Chapter 2

**The Spirit King Elquines [Revised Edition] The Spirit King Elquines - Chapter 2 (2/608)**

**Chapter 2**

Feeling bewildered and frustrated, I took a deep breath. Everything was so different from when I died. When I became a spirit, there was no one around me. Moreover, I wasn't in a daze, unaware of my surroundings like that boy. Something was definitely wrong, and it was seriously wrong.

After that, I spent some time lurking in the hospital, watching people as they passed away. I wanted to make sure I hadn't seen things wrong. I also hoped that someone might be in the same situation as me.

However, as if to prove that it was just my wishful thinking, whenever death approached, the Grim Reapers would invariably appear to collect the souls. The timing of their appearances was always perfectly consistent, without a single deviation.

The longer I observed, the more anxious and uneasy I became. I wondered if I could just keep hiding like this.

At first, I thought the Grim Reapers might have deliberately ignored me. Maybe, as my father always said, I was an unlucky and cursed person, and even the afterlife didn't want me.

But no matter how I thought about it, that didn't make sense. What had I done to deserve this? If I had a sin, it was only that I lived a quiet and ordinary life. Even if I had a problem, wouldn't they take me to the afterlife first and then punish me or send me to hell?

After much deliberation, I reached a conclusion. If I couldn't understand the reason, I would go and ask directly.

Staying here wouldn't change anything. I had to confront the issue head-on. It hurt my pride to take the initiative, but this wasn't the time to be picky. If I didn't, I might be left alone forever. If it was a mistake, I could go to the afterlife now. If it was intentional, I would beg and plead to be taken.

'Maybe they'll take me out of pity.'

Just then, a patient in the emergency room showed signs of his soul leaving. The medical staff were trying to save him, but it was clear he would soon pass away.

As expected, he died shortly after. I stood near the soul that had separated from the body, waiting calmly for the Grim Reaper to appear.

*Whoosh.*

"…They're here!"

Once again, the light appeared so vividly, and I felt a mix of relief and bitterness. Two men slowly walked out of the dimly glowing space. I had seen them so often that they now felt familiar.

They stood on either side of the soul, filling out the documents they held. They hadn't noticed my presence yet. Then, one of them, who was reporting, looked up and stiffened when he saw me. The other, who seemed to be his superior, looked puzzled.

"Alright, so the movement of this soul is… Huh? Why do you look like that, Hares?"

"P, Preunis sir. That boy…"

"Boy? What are you talking about… Oh!"

The man called Preunis also gasped when he saw me. I felt a bit relieved. Their reaction suggested they hadn't intentionally left me out. They stared at me in disbelief for a while, and when I gave an awkward smile, they finally regained their composure and started to fumble.

"What's going on, Hares? Why is this soul wandering around without a guide?"

"T, that's… It shouldn't be possible. There was no such boy among the souls whose fates were fulfilled today, Preunis sir."

"What? There wasn't?"

"Of course not. I died more than a week ago."

I watched them panic and then decided to be honest. I told them I had died more than ten days ago and had been waiting for someone to take me, but no one had come, so I came to find them. However, they looked at me with even more disbelief.

"You died ten days ago, and no guide came?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Really? You expect us to believe that?"

"Excuse me?"

"What you're saying is impossible, boy. When a soul's fate is fulfilled, the resonance is automatically transmitted to our guides. It's impossible for the guides to have missed your resonance for ten days."

"But I'm clearly here, right?"

"That's why I'm saying it's strange… Wait, how about you? Why don't I sense the resonance of a dead person from you?"

"Excuse me?"

Caught off guard by the question, I could only repeat it. Preunis scanned me with a probing gaze and muttered.

"Now that I look, it's really true. A soul without any resonance of death. This is unbelievable…"

"That's not all, Preunis sir!"

At that moment, Hares hurriedly interjected and showed something. It was a thin leather bundle in a transparent case, filled with writing, likely part of a report.

"I just checked the past records, and on April 26th, the day this boy died, there is no record of a boy named 'Kang Jihoon.'"

"What? No record, even though the soul is right here? Even if it was a temporary out-of-body experience, there should be a record, right?"

"Yes, that's right. But as you can see, there is nothing. Moreover, look at this."

I could tell the situation was getting strange. Hares unfolded another bundle of papers he had. Preunis frowned when he saw it.

"Is this the Book of Life? Why are you showing this now…?"

"I checked just in case, and not only is there no death record, but there is no record of this boy's birth either. It means he doesn't exist in this world."

"What, what are you saying?"

At that moment, I froze. Hares looked at me with a confused expression and said,

"In short, he is a boy without a fate."

* * *

The place that appeared before me was a grand hall with ivory columns scattered throughout. It was as wide as a school playground, and everything from the floor to the flowers adorning the columns, the stained glass windows, and the curtains hanging above them was pure white, making the already bright space even more dazzling. Even the trees planted in front of the terrace were white.

I stood alone in this space, which seemed to have a thorough will to contain nothing but white. I wanted to sit down, but there were no chairs or tables. It didn't even feel like a place meant for anyone to use. To pass the time, I recalled the events leading up to my arrival here.

"A boy without a fate."

According to the guide Hares, I had not been given life. Every human is recorded in the Book of Life and conceived in their mother's womb, but I had not gone through this process. In their view, I was a being that had never been born.

Then, what about everything I've experienced so far?

Although my life wasn't entirely smooth, I had clear memories of the past and a bright future ahead of me if I hadn't died. It was hard to accept that I had never been born, even though I vividly remembered my life.

Preunis also looked unconvinced.

"I can't believe it. Is it even possible for a being not recorded in the Book of Life to be born?"

"I find that hard to believe too, but the evidence before us is clear."

"Indeed…"

He sighed repeatedly, at a loss for words. After a while, he ran his hand through his hair and spoke.

"This isn't something we can resolve. We need to consult higher authority."

"Then…?"

"There's no choice. We'll