’t just let a freshman girl—barely in her second year of college—be exposed to this insane world.
I had no idea what kind of harm a level 44 Wraith could bring her.
And if 202 suddenly leveled up, dumped all her points into Strength, and started smashing walls?
There’d be no stopping that.
That kind of power is dangerous, yeah.
“…There you are.”
Either way, I figured wraiths were weak to light.
I don’t know physics well, but since it slipped through my crappy gypsum wall, it must be something like light or sound that passes through matter.
So I prepared fire.
Back when I was a teacher, I’d confiscated a lighter from my first students.
They’d celebrated their first taste of rebellion, thinking they were grown-ups now. I was planning to act cool years later, congratulate them, and hand it back as a small gift at graduation…
Guess I don’t need to hold onto it anymore.
“Mm.”
Just in case, I strapped my phone to the free selfie stick I’d gotten with a rail pass.
If the wraith possessed the girl next door, she might end up doing something straight out of a horror story.
And to track it, I’d need the floating text my phone camera could display.
I was just about to start recording and head out when—
Another one appeared, floating in my own room.
<LV39 Ghost>
…Why the hell are there so many ghost-type monsters?
“What are you?”
[Excellent choice. We are vulnerable to heat-based attacks. With fire, you can deal sufficient damage.]
The moment it was spotted, it began talking like it had been waiting for me.
“…Why are you just handing me your weakness?”
[I will soon disappear anyway. I’ve lost my meaning.]
“Disappear? Why?”
[Because I was fuel for the Red Wizard’s Inextinguishable Flame. I don’t have much time left.]
“…You guys care that much about life?”
[The ones who become wraiths are those whose obsession with life remained strong even after death. It cannot be helped. Thank you for killing the Red Wizard.]
“…And you? Are you the same as the invaders who attacked this world?”
[Not quite. We have our own positions. At the very least, our opinions about invading this world are divided.]
“What do you mean?”
[We resent the monsters that destroyed our world. But opinions differ—should we accept the new life they promise us? Or refuse, knowing we’ll just be used as pawns?]
“Mmm.”
[I don’t want to be used. Obviously, those monsters plan to conquer humanity here, then turn you into things like us. They’re only using us as their scouts.]
So their world was truly destroyed.
Those with strong obsessions clung on as wraiths. Now here they were, deciding: possess weak humans to live again? Or resist?
[Fire cannot exist without ignition and fuel. What sustains it in our case is magic. However—]
“…?”
[If you have the right fuel, you could wield the Inextinguishable Flame.]
“…And if it doesn’t go out?”
[Just a manner of speaking…]
Knock, knock.
“…What’s this?”
BAM BAM BAM.
“Who’s there?”
“…Excuse me, are you home?”
“…Yes?”
That was the voice of the girl in 202.
Perfect timing—just when I’d been planning to storm her place to hunt the wraith.
Now she was at my door.
“…And who are you? You could’ve just rung the doorbell.”
I didn’t open the door yet.
“…Doorbell? What’s that?”
She doesn’t know what a doorbell is?
“That little button on the white box out front. Press it.”
I explained, and after a pause—
Ding dong.
“…Wait.”
Didn’t she press my doorbell the other day just fine?
“…Huh?”
And she jumped at the birdlike chime as if it was her first time hearing it.
I checked the intercom.
“….”
Horror.
The girl from 202 was holding a kitchen knife.
If she was still herself, she’d at least have hidden it behind her back to avoid being caught on camera.
Which meant—she didn’t even know the intercom existed.
“Damn it. Should’ve finished that wraith off earlier.”
So the level 44 bastard really had possessed her.
Now she stood there, knife in hand.
“…Hold on.”
I had to rethink my strategy.
If I didn’t want to wreck the place with my telephone punch, I could still push her back with gusts of force.
Maybe keep her at bay from the doorway.
This wasn’t something brute strength alone could solve. I needed strategy.
“Hey, level 39 wraith. You guys can possess humans, right?”
[Correct.]
“Then how the hell do you exorcise one? Call a priest?”
[Burn them.]
“…Even the girl?”
[Of course.]
“F***.”
[Otherwise, fulfilling the wraith’s lingering desire can set them free.]
“…Like what?”
[For me, it was hatred for the monsters—especially the Red Wizard. But since he’s gone, my resentment is fading, and I’ll soon vanish.]
“So you’re saying… negotiation might work.”
[Yes. Or, the host must overcome it themselves.]
“…And how would they do that?”
[Normally, by inflicting enough pain on the body that the wraith wants to abandon it.]
“…So you’re telling me, beat the host until the wraith runs out screaming?”
[Yes. Though… side effect: sometimes the host dies too.]
“…Right, I’ve seen that before. Those cult ‘exorcisms’ that end in death.”
[Otherwise, burning them is best. Nothing compares to the agony of fire.]
BAM BAM BAM.
“Are you going to keep me waiting forever?”
The pounding on my door grew violent.
I couldn’t just ignore her. If neighbors saw, or the landlord checked the CCTV, things would get messy.
“…Why are you here?”
“I need to talk. Open the door quickly.”
“I’m… taking a dump.”
“…Oh.”
[Sigh…]
Even a wraith seemed embarrassed at that. The pounding stopped.
I kept questioning the level 39.
“…Any other way?”
[You’re not really…?]
“Of course not. Just tell me another way, damn it.”
[As a human, I really do miss that… sigh…]
“Are you insane?”
I waved the lighter at him.
“You want me to exorcise you with fire first?”
He didn’t even flinch.
[If you’ve acquired the Inextinguishable Flame, you could light it just by thinking.]
“Doesn’t work.”
[Not for a human with no mana. But—try literally lighting your hand.]
“…What?”
[If you defeated the Red Wizard, his essence might heal you enough. Maybe.]
“Maybe, huh.”
[Depending on your skill, the Inextinguishable Flame can burn matter… or souls.]
“…Fine.”
I lit my hand.
And when I thought of using the Inextinguishable Flame—
“…Oh.”
Fire flared up from my fist. Painful, yes—but bearable.
“…Whoa.”
I stared at my flaming hand. Purple fire, licking up from my knuckles.
I wanted to throw a dramatic punch just to see it blaze—but no way I was torching my flooring, wallpaper, or bathroom door.
[See? Not so hard.]
“…So how do I use it?”
[Possession usually doesn’t cover the whole body. For giants like you, even less so. The wraith-occupied part will be visible. Burn only that spot.]
“…Makes sense.”
But still.
“…Why are you helping me so much? Aren’t you on their side?”
[Not my problem.]
“….”
Level 39 really was cynical—probably because it knew it was dying.
Meanwhile, the pounding continued.
BAM BAM BAM.
“…Are you done in there yet?”
“…Yeah.”
I finally opened the door.
She stood there, knife in hand, eyes unfocused.
This was the same girl who used to hide her bare face behind her hands to cover her forehead.
Now she was clearly possessed.
“You’re the wraith, right?”
“Yes.”
The level 44 wasn’t even hiding it.
“…So what’s your plan, showing up here with a knife?”
“I came to ask a favor.”
“…Maybe put the knife down first?”
“…Strange weapon you have there.” She eyed my phone on a selfie stick.
It really did look absurd—her with a knife, me with a smartphone.
“…What do you want?”
“…Hug me.”
“…What?”
“Hug me. A woman being held in a man’s arms—you know what that means, don’t you?”
I knew exactly what this was about.
I’d imagined it before. If the wraith was really a virgin ghost…
“…While holding a knife?”
“Oh, this?” She lifted it casually. “I’m not going to hurt you. I can see that you’re stronger than me. Why would I fight you?”
“…Then why bring it?”
She pressed the blade to her own throat.
“Because if you refuse… I’ll just kill this body.”