"BOO!"

I shouted as I jumped out from behind a corner, scaring a group of teenagers.

They screamed and stumbled backwards, frantically looking for a way to escape.

I kept up the scary act, making sure they felt completely trapped as I chased them through the dark corridors.

Eventually, they managed to escape and I retreated back into the shadows.

This is what I have done for 8 years now.

My job is to spook visitors in the haunted house attraction at the local amusement park.

Unlike most people, I love my job, and I always look forward to coming to work.

But today something felt off, like someone was watching me from the shadows.

It felt like I was a visitor exploring the haunted house instead of a worker here.

Eventually, I decided to ignore my gut feeling and continued my work.

As the night went on, I continued to spook visitors with my various props and costumes.

"Phew! It's getting late, the next group is gonna be the last one for today"

I said while looking at my phone.

A wicked grin appeared on my face

"Since it's the last one, shouldn't I go all out?"

I put on a creepy clown mask, equipped myself with a fake chainsaw and waited for the next victims in my hiding spot.

After waiting for a little bit, I heard a pair of footsteps coming towards my location.

"S-Seriously, Boss. There is nothing scary about this place."

An obviously nervous male voice stuttered.

"Hahaha! Just be patient Frankie."

Another voice filled with anticipation responded.

The two men were getting closer and closer to me and I finally got a good look at them.

The man who was called Boss was tall and muscular with a thick beard and a shaved head. He wore a leather jacket and dark jeans, his arms were covered in tattoos.

The nervous man called Frankie was shorter, but no less intimidating. He had a bald head covered in cold sweat and scars.

'Crap, these guys look like gangsters.'

I thought while hesitating if I should scare them or not.

'Well, what's the worst that can happen?'

I waited for a few more seconds until the pair was at the perfect spot and then..

''ROAR!''

I roared as I jumped out of my hiding spot and pointed my fake chainsaw at them.

''OH CRAP!''

Shouted the shorter man as he stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet.

I decided to spook him some more and flicked a switch on the handle of my toy chainsaw

A loud whirring noise erupted from the saw.

I slowly approached the man on the ground while he was frantically trying to crawl away.

"NOOO! Stay away from me!'

Shouted the short thug in a high voice, while a warm sensation spread across the front of his pants.

'Crap... I think I overdid it again'

I thought nervously while glancing at the man's soiled pants.

Just as I was about to turn off the chainsaw and offer my help..

BANG!

A loud noise engulfed the dark corridor.

My head turned to the origin of the loud sound and my mouth fell open.

In the hands of the short thug was a small pistol with smoke coming out of the barrel.

"FRANKIE, are you stupid?!"

Shouted the taller man with a shocked face.

"Eeek! S-Sorry boss, I got startled."

Stuttered the short thug while looking at me.

After a short moment, my brain finally caught up and realized what had happened.

I had been shot.

I looked at my body and sure enough, blood was flowing out near my heart.

"Seriously! What kind of idiot would shoot an amusement park worker?!"

Screamed the taller man to his underling.

"S-Sorry, boss! I really dislike scary clowns!"

The shorter thug replied anxiously

"Forget it! Let's just get out of here."

The pair quickly fled the scene, leaving me behind with a bullet in my body.

'Really, what kind of idiot would shoot an amusement park worker??'

I agreed with the taller gentleman in my thoughts.

''Cough! Cough!''

I coughed out an unhealthy amount of blood.

'Seriously, what a stupid way to get shot.'

I sighed and laid down on the cold floor in the dark corridor of the haunted house.

I knew I wasn't going to make it, but for some strange reason I was still happy inside.

At least I went out doing what I loved.. Scaring the crap out of someone.

A faint smile appeared on my face as I took my last breath and everything around me faded into black.

///

The sound of rustling leaves and the chirping of birds woke me up from my slumber.

After a few moments, I regained my vision.

'Is this the afterlife?'

I tried to talk, but my voice didn't come out.

I glanced at my body and discovered something strange.

It wasn't there, my body I mean. It was literally gone.

I wasn't too shocked about this, since it was widely believed that only souls can enter the afterlife after all.

Even when I didn't have my physical body, I could still see, hear and smell.

After examining my body, or the lack of it, I started to look around.

I was in a beautiful grassy field surrounded by lush green trees and colorful flowers. In the distance, I could see tall mountains, the sky was a bright blue with puffy white clouds.

My surroundings were serene and peaceful and I felt an overwhelming sense of calm.

'This is perfect. To think that I could rest here peacefully for all eternity.'

I was very satisfied with this place and wanted to start enjoying my eternal vacation right away, until something rudely interrupted me.

[Ghost God System Installation Completed]

A monotone female voice sounded in my head.

'G-Ghost God?'

I was startled and stuttered in my thoughts.

[Analyzing the new host..]

[Analyzation completed]

The voice kept sounding in my head, confusing me even further.

After a bit of silence I decided to ask again, in my thoughts of course.

'Excuse me, are you a god?'

…

[Answer: Negative, I am just a tool to create the next Ghost God. You can call me System]

'A-alright, S-System, umm.. I don't really get my current situation and the reason you are inside my head, can you please explain it to me?'

I asked cautiously, trying not to anger the intruder in my brain, in case this was a test to determine if I was worthy of being in this paradise or something

[Answer: The host has been chosen to become the next Ghost God and I'm here to help you fulfill that goal]

'Right.. May I ask you something? Is this some sort of test to see if I am worthy of being in this place?'

I decided to ask with some doubts forming in my head.

[Answer: Negative, this is a world called Aurora. The host's soul was transferred here to become the next Ghost God]

'So this isn't a place where I can rest forever?'

[Answer: Negative, the host is advised to minimize the amount of rest he gets and instead focus on getting stronger to become the next Ghost God]

'What the hell… And here I was, thinking that I didn't have to work ever again. But now you are telling me I have to become some sort of god?'

After realizing I was robbed of my eternal rest, I got a little irritated.

[The system advises you to control your emotions, since your soul is very fragile right now and may explode at any moment]

'Eeek! That sounds painful..'

My non-existent body shuddered while thinking about my soul exploding.

'Alright, is there a way I can make my soul stronger or something, so it won't explode so easily?'

[Answer: To strengthen your soul, the host needs to follow the System's instructions to become the Ghost God]

'Right… The Ghost God. What even is the Ghost God?'

[Answer: The Ghost God is a title given to the king of terror. The Ghost God rules over the emotion of fear and it is said that the mere mention of his name would cause even the bravest souls to tremble with fear]

…

'So he is just some guy that is really good at scaring people?'

[....]

'Okay.. so does that mean I can scare a lot of people if I follow your instructions?'

[Answer: Positive, the host can grow his power by scaring other organisms]

'Okay.. that sounds kinda fun, I guess eternal rest can wait a little bit'

I thought while nodding my non-existent head.

'So how do I start?'