As Rain followed Teacher Sky out of the school, he noticed the night sky above and the empty streets. The quiet roads contrasted sharply with the bustling atmosphere that normally surrounded the school during the day. He hadn't realized it was so late and wondered how many hours had passed since his breakthrough to D-rank.
"Teacher Sky, what time is it?" he asked.
Sky glanced over her shoulder, smiling. "You've got the BIT inside you. Use it."
Rain frowned slightly, unsure. "I don't know how to use it yet."
Sky chuckled. "It's simple. Use your spirit to touch the BIT and think about what you want to know. For example, just send a thought asking what time it is, and it'll respond."
Rain nodded, focusing inwardly. He controlled his spirit, as Sky had instructed, sending the thought: What time is it? Almost immediately, a message popped into his mind: 11:47 PM.
He blinked in surprise. He'd been in the lab for over twelve hours but didn't feel as hungry or exhausted as he expected.
Sky's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "And don't call me 'teacher' anymore. I'm not your teacher now. Just call me Sky."
Rain hesitated, feeling a bit uncomfortable dropping the formality. "How about I call you Leader Sky?"
Sky nodded, seemingly satisfied. As they continued walking, Rain noticed the streets slowly coming to life the further they moved. The once-deserted roads began to fill with people, and soon they were navigating through a bustling area where the noise and crowds made it hard for Rain to ask more questions.
After walking through the packed streets for a while, Sky led him into a narrow alleyway. They walked for a few minutes until they reached an unmarked door. Rain stood outside, eyeing the entrance with curiosity. This doesn't look like a restaurant, he thought. But, trusting Sky, he followed her inside.
To his surprise, the interior was indeed a restaurant—warmly lit, cozy, and filled with the smell of delicious food. Sky led him to a table, and they both sat down.
"You can choose whatever you want," Sky said, tapping the table. A menu hologram appeared, displaying a wide variety of dishes.
Rain felt a thrill of excitement. It had been so long since he had real food. In the city, most meals were made by food processing machines, and only on special occasions did they get to eat actual food. His eyes skimmed through the menu, and he quickly noticed that most of the dishes were made from radiation beasts. Curious, he ordered a steak made from Iron Bull meat and a vegetable side dish.
It wasn't long before their meals were served. As Rain dug into his food, the rich flavors of the meat and fresh vegetables overwhelmed his senses. This was real food, and it was better than anything he'd tasted in ages. Between bites, Rain finally asked, "So, what exactly does the Ghost Department do?"
Sky took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Before I tell you what the Ghost Department does, let me ask you something. Do you know why countries started a nuclear war a thousand years ago?"
Rain hesitated. He recalled the vague explanations from school, how the world descended into chaos due to nuclear war, but no one ever really explained why the countries took such drastic measures. Shaking his head, he replied, "I don't know. They never told us the reason."
Sky took a bite of her food and glanced at him. "I'll give you the short version. You can check the full history on your BIT later. But basically, the leaders and those in control of the nuclear missiles—some of them were possessed by evil ghosts. Back then, people didn't know about evil ghosts. It wasn't until later, after the creation of spiritual warriors, that we discovered what had really happened."
Rain listened intently, his fork paused midway to his mouth.
"When people started opening their spiritual gates, some went mad and began killing others. But a few survived the process and shared similar stories—each had nightmares of fighting monsters, and those who defeated them were able to stay sane."
Rain's mind flashed to his own dream, the one where he fought the stitched monster. But he didn't defeat it; he had only escaped. Sky must have noticed the worry crossing his face because she reassured him, "Don't worry. You're a genetic warrior. This happens only when ordinary people open their spiritual gates, and the initial vulnerability lasts just a few hours after. Plus, the city is protected by spiritual shields that block all D-rank and higher evil ghosts. The weaker ones that do enter are repelled by spirit waves released by the city every four hours."
Rain nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief. Still, the idea of evil ghosts entering people through dreams unsettled him. "Evil ghosts always enter through dreams?"
Sky nodded. "That's the only method we know of. But we're not certain if they have other ways. So far, dreams are the main point of entry."
Rain took a deep breath, absorbing the information. Sky continued, "Even though evil ghost possession is rare, our department doesn't just handle them. Most of our cases involve other types of entities."
Rain, now fully engaged, set his fork down. "Other types of ghosts?"
Sky leaned in slightly, her expression serious. "Yes. We call them 'fierce ghosts' or sometimes 'weird domains.' These entities were encountered even before the discovery of evil ghosts, just after the Cataclysm. When the cities began sending genetic warriors outside to explore the world, many warriors vanished in certain areas. At first, it was thought these areas were full of powerful beasts, but something wasn't adding up. More and more warriors disappeared. Eventually, the cities marked those places as forbidden zones."
Rain was intrigued. "Forbidden zones?"
Sky nodded. "Yes. But as the cities' strength grew, they sent more warriors in. Some came back alive, and what they told us was terrifying. They said the moment they entered certain areas, the landscape changed. A forest might suddenly become a desert, or an abandoned city might turn into a labyrinth. Those who escaped described facing powerful monsters. But the strange thing was, even if they killed the monster, the domain itself didn't disappear."
Rain frowned. "The area stayed the same?"
"Exactly," Sky said, her tone grave. "Even worse, if another warrior is sent in a few days later, the same monster will reappear, as if nothing ever happened. These domains follow their own rules, and defeating the entities inside doesn't seem to change anything. That's what makes them so dangerous."
Rain's mind raced. He knew that the Ghost Department dealt with threats outside the cities, but the idea of these "weird domains" forming inside was unsettling. Hoping for some reassurance, he asked, "These weird domains... they only form outside the cities, right?" His voice carried a hint of nervous optimism.
Sky gave him a grim look. "That used to be the case. But 200 years ago, weird domains began forming inside cities. Our city alone has 11 weird domains. Eight of them are in the factory floors, and three are on the company floors. Our job is to hunt the monsters inside these domains because, if we don't, the domains will grow."
Rain felt a chill. "Grow?" The thought of these dangerous zones expanding inside the city horrified him. "We can't destroy the weird domains?"
Sky shook her head. "Only A-rank warriors have the strength to destroy them."
Rain was puzzled. He knew that Walter City had powerful A-rank warriors, especially with the advanced technology at their disposal. "Then why don't they send A-rank warriors to wipe out the weird domains here?"
Sky seemed to anticipate his question. "I wondered the same thing before I joined. The truth is, weird domains contain valuable resources that can't be found anywhere else. Take the crown you used for your spiritual defense test—that was made from Sleep Stone, which is only found in weird domains. The moment you enter one, you'll start to feel drowsy. These resources are too important to lose."
Rain nodded, slowly realizing the deeper complexity of the world he was stepping into. It wasn't just about fighting monsters or protecting the city—there were resources, politics, and risks intertwined in ways he hadn't imagined.
Sky glanced at him as she continued, "Now, finish your food. You've got a busy day ahead. Make sure you're at police headquarters before 8:00 AM."
Rain glanced at the time: 12:03 AM. He nodded, then quickly resumed eating. As soon as they left the restaurant, a question popped into his mind. He had just broken through to D-rank, but he hadn't been taught how to cultivate at this level. "Sky, how do I cultivate in D-rank?" he asked, eager for some guidance.
Sky smiled, though her expression held a hint of amusement. "There are tutorials on the BIT. You can check them when you get back. If anything's unclear, feel free to ask me tomorrow."
They reached the mouth of the alley, where Sky turned to him. "Goodnight, Rain. See you tomorrow."
"Goodnight!" Rain called after her as she walked in the opposite direction. He hurriedly started making his way back to his dorm, his mind buzzing with everything he'd learned. His top priority now was to return quickly and check the tutorial on how to cultivate at D-rank.
As he walked the quiet streets, the reality of his new life began to sink in. He was part of the Ghost Department now, dealing with dangerous entities and navigating a complex world where even monsters held valuable secrets. And tomorrow, it would all officially begin.