NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50: Ghost [4]
A few minutes earlier...
"Alright, little one, I have some work. You rest for now," Kai said, stroking Vex's head.
"Meow..."
[Soul Space activated!]
A magic circle appeared beneath her, and in an instant, she vanished.
Kai closed his eyes and looked inside his Soul Space.
In the vast, endless expanse, Vex stretched lazily before curling up to sleep.
His gaze then shifted to Luna, who lay sprawled, her form glowing with an ethereal light.
Kai let out a long sigh and opened his eyes.
He then wore the lightweight armor he bought earlier, pulling a dark cloak over his shoulders and the black mask over his face.
Slowly, he approached the window and pushed it open.
His gaze swept over the quiet streets below.
The moonlight shimmered over the rooftops.
It was midnight.
Stepping out, he closed the window behind him, casting one last glance at the full moon.
Then—
He vanished.
His blurred form rushed across the rooftops, moving like a shadow, swift and silent.
A few moments later, he came to a halt, leaning against the roof of a two-story building.
Slowly, he peeked at the nearby building.
Its wooden walls were cracked and weathered, the roof tattered and barely holding together.
It looked more like a haunted house than a normal building.
His gaze flickered to the two figures standing near its gate.
He moved.
Slowly.
With a flick of his wrist, two senbons appeared in his hand.
In one fluid motion, he threw them.
The needles whizzed through the air—
And struck their targets with deadly precision.
The two figures didn't even have time to react.
Their bodies jerked as the senbons embedded into their skulls, pinning their lifeless forms against the wall.
Before their corpses could slump down, Kai vanished—
Reappearing near them.
He slipped past the door without making a sound.
Leaning against the wall, he moved forward silently.
Soon, he spotted three men clad in simple leather armor, patrolling the corridor.
He stood still.
Waiting.
The moment they turned toward his direction—
Kai moved.
In a blur, he slashed his dagger across their throats in quick succession.
Muffled groans escaped from them.
Kai quickly lowered their lifeless bodies onto the floor without a sound.
Unsheathing his dagger, Kai stepped past the fallen bodies.
Moving along the corridor, he suddenly halted—
His instincts screamed.
His head snapped toward the door on his right.
Silently, he approached and peeked through the slightly open gap.
Inside, four men clad in leather armor sat around a table, laughing and drinking ale, unaware of the danger lurking just beyond the door.
His gaze locked onto one of them—
A blonde-haired man, likely to be in his 40s.
"Mid-Intermediate Core," Kai muttered under his breath.
Slowly, he pushed the door open.
The blonde-haired man's eyes flickered toward him.
Before he could react—
Swish! Swish!
Four needles whistled through the air, striking with deadly precision.
They embedded deep into the skulls of their targets.
Thud!
Thir lifeless bodies slumped onto the table and floor.
Kai moved again.
A few minutes later...
'This concludes the last one,' Kai thought, retrieving the throwing knife from his fallen prey's chest.
He turned and began walking toward the room at the back.
'Now, only the normal humans are left.'
--
Current time...
"W-Who are you...?"
The last man's voice trembled as he stumbled backward, only to lose his balance and fall onto his backside, his eyes wide with terror.
Kai stepped forward, looming over him like a specter of death.
Then, in a cold, emotionless voice, he spoke—
"Ghost."
"W-What do you want?" the man stammered.
Kai remained silent, savoring the moment, the fear on the man's face.
Then, slowly, he spoke.
"Ledger."
The man's eyes widened.
"Dante sent me here," Kai spoke again, his voice cold.
Beads of sweat formed on the man's forehead.
"W-We don't have it."
Kai stepped forward, his presence overwhelming.
With a swift flick of his wrist, a senbon appeared in his hand.
Tch!
The sharp needle gleamed as dark green liquid slowly dripped from its tip.
"I assume you're already familiar with this."
He moved his hand closer to the man's face, the poisoned needle hovering just inches from his eye.
"Now, speak."
The color drained from the man's face as he stared at the glistening tip, a drop of poison sliding down, threatening his end won't be in instant like his companions.
"I-I'm telling the truth! We sold it to someone, but we don't know the buyer's identity. It's really the truth, I swear!"
Kai stared at him for a moment. Then, without a word, he stepped back.
The man hesitated only for a second before scrambling to his feet and bolting down the corridor.
Kai watched his fleeing figure for a moment, then vanished into the shadows.
--
"Were you able to retrieve it?" Dante asked.
Kai shook his head as he took a seat beside him. "They had already sold it."
"What about the traitors?"
"I killed them... except for one."
Dante tossed a pouch toward him.
Kai caught it and opened it, his gaze falling on the gold coins inside.
A smirk tugged at his lips before he tucked the pouch into his bracelet.
"I'll take care of the rest," Dante said, patting Kai's shoulder. "You're free—for now."
Kai nodded and left the warehouse.
"For a newbie, he was quick!"
A voice echoed from behind Dante.
"Hahaha! What did you expect from my brother's boy..."
--
Next day.
Kai wandered through the market square, hands in his pockets.
Vex perched atop his head, tail swaying lazily, having claimed Luna's usual spot.
He had changed back into his usual red tunic and brown trousers, blending into the crowd like any other passerby.
Then, something caught his attention—a small crowd gathered near the corner of the square.
Curious, he made his way over.
On the stage, he saw a few couple of men and few beasts.
'Street performers.'
A hawk swooped through a flaming ring, landing neatly on its handler's arm.
A black-furred wolf balanced on its hind legs before bowing, drawing cheers from the onlookers.
Kai's gaze drifted to the front, where a little boy and girl stood side by side, eyes wide with excitement.
They whispered to each other, pointing at the beasts.
Their expressions full of wonder.
Kai's lips curled into a small smile.
Nostalgia hit him.
He used to stand like that with Lira, watching these same performances, sharing the dreams that felt so real back then-
"Wow…" Lira whispered, gripping Kai's arm tighter. "Do you think we could have a beast like that one day?"
Kai smirked, "Obviously. Mine's gonna be even cooler."
She huffed, nudging him. "You always say that."
"That's because it's true," he shot back, "I'll get the strongest, fastest beast ever. One that nobody can mess with."
Lira giggled. "Then mine will be smarter than yours! It'll know all kinds of tricks."
Kai rolled his eyes but grinned. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see."
For a brief moment, the bustling market faded away, replaced by the time when they had nothing but each other and the fantasies they used to dream about every day.
[<Aww... Our grown-up boy getting sentimental over his unreachable lover?>]
The hovering blue panel pulled him out of his thoughts.
[<Why are you silent?>]
A vein throbbed on his forehead.
[<Feeling emotional, thinking about your childhood sweetheart?>]
'Can you please shut up?'
[<Finally... sigh... I thought you->]
'Shut the fuck up, you asshole!'
[<Chill, brat!>]
'How can I? If there's a damn voice in my head.'
[<... Fine, I'll remain quiet.>]
Kai sighed and left the crowd.
'I think I'm forgetting something.'
[<What?>]
'I can't remember clearly, but it was something important. Like I had to do it.'
[<...>]
[<You're imagining things. There's nothi->]
'Ah, I remember. The daily quest.'
[<Tch!>]
'Hehe! Do you really think I forgot about the penalty you mentioned?'
Kai left the town and headed straight toward the forest. The trees grew denser as he moved deeper.
Making sure no beasts were near him, he dropped to the ground...
"Haa... Haa..."Kai's chest heaved up and down as he gasped for breath, lying on the ground.
His tunic, damp with sweat, clung to his skin.
He swiped his wet hair back and glanced at the hovering panel in front of him.
--
{Daily Task}
Push-ups: 100 ✅
Pull-ups: 100 ✅
Running: 10 km ✅
Crunches: 100 ✅
Plank: 10 min ✅
[Ding!]
[You've completed your daily task.]
[Here are your rewards: 3 pts]
{Current Gacha Points: 12/100}
--
Closing the daily quest, he summoned his status screen.
--
[Status]
{Basic Information}
Name: Kai
Race: Human
Age: 16
Class: Beast Tamer
Sub-Class: Rouge
Rank: Peak-Intermediate Core
Affinity: Dark, Poison
{Attributes}
Strength: E+
Agility: B
Endurance: D-
Charm: C+
Intelligence: C
Mana Capacity: C
Soul Essence Capacity: C
{Skills}
Active: Ghost Steps, Phantom Slash, Stealth, Beast Synchronisation
Passive: Mana Regeneration
{Tamed Beasts}
Phantom Lynx—Vex (Juvenile)
Rank: Mid-Intermediate Core
Skills: Phantom slash, Ghost Steps, Stealth
Dual-Heart Kitsune—Luna (Evolution stage)
Rank: Peak-Intermediate Core
Skills: Fireball, Ice spear, Icicle barrage, Illusionary Viel, Foxfire
--
"Huh? Why hasn't anything changed in my attributes?"
[<Do you really think it's that easy?>]
"Then how can they change?"
[<Hehe! Why don't you figure it out yourself?>]
Kai clenched his teeth but quickly composed himself, letting out a tired sigh.
"I should have expected that much!"
[<Yeah, there's no fun in telling.>]
"Alright, Vex, let's go."
"Meow!"
The little lynx purred and perched on Kai's head as he started walking.
"Strange... It's too quiet today."
[<Hmm... awfully quiet.>]