As my body upgraded, I suddenly noticed my second body had disappeared—where the hell was I now? My soul felt like it had been thrown into some unknown location. I looked around. All I could see were dense, foggy clouds swirling in an endless void.
[Aspirant Exorcist! Welcome to the Gate of the Exorcist World. Prepare for your First Nomination.]
"What... the fuck? Where the hell am I!?"
I stepped onto the ground, glancing back and forth, left and right.
"Nero?! Where the fuck is me!?"
Before I could get an answer, my foot slid over something sharp—a jagged stone—and I fell hard onto the ground. Pain shot through my foot as blood started to pool around the wound. A strange itching sensation followed, and a cold wind passed through me. My body shivered involuntarily.
[First Nomination: Task It or Take It.]
Task It: A Rank High, Dark Poltergeist has been troubling many people in the North Region. They're dangerous. Save it as soon as possible, or it may end up as one of the Ghost King's annoying aids.
Take It: A Rank High, Dark Poltergeist has been troubling many people in the North Region. Eliminate it as soon as possible, or it could become a dangerous knight of the Ghost King.
Task It Rewards: Fake Higher Identity, 3 unknown magic attributes, 1 trillion gold, and a 3x rank-up.
Take It Rewards: Fake Lower Identity, 3 trashy magic attributes, 25,000 gold, and a 3x rank-down.
[Aspirant Exorcist transferring to an unknown place...]
[Transferring Successfully Completed...]
I looked down at my foot—it had healed instantly. I tested it, pounding my feet into the sand, and sighed in relief. My gaze swept across the horizon.
"One trillion gold? What a delicious offer," I muttered, smirking to myself.
I squinted at the sun as its light made my eyes ache. I instinctively tried to open my system, but nothing happened. That's when I noticed something sticking out of the sand—a piece of paper.
I picked it up and read:
'This is just a dream. This world is yours. You can do anything if you put your heart into it.'
"Lies. I can't even open my system," I grumbled, crumpling the note and tossing it away.
I didn't know where to go, so I started walking. Step after step, the sand crunched beneath my feet as I swung my arms lazily at my sides. Nothing but sand stretched around me, and the harsh light of the sun made everything seem endless. Yet, I didn't stop walking.
Eventually, I saw a building in the distance—finally, something. As I got closer, I saw it was full of people. The first thing I did when I stepped inside was ask, "Do you guys have any idea where the dangerous High Dark Poltergeist is?"
The room fell silent. Everyone stared at me like I'd grown a second head.
Suddenly, I felt a chill crawl up my spine. I turned around to see a young woman smirking at me.
"Yes? Do you need something?" I asked, more out of confusion than concern.
She laughed softly, folding her arms. "No, you're the one who needs something from me," she said before turning her back to me. "Follow me."
Her voice sent a cold shiver through me, but I didn't have much choice. "Ah... excuse me? Where are we going, exactly?" I asked as I trailed after her.
Before I knew it, the sun had disappeared below the horizon, and the moon dominated the sky. The sudden change was unnerving—time here moved differently. I glanced over my shoulder, my jaw dropping as I took in the bizarre flow of time.
'This woman... she's suspicious. Don't tell me she's the High Dark Poltergeist. Well, if it's her, I get it now.'
The ground beneath my feet felt dull and lifeless. I stopped walking, glaring at her back. "Where the heck did you bring me?"
My body felt stiff, almost out of my control. 'That stupid note lied. I can't even control myself now.'
"Your dreams, your ass," I muttered bitterly, forcing my body to move forward despite the unease.
"I'll show you how I became like this," the woman said, her voice dripping with cold resolve.
I scoffed. "Ew. Do I look like I care?" I spit to the side in disgust.
'Calm down, Lu Shian. It's one trillion gold. Focus.'
The woman waved her hand, summoning thick fog that rolled toward me like a living thing. She blew softly, and as her eyes closed, her body vanished.
What replaced her... caught me off guard.
"W-why did you kill Mother, Father!?" a trembling teenager screamed, her voice cracking with fear.
"Run, Leyli. Run! Report me to the police—I didn't mean it! She was threatening to kill you!" the man stammered, his hands shaking violently. His eyes were wide, consumed by panic and confusion.
The teenager's face twisted in horror, but instead of running, she hugged him. The man's knife slipped, and the blade sank into her instead.
Blood. So much blood.
The man clutched his chest, gasping before collapsing to the ground. "No, don't leave me!" the girl screamed.
Moments later, she whispered bitterly, "If the world had been just a little kinder to us..." Her body slumped lifelessly onto the cold floor.
I scowled, the scene making my blood boil. "What kind of stupidity is this? So this is why I'm supposed to save you? I've changed my mind. You took your own life—I'll finish this for you."
Suddenly, I could move again. The Poltergeist emerged before me, and I didn't hesitate. I grabbed her neck with both hands.
"I suffered too. I'm not saying my pain was worse than yours, but blaming the world after you took your own life? That's just plain stupid."
"You don't know what I went through! Don't compare me to you. You probably had a good life, you lucky bastard," she sneered, her words making my teeth grind.
"Making other people's suffering invalid because of your pain? You don't deserve to be saved," I growled, my grip tightening.
"Fire," I commanded coldly, clenching my fist. Flames erupted from my hand, spreading over her body.
Nero's voice echoed in my mind. 'Being lucky can't hide your idiocy.'
"You were lucky your father told you to run, but you chose to be stupid," I muttered as the Poltergeist disintegrated into ash. "If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have let you run. If you'd just taken that chance, you might have had a good life."
[First Nomination: Task It or Take It. Successfully Completed.]
[Congratulations! You're the first Aspirant to choose the road of 'Take It.' As a special gift, you will receive a Concentration Shield. With this, no one can forcefully interrupt your body's upgrading process.]
[Rewards: Fake Lower Identity, 3 trashy magic attributes, 25,000 gold, & rank down 3x.]
I blinked at the notification. "Wait. Are you telling me everyone else chose to save that annoying woman? Why? Damn it. I feel kinda guilty now—I shouldn't have let my anger take over."
I pouted, folding my arms, but the system's countdown had already begun.
[Aspirant Exorcist! Please get ready for the Second Nomination.]
[5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]
[Preparing to send you back to the Gate of the Exorcist World...]