Spirit Hunting Union

Quinn stepped through the gate.

The cold bit at him, raising every hair on his skin. Quinn's eyes scanned around. And he was beyond astonished by the ethereal creation down here.

His breathing fogged.

It's nothing complex. Actually, maybe that simplicity made it even more terrifying.

The platform Quinn was on was a sturdy mountain cliff. And from there on was nothing but a space dominated by clouds.

Quinn sighed in slight relief. At least, he wasn't thrown in death's face right away.

'I just have to pass the summoning, right? Okay.'

Without a second thought, he opened up the screen. It returned to the <Summoning Section> that showed a prompt:

[... Make your first summoning.]

Quinn exhaled sharply before saying,

"Enter."

The Curse came with a follow-up command.

It was to blow the horn.

Quinn swiftly brought the horn's mouthpiece closer to his lips. Hands positioned well around it. He blew it.

The resulting sound was both appealing and mysterious. As it cascaded through the depths of the abyssal clouds, Quinn himself could feel his heart racing with excitement. He felt happy. Everything for a second felt peaceful.

That felt so good.

But soon, a sense of foreboding washed over him. Bringing in the instinct of fear. That made his fingers shiver around the golden horn.

However, it was only a matter of seconds before those feelings disappeared.

… The air right before Quinn started to darken. And in an instant, thick black fumes manifested there. When Quinn stared closer, he noticed that the fumes had red eyes.

Red eyes? Well, that's unexpected. It had void-like eyes last time.

Quinn chuckled, crossing his arms. At least he could be cheeky for now.

"It's you. What a bastard."

But no response came.

How disappointing.

Quinn would have loved some word banter.

The reddish screen then flashed before his eyes.

[You're now required to proceed with your first summoning. Make a choice…]

[Either the Spirit goes to Heaven or Hell. Which one?]

Quinn snickered. What kind of question was that?

"Hell, of course! Are you kidding me?"

But the Curse clarified things,

[That means both the host and the parasite go together.]

Quinn gasped.

'What?'

He took a step backwards. For a split second, he glanced at the thick fumes - the Spirit wasn't the only one in there?

He clenched his jaw. And glared at the screen.

"Well, well, well… is that even a valid judgment?! Aren't we supposed to be saving the victims? And sentencing the parasites?! Nothing else deserves eternal hell more than the Spirit…"

[The Spirit won't have latched onto the host if he himself weren't crossing the profane path…]

Quinn gasped.

[Now, make your choice: Heaven or Hell?]

[Reminder: You can click on the screen to choose.]

It took moments before Quinn even moved his finger.

But just as he was about to click, his fingers retracted.

He breathed sharply.

Then, with another rushed deep breath, he clicked the screen.

***

Suddenly, the dark fumes dropped deep into the cloud. A mix of a masculine and monstrously deep voice echoed from beneath,

"Quinn Vale!"

Quinn swallowed, eyes a little focused. A little half-closed.

"Sorry. But I have to make it out of here too."

Because he understood the concept. This was more than just a summoning. But also a tricky game.

No fair organisation would allow you to send an evil spirit to heaven. The choice he had to make was a test of whether he understood his job as a Spirit Hunter or not. And a test of if relations would ever cloud his judgement.

The Curse must have had everything planned before he even became Transformed Quinn!

Quinn didn't dare peep into the cloud.

The screen appeared again,

[Sentence Choice: Hell]

[Summoning Status: Completed.]

[Congratulations! You have completed your entire trial.]

[You are remarked… "Extraordinary"!]

[You have leveled up!]

[Level: 8]

Quinn maintained a closer watch. There were many more messages, he believed so.

And yes, there were:

[You have been granted a True Title.]

'Oh, that?'

[True Title: Disciple of the Evil god.]

[Associated Ability: Evil god's Ordeal.]

[Ability Description: Your body transforms into a bulky coat of muscles. Clothes rippling apart and eyes glowing with a vibrant, murderous intent. At this stage, you need not the energy of the sky to retain your "Evil Form". But the pain of your three teammates. The more cries, the merrier.]

Quinn swallowed, eyes steady.

"Pain, huh?"

That means his teammates' sufferings would make his Evil Form stronger.

"This is some dark ability. But sure, they'll understand. And if not… well, too late now."

…

[Title Archetype: The Dark Father.]

[Divinity Type: Dark Divinity/Path of Damnation]

And at that point, Quinn hissed out in frustration. His chest ached.

Disciple of the Evil god, Evil Form, Dark Father, Dark Divinity… He knew what all these implied. These… these were always given to cursed characters in manhwa!

Jeonji Kim from Flawed Almighty, Terron Vogel, Rahon … and many more. They all became monsters because of those shitty abilities.

Holding a fist close to his chest, he leaned closer. And yelled,

"You've gotta be kidding me! Are you transforming me into a demon or something?! What's now the difference between me and what I hunt? Tell me!"

The Curse gave a neutral, yet foreboding response,

[Yes, sooner or later. Most importantly, let us proceed.]

"Little piece of shit!"