[All results from the analysis are completely unbiased.]
"Unbiased my ass!" Deklan pointed at the system, face red like a steaming tomato. "What do you mean by ’single and ready to mingle’? How is ’A Fart’ supposed to be a rank? And I have played countless games, but I never saw one that has a stat base all the way to the Z alphabet!"
He glanced at the status again and then found one more to complain.
"And how is my intelligence stat ZZZ? Am I supposed to be autistic?!"
[Don’t insult those with real autism out there with your intelligence, host. It’s unfair to them.]
Deklan’s eye twitched in complete and utter disbelief.
Cursing the system would be the same as cursing at the air, so he dropped down to the sofa and folded his arms in annoyance.
I should’ve known that bitch would be petty enough to do this. How could she give me a half-baked system like this? I did punch her a bit... Okay, it’s a lot more than a bit, and that’s my bad, but still!
His right leg bounced restlessly, the motion growing sharper the longer he stewed in thought.
I woke up in the body of a supposedly ’young master’, but the place I’m in is the same—as a peasant’s house. Not to mention, I don’t even have a physical body. I’m a ghost, or a soul...? Either way, this is fucked. She’s messing with me for sure.
Alright, calm down. Breathe in... Breath out.
It took a minute for Deklan to calm down.
He needed to use his breathing technique to calm his boiling nerves.
Since she chose me and even made a deal with me, it’s clear she wanted something in return. I’m sure she’s not actively screwing with me.
Deklan opened his eyes and then caught sight of a dead oil lamp on the wall.
He immediately folded his arm again.
Tcheeuh... Oil lamps? This world isn’t modern, too? Sending someone like me, a human being from the 21st century, here is surely a bad idea. How am I supposed to survive without my phone? My games? My favorite shows? Oh, God, heeding nature’s call here is going to be a nightmare!
Regardless, complaining will not get him anywhere.
In order to return to his world and celebrate his birthday with Paul, he needed to get it together.
He didn’t know how strong until he could go back, but despairing at the length will only wear down his mind. Instead, he was going to focus on the moment—every successful story starts with one baby step, and he’s going to make his right now.
First of all, Deklan opened his status window again and checked his skills and traits.
...
[Iron Spine]
Rank: B
Description: Reduce Sanity loss from all sources by 50%. And when a ghost tries to scare you using a skill or its presence to afflict negative effects for the second time, the effect is either nullified or its potency is halved. You will also absorb a small amount of mana from the target Ghost.
[Dual Existence]
Rank: A
Description: Human by day, Ghost by night. Host can be both a Human and a Ghost.
[Ghost Conqueror]
Rank: ???
Description: Host can capture all Ghosts and Supernatural entities!
...
Deklan studied each one attentively.
He could understand Iron Spine easily, but Dual Existence and Ghost Conqueror are way too vague.
But he’s sure that he will feel their effects soon.
No need to rush.
Deklan approached the window and looked outside to the front yard.
Just as his memories served him, the outside was a mess—the muddy ground was littered with corpses, scars of battle could be seen everywhere, and there was a scorched spot a few steps away from the main door, like a bomb had exploded there.
Must be the reason why the previous Deklan is that afraid.
As he was inspecting outside, another ding sound echoed inside his mind.
Before him, a holographic panel appeared.
...
[Sudden Quest!]
Description: Repair the host’s physical body and merge with it again.
Reward: 1x Basic Mana Candy and 2 Spooky Dollars.
...
"Spooky Dollars...?"
[Yes.]
"You mean dollar, right?"
[Spooky Dollar.]
"Fuck kind of currency is that?!" Deklan rubbed his face exasperatedly, annoyed by this system.
He regretted not giving more details about his last wish.
Instead of a system that has a bitchy personality, he preferred a robotic one. Simple. Clean.
Might be a bit boring, but hey, he was always a fan of repetitive games.
Nothing is boring for him. He loves the grind!
Speaking of Spooky Dollars, Deklan recalled that he hadn’t checked the other menus that the system showed earlier. If he was not mistaken, there was one tab that he was curious about—the Ward tab.
He had no idea what it was, so he was curious.
Creak...
Deklan snapped his gaze to the ceiling when he heard something creak.
He unconsciously held his breath, sensing danger.
Is there someone upstairs? I’m a Ghost right now, but I can still be killed.
Unlike the Ghosts from his world that couldn’t be touched, the Ghosts in this world can be touched.
Ghosts could interact with anything in the tangible veil due to the merge in realms, but those who are tangible, humans and animals, could only touch Ghosts through the use of mana. Since the people outside looked strong and didn’t wear worn-out clothes, some, if not all of them, are Exorcists.
Deklan would be screwed if he met another Exorcist, considering his stats are garbage.
No, less than garbage. ZZZ garbage.
"Should I hide?" He thought aloud, but stopped. "Wait, I already checked earlier, and nobody answered. If it’s not human or Exorcists, then it can only be... Ghosts."
Just the thought of meeting one made Deklan shiver.
[Host, why are you scared? You’re never scared of Ghosts before.]
"Are you a moron? I’m not scared of Ghosts in my world because it’s not real there, but here..." Deklan swallowed harshly, a bead of cold sweat tracing down the side of his face. "Ghosts are real, and I’m not thrilled at the prospect of meeting one."
[Such a scaredy cat.]
"Such a female dog."
Deklan ignored the annoying system and proceeded to the staircase with caution.
He was trying to be subtle, but the wooden floor creaked with every step he made.
Nothing much about Ghosts in the memories. All he had seen were wraiths, half-bodied ghosts.
But then again, he’s not even an Exorcist, and is also shunned by his family.
Not everyone can be lucky with the family they were born into, I guess.
Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, Deklan looked up to the second floor.
It was completely dark.
Since it was night, and the oil lamps were all dead, the second floor only had the moonlight.
Even before he reached there, he already knew there would be many dark corners.
And the thought of a Ghost appearing from one made his heart pound inside.
Come on, Deklan. You’ve seen countless Ghosts in movies, so nothing should surprise you by now. All you need to do is remember the rules in a horror movie. No—Wait... the first rule is to never investigate, so I’m already breaking the rules by going up there.
...
[Sudden Quest!]
Description: Capture the host’s first ghost!
Reward: 5 Spooky Dollars and 1x Random Skill Devour Ticket.
Time Limit: 3 days.
Penalty: 1 hour of spanking.
...
Deklan cursed the system as he was about to turn around and let the Ghost leave on its own.
Now he has no choice.
He climbed the staircase.
Fuck... It’s like being in a horror movie. I can’t stand this silence and tension.
Deklan kept checking his behind as he treaded up slowly.
I hope it’s not the typical woman in a white gown ghost. That kind of ghost would be scary if it’s real.
As he was about to step on the second floor and check the corridor, Deklan stopped as he suddenly felt attracted to a direction. It was an odd sensation, like an invisible force was tugging him to the right, but he soon realized that it was his instincts.
I don’t know how, but I can feel it. The Ghost... It’s to the right.
Deklan pressed his back against the wall and paused for a moment.
Now that he’s on the second floor, he can hear noises.
It sounded like the sound of squeaking boots that characters in cartoons have, and the noises were loud.
He could hear them loud and clear.
System, you can hear my thoughts, right?
[Yes.]
How do I activate the Ghost Conqueror skill?
[I think, therefore I am! Just think of using the skill, and it’ll manifest.]
Nodding his head, Deklan focused, "Ghost Conqueror..."
Swish!
Before Deklan’s very eyes, an astral knife appeared in his hand. It looked basic, but he could feel—that it was special. Not to mention, there’s a feeling that he could control the shape of what the skill would manifest.
First, he needed to see what he was dealing with.
Deklan gulped and peeked at the other end of the corridor.
He might be scared, but there’s a point where his mind went ’fuck it’, and this was the moment.
No use dragging this out.
Initially, his heart skipped a beat when he saw something red, which was the absolute worst.
Ghosts in red are usually extremely hostile and powerful, so he was afraid that this thing was like that.
But his fear immediately dispersed when he realized what it was.
"Huh...? A pumpkin?"
On the other end of the dark corridor, near the window facing the backyard, there was a red pumpkin head with a carved face like a prop in Halloween. It moved by bouncing up and down, which created these odd squeaky noises.
If this Ghost had been back in his world, it would surely be popular with the girls.
Some lunatics would even take it in as a pet.
But what surprised Deklan was its ability to phase through walls.
Ghosts normally could do this, or at least the Ghosts in his old world, but in this world, they could also interact with inanimate objects like Humans. Meaning, the wall is still the wall for them, but this little red pumpkin head could slip in and out of rooms.
...
[Red Pumpkin Head]
Rank: 3-star Iron
Potential: B
Rarity: ★★★★ (Unique)
...
Hmm, I think a lasso is better for capturing it than a knife, right?
Once he willed it, the knife in his hand transformed into a pristine white lasso.
Since the form of the Ghost Conqueror skill—can be changed, the method of capture should be quite flexible. Deklan didn’t know for sure, but he would soon enough once he caught this ghost with the lasso.
Should be easy-peasy.
Just as he looked back at the red pumpkin head, Deklan paused.
It was now looking at him.
Shit... Did it sense the skill? But hey, what can a pumpkin head even d—
Abruptly, the pumpkin head squealed as its hollow eyes flashed bright red, blinding Dekllan.
He was startled as a gush of energy forced him to recoil back.
He expected to fall, and he did.
But when he opened his eyes, he realized he was falling extremely slowly.
"What in the world...? It can slow down time?!"