"Well, here we go."
Dean attempted to walk towards the white iPhone 7 only to realize that his waist was still half-submerged through the trash. In the few steps towards the iPhone 7, Dean couldn't help but let his mind wander as he thought, 'Hmph, I always knew those iPhone users weren't normal. That's why yours truly is a proud owner of an Android. On a serious note, phasing through stuff is cool and all, but how am I doing it at random?'
"Hey system, why am I phasing through the trash like this."
"As a newfound ghost, you have yet to fully master the innate phasing capabilities that you possess. With time and practice, you will be able to phase through most materials and objects."
"So, it's different levels to it, huh? Well, that's just one more thing I have to deal with."
At this thought, Dean had reached the iPhone 7 and attempted to grab it only to have his hands slip right through it. He tried again, but his hand and the phone seem to exist in separate dimensions.
It was if the phone was a high-class exotic dancer, willing to be seen but not touched.
Guessing that the system had a solution to the problem Dean asked, "System, what am I supposed to do here?"
"As the host has noticed, physically interacting with objects is currently out of the host's capabilities. If the host wishes to utilize this device, the host will have to spend Malice Points so that the system will be able to integrate with and access the device."
"Okay, then. Before we spend the Malice Points to do this, tell me how many we currently have and how much it will cost to integrate this device."
"Absorbing the Malice Points from the man from earlier provided the host with 11 Malice Points, and integrating the iPhone will take 5 Malice Points."
'Hmm, that means that if I allow the system to integrate the phone that will leave me with just 6 days of existence left, but if I don't integrate the phone I won't be able to access the chat group and without the chat group I'll be hardpressed to find individuals evil enough to give me Malice points which means that I'll eventually die anyway.'
"Well, you have to spend money to make money. System, go ahead and spend-"
"If the host spends the 5 Malice Points to integrate the phone" the system seemed to be making it a habit as it once again cut Dean off, " the host will only have 6 malice points left to purchase an ability that will allow for the host to take care of the evil individuals once located."
Now that the system mentioned it, Dean realized that he'd missed an important problem. Just how would he take care of those fellows after he'd located them? The system seemed to have a way but from the way it was speaking, he'd have to purchase this ability cutting his already short time down even further.
'I'll only have 6 Malice Points left as it is. If I spend more on an ability, won't I be rushing towards my death, but without an ability, I won't be able to actually do anything once the time comes.'
"System, what is the cheapest ability that I can buy?"
"The abilities available to the host lies in the 2 basic disciplines physical and spiritual. Both disciplines each contain one foundational ability; of course, as the host progresses down each discipline the variety of abilities available increases exponentially. All foundational abilities cost at least 5 Malice Points with the least expensive being the foundational physical ability at 5 Malice Points and the most expensive being the foundational spiritual ability at 7 Malice Points"
"What is the difference between the 2 disciplines? Why does the spiritual ability cost more than the physical ability."
"In essence, the 2 disciplines differ in their application. Physical abilities influence the material world via moving objects, elemental mastery, and at high levels spatial manipulation while spiritual abilities afford the host the ability to create hallucinations, illusions, and hex capabilities at high levels. The larger potential in spiritual abilities is the reason for the disparity in Mlice Points required for them?"
"System, spend the 5 Malice Points to integrate the phone, but let's hold off on purchasing an ability for right now." Dean had yet to even find his target yet, so cutting his time down now seemed unwise and foolish. The way Dean saw it, it wouldn't be too late to purchase the ability once he'd actually found the target.
At Dean's words, the system spent 5 Malice Points and the white iPhone 7 disintegrated to dust.
'The system sure loves to destroy stuff.'
"Host, the system now has access to the chat group. Would you like to access it so that we may begin locating targets?"
"Let's do it." After receiving Dean's confirmation, the system projected something like a holographic screen before Dean's eyes. On the screen, was a wall of text that constantly shifted as various users posted about different matters.
Zoning in on a small snippet of this text, Dean was surprised by what he saw.
Lucky Me: "Anyone that wants to see some interesting videos of my work just PM me. Hehe, the human body sure is amazing."
In Mourning: "If anyone has fresh internal organs let me know."
Passerby: "Hehehehe"
Minus One: "She made me do it."
Aside from the third guy, all of these messages seemed ominous and foreboding. Up until now, Dean still had some small doubts about the chat group, but after reading this small snippet among the ever-increasing wall of text he realized that these doubts were well unfounded.
Glancing at the corner of the screen, Dean saw that the chat group had roughly 250 people online as people logged on and off.
Recalling his own experience and thinking about the atrocities these people were committing, Dean took a deep breath before telling the system. "Let's get started."