Facing the female ghost's fury, the Dreaming Nun stood firm in her righteousness. She rushed forward and embraced the ghost, shouting loudly,
"Sister, there are some things that cannot be shared. Apart from love, I'm willing to give you anything. I truly love and respect you. I never wanted to kill you—it was Arturo who acted without consulting me. Sister, I beg you, turn back. Don't commit any more sins. The sisters and brothers in the nunnery are all innocent."
The ghost's resentment and aura were terrifying, making the Dreaming Nun's actions extremely dangerous. Suddenly, she vomited, spitting out a mouthful of blood, yet she refused to let go, clinging tightly to the ghost.
After a few minutes, the ghost froze, and its aura and resentment ceased.
But then, the ghost burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! My dear senior sister, your words are sweeter than a song! You'll give me anything but love? Fine then—give me your life!"
"Very well. I don't care whether you're willing to turn back!" the Dreaming Nun declared righteously.
The ghost made good on its threat. As soon as the Dreaming Nun finished speaking, it coiled its long tongue around her neck and lifted her into the air.
The Dreaming Nun didn't struggle or resist. Instead, she managed a strained smile, gazing at the ghost calmly. If this continued, she would be strangled to death in less than a minute.
"Dreaming Nun, don't! You can't trust her—!" I yelled, nearly rushing forward in desperation. Luckily, Stein held me back—without my tattoos, I might have stumbled and fallen off the cliff.
The Dreaming Nun was far too naive. How could she believe a ghost's words? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have let her go inside. Out here, the ghost could never harm her, as it couldn't even see her.
I wanted to save her, but there was nothing I could do. I could only watch helplessly as she suffered, yet the Dreaming Nun showed no regret—still smiling.
Just when we were certain she would die, the ghost suddenly released her. The Dreaming Nun dropped to the ground with a thud.
Coughing violently, she clutched her neck while the ghost glared at her coldly.
"Get out. You self-righteous virgin, trying to use me to prove your own nobility. The more you act like this, the uglier I appear. I won't fall for it. Leave! If you don't, you'll never escape this place—you'll end up just like me, trapped here forever."
I couldn't help but laugh. Did she really need to make you look any uglier? You tore others apart out of jealousy, and this is what you deserved!
If I were the Dreaming Nun, I would have fucking disowned you as my senior sister—you vicious, stinking nun!
But the Dreaming Nun still refused to give up. Forcing herself to stand, she said,
"Elder Sister, do you remember who gave you the comb in your hand?"
The female ghost stared at the black comb in her grasp and suddenly became entranced, as if recalling something. Her expression shifted slightly.
She remained silent.
"It was from me. You said that as an inner disciple, you could never return to secular life—what use would a comb be to you?"
"But I gave it to you anyway. I told you that every woman should have a comb of her own, that one day she might have '3,000 green threads' again—how could she manage without one?"
"I said I wanted to see you with long hair, that it would be beautiful. Having hair doesn't diminish reverence for the Buddha—some nuns practice with hair. You laughed and scolded me for being double-minded and disrespectful... but you still secretly kept this comb."
"You even gave me one in return. You said that if I ever married, I should use your comb to dress my hair before the wedding—that was your blessing for my future happiness. Do you remember?"
Hearing this, the female ghost clutched her head, shaking violently.
"I don't remember! I don't remember anything! I'm a wicked woman—I've wronged you, wronged the nunnery, wronged the Buddha! I don't remember...!"
Tears streamed down her face. The hostility vanished, her long tongue retracted, and she transformed back into a gentle nun.
The red wedding gown she wore had supposedly been placed on her by Arturo after death—an attempt to make her replace the Dreaming Nun. Now, clad in monastic robes, she reverted to her true self.
"Little Boss, hey—it looks like it worked! The Good Soul has emerged!" Stein said excitedly.
Had the Good Soul surfaced? Did that mean this was over—that the elder sister had been redeemed?
Stein warned not to celebrate yet—not even close. He asked if I recalled the comb in the Dreaming Nun's hand.
Of course I remembered—it was the dead girl's comb from the supermarket.
Stein was right: simply combing the ghost's hair with it would dispel her resentment.
And once her resentment faded, the Evil Witchcraft Arturo had the Wizard cast would shatter with it.
At this moment, the Dreaming Nun knelt down, gently stroked the female ghost's face, and said, "Elder Sister, I never blamed you. Turn back—you and I still have a chance. Don't make another mistake."
"Do I... still have a chance? You forgive me?" the female ghost asked, tears welling in her eyes.
The Dreaming Nun nodded desperately. "Yes! And you must forgive me too!"
The two gazed at each other through their tears, embracing tightly for a long time before finally letting go.
"Elder Sister, let me comb your hair one last time. The dead... they all need their hair combed," the Dreaming Nun said softly.
"Yes... yes!" the female ghost wept, nodding.
With that, the ghost turned toward the mirror. The Dreaming Nun pulled out the little girl ghost's comb—the same one I recognized.
She began combing the ghost's hair, stroke by stroke. With each pass, new strands grew, until the ghost's head was covered in lush black silk. Only then did the Dreaming Nun stop.
At that moment, a wisp of red mist seeped from the ghost's head and vanished.
"That's her ghostly resentment," Stein explained. "Once it's gone, the evil spirit won't return. It's over."
"Elder Sister... I'm sorry. Goodbye. You must live well. Tell the others in the nunnery... I failed them. I was not a good abbess. The debts I owe... I'll repay them in the next life."
As the ghost finished speaking—BANG!—the mirror exploded into dust. The comb in her hand melted into thick ink, dripping onto the ground.
Meanwhile, the female ghost dissolved into black smoke that shot upward before disappearing entirely.
"The resentment is purged, and the Evil Witchcraft is broken. She's no longer a Mountain Ghost—she can reincarnate now. But after harming so many... she'll likely face suffering, or else be reborn as an animal," Stein said grimly.
Just then, a rooster's crow pierced the air. The sky... began to brighten. The mirror-like black hole started fading.
"Shit! It's dawn! Dreaming Nun, RUN—before the door closes, or you'll be trapped there forever!"