Yui had one goal today:
Do NOT embarrass herself.
Baek had one goal:
Keep her alive.
Mr. Lee had one goal:
Reduce paperwork.
Jae-min had one goal:
Survive.
So naturally—
Everything went wrong.
The Mission
"Location: underground parking garage," Mr. Lee read.
Yui sighed.
"Why is it always dark places?"
"Spirits gather where energy is unstable," Baek said.
"So… creepy places."
"…Yes."
Enter the Garage
Dim lights.
Echoing footsteps.
Cars that looked like they hadn't moved in years.
Yui immediately grabbed Baek's sleeve.
"I don't like this."
"You say that every time."
"Because every time I'm RIGHT."
The Target
A figure stood in the distance.
Still.
Too still.
Jae-min whispered,
"…Is it just me or is it staring at us?"
"It's definitely staring," Yui said.
The figure twitched.
Then—
Turned fully.
Black eyes.
Cracked skin.
Corrupted.
Yui groaned.
"Can I get ONE normal ghost?"
Fight Starts Fast
The spirit rushed them.
Baek blocked—
But it split into two.
Then three.
Yui blinked.
"…That's new."
Mr. Lee panicked slightly.
"Multiple fragmentation?! That's above your level!"
Yui pointed at the ghosts.
"WHY IS EVERYTHING ABOVE MY LEVEL?!"
Yui Uses Her Ability
"Yui!" Baek shouted.
"Use your ability!"
Yui swallowed.
"…Okay. Okay. I got this."
She raised her hand.
Focused.
The Soul Thread appeared.
Connected to one spirit.
"YES—okay—it's working—"
Immediate Problem
The thread pulled—
But instead of weakening the spirit…
It pulled more energy into Yui.
Her eyes widened.
"…Wait."
The other spirits rushed her.
The thread multiplied.
Now she was connected to ALL of them.
"THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN—"
Losing Control
Energy surged.
Too much.
Her vision blurred.
Voices echoed.
Not hers.
Not human.
Jae-min panicked.
"YUI?!"
Baek stepped forward.
"Let go!"
"I CAN'T—"
The threads tightened.
The spirits screamed.
Yui screamed louder.
The Breaking Point
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
The energy exploded.
A shockwave blasted through the garage.
Cars rattled.
Glass cracked.
The spirits—
Gone.
Completely erased.
Silence
Dust settled.
No movement.
No sound.
Jae-min coughed.
"…Did we win?"
Baek didn't answer.
He was looking at Yui.
Yui…
She stood there.
Still.
Breathing slowly.
Her eyes glowing faintly.
"…I feel weird."
Baek's voice was sharp.
"Yui. Release it."
"…I don't know how."
Mr. Lee whispered,
"This is bad. She absorbed too much."
Close Call
Yui staggered.
"…I can hear them."
Jae-min froze.
"…Hear who?"
"…The spirits."
Baek grabbed her shoulders.
"Focus on me."
She blinked.
The glow flickered.
Then—
Slowly—
Faded.
Yui collapsed.
Aftermath
A few minutes later—
Yui sat on the ground.
Tired.
Shaken.
"…Okay."
Pause.
"…That was not cool."
Jae-min nodded aggressively.
"YOU ALMOST EXPLODED."
"I DID EXPLODE."
Baek looked serious.
"You lost control."
Yui sighed.
"I noticed."
The Truth
Mr. Lee spoke carefully.
"Your ability is not just connecting…"
Yui looked up.
"…What do you mean?"
"It absorbs."
Silence.
Yui blinked.
"…Absorbs?"
Baek nodded.
"You don't just weaken spirits."
"You take their energy."
Jae-min whispered,
"…That's kinda scary."
Yui's Reaction
She stared at her hand.
Quiet.
"…So I'm basically a walking ghost vacuum?"
"…Yes," Baek said.
Yui sighed.
"…I hate that."
But Also…
She stood up.
Slowly.
"…But…"
Everyone looked at her.
She smirked slightly.
"…It worked."
Baek didn't argue.
Final Line
As they left the garage—
A faint whisper followed.
"Good…"
Yui froze for a second.
Then kept walking.
"…I REALLY need to stop impressing that guy."
END OF CHAPTER 25