"Well, that should be the case... for a pure-blooded demon." Alysia suddenly wore a mysterious smile.
"What do you mean? Is there a difference in the morphing phase between a pure-blooded demon and a reincarnated one?" Austin felt uneasy as he observed Alysia's smile.
"Of course, there is. While my morphing phase was automatically completed in two weeks without requiring any effort on my part, you need to take specific actions to complete yours. It involves a trial instigated by the Seven Deadly Sins. You'll have to commit them: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth," Alysia explained.
"How does that exactly work?" Austin asked, still puzzled.
"How should I put it? Ah, it's akin to amassing karma, but in this case, it's all about accumulating sins. Take the Sin of Greed, for instance. You have to engage in actions tied to greed, like robbing someone or hoarding masks and medicine during a pandemic to sell at exorbitant prices." Alysia smacked her lips.
"Doesn't that mean I have to turn into a criminal?" Austin said helplessly.
"Not necessarily. You could consider robbing other criminals or corrupt politicians," Alysia suggested after a moment of contemplation.
"Ah, I see. I might still end up a criminal, but at least I'd be robbing wealth from the bad guys, just like Robin Hood," Austin nodded in approval as if he found the idea appealing.
"If I refrain from committing those sins, what would happen to me?" Austin inquired after a while
"Nothing, you'd be stuck at the threshold of the Ninth Level or a fake Ninth Level. When you pass the two-week mark, you'd have the physique and senses of a Ninth-Level Demon but lack the Characteristics of one. Furthermore, advancing to a higher level would be impossible." Alysia said pensively.
"Got it." Austin nodded before posing another question. "So, how do I keep track of my accumulated sins? Will I get a notification, like in a game, when the quest is completed?"
"Huh?" Alysia's face looked bewildered.
"Never mind my second sentence." Austin coughed. From the looks of it, Alysia never played a game before?
"If I recall correctly, once you've accumulated enough sins, you'll receive the approval mark from the seven deadly sins. It manifests in the form of a rune. I can't remember all the details as it's been a while since I read those books explaining it." Alysia answered ponderingly.
"So, any other questions?" Alysia inquired with a glance.
"Not at the moment,"
....
As the car moved steadily, Austin's thoughts were consumed by the notion of committing the seven deadly sins and how he could go about it.
If it's gluttony, should he eat meals until his stomach is about to burst?
If it's lust, should he jerk off to some porn?
His musings were abruptly interrupted by Alysia's voice. "We've arrived."
When he looked up, he saw they were at Ranobes Cemetery.
"You said I might recognize the person we're visiting. If that's the case, is it okay if I attend the funeral in my current attire?" At the moment, he was far from well-dressed, sporting a simple shirt, long dirty pants, and flip-flops.
"That's fine," Alysia replied succinctly. "Follow me."
Austin disembarked the car and trailed behind Alysia.
They entered the cemetery, navigating through various graves for a couple of minutes before reaching one that appeared relatively well-kept.
"Where's the funeral?" he couldn't help but ask, scanning the area for any sign of a mourning gathering.
"Here," Alysia pointed at the grave right in front of them.
"You can't be serious. This person has been long buried. Look at the date; she passed away over two years ago."
On the tombstone, the name 'Emily' and various details were etched.
Alysia paid no attention to Austin's comment and proceeded to retrieve the transparent pearl. It was the same pearl he had seen in Alysia's memory, the one she used to seal the blonde ghost.
The initially quiet transparent pearl suddenly became restless when placed in front of the grave.
Austin observed in amazement as a figure gradually materialized from the transparent pearl. It was none other than the blonde ghost who had attempted to take over his body the previous night!
'What is she trying to achieve by releasing her again from the pearl?' he wondered alarmingly.
"Your grave looks well-maintained. Your parents must come here often,"
"You don't want to meet your parents?"
"Is that really your final wish?"
"Then consider it done."
The way Alysia spoke suggested she was communicating with the blonde ghost, but the latter seemed to convey her thoughts through the mind, much like telepathy. Therefore, there was no way for him to discern the blonde ghost's replies.
Alysia closed her eyes and brought her palms together as if in prayer. From the center of her palm, a golden light emerged and encased the figure of the blonde ghost.
Subsequently, the blonde ghost's figure grew more transparent, as if on the verge of evaporating. Just before she vanished, she cast a glance toward Austin and mouthed something in his direction.
Finally, she disappeared, leaving behind a wave of golden light that swiftly flew toward Alysia.
Alysia embraced the wave of golden light and smiled, appearing pleased.
"Is she..." Austin began after a while.
"As you can probably guess, this is the grave of that ghost. Her name is Emily. In her final moments, she wanted to apologize for what happened to you the previous night," Alysia explained.
Austin frowned, "But, why did she do that in the first place?"
"She was fueled by her desire for vengeance. Consequently, over the past two years, she had transformed into a malevolent spirit and started consuming human negative emotions to grow stronger," Alysia's expression turned somewhat strange. "When she encountered you, she sensed something within you that she believed would help her evolve into a higher form. Do you have any idea of what that might be?"
"Something within me?" Austin gawked. If he possesses something so amazing that it can attract the attention of ghosts, why would he remain unaware all this time?
"Judging from your expression, you seem to be unaware of it too. Forget it; it might be just a random excuse she made on the spot so that I wouldn't scold her for hurting you," Alysia said dismissively. "Let's head back to the car."
As they left Emily's grave, a middle-aged woman wearing a hat passed by them. Surprisingly, her direction was toward Emily's grave. When she took off her hat, her blonde hair was revealed, and her face bore striking similarities to Emily's.
She looked at Alysia and Austin's backs with a puzzled expression. She was about to ask them if they were her daughter's friends when she felt something urging her to turn around.
And when she did, what she saw made tears fall from her eyes immediately.
....
They had made their way back to the car, and per Alysia's arrangement, this time, Austin occupied the driver's seat.
Having observed Alysia's adept handling of the vehicle, he no longer felt as clueless as before.
"Where to?" he asked, his hands resting on the steering wheel.
"To the college. Don't you have a morning class? You should be able to catch it if we go now," Alysia said casually.
"What about you?" Austin inquired as he pressed down on the gas pedal.
"I'm going to someplace after I drop you off," Alysia replied lazily.
Austin nodded and began to concentrate on his driving.
Although he claimed he could drive, the last time he had been behind the wheel was around four months ago. That was a considerable period for someone's skills to rust if left unpolished.
Fortunately, his worries proved unfounded. His driving skills and intuition were still intact.
Moreover, handling the newly released car turned out to be far easier than he had anticipated.
It was a stark contrast to his mother's old, decaying vehicle, which had proven to be a more challenging drive.
If he were to draw a comparison, Alysia's car felt like a high-end gaming PC—booting up in a matter of seconds and effortlessly handling any task thrown its way.
In contrast, his mother's car was akin to a first-generation of Pentium PC, released over two decades ago, with a speed reminiscent of a snail's pace.
...
"Where should I park?" Austin asked as soon as they reached their campus area.
"Right here is fine," Alysia replied.
"Here?" Austin looked and saw they were right at the front entrance. A lot of students were bustling in and out. Exiting the vehicle now would undoubtedly attract some attention, especially considering the expensive car he was currently driving.
"Ho? I never thought you'd be shy to come out in public," Alysia said, amused.
"What are you saying? I was just wondering if someone would recognize your car," Austin refuted.
"Oh... never thought you'd be so concerned about me," Alysia teased.
"..." Austin
Without a word, he began to reach for the door handle.
"Why so mad? It's just a jokeee~" Alysia pulled at the hem of Austin's shirt, disrupting his attempt to reach the door handle.
"Your joke is terrible. Anyway, can you let go of my shirt? I think it might get ripped," Austin reminded her.
Alysia didn't immediately release her grip and instead asked, "Give me your phone; we need to exchange contacts."
"You haven't done it yet?" Austin said, puzzled. He thought that with his phone staying with her for the entire night, she would have added her contact to his phone.
"I was busy last night." Alysia simply replied.
Austin handed over his phone to Alysia obligingly.
She typed for a few seconds before returning it. When he checked his contact list, he saw the recently added contact had the name:
Master.