"Tell me where I can find it. You'd better have the other ingredients ready when I return." He wrote the last part in capital letters to ensure the apothecary was scared enough to follow his command.
"Ghost essence is a tricky one. You won't find it lying around like common herbs." The man started, tugging at his beard pensively, then continued with a trembling voice, "You'll need to visit a place where spirits linger or have left a mark. A graveyard might be a good start."
Adam nodded and wrote a final message.
"Tell her to carry the baby to the graveyard and gather the ingredients."
The apothecary relayed the message to Alina and swiftly left, unwilling to stay longer than necessary.
Simultaneously, Alina walked towards her floating baby and asked, her eyes filled with fear and her lips quivering. "Can I carry him?"
Adam gently placed the baby in her arms. Then, he floated towards the door, ready to head to the graveyard.
Happy to be reunited with his mother after such a long day, the baby smiled at her and moved his hands happily, emitting cute sounds.
However, concerned for her baby's health, Alina wasn't ready to depart yet.
"Hum, excuse me, sir ghost. Could you wait for me to feed the baby? He has been starving for several hours." She said with a hint of pleading in her tone.
'With everything that happened, I totally forgot the baby hadn't eaten yet.' Adam thought, annoyed by his negligence. 'I have to pay more attention if I don't want to end with a weak or sick body.'
After waiting for a minute and seeing the ghost didn't take any action to express his disapproval, she undressed to feed her child as Adam faced the door, checking where his book was.
"Status."
Name: Adam
Talent: Unlocked at thirteen
Class: N/A
LVL (Level): 0
Exp: 0/10
HP (health point): 0/0
Vitality: 0
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Intelligence: 0
Skills: None
Items: Grimoire Lingua, Beastbane Dagger
Note: Soul is even more damaged. You won't even be a ghost anymore at this rate.
'Sigh. My stats are back at zero... Anyway, here are my book and dagger.' He thought, disappointment and confusion mixing in his mind.
The tower specified its rewards were soul-bound, so he guessed they could be brought back with him to the real world.
'How do I summon them? Are people going to see a floating book and dagger when I hold them, or won't I even be able to hold them in the first place?' He pondered with a frown.
Then, he focused on his hand, remembering the feeling of holding the dagger before imagining its fearsome appearance.
After a moment, the dagger suddenly materialised in his hand amidst a glowing light. But, instead of being solid as it should have been, it was ethereal and ghostly, like his body.
'Sweet. It means I can use those soul-bound items despite my form.'
Then, he summoned the grimoire before dismissing it, deepening his understanding of the process.
The dagger was of critical importance in his plan to obtain the ghost's essence. Without it, he had no confidence to confront ghosts.
After all, it was always easier to fight with a weapon. In addition, the dagger's Ferocity Enhancement dealt extra damage to supernatural adversaries. It was precisely what he needed.
Soon, Alina was done feeding her baby and walked towards the door, saying respectfully, "I'm done. We can go, sir."
After being fed and in the familiar protective embrace of his mother, the baby yawned and gradually closed his eyes, falling asleep as they walked out of the house.
The setting sun cast its beautiful rays, painting the sky an enchanting red color as it slowly gave way to the moon. It would be nighttime when they reached the graveyard.
He followed behind Alina, traversing the quiet village while the night gradually enveloped the surroundings.
A tense silence accompanied their journey as Alina tightened her embrace, bringing the baby closer to comfort herself in this scary atmosphere.
As they reached the cemetery, Adam felt a bizarre sensation tugging at his being. He gazed at the rows of tombstones in confusion, searching for the source, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
Walking deeper in between the graves, terrified to be in this eerie place during the night, Alina's body shuddered, and tears welled in her eyes. Then, she thought about their target, an icy shiver running down her spine as the wind blew her hair.
Meanwhile, Adam's frown deepened. The further they travelled inside the graveyard, the colder he felt. As if some sort of negative energy grew more and more abundant the deeper they walked.
Then, outside the cemetery, he saw the source of his disturbing feeling.
A scrawny woman, her body mangled, floated and hurled curses no one could hear. Her luminous eyes, filled with madness and resentment, scanned her surroundings as if searching for something.
Adam summoned his Beastbane dagger and clutched it tightly, readying himself for battle, just in case. Then, he floated towards her, his eyes glowing in determination.
"Goodnight, charming miss. What are you doing here alone so late at night?" He asked, trying to communicate with her, hoping to avoid a pointless battle.
"I'm searching for my baby." She muttered before roaring and turning to face him, "They stole it from me!"
Her appearance startled him. She looked nothing less than terrifying, with her hollow eyes and broken limbs dangling at weird angles. Her fingers ended in long, black nails, and her red hairs fluttered ominously in the chilly wind.
He reflexively floated back, terrified by her repulsive appearance, before taking a deep breath and opening his mouth again.
"I see. I can help you search for it in exchange for ghost essence." He tried to negotiate with the creature, unwilling to judge her by her appearance.
"My baby... baby? I know you, I know you, I know you, I know you, I KNOW YOU!" she madly screamed, throwing her arms in every direction and piercing the wind with her sharp nails.
Then, she darted towards him, her speed scary, and her nails pointed at his face, ready to gouge his eyes out.