The Game Difficulty
Is Crazy
A ‘Wraith’ is not a monster.
It is a being born when a powerful obsession settles into the corpse of a dead person—something closer to an NPC than a monster.
However, if you deal with it, it gives an enormous reward.
A so-called “generous” existence.
So, how do you deal with a wraith?
There are two main methods.
First.
A high priest with seven or more Holy Rings releases holy power in front of the wraith.
If that happens, no matter how strong the obsession is, the wraith will be erased on the spot.
But Glen is only a 1-Star.
He cannot use this method.
So Glen planned to use the second method.
And that second method was—
Exorcism.
If the first method removes a wraith using pure holy power, exorcism borrows the name of the god to weaken the wraith and then physically defeat it.
However, unlike the first method, the second carries great danger.
If the wraith’s obsession is weak, it is fine.
But if the obsession is strong, the wraith will resist the exorcism and try to kill the priest performing the ritual.
From the monastery’s perspective, there is no reason to risk a priest’s life.
Because of that, exorcism naturally fell out of use and disappeared.
‘But it’s different for players.’
While playing the original game, you could receive exorcism quests once or twice.
And when you cleared them, you gained growth-related rewards.
‘I even had a playthrough where I went around clearing only exorcism quests.’
That was how cost-effective and popular these quests were.
But aside from that, the difficulty of exorcism quests was extremely high.
You had to consider the ritual materials, the order of the chants, the strength of the evil spirit, and on top of that, fight the wraith that charged at you in the later stage of the ritual.
‘In the community, it was famous as the “Player Grinder” quest.’
Of course, that was only true for beginners.
Seong Yohan had played Gray Eden for five full years, doing all kinds of bizarre playstyles.
To him, an exorcism quest was nothing more than a bonus event.
Step. Step.
A chilling air brushed against his skin.
Unlike the prayer room or the upstairs hallway, there was not a single source of light here.
The only light was the candle Glen was holding.
Beyond that, everything was pitch-black darkness.
Even so, Glen calmly walked forward.
After a while, a rusted iron door appeared.
“This atmosphere is really brutal.”
What he had seen on a monitor and the world spread before his own eyes—
Now that the virtual had become reality, the fear was on a completely different level.
If it were not for Seong Yohan’s strong nerves, an ordinary person would not even be able to move their feet.
‘There’s a wraith beyond this door.’
Glen grabbed the doorknob.
A cold chill ran from his fingertips through his entire body.
His spine went cold for no reason.
Krrrk—!
A creepy sound came from inside the room.
It was like a warning.
That if he entered, he would not come out unharmed.
Even Glen, who had strong courage, felt cold sweat run down his neck.
But he did not hesitate any longer.
“You think that’ll scare me?”
He pushed the iron door with all his strength.
And stepped into the room where the wraith was sealed.
Sssss—
Cold air wrapped around his entire body.
The basement was filled with unknown mist.
“This is insane……”
In the original game, it was just one short line:
《Evil energy fills the space.》
But now, Glen was feeling that single sentence with his eyes, skin, and ears.
Krrrk—!
Another sound echoed.
Following the chilling noise of nails scratching the floor, he turned his gaze.
And there—
“Seeeek……”
A rotting corpse leaned against the wall.
If not for the faint green glow in its sunken eyes, it would have looked like an ordinary corpse.
There was no way curses wouldn’t come out.
“Damn, look at that face……”
Even at Glen’s muttering, the thing only stared blankly into empty space.
“Let’s finish this quickly. I don’t want to stay long.”
Nothing good comes from staying here.
Glen took a deep breath, opened his bag, and laid the ritual materials on the floor.
The wraith rolled its eyes and glanced at him, but he didn’t care.
‘It only goes wild in the later stage of the exorcism.’
First, Glen took white chalk and drew a circle on the floor.
Then he drew concentric circles inside it and wrote verses from the holy scripture.
After that, he poured holy water from the prayer room into the center.
This alone took over thirty minutes.
Glen’s forehead was soaked with sweat, but he could not wipe it.
If the symbols or letters were disturbed even a little, the chance of failure increased.
“Hoo.”
Wiping his forehead, Glen continued writing the next verses.
After about an hour, the preparations for the exorcism were complete.
“Seeeek, seee……”
The wraith strained its twisted neck, which should not have been able to make sound, and stared at Glen.
It sounded like a warning not to go any further.
“What are you staring at me like that for? I came here to do this.”
Whether it understood or not, Glen answered coldly and fixed several candles on the floor.
Then he lit them.
When the last candle was lit, the atmosphere became quite convincing.
Next, he took out the Girmo Grass from his bag and burned it in the candle flame.
Crackle, crackle—
The grass burned, releasing pale smoke.
Girmo Grass is a plant that drives away evil.
The smoke it produces weakens evil spirits.
‘Preparations are complete.’
Glen took a short deep breath and slowly fixed his gaze on the wraith.
Then he immediately recited the chant that signaled the start of the exorcism.
“There is light and sun here.”
Glen’s voice echoed through the basement.
At the same time, the symbols drawn on the floor began to emit a pure white light.
And at that moment—
Krrrk—!!
The wraith reacted to the chant, twisting its head violently.
Even while watching that grotesque sight, Glen calmly continued.
“The light stands before you.”
“Kiiieeeek!”
A torn, hoarse scream.
The faint green glow in its eyes suddenly blazed intensely.
At the same time, unbearable pain surged through Glen’s body.
“In the name of the sun, I command—!”
Glen stopped mid-chant.
Unable to endure the pain, he dropped to his knees.
“Khak!”
He coughed up blood.
“D-damn it!”
The wraith’s resistance had begun in earnest.
Of course, Glen had expected this.
But the pain, like his insides were being twisted apart, far exceeded his expectations.
‘I thought I could endure it.’
The game and reality were clearly different.
In the game, it was just three lines:
《The wraith resists the ritual.》
《Your mind is shaken.》
《HP and Holy Power decrease.》
And the pain he was feeling now—
They could not be compared.
It was pain beyond imagination.
“Kiheh, hehehehe.”
As if mocking Glen’s suffering, the wraith rattled its throat.
“Laughing… damn it……!”
With bloodshot eyes, Glen forced himself back up.
“In the name of the sun, I command you.”
“Ki—kieeek! Kiiieeek!”
This time, the wraith writhed its rotten body, screaming in pain.
Seeing that, Glen smiled bitterly.
“If you think I’m going to lose, you’re dead wrong, you wraith bastard……”
Again and again, Glen endured the resistance and continued the chant.
As the ritual progressed, the wraith’s resistance grew fiercer.
How much time passed?
“Haa… huff……”
Standing in the sticky blood he had vomited, Glen steadied himself.
Two verses left.
