Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

Yet the different kind is distinct, these beings hail from the Outer Domain—just like the owner of the paternal bloodline that inhabits Malin's body.

In the past three months, the Church had been busy. They confirmed the origins of several bloodlines within Malin, and except for the mysterious bloodline that dominated him, the other bloodlines were all native to the land.

This means that Malin is a true half-blood.

Of course, this mixed heritage is a good thing for Malin because this bloodline has the ability to strengthen blessing spell formations, indicating that the owner of this bloodline is at least not some terrifying creature from a different kind—if Malin's paternal bloodline was like a traveler from the Outer Domain who had strayed into this world, then the different kind would be the robbers targeting this world. They don't care if they're breaking and entering; as long as they can come in and bring rot and evil to this world, spreading destruction, and ravaging the world are the only two meanings of their life.

So, they are more dangerous than spirits because, at least, some spirits can speak human and lead to Good.

Whereas the different kind doesn't speak human, doesn't do human deeds, all they bring to the world is destruction and devastation.

However, to be fair, in their eyes, humans are treated with equal disdain, the only difference between a millionaire and a beggar on the street is the taste.

Of course, the different kind rarely appears, what more commonly appears in the eyes of the common folk are spirits, and there are two main types: tangible spirits, like The Cutter that Malin had encountered; and intangible spirits, like... Wraiths.

When Malin heard this, he almost responded instinctively.

Intangible spirits?! Wraiths?!

Wait a minute! It was just a gritty, low-magic world, how did it suddenly become so hardcore and fantastical?!

Compared to tangible spirits, intangible spiritual beings are more troublesome because they have no physical form, can ignore the obstructions of buildings, and are extremely difficult to detect. For them, no narrow spaces exist, passing through walls is their most standard method of movement, and possession and curse are common practice. Direct contact with a human body by a spiritual body can lead to a series of problems, which is their main method of attack.

To deal with a Spiritual Body, silver weapons are commonly used, Silver Powder and Blessing Powder can reveal its form, and it is said that certain lamps emitting a purple light also have this effect. All three of these tools can harm them, with Silver Powder dealing the most damage to intangible spiritual bodies.

When Malin obtained the lamp, he took quite some time to differentiate, eventually confirming that it should be an ultraviolet lamp. The reason he was so certain is that intangible spirits never appear in any area directly exposed to sunlight during bright daylight—if not for that, the lamp would not be able to handle those intangible spiritual bodies.

The teachers also taught that if you encounter a spirit, first you must identify... Malin glanced back at the apartment door he had closed behind him. He pushed against it, finding that the door wouldn't budge.

First, you must confirm the type of spirit.

Malin took out a flashlight from the tool bag at his waist and held it inverted in his hand, his right hand reaching under his arm to draw the revolver that was already prepared.

There were no noises in the corridor. Malin used the flashlight to check the ceiling, finding no traces of viscous substances.

He examined the walls on both sides of the corridor, finding no damages, only light frost.

With the self-locking door as well, it was almost certain that it wasn't a tangible spirit.

The elderly landlady on the first floor had recently been in the hospital. As an old person, she was unfortunate to fall ill but was lucky to escape a disaster, however, her door might not be so fortunate—Malin attached the flashlight to the pre-set carabiner on his jacket's left shoulder, then took a small bag of Blessing Powder from the tool bag. It was originally a teaching tool, but it now seemed like his lifeline.

He opened the bag, using his index finger and thumb to dab a little bit of the powder onto his forehead.

Then, taking a larger amount of the powder, he scattered it into the air.

Malin heard faint footsteps coming from the third floor.

Not real footsteps, but phantom sounds, a disturbance meant to disrupt the mind, further confirming his analysis.

He took a small explosive from the tool bag, set it onto the old landlady's door, and combined the rest of the Blessing Powder with the explosive.

With his little finger hooked on the long fuse, Malin continued forward.

Invisible spirits, cunning by nature, favor launching surprise attacks from behind their prey.

Malin walked a few steps, paused, and the footsteps above him became increasingly urgent and clear. He looked up at the staircase, then pulled the rope and turned around, only to see a shadowy figure poking in from the front door.

It was a spiritual body of extreme beauty.

The next second, the explosive detonated, and Blessing Powder coated the entire hallway, the spiritual body let out a shriek as it revealed its true form—a semi-transparent rotten shell. The more beautiful it had been in life, the more garish it became when transformed into a wraith. And when its illusions were dispelled, one could see just how horrifying they really were.

With its intangible protection stripped away by the Blessing Powder, Malin could see maggots writhing in its eye sockets, and its dry scalp sparsely covered in hair was equally defenseless, much like those programmers in the engineering department...wait, at least the programmers never lack teeth when they smile.

Because they can afford dental care.

That thought managed to bring a slightly amused smile to Malin's otherwise pounding heart.

It struggled in the Blessing Powder, rolling until Malin reached out to lift its head from the dust and powder.

The flashlight, now in purple light mode, made the wraith scream in agony as it tried to avoid the direct beam of violet light, but Malin held its chin, preventing its struggle, and cocked the Revolver, pressing the muzzle to its forehead where a Quicksilver Bullet was set in place.

"What a pitiful lady," Malin lamented. She must have been a very pitiful woman, her chest wound telling of the pain endured in life, but that was no reason for her to wreak havoc in the world after death.

So, "Good afternoon, madam, and then...goodnight." With that said, Malin pulled the trigger, and with the penetration of the Quicksilver Bullet, the wraith began to disintegrate in an instant. Its shell turned to ash, filling the already dusty first floor with various unpleasant odors, as Malin stooped to sift a small grey Crystal Stone from the ashes.

The Banshee's Tear.

It sounded like a very artistic name, but who could know how many lives had been claimed to form this single tear.

Each was worth one hundred and fifty bucks; three hundred if exceptionally clear; and a thousand if both clear and blue.

Of course, a Banshee worth a thousand bucks was not something Malin could tackle. With his current abilities, it'd be more straightforward to put a bullet from the Revolver in his own head than to suffer torment from being soul-sucked by such a creature.

Right, because that way, one wouldn't have to endure the agony of soul extraction.

At the front door, Malin gave it a push, and this time, it opened.

Some people were looking this way, probably having heard some commotion.

Malin tipped his hat with a small smile, performed a courtesy, and then hurried upstairs, knocking on the door.

Once, twice, and just as Malin was about to give up hope, Maya's voice came from behind the door: "Is that you, brother Malin?"

"It's me." After repeating the knocking sequence he had agreed upon with his sister, the door opened but was still connected to the frame by a chain.

The Leopard Girl peered at Malin through the crack with wide eyes for quite a while, then finally unlatched the chain and burst into tears, throwing herself into Malin's chest.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

Taken aback by his sister's expressed sentiment, Malin ultimately embraced her.

"Don't be afraid, no matter what, as long as you need me, I'll always appear before you."

And he meant every word.