NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: The Looser, Part 2
I had barely recovered from the shock of my sudden level-up to 3 when I felt a strange chill run down my spine. The hotel room, which was supposed to be warm and cozy, suddenly became eerily cold. I looked around, trying to find the source of this creepy atmosphere. And then—WHAM!
A ghost floated right through the wall, grinning like it had just won the lottery.
"Yo, buddy," the ghost said, waving a see-through hand at me. "Miss me?"
Miss him? MISS HIM? It was Coco La, the same ghost I decapitated yesterday!
"WHAT are you doing here?!" I yelled, nearly falling off the bed.
"Oh, relax," Coco said, brushing his translucent shoulders like he didn't have a care in the world. "I'm not here to haunt you. I'm here to talk business."
"Business?!" I squinted at him. "You're a ghost! What kind of business could you possibly have?"
Coco crossed his arms, looking very serious. "I'll have you know, I'm not just any ghost. I'm a secret agent of the underworld government."
"Underworld government?!" I repeated, my jaw dropping. "What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Don't believe me?" Coco smirked. "Check this out."
He flicked his wrist, and a holographic badge appeared in the air. It read: Special Agent Coco La – Underworld Intelligence Division.
"...Seriously?" I muttered.
"Very serious," Coco said. "And now that my cover is blown, I need your help."
"Help with what?" I asked, already regretting the question.
"To destroy the graveyard you just 'visited.'"
My jaw dropped again. "What?! Why would I do that?!"
"Because," Coco said dramatically, "if you don't, the cursed energy there will grow so strong that it'll start leaking into your world. Trust me, you do NOT want to deal with that mess."
"And why can't you destroy it yourself?" I asked suspiciously.
Coco floated closer, looking sheepish. "Tiny problem... I can't interfere with the physical world."
Of course. Just my luck.
---
SYSTEM INTERVENES
Before I could even argue, the System popped up with a glowing red notification:
EMERGENCY QUEST DETECTED!
> Emergency Quest: Destroy the Graveyard of Curses
Description: A supernatural threat has been identified. Due to manipulations by Agent Coco La, this quest is mandatory. Failure will result in severe penalties.
Reward: Hidden
Consequence of Failure: Deduction of ALL pocket money
"What do you mean 'manipulations'?" I asked the System, but it ignored me as usual.
"Don't look at me like that," Coco said, shrugging. "I'm doing you a favor here. Think of it as a bonding experience!"
"Bonding?! You're blackmailing me!" I shouted.
The System chimed again:
QUEST ACCEPTED. TELEPORTATION IN PROGRESS.
"Wait, WHAT—"
---
Before I could finish my sentence, the world around me blurred. The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of the creepiest graveyard I had ever seen. The air was thick with fog, the trees were twisted like claws, and the tombstones looked like they were ready to sprout legs and attack me.
"Alright, let's get this over with," I muttered, gripping the Ghost Slayer Sword tightly.
The sword hummed in my hand, glowing with a faint, eerie light.
"Don't overthink it," Coco said, floating beside me. "Just swing the sword and let it do its thing."
I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."
With one powerful swing, I slashed the air in front of me. The blade let out a high-pitched scream, and a massive wave of energy shot out, tearing through the graveyard like a bulldozer on steroids.
BOOM!
The entire graveyard exploded in a flash of light, leaving behind a smoking crater. Tombstones, trees, and cursed energy—all gone in one single, epic strike.
I stood there, stunned, staring at the destruction. "...That's it? One swing?"
"Yeah," Coco said, nodding. "The sword's kinda overpowered. Good job, though!"
---
Before I could even process what had just happened, the System popped up again:
LEVEL UP!
You have reached Level 10.
You now require 1000 Lonely Points to level up.
"What the heck?!" I shouted. "Level 10?! How did I jump seven levels?!"
"No time to complain," Coco said, grinning. "Check your new stats."
The System screen appeared, and I couldn't believe my eyes:
---
Looser States
Physical Fitness: 26/100
Intelligence/Mental: 200/350
Attack Spell: 256/500
Defense Spell: 256/500
---
I stared at the numbers, completely speechless. Then I noticed something else:
You have received 100 Looser Points. Please allocate them.
Without thinking too hard, I split them evenly between Attack and Defense.
"50-50," I said aloud. "Balance is key, right?"
---
Just as I finished adjusting my stats, the System dinged again:
HIDDEN REWARD UNLOCKED!
"Finally, a reward!" I said, feeling a flicker of excitement. But before I could see what it was, the screen disappeared.
"Wait, what?! Where's my reward?!"
Coco chuckled. "That's for you to figure out later. For now, congrats on not dying!"
And just like that, he vanished, leaving me alone in the middle of the crater.
---
I was teleported back to my hotel room at exactly 5:10 AM, still holding the glowing sword. I looked around, half-expecting the ghost to pop up again, but thankfully, he didn't.
"Well," I muttered, collapsing onto the bed. "At least I didn't lose my pocket money..."
I stared at the ceiling, wondering what kind of chaos the System had in store for me next.
Distribution of the 100 Looser Points from the Items section equally among the Loner States has started automatically:
Current Loner States:
Physical Fitness: 26/100
Intelligence/Mental: 200/350
Attack Spell: 256/500
Defense Spell: 256/500
---
Distribution:
100 points distributed equally among 4 states = 25 points each.
Updated Loner States:
Physical Fitness: 26 + 25 = 51/100
Intelligence/Mental: 200 + 25 = 225/350
Attack Spell: 256 + 25 = 281/500
Defense Spell: 256 + 25 = 281/500
---
Final Loner States:
Physical Fitness: 51/100
Intelligence/Mental: 225/350
Attack Spell: 281/500
Defense Spell: 281/500
Your stats have been updated!
As the system automatically distributed the 100 Looser Points into my stats, I stared at the floating screen, my mouth hanging open like a broken door.
"Wait, what just happened? Did you just... spend my points without asking me?!" I yelled at the system, feeling like a customer in a shady online store where my credit card was charged for something I didn't even order.
The system responded in its usual robotic tone, "Points distributed equally among your states. Efficiency achieved."
"Efficiency?!" I fumed. "Listen here, Mr. System—I'm the one who earned those points! Do you even know how hard it is to deal with creepy ghosts, exploding graveyards, and random teleportations? I deserve the right to decide where my points go! Maybe I wanted to put all 100 into Intelligence so I could outsmart you!"
The screen remained as silent as ever, its indifferent glow mocking me. I sighed dramatically, throwing my hands up.
"You know what? Fine. Physical fitness got a boost—maybe now I can walk up the stairs without wheezing. Attack and defense went up, so I'll probably survive the next death mission you throw at me. And intelligence... great, now I can overthink in even higher definition."
I pointed a finger at the screen like a scolding parent. "But next time, you better ask me first, or I swear, I'll find a way to uninstall you. Don't think I won't Google it!"
Of course, the system didn't care. It never did. And here I was, once again, at the mercy of this glorified, bossy calculator.