Lord Of The Lost

The Real World

William opened his eyes, his senses sharp and alert.

The magic wolf's extraordinary abilities had given him more than just a surprise, they had reshaped his understanding of power.

He recalled what the hunter had once said about the werewolf path. It was a path marked by three remarkable traits:

- [Strong Constitution],

- [Battle Instinct],

- [Moonlight Transformation].

However, without the moon's blessing, werewolves lost the ability to tap into [Moonlight Transformation], stripping them of a part of their potential. Still, the other two traits alone were enough to allow werewolves to thrive in the wild.

But what William possessed as a demon wolf surpassed even this. It was survival taken to an extreme, an epic path imbued with powers that could turn the tables in even the most desperate situations:

- [Desperate Situation]: The ability to rise stronger when pushed to the brink.

- [Self-Healing]: Rapid regeneration that defied nature.

- [Devouring]: The power to absorb and convert energy, sustaining himself in ways unimaginable.

Together, these traits formed a cohesive and complementary system that made William nearly unstoppable.

It was a shame, really, that the thieves who had crossed his path earlier were so pitifully weak. They hadn't posed even a whisper of a challenge.

Another unique ability, [Energy], allowed William to control his internal energy with precision. It was this mastery that enabled him to unleash devastating techniques like [Piercing Attack] and [Slashing Attack]. Before, he could only muster his strength in crude bursts. Now, with energy flowing smoothly through him, his combat skills had evolved to a new level of power and finesse.

And then there was [Secret], the art of invisibility so perfect that even the sun couldn't cast a shadow. Lesser beings could stand face-to-face with him and still remain blissfully unaware of his presence.

William smirked as he reflected on these abilities. The Demon Wolf Path was everything he could have hoped for.

Take [Devouring], for instance. This skill allowed him to absorb natural energy to offset his bodily consumption. In theory, he could remain motionless, perfectly conserving his energy, and live indefinitely without eating or drinking until he simply died of old age.

But William was not the type to sit idle, surviving on air and energy alone.

No, he had a hunger; for action, for battle, and, well, for food. His body, still growing, needed sustenance.

He wandered into the living room and lazily opened a food delivery app. His finger hovered over the screen as he selected dish after dish:

Braised pork. Sweet and sour pork tenderloin. Spicy chicken. Beef brisket stewed with potatoes… Six or seven dishes and four servings of rice.

Satisfied, he tapped "Pay."

But as the transaction processed, something unusual happened.

A faint but unmistakable sensation prickled at William's awareness.

He froze, his sharp eyes scanning the room. The dining table. The chairs. The cabinets. Everything appeared normal.

His gaze landed on the sofa.

It was an old piece of furniture, covered with a sheet to keep off dust. For a moment, William's instincts screamed at him.

Something was there.

Something unseen.

"It's just my imagination," he muttered.

But the feeling didn't go away.

Whatever it was, it seemed to be moving

Away from the sofa.

Closer to him.

Stopping right in front of him.

Then, a chilling sensation brushed against his skin, like icy breath on a winter night.

William narrowed his eyes, biting the knuckle of his fist in thought. He turned abruptly, striding to a cabinet where he kept emergency supplies. From it, he retrieved a bottle of medical alcohol and an old lantern.

Pouring the alcohol into the lantern, William snapped his fingers. A dark flame flickered to life at his fingertips and ignited the alcohol. The lantern came alive, glowing with a peculiar light: [Spiritual Fire].

Though it lacked the killing force of spiritual oil, the lantern's light could reveal things hidden to ordinary eyes.

As the room was bathed in the ghostly glow, William's suspicion was confirmed.

Standing before him was a distorted figure, its form writhing and leaking black energy.

Its voice was faint and fragmented.

"C-can you… see… me?"

The creature's hollow eyes locked onto William's unflinching gaze.

A slow smile spread across its grotesque face, revealing jagged teeth.

"You can… see me," it hissed, its tone turning into a mocking chuckle.

Without warning, two skeletal hands, long and claw-like; reached out toward him.

"You can see me!"

William's expression remained cold as frost.

"I see something, all right," he replied dryly, his voice edged with contempt.

In a blur of motion, William raised his hand and, before the creature could react, slammed it down on its head with ironclad force.

"Now let's see what you're really made of."

The creature's twisted expression shifted into one of surprise, but it was too late.

Dark energy surged through William's hand as his five fingers clenched with crushing force.

Bang!

The creature's head exploded like an overfilled balloon, spraying black gas in every direction. The sinister energy writhed for a moment, trying to escape, but the light of the lantern burned it away. Within seconds, it was gone, leaving only silence in its wake.

William stood there, his face a mask of fury. His breathing was steady, but the storm inside him was not.

"What the hell was that?!" he growled, his voice echoing in the room.

Bastard!

His eyes darted around the room, sharp and calculating.

"When did it get into my house? How long was it hiding here?"

If it hadn't been for the magic wolf's trait of [Super Sense], he might never have known. The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Suddenly, a cold voice echoed in his mind.

---

[System Notification]

[Your talent has absorbed some extraordinary characteristics of the ghost.]

[Ghost Characteristics: Drawn from spirit bodies. Not meant for this world. Those who possess them risk becoming ghosts themselves.]

---

The system's notifications continued, growing eerier with every line:

[Ghost Tip: People who die unjustly will not rest, and those who die of old age will not pass peacefully. Ghosts exist both in this world and beyond it.]

[Game Tip: The world of ghosts overlaps with the real world but never intersects. To see a ghost is to invite yourself into their world.]

[Job Transfer Tip: Accumulate 1,000 ghost characteristics to unlock the ghost job path.]

[Ghost Characteristics: 1/1000.]

---

William's face darkened, his expression as heavy as a thundercloud.

"So, the real world is turning out to be quite... lively," he muttered sarcastically, trying to make sense of the situation.

There was a bitter beauty in watching your worldview collapse around you.

Still, William had always prided himself on his adaptability. If there's one ghost, there's bound to be more. He let the thought settle, drawing strength from his resolve.

"It's not like I've never killed a vengeful spirit before," he said aloud, though he knew it wasn't entirely true.

The spirits he'd faced in the magical world were demonically corrupted creatures, their power tied to the infernal realm. This, though, was something different, a pure spiritual entity.

And the real world wasn't the magical world. This much was obvious; players had already discovered that gunpowder, for example, couldn't be synthesized in the magical world.

"But no matter," William grunted, his eyes narrowing. "If it can bleed or whatever it does; I can kill it."

Yet a sour feeling lingered. He felt as though he'd stepped in something vile, like dog shit.

"Why the hell do ghosts exist in the real world anyway?" he muttered, his appetite for food thoroughly ruined. Frustrated, William logged into the player forum.

---

William didn't post a public thread. That would only cause unnecessary panic. Instead, he opened his private discussion group.

[The Breeze Blows Across the Hills]: 'I encountered a ghost in the real world.'

The chat exploded immediately.

[Forum Master]: '?'

[Gambler]: '?'

The reactions were skeptical, bordering on dismissive.

[Forum Master]: 'Qingfeng, are you under too much pressure?'

William scowled at the screen.

[The Breeze Blows Across the Hills]: 'Do you think I'd joke about something like this? I saw it using the [Developing Lantern].'

The group fell silent. Everyone knew the [Developing Lantern] wasn't a toy, it was a tool that revealed the hidden truths of the world.

Finally, someone replied.

[Gambler]: 'No way…'

It was clear they were still struggling to believe him, but William didn't care. He wasn't here to convince anyone.

[Metatron]: 'It's impossible to observe from the [God's Perspective].'

William's response was curt.

[The Breeze Blows Across the Hills]: 'If it doesn't affect us, leave it alone.'

[Forum Master]: 'Then why bring it up? Now I'm on edge!'

William's annoyance flared.

[The Breeze Blows Across the Hills]: 'I'm giving you a heads-up. Take it or leave it.'

[Alex]: 'How do you even know it was a ghost?'

William sighed. He could already imagine their disbelief.

[The Breeze Blows Across the Hills]: 'I changed my job path.'

The chat erupted again.

[Forum Master]: 'You changed your job without telling us?!'

Yesterday, the forums had been full of speculation about how to reach Level 10. Now William had already started the path to a new job class.

This efficiency was insane.

[Forum Master]: 'Is this the strength of the number one player in the sequence?'

William closed the chat with a shake of his head. If the rest of them weren't ready to accept the truth, that was their problem.

For now, his focus was clear.

The real world wasn't as simple as it seemed. And with ghosts in play, he had a lot of work to do.

But first, he was going to finish that meal.