CHAPTER 52: NOT THAT EASY

Strictly changing the composition of his skin would be a lot easier than doing it to his entire body.

It would also boost his strength.

But sadly, it was no use.

"I can’t do it in my current state," Deklan exhaled through his mouth.

He found that though his theory might be applicable, achieving it is impossible without a Mana Vein.

The Dual Existence skill might allow him to shift between human and ghost form, but that doesn’t mean he turned into an Exorcist. Instead, he became a normal human who can contain mana inside his body—an anomaly.

Yes, his skills are stronger when he uses them while he’s in his human form.

But that’s because his body was overloaded with mana, not because he can guide the mana inside him.

And without being able to guide mana directly, using the Dual Existence skill is impossible.

"I guess in hindsight, I can only use the skills I had because of the system’s help. Only Exorcists can do what I do, and yet I’m not an Exorcist," Deklan scratched the back of his head and stood up, stretching his body. "At least not yet. Seems like finding the traits would be the top priority for now."

Before heading out, Deklan took out the Shadow Orange from his inventory.

He wanted to see what this dimensional fruit is really about.

Deklan could use it on his Albino Spear, enhancing it further, but what can a shadow property do to a weapon like that? He already used the spear as a guinea pig for the Strength Ritual, so now, he wanted to test this fruit on something else.

"Maybe my Breeze Affinity? It said I can add a shadow property to basically anything."

Once he had decided, he peeled the Shadow Orange.

"System, how do I use this to enhance my Breeze Affinity?"

[Just eat it to the very last drop, and keep the Breeze Affinity in mind.]

"Simple enough."

Deklan took a massive bite out of the Shadow Orange—not caring that fruit fanatics out there would be screaming at the sight of him eating an orange like he was eating a watermelon. He didn’t separate the segments—he skipped that part and sank his teeth in and tore out a chunk.

His face contorted at the taste.

It tasted like eating ash; not pleasant at all.

Even the water inside the orange doesn’t taste like anything; it was bland and slightly bitter.

Regardless, taste was not his aim.

In his mind, he set the target to the Breeze Affinity.

For a good minute or so, Deklan felt the energy coming from the Shadow Orange concentrated in a part of his brain. He kept taking more bites while the energy spiked further until there was nothing left. And a few seconds after he finished the orange, the energy dissipated.

"Hmm...? I don’t feel anything different."

Deklan decided to check the skill description to make sure that he was successful.

...

[Breeze Affinity]

Rank: B

Property: Shadow

Description: Grants control over gentle air currents, allowing subtle manipulation of wind for precision, balance, and movement. Focus or you’ll miss me!

...

"It’s a success, but I do not feel like anything changed," Deklan tried controlling the air current—inside his bedroom and felt exactly the same. No glaring change even with the additional property, and that’s a bummer. "Does the target have to be compatible for the shadow property to work? So, this is a waste?"

Regardless, there’s no use thinking about it.

He wouldn’t find out anything by only thinking, especially about something like this.

Instead, he should try it out.

Deklan looked down at his body and felt that the mana inside him had recovered.

Not fully, but enough to free him from the mana exhaustion state.

"Good, I should be able to use Minor Mana Potions to recover the rest," Deklan nodded.

He immediately purchased a few Minor Mana Potions from the Shop and gulped them down like a man who hadn’t drunk for days. Once he emptied the fifth vial, his mana recovered to full, and he could now resume his hunt.

As Deklan walked out and headed for the forest again, he stopped when passing the second tombstone.

It was Sasaki’s tombstone.

"Should I devour a skill from her? She’s a silver-rank Ghost, so she must have a lot of goodies," Deklan thought aloud, contemplating whether he should do that. "No, what am I saying? That’s not a good idea unless I want to die."

Exhausting mana seemed to be lethal in this world.

Deklan felt it firsthand earlier when he was sent to that eerie, dark place.

Although Sasaki certainly has strong skills, devouring one would be dangerous for him.

A silver-rank Ghost would certainly have silver-rank skills.

Skills that are beyond Deklan’s capabilities right now.

He didn’t know for sure, but there was a good chance he’d exhaust his mana in an instant if he tried to use even her weakest skill. So—rather than devouring a skill from her, he turned his attention to the other function that he was interested in—the Assimilate function.

...

[Assimilate: Sasaki]

Stage 1 (Lock): Unlocked at 60% fondness and claim the Shadowed Town.

Stage 2 (Lock): Unlocked at 100% fondness and ??? (Complete Stage 1 to see the full details)

Stage 3 (Lock): Unlock after completing the Legacy Quest. (Complete Stage 2 to see the full details)

...

"Of course..." Deklan rolled his eyes—and walked past the tombstone. "Of course, it’s not going to be easy. Who am I kidding? It’s like I’m a damn character in a story. Why can’t I get something easy once? Just once!"

In order to unlock Stage 1 assimilation with Sasaki, he needed to save the Shadowed Town.

He already completed the 60% fondness requirement, which leaves him with the latter.

[Warning!]

[Host, the Shadowed Town is under attack! If you failed to save it, Sasaki’s fondness will be locked!]

"Locked? What does that even mean?"

[It means you can never increase her fondness again, and she will hate you. At that point, it’s better for you to get rid of her and find another Ghost Resident.]

"Huh?! Fuck that. I was lucky enough to get her, and you’re telling me I’m going to be forced to let her go? Nu uh." Deklan immediately sprinted to the forest, eyes blazing with determination. "I don’t have a high enough emotional intelligence to let go of something I only had, so that’s not going to happen."

Moments later.

Deklan was hiding under a bush with his eyes closed.

On the corner of her mouth, there was a black trail that drizzled down to his chin.

Just a few seconds ago, he had already eaten the Supernatural Black Berry.

Unlike the Shadow Orange, the berry carried a strong, exquisite sweetness, and its energy reshaped something within him the moment it spread. His head twitched a few times, and when the last ripple of power settled, Deklan slowly opened his eyes again.

And the moment he did, he sucked in a cold breath in awe.

Since it was nighttime, his perception was already high, allowing him to feel the Ghosts in the area.

But now, his perception went up another level.

Deklan could feel the Ghosts almost within a mile radius around him, from the Ghosts up in the trees, the Ghosts underground, or even a group of them that had a faint presence. He could sense them all—with a terrifying clarity.

Heck, he could even feel the sizzle of mana on their skin.

"Yes, Sir. This is what I’m talking about," Deklan smirked mischievously. "Hunting them will become a lot easier now that my perception has reached the C-grade."

Naturally, Deklan wanted to help the Shadowed Town as soon as possible.

But going there right now would be suicide.

Since the other Alpha Ghost was certainly at the silver rank with many bronze-rank minions, Deklan would not be able to change the tide of the battle. He would be replacing Sasaki there, so he should at the very least become an Exorcist and reach the bronze rank.

Right now, Deklan was only in possession of two traits.

He has the Sixth Sense and Hearing.

Now, he needed to find the Sight, Smell, Taste, and Touch.

Out of those remaining four, he wanted Sight and Smell the most, as those two should be the most useful.

At this moment, the Shadowed Town and its Ghost inhabitants could probably withstand an attack from the opposing side. And if the other Alpha Ghost still hadn’t realized Sasaki had been captured, the town should be able to hold out for at least a few days.

That’s a good amount of time for him to prepare.

Regardless, it’s better for him to finish his preparations as soon as possible.

His body was screaming at him as he had already hunted earlier this morning.

But he has no other choice but to push it through.

Deklan moved.

He was running silently through the forest while his eyes were fixated on something ahead.

Specifically, something above the tree.

Having hunted in this forest for a good number of times regularly, he knew the terrain well, and he also knew most of the Ghosts in this particular part of the forest. Since he was hunting to get traits, tonight, his prey would only be bronze-rank Ghosts.

It only took a few minutes until Deklan reached his perfect position.

Peeking from behind a tree, he noted a wraith hovering at the top of the tree across from his.

Compared to normal wraiths, this one looked like a soldier in plate armor.

A bronze-rank Ghost. His first target.

Deklan summoned his Albino Spear and then turned his grip, preparing to throw it at a moment’s notice.

Just think of it like throwing a paper ball into a trash can. I’ve done it so many times before. This is nothing. I can easily hit that Ghost.

Once he calmed his nerves, as the throw must be precise as not to drag the battle, and forced him to an unnecessary battle which would leave him exhausted, Deklan pointed two fingers at the nearby bushes, and made the air current shift.

Rustle!

Hearing the rustle, the wraith looked down to the other side.

It was a perfect opportunity for Deklan to strike.

Almost immediately, Deklan came out of his hiding and infused the spearhead with Astral Strike.

He exhaled lightly from his mouth, eyes focused on the wraith, and with a deep inhale, he threw it.

Swoosh!

Feeling a sudden threat, the wraith snapped its head to the other side—but it was far too late as the spear was already an inch away from impaling its chest.

Roar!!

Even the Ghost’s tough skin has no chance of blocking the spear.

It was impaled straight through its chest and fell to the ground,

"Hah!" Deklan punched the air with overloaded excitement. "Bullseye!"

[Soldier Wraith killed: 30 Spooky Dollar obtained!]