"What a pain… ever since my spiritual perception awakened, I've been able to see these ugly, annoying ghosts," Reik muttered irritably, trying to ignore the grotesque spirit floating beside him.
Ignoring the ghosts that emitted a dark, oppressive aura throughout the streets, he continued walking toward his house.
But no matter how much he tried to ignore them, they kept drawing closer, whispering:
"Can you see me…?"
'Tch… these ghosts are deformed, grotesque… completely different from the ones I used to deal with alongside the old man,' Reik thought with annoyance.
If his master hadn't mentioned their existence before, Reik would have believed he had reincarnated into yet another world filled with a new breed of horrifying spirits.
Fortunately, his master had already told him about them, so when he first started seeing them, he wasn't too shocked.
According to him, unlike female spirits—who could be detected with enhanced senses—these malicious entities could only be perceived through true spiritual perception.
"What a hassle… the old man barely explained anything. Said they weren't important since they only attack if you can see them. But damn, they're annoying… thankfully, the girls can deal with them," Reik muttered.
It wasn't that he feared them.
They were simply… troublesome.
"He also said it's normally impossible to gain spiritual perception. You're either born with it, or you're not. Meditation and training only sharpen your senses… nothing more."
'Damn it… I bet he just didn't care because they aren't beautiful female spirits,' Reik complained inwardly.
Still, he quickly calmed down.
As strange as his master was… he usually had a point. It made sense that he didn't bother going into detail about something outside his specialty.
Normally, that would've been the end of it.
But unfortunately…
For some unknown reason, a few weeks ago—right after his first intimate encounter with Miko Yotsuya—everything changed.
Before, he could only vaguely sense a few low-level spirits. Sometimes he even fought them. That was how he met Miko in the first place… and saved her.
But now…
He could see far too many of them.
And they were everywhere.
'Now that I have the same kind of spiritual perception as Miko, I have to deal with these damn things every day… and all I can do is pretend they don't exist,' he thought with irritation.
Aside from imbuing his fists with mana, he had no effective way of dealing with them.
After all, his beloved master had only taught them two "techniques."
Containment Barrier—a technique that created a magical field capable of immobilizing malicious spirits within its range.
And Purification—a method that used his own essence as a medium to seal and purify female ghosts.
"...What the hell am I supposed to do? Purify them by sleeping with them?" Reik muttered dryly.
The problem was simple.
Every single one of these malicious spirits was hideous—twisted monsters that radiated a foul, dark aura.
"Damn that perverted teacher… he should've taught me something actually useful."
"At least the girls can deal with them… the only problem is when I'm outside," he sighed.
He had gone out to train, since staying at home and doing "cardio exercises" with the girls was no longer enough.
Clearly… coming out alone had been a bad idea.
"Well… the only useful thing that old man taught me was that dual cultivation technique for exorcists."
A method that used female spirits to increase his mana.
The only requirement?
An absurd amount of Yang energy.
According to Master Kongou, in the entire world—aside from the technique's creator—Reik was the only one capable of practicing it.
"I'm pretty sure that technique is the reason I suddenly gained the ability to see these things after sleeping with Miko."
Before, he could handle a few weak ones.
Now?
There were too many.
And worse… they noticed him.
'I like fighting strong opponents… maybe it's because of Pickle's body. But I'm not stupid enough to fight a swarm of these things. If I attack one, the rest will realize I can see them… and they'll all come at me.'
He clicked his tongue.
"Too bad the technique was meant only for female spirits… no idea what happens if it's used on humans," he muttered.
Then he sighed.
"Whatever. The girls will take care of these things once I get home."
When Reik arrived at his residence, he immediately sensed two presences.
Two beautiful women stood waiting for him.
The moment they noticed him, both bowed slightly. Their eyes reflected respect… and something deeper. Something closer to obsession.
Though they appeared human, they were, in truth, powerful female spirits.
And the man before them?
He was not only a human.
He was a powerful exorcist.
More importantly—
He was their master.
Mary-san stepped forward first. With a gentle smile, she lowered her head slightly.
"Welcome back, Reik-sama."
Beside her, Hasshaku-sama said nothing. She simply stared at him, her gaze calm… yet filled with a subtle hunger.
Reik didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he looked at both of them with a faint smile.
Mary-san had the appearance of a beautiful young girl, a little over 1.4 meters tall, with long white hair that reached her waist and light blue eyes.
Hasshaku-sama, on the other hand, was a towering beauty—over 2.4 meters tall—with long black hair, a wide-brimmed hat, and a flowing white dress. She stood barefoot, her presence both elegant and unsettling.
Both were female spirits born from urban legends.
Normally, their strength depended on the fear of their targets.
In the past, subduing each of them had not been easy.
But now…
Seeing their obedient and respectful expressions…
"Where are the others?" Reik asked, stepping closer and pulling both of them into his arms.
"My lord, they are patrolling the surroundings, driving away those unpleasant spirits that bother Reik-sama," Mary-san replied with a playful smile.
'I see… no wonder I didn't run into many of them near the house. The girls have already cleaned up the area,' Reik thought.
Just as he was about to respond—
A sudden sound echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Chat Group successfully established!"