CHAPTER 39: YOU DIED

Bam!

Marsha flinched when a thundering sound echoed from behind her.

It sounded gnarly, like something hand smashing into flesh with a sickening, thunderous crunch.

She turned to check and was greeted by a haunting sight.

Not too far away from her, the wolf headbutted Deklan from the side hard, causing the right side of his body to cave inward. His right arm was broken from the way his elbow sank in, and the blood bursting from his mouth showed that his insides were also in turmoil.

Perhaps some of his ribs broke and grazed his internal organs.

But regardless, the sight took Marsha’s breath away.

"Young master!!"

[Warning: the host is in a critical state!]

Deklan blinked his eyes when a warning notice appeared.

His eyes burned red as the blood vessels in them exploded—and impaired his vision, but the flickering warning notice sparked his senses. Through the haze, he caught the illusion of a man walking away; he was hunched so badly it made him appear weak and frail.

Paul.

It was the sight of Paul back when he first learned his wife had passed away.

And at the prospect, Deklan snapped out of his trance and glared at the wolf Ghost beside him.

Rage surged inside, and its flames dulled the pain across his body.

Swoosh!

Deklan used the Breeze Affinity to fight back the momentum from the headbutt—that should’ve hurled him away. A noticeable air current blew from the left side as he created a Glock 19, pressed his left hand against his stomach to take aim, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Even though he took aim, the bullet only grazed the wolf’s cheek, but that startled it.

Twisting his body with the help of the air current, the Glock 19 shifted into a spear.

It wasn’t a flawless spear.

Since the Ghost Conqueror skill earlier was shattered, using the same skill again—will not produce the same weapon quality. One could see clearly that the spear that was held in a reversed grip has multiple cracks and dings across its length.

But that doesn’t matter.

All Deklan needed to do was aim at the softest part.

Roar!

Deklan thrust the spear into the wolf’s left eye and pushed it deep.

A painful howl escaped its maw.

Not only that, but from the spearhead, a pulse of mana burst forth and spread across the wolf’s body.

Deklan also used the Astral Strike skill.

And in the next second, blood burst from the wolf’s eye socket, causing it to howl louder.

Before Deklan could do more, it retaliated in a frenzy.

It lunged forward, maw gaping wide to reveal rows of razor-sharp fangs, and sank them deep—into Deklan’s right arm. Blood sprayed across the ground, spattering the bushes and tree trunks in violent streaks of red, yet the fire in Deklan’s eyes refused to fade.

He was still in the fight.

Deklan cradled the wolf’s head with his entire body—his left arm wrapped tightly around its skull while his knees pinned its lower jaw in place, stopping it from tearing his right arm off. Naturally, the Ghost thrashed wildly, but no matter how violently it threw its head and twisted, Deklan held onto the tip of its snout with a desperate, unyielding grip, as if he were fused to it.

Occasionally, Deklan slammed his knee against its throat.

In this position, he couldn’t do anything but do that to somewhat harm the wolf.

But the jugular is still a weak spot, and from the way the wolf reacted, his knee was working a bit.

As he did that, his eyes caught sight of Marsha, who froze in place.

She wasn’t running—instead, she was teetering in hesitation, whether she should run or help.

"Run!" Deklan roared fiercely. "Leave now!!"

No sooner had he shouted that, the wolf stopped thrashing and suddenly lunged forward with explosive speed. The burst of momentum wrenched Deklan off balance, catching him off guard, and the moment he glanced back, his eyes widened—the wolf was charging straight toward a tree.

Deklan wanted to let go, but he couldn’t.

His right arm was still in the wolf’s mouth, and that kept him in place.

Crash!

Blood sprayed out of Deklan’s mouth as his back rammed straight into the massive tree trunk.

It was so hard that his entire body broke as the tree toppled over.

Strength was drained from him instantly, and in that exact moment, the wolf opened its maw and bit down on Deklan’s falling body. Its fangs sank deep into his chest and thighs, and brutally, the wolf tore him apart.

Splash!

[You died.]

Marsha watched in horror as Deklan’s body was chewed into two.

She stared blankly as the two pieces of Deklan fell to the dirt with a light thud that sounded loud to her.

Even after Deklan’s shout, she kept healing him in the hope that he would survive.

But he didn’t.

Swish!

A surge of power coursed through her Mana Veins.

Mana flared from her body, a greenish hue that seethed like fire.

Around her, nature pulsed in tune with her heartbeat as she averted her gaze, glaring at the wolf Ghost.

A piercing scream tore from her throat as she lifted up her hand, calling forth vines from the earth that surged upward and coiled tightly around the wolf’s body like a thousand snakes. Due to the Astral Strike skill that landed squarely, the mana inside the wolf’s body was scattered.

It was weakened, but it’s still a bronze-rank Ghost.

Roar!

Marsha recoiled back as the wolf’s eyes flared with a greenish light as it used its Minor Presence.

Reacting to the power, the Spirit Talisman she wore glowed and protected her.

But that small gap of losing focus was enough for the wolf to tear the vines with its maw and break free.

Blood drizzled down from Marsha’s mouth as she controlled the vines to wrap around the wolf’s body and crushed it, but it was already too late. Her vines were too damaged to hold the wolf back, and soon, it broke free.

Blood trickled from Marsha’s lips—as she forced the battered vines to coil around the wolf, tightening with a desperate creak. But it was already too late; the vines were too frayed, too weak to hold from all the biting the wolf Ghost did earlier when she was disoriented.

And with a violent snap, the wolf tore free to charge straight at her.

Marsha wasn’t afraid.

She was even smiling as the wolf Ghost’s muscles tensed, preparing to pounce straight at her.

"I’d rather die here with you," Marsha whispered. "Wait for me, young master..."

Splash!

Marsha snapped her gaze ahead and sucked in a cold breath.

From underneath, Deklan, who now looked astral and ghostly, drove the Albino Spear upward, piercing through the wolf’s lower jaw. The wolf Ghost froze mid-charge; a strangled whimper escaped its mouth as the spear tore through the roof of its mouth and burst out the top of its snout.

"Rrgggh!"

Deklan stood up and lifted the wolf Ghost by its snout.

"I’m not dead yet, you damn dog!" He roared.

Brutally, he twisted the spear and charged it with the Astral Strike skill.

Splash!

A violent burst of mana spread across the wolf Ghost’s body, damaging its insides.

Splash!

Then another.

Splash!

And another.

Deklan kept using the Astral Strike skill relentlessly, landing critical hits upon critical hits that sundered the wolf Ghost from its strength. He didn’t stop even when a notification from the system informed him that it had already died.

He kept going until he ran out of mana, tilted his spear to put the wolf aside, and then dropped down.

[Drifting Skeletal Wolf killed: 100 Spooky Dollar obtained!]

[You died, host...]

Seeing this, Deklan looked down at his body again and realized he was back to square one.

Just like the night he transferred to his body, his body was now astral.

Fuck... Did you have to keep this a secret? You should’ve told me!

[It’s more fun learning it like this, host. How about it? Are you relieved?]

Do you even have to ask?

Deklan breathed a sigh of relief as he now realized that he basically had two lives thanks to his skill, the Dual Existence skill. If he died, rather than dying outright, only his physical body died. He still has this one, his ghost form, which was his second life.

He assumed he would only die when both forms were killed.

Combing back his hair, Deklan looked to the side and sneered at the Drifting Skeletal Wolf’s carcass.

It was massive, at least the size of two bears and the length of two tigers.

"Had you let us go, we wouldn’t have to fight like this. Now look at you... dog. Dead."

Deklan was filled with rage, understandably so, as it was never his intention to battle the wolf, but the wolf had to be greedy and attack them when it already had a meal waiting to be devoured. Yes, Deklan was the one who threw the first strike out of fear, but that desperate attack did nothing.

Nothing but a scratch that could heal in less than a day.

But no, the Drifting Skeletal Wolf has to attack them fiercely with the intent to kill.

"In any case, I should collect the carcass for the Awakening Ritual," Deklan muttered, glancing toward where his mangled body lay. "And I’ll need to repair my physical body again. It cost 5 SD last time... but I don’t know about now. It’s going to be more expensive, I’m sure."

Deklan had gotten exponentially stronger than when he first arrived in this world.

He feared that the cost to repair his body would also increase, alongside his strength.

As long as it didn’t cost a hundred Spooky Dollars, he could live with it—anything beyond that would put him at a loss. He’d gotten too caught up in the fight earlier and completely forgot to capture the Drifting Skeletal Wolf, leaving him with nothing but the money.

Just as he stood up again, he paused when a voice called him.

"Young master...?"

It was Marsha.

Deklan turned around and smiled awkwardly at her, "I told you, didn’t I? I’m a Human and a Ghost."

Upon hearing that, tears drizzled down Marsha’s cheeks.

And without even saying anything, she ran and threw herself at Deklan, hugging him tightly as if he’d disappear the moment she let go. "You scared me, young master.... I thought you died! I was so afraid. Can you not do that again?"

Deklan could feel his chest getting wet from her tears.

"Why are you such a softie?" He laughed and rubbed her head. "I’m fine. Stop crying like a baby."

"But still..."

"I said I’m fine. Don’t worry."