Chapter 27 — The Ten Great Ghost Kings
“Good. The Ten Great Ghost Kings may rise now.”
Her voice was overflowing with arrogant pride and seductive charm.
She sat with her legs crossed, and her long, pale legs stretched out through the slit of her cheongsam, making the sight even more provocative.
At the woman’s command, the men and women lined up before her politely rose from their seats.
“Boss… that woman… wasn’t she the famous model who caused a huge scandal in the media last year?”
Seulgi whispered into President Lee Jo-won’s ear in a voice barely louder than a mosquito.
“Yeah… Yoo Ari……”
President Lee Jo-won had never been particularly close to her, but he had met her several times through business.
She had been arrogant and fierce, but with her strong, vicious beauty as her trademark, she had once been one of the leading figures in the modeling industry.
However, she had discovered that her boyfriend, who was also a model from the same agency, was cheating on her with another woman.
In revenge, she threw acid in his face and fled.
The man's life was saved.
But for a model, his face was practically his life.
He had once enjoyed a glamorous lifestyle, surrounded by the love and temptation of countless women.
Unable to accept his face, now covered in terrible burn scars, he repeatedly slashed it with a knife before eventually jumping from an apartment building and taking his own life.
The woman who had thrown the acid was caught by the police not long afterward.
After that, she completely disappeared from public attention.
Yet somehow, that same woman had now appeared before him as the leader of an underground organization.
“First Ghost. Is that pig really the first person receiving an audience with me today?”
President Lee Jo-won found it strange that even though they had met before, the woman showed absolutely no sign of recognizing him.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The man standing at the front bowed as he answered.
He was the leader and highest-ranked member of the Ten Great Ghost Kings.
The First Ghost, Explosive Death Ghost.
He was also one of the Five Great Explosive Ghosts, said to be among the strongest of all evil spirits.
With handsome features worthy of the male lead of a romance comic, he was a man favored by Great Strength Demon Yoo Ari.
“So what does that pig want?”
“He is asking us to half-kill a detective.”
“And what did he bring as payment?”
“The girl who came with him.”
Great Strength Demon Yoo Ari looked Seulgi up and down for a moment.
“Tenth Ghost. Take that girl to the dining room next door.”
“Yes! I shall obey Your Majesty’s command!”
The woman standing at the end of the line answered immediately.
She was just as seductive and alluring as Yoo Ari.
She was the Tenth Ghost among the Ten Great Ghost Kings, the Explosive Seduction Ghost.
“Boss… what am I supposed to do……?”
As the woman approached her, Seulgi looked ready to cry.
“Seulgi… just do whatever they tell you……”
President Lee Jo-won found it strange that they were taking Seulgi to a dining room rather than a bedroom.
But in this situation, there was nothing he could do.
The woman grabbed Seulgi by the arm and disappeared through the side of the great underground hall.
“Then… since I’ve already given you the payment, may I leave now……?”
President Lee Jo-won spoke with the most pitiful and submissive expression he could manage.
He desperately wanted to escape this place as soon as possible.
“Pig. Wait a moment.”
“What……?”
At Yoo Ari’s words, President Lee Jo-won froze like a statue after being struck by lightning.
“Eighth Ghost, implant a Desire Ghost of the Killer Ghost rank inside him. He looks like a disgusting lump of greed already, so it suits him perfectly. These days, it's difficult to find humans in this world whose spiritual energy matches the wavelength of evil spirits. This worked out nicely.”
“I shall obey Your Majesty’s command!”
The giant man who had forced President Lee Jo-won to his knees answered.
He was the Eighth Ghost among the Ten Great Ghost Kings.
The Explosive Strength Ghost.
There were even rumors that when it came to pure physical strength, not even Great Strength Demon Yoo Ari could easily overpower him.
“W-What exactly are you talking about……?”
Sweat poured down President Lee Jo-won’s face like rain as he listened to them.
The Eighth Ghost approached him.
Yoo Ari frowned.
“Do it somewhere else. I hate looking at ugly things.”
“As you command!”
Thud!
“Ghk!”
The Eighth Ghost casually struck President Lee Jo-won on the head with his fist.
Lee Jo-won immediately lost consciousness.
The Eighth Ghost easily threw him over his shoulder and walked out of the underground hall.
“First Ghost. What’s next?”
Yoo Ari asked in a bored voice.
“Next is the matter concerning the deputy leader of the Galchi Gang.”
“Ah… right. He’s the one I asked Unni to give me a Mad Ghost for, isn’t he?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
“Bring him in.”
The moment Great Strength Demon finished speaking, a man in a black suit entered while dragging another man covered in blood.
“Bring him in more cleanly. You’re getting blood all over the floor.”
Yoo Ari frowned in irritation.
The man dragging the bloody figure hurriedly removed his own jacket and spread it over the floor.
He then lifted the wounded man and placed him on top of the jacket.
“…You bastards… You did this to me and think you’ll get away with it…? Later… I’ll kill every last one of you……”
Kang Hak-hyung, deputy leader of the Galchi Gang, had once ruled Rodeo Street and was known as the Mad Butcher.
Now, he could only struggle weakly.
His face, once said to be more handsome and sexy than a model’s, was so swollen from the beating that it was almost impossible to recognize him.
“What is that thing saying?”
“There is no need for Your Majesty to concern yourself with the squirming of a worm.”
The First Ghost answered Yoo Ari politely and quietly.
“Still, I was planning to let him live because I like his face. His attitude is disappointing.”
“Then shall we just give him to the Tenth Ghost as food?”
“Stop talking nonsense and implant the Mad Ghost into him. That should correct his attitude.”
Great Strength Demon pulled a black sphere from her chest and tossed it toward the First Ghost.
“Understood!”
The First Ghost caught the black sphere and approached Kang Hak-hyung.
“You… son of a……”
Smack!
“Kgh!”
Before Kang Hak-hyung could finish speaking, the First Ghost slapped him across the face.
Apparently, being scolded by Yoo Ari because of this man had irritated him.
The First Ghost lifted the black sphere and pressed it against Kang Hak-hyung’s forehead.
The object was known as a Spirit-Sealing Black Jade.
It was a one-time-use treasure capable of containing souls and evil spirits.
It was one of the treasures of the Heavenly Realm.
When the Three Evils of the Underworld escaped from Hell, they had stolen only thirty Spirit-Sealing Black Jades in total.
The only reason Yoo Ari had wasted such a precious treasure to store a low-ranking Mad Ghost was because of her personal habit of showing special treatment toward handsome men.
The First Ghost pushed the Spirit-Sealing Black Jade into Kang Hak-hyung’s forehead.
It slid smoothly into his skull.
“Ghhhh……”
Foam gathered around Kang Hak-hyung’s mouth as he began groaning.
The Berserk Ghost trapped inside the Spirit-Sealing Black Jade had been released.
It was now devouring Kang Hak-hyung’s soul in order to seize control of his body.
“Aaaaargh……!”
Kang Hak-hyung twisted and convulsed as if electricity were surging through his body.
Then, suddenly—
All movement stopped.
He lay completely still.
A moment later, Kang Hak-hyung’s eyes snapped open.
His pupils flashed bright red before returning to their original color.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he slowly got up and dusted off his clothes.
“Kek!”
The First Ghost grabbed Kang Hak-hyung by the throat with one hand and forced him down.
Overwhelmed by the First Ghost’s immense strength, Kang Hak-hyung was forced to flatten himself against the floor like a frog while choking for breath.
“You are merely a Mad Ghost who was allowed back into this world by Her Majesty’s mercy! And yet you dare stand arrogantly before her? Shall I send you back into the Dark Cavern?!”
All members of the Ten Great Ghost Kings were Explosive Ghosts.
They stood only one rank beneath the Three Evils of the Underworld.
They were Great Strength Demon Yoo Ari’s personal guards and were among the proudest of all evil spirits.
And among them, the First Ghost, Explosive Death Ghost, especially disliked this man.
There was only one reason.
He was more handsome than him.
And Yoo Ari had shown interest in him.
“Ghhh… I apologize… Explosive Death Ghost……”
Kang Hak-hyung groaned painfully as he begged for forgiveness.
“First Ghost, that’s enough. I intend to use that one as my personal servant, so stop.”
“…As you wish.”
The Explosive Death Ghost answered with a bitter expression when he heard Yoo Ari call him her personal servant.
Great Strength Demon had personally asked the second of the Three Evils of the Underworld, Mad Slaughter Demon, to obtain this spirit.
Yet the evil spirit she received was not even an Explosive Ghost.
It was merely a lower-ranking Mad Ghost.
On top of that, she had even used one of the precious Spirit-Sealing Black Jades to possess a human body.
But the First Ghost felt absolutely no disappointment that all of that had only been done to acquire a servant.
What made him bitter was something else entirely.
He was disappointed that he had never been chosen as Great Strength Demon’s personal servant.
The First Ghost had transferred himself into the body of a highly successful male model who had once led the men's fashion industry, all so he could gain Great Strength Demon’s favor.
But Great Strength Demon had never shown the slightest interest in him.
“Berserk Ghost… No. From now on, your name is Lee Junha. Junha, I prepared a girl for you in the dining room next door. Recover your strength first. Understand?”
“Understood, Your Majesty… Thank you for your care.”
Kang Hak-hyung—
No, Junha—
bowed his head before standing up and walking toward the same place Seulgi had been taken.
That guy isn't really going to be a servant.
He's more like a toy slave.
The First Ghost knew that the name Junha belonged to the former owner of the body possessed by Great Strength Demon.
It was the name of Yoo Ari’s former lover—
the man whose face she had once attacked with acid.
The First Ghost immediately realized what was coming.
The Berserk Ghost was not going to become a servant who pleased Great Strength Demon in bed.
Instead, he would become a toy slave who would be tormented by her again and again.
Junha, eat plenty, you bastard.
You'll need your strength if you want to survive Her Majesty's torment. Kekeke.
The First Ghost laughed triumphantly in his mind.
Suddenly, Yoo Ari spoke again.
“No… I changed my mind. Leave the girl in the dining room alone. I’ll give you someone else, so restore your energy with that one instead.”
The First Ghost looked confused at Yoo Ari’s sudden change of mind.
“Your Majesty, why suddenly……?”
“Now that I think about it… that girl earlier had a strange smell. I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but something keeps bothering me.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“It was an extremely irritating smell. Just remembering it makes me angry.”
Among the Three Evils of the Underworld and their followers, Great Strength Demon Yoo Ari possessed an unusual ability.
She could distinguish the wavelengths of souls through her sense of smell.
“Then should we simply kill the bitch who offended Your Majesty?”
“No. Keep that girl alive for now. I need to investigate that smell a little more.”
Yoo Ari leaned back.
“Is there anything else, First Ghost?”
“Yes! Lastly, we received an order from Taerang. We are to capture a human named Han Mandeok from a free medical clinic called the Land of Zion.”
“Why? Isn’t that the man who has been trying to please us by bringing fourteen women as meals?”
While searching the human world for useful people she could turn into subordinates, Yoo Ari had once discovered a man with an unusual wavelength of evil.
He wore the skin of a human, but inside, he was filthier than even an evil spirit.
Yoo Ari liked him enough that she planned to implant an Explosive Ghost inside him.
But the man begged her not to do it.
He promised that he would obey absolutely anything she ordered as long as she did not put an evil spirit inside him.
Yoo Ari had found his desperation amusing.
So she ordered him to offer three young women every month as food for the evil spirits.
If he failed to keep his promise, she would immediately implant an evil spirit inside him and allow it to devour his soul.
Surprisingly, the man had skillfully delivered three women every month without fail.
Apparently, he used his position as a doctor to drug women before kidnapping them.
“That is correct. However, I do not know why Taerang ordered us to capture him. The command was simply to bring him here no matter what, and as quickly as possible.”
Yoo Ari fell silent for a moment after hearing the First Ghost’s explanation.
“That man… should still be searching for Lady Seonhwa’s whereabouts under my orders.”
Lady Seonhwa was the first official wife of the Jade Emperor—
the queen of the Heavenly Realm.
Around ten years ago, she had suddenly left the Heavenly Realm and descended into the human world.
One month earlier, Yoo Ari had smelled Lady Seonhwa’s scent on Han Mandeok.
There was little doubt that Lady Seonhwa was somewhere near him.
Every two days, Han Mandeok was required to bathe in cold water at dawn.
He was forbidden from using soap, shampoo, or anything else with a fragrance.
With his body completely free of artificial scents, he would meet the people around him, allowing their smells to stick to his body before reporting back to Yoo Ari.
“Then he should come here today.”
She gave her order without hesitation.
“Capture him the moment he arrives and hand him over to Taerang.”
“As you command!”
Yoo Ari smiled faintly.
“And once Junha finishes his meal, send him to my room.”
She paused.
“Bring the whip as well.”
“Yeees!”
The First Ghost answered excitedly.
Once Great Strength Demon Yoo Ari finished speaking, her figure vanished like smoke.
“Tenth Ghost!”
“Yes, First Ghost.”
Explosive Seduction Ghost answered.
“Of all the whips you like to use, which one causes the most pain?”
“The Wicked Bone Whip is the worst. It's coated with powder made from the scales of an Imugi, along with more than ten different deadly poisons.”
The First Ghost's smile widened.
“Excellent. Even the name is satisfying… Kekeke.”
Smiling to himself, the First Ghost happily imagined what would happen inside Yoo Ari’s bedroom that night.
