CHAPTER 38: BAD LUCK

Deklan didn’t feel confident in his abilities to deal with this supposed Ghost.

He didn’t know the reason why this Ghost stole the blue tower; if he’s lucky, the Ghost might’ve taken it for fun—and tossed it somewhere inside the inner area of the forest. But realistically speaking, it was still in possession of the blue tower, and Deklan would’ve needed to fight the Ghost for it.

And with his current strength, he doesn’t feel like he could wind.

Deklan opened his stats window to check his growth.

...

Name: Deklan Tiernan

Persona: Agna the Red Scarecrow (Active)]

Rank: 5-star Iron

——

STAT(S) [Day]

Strength: E+ → D

Agility: D- → D

Endurance: E → D-

Intelligence: D- → D+

Perception: F

Mental: C

Sanity: 80%

——

SKILL(S)

[Ghost Conqueror] [Dual Existence] [Eerie Smile] [Astral Strike]

——

TRAIT(S)

[Iron Spine] [Breeze Affinity] [Mini Ghost]

...

Even though it was still during the day, his physical stats were at D-grade on average, which was a big progress in his opinion. He’s not that weak physically during the day anymore, and at nighttime—he’d be a problem.

Not to mention, he now has the Astral Strike skill.

An offensive skill that basically guarantees a critical hit on Ghosts.

Against Ghosts, it’s better to do it during the day.

Deklan nodded his head, deciding that if he was going to the inner area of the forest, he was going to do it during the day. His physique is stronger during the night, but what he needed right now was his Ghost Conqueror skill to be stronger.

And that depends on his intelligence stat, which was elevated during the day.

My only downside during the day is my perception... I should be extra alert.

Once he finished assessing his progress, Deklan turned to Marsha.

"Marsha, I’ve never properly asked you what abilities you can use. Can you tell me?"

"Mmm... I can make fruits fresh again, heal minor wounds, and enchantment spell."

"So many? Can you do them without worrying about mana?"

"Healing took the most mana. I can do the enchantment spell about three times, and the last spell’s mana usage is not that much... I can practically use it many times."

Just as he expected, Marsha was perfect for him.

She’s caring, cute, innocent, and can even support him in battles.

It was almost like she was a God-send.

"Okay," Deklan nodded—and trotted on ahead, departing to hunt once again. "For today, our goal is to check the inner area of the forest. Not fight. If we encountered a group of Ghosts along the way, we’re going to hunt them down. But other than that, we’re going straight ahead."

"I understand, young master," Marsha kept up with him. "I’ll always be behind you."

"Oh... And take this." Deklan summoned a Spirit Talisman from the inventory and handed it to her.

Other than Rock’s Spirit Talisman, which he took, he also made sure to loot the other people who were sent to kill him that night. Each one of them has a Spirit Talisman, so he has two of them unused in his inventory.

"It’s a Spirit Talisman... In case we encountered a bronze-rank Ghost with a Minor Presence." He said.

Marsha wore the Spirit Talisman and clutched the talisman with a smile.

It was the very first gift Deklan gave to her.

"But young master, isn’t it bad luck to say something like that?"

"Akhh... Fuck, we’re going to meet a bronze-rank Ghost, aren’t we?"

"Don’t worry, young master. If we do, you’re going to beat it!"

"You’re pressuring me. Bad Marsha!"

Moments later.

Deklan and Marsha went straight towards the inner area, abandoning the paved path.

Reaching the inner area was no problem at all since all they needed to do was go straight until they met the invisible barrier once again. It was supposed to be straightforward. Step into the inner area—check the situation, and run back outside when danger appears.

But halfway through, Deklan and Marsha were forced to crouch and hide in the bushes.

"Young master, this is your fault..."

"It is not! I was only making precautions!"

Deklan clicked his tongue in displeasure as the two spotted a Ghost ahead—one that did not resemble the typical normal Ghost population of the forest. The Pale Night Lady and Pale Draggles were the few exceptions, but most of the forest’s Ghosts on the outskirts were nothing more than ordinary wraiths.

In fact, the strongest wraith that Deklan encountered was the Wraith Titan.

But this Ghost about a hundred yards away from them is not a wraith.

It’s a wolf.

Appearance-wise, the wolf is about the size of a beefy tiger, with translucent green skin—that exposes its skeletal bones. Its eyes are blazing white, sharp fangs dripping with green liquid, and muscular legs that are disproportionate to its body.

Deklan and Marsha didn’t even need to test the wolf to know that it’s a bronze-rank Ghost.

Just its aura alone was enough.

"Is it eating someone...?" Marsha whispered.

Deklan nodded, noting the fresh corpse that lay under its paw, "Yes, it’s a person—a hunter."

Based on his clothes, this person is a hunter and is certainly not from Slosa Hamlet.

Perhaps from Ingver Town.

"Let’s move back slowly and go around it," Deklan said, focusing on the task at hand.

More importantly, he didn’t want to fight this wolf as it’s radiating with dangerous air, one that he might not even be able to match. It was on an entirely different level than the Pale Night Lady. Deklan is now stronger, but he’s not that much stronger.

Slowly, Deklan and Marsha moved away.

But a step in, and the wolf already perked its ears and shifted its gaze away from its meal.

Deklan and Marsha stopped and held their breaths.

It was clear that the wolf was now focusing on its senses, and the slightest bit of sound would definitely expose their location. Even without exchanging words, the two knew that they couldn’t back away as they had planned.

Both were stuck.

Damn it. I’m afraid it’s going to see us soon. In that case... I can’t waste this opportunity.

Since escape was not an option, Deklan was left with no other choice.

Swish!

Just with a thought, Deklan manifested a spear with his Ghost Conqueror skill.

He did it carefully, but the wolf still reacted, showcasing that its senses were incredibly sharp.

Even Marsha sweated, nervous at what he was doing.

Deklan gestured for her to stay exactly where she was and moved away from her, keeping his posture hunched and low as he made his way to be directly behind the wolf. Once he was in position, he slowly stood up without making a sound.

He signaled for Marsha to run with his free hand and then placed a foot forward.

Naturally, her face showed signs of protest.

She didn’t want to leave Deklan behind, but this was not a negotiation.

Leaving silently is not possible, then I’m going to use this chance to land the first strike!

Once he was ready, he immediately used his new skill, Astral Strike.

Swoosh!

Deklan felt a surge of power welling up from deep within his core, flowing into his hand before coursing along the length of his spear. His utilization of mana alerted the wolf instantly as it snapped its snouted head toward him, locking eyes with his.

But by the time it realized Deklan was there, it was already too late.

"Chew on this!"

Boom!

Immediately after the spear left Deklan’s hand, a pulse of energy exploded.

His spear, which was empowered by the Astral Strike skill, was seething with mana, with the focus lying on the spearhead that turned entirely into the color of Deklan’s mana. It sliced through the air as easily as a bullet would, and headed straight to the wolf’s neck.

At the same time, Marsha stood up and ran the other way.

But as she ran, she pointed her hand at Deklan and cast a spell, "Sylvan Blessing!"

Marsha’s eyes glowed with a greenish hue, and a small magic circle manifested around her wrist.

On the other side, Deklan didn’t realize it yet that Marsha had already cast enhancement on him, even when a notification appeared as his eyes were focused on the spear and the wolf. And the moment the spear struck the wolf, a loud, steely sound echoed.

Clang!

"Ho-Holy fuck!" Deklan’s eyes widened when the spearhead shattered upon impact.

And all it did was tilt the wolf’s head slightly, leaving only a small cut on its neck.

Blood drizzled down the corner of his mouth.

[Notice: the Ghost Conqueror skill was shattered!]

A backlash?! I didn’t know about this!

Deklan gritted his teeth and swallowed back the blood that climbed into his throat.

Seems like there’s a backlash for having the weapon from the Ghost Conqueror skill shattered like this.

And from this alone, Deklan realized that he had no chance against that thing.

"RUN!"

Deklan roared when he saw that Marsha was slowing down.

He summoned the Albino Spear from his inventory and threw it at the wolf, buying himself a precious few seconds to make a break for it. Deklan didn’t even bother to see if the spear landed—his only focus was on running as fast as he could.

So much so that he used the Breeze Affinity to dash and increase his speed to the limit.

With each step he took, the air current ahead of him split open to make way, allowing him to move faster.

But as he was running, a notification caught his attention.

[Minor Presence: Stalking Shadow has affected the host!]

[Sanity has been decreased by 25 points.]

[Status Effect Applied: Slow.]

[Host’s agility and perceptions have been lowered!]

[Status Effect Applied: Brand.]

[Host will not suffer increased damage from any physical attack.]

Deklan read through the notices and gritted his teeth as the status effects were immediate.

In his vision, the world and his body began to move in slow motion.

And to top it off, he also felt a burning sensation deep within him that should be the brand effect.

Just as he blinked, trying to shake off the lingering effects, something slammed into him from the side—hard. In the next instant, the world was awash in crimson, his vision tunneling until all he could see was Marsha, who seemed to be screaming his name from the way her lips moved.

But Deklan couldn’t hear it.

All he could hear was the loud ringing that drowned all other sounds.

In the next heartbeat, pain surged across the right side of his body.

His bones broke, and his internal organs rattled.

And at that moment, he realized, he was hit—the wolf was already right beside him.

Blood burst out of his mouth, but in the next second, he gritted his teeth.

It managed to close the distance that fast? Fuck... I’m so unlucky.