### Chapter 57: Kill the Ghost Army and Rise to Level 11
The ghosts in the woods were blissfully unaware that their companion had been defeated. As Su Yu approached, the surging psychic energy radiating from him drew the attention of the nearby spirits. They emerged from the shadows of the forest like sharks sensing blood, hungry and relentless.
One, two, three…
Before long, a total of **eighteen** ghosts had materialized, their dark forms blotting out the sun and casting an ominous shadow over the area. They lunged at Su Yu, driven by an insatiable hunger. To them, devouring Su Yu—teeming with psychic energy—was far more appealing than any mundane feast.
Behind the swarm of eighteen ghosts loomed a **massive red ghost**, standing **2.5 meters tall**. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Su Yu, and with a fierce roar, it transformed into a crimson light, charging at him from the side.
"Not good! Miscalculation!" Su Yu's face paled in realization.
According to reports from his previous life, there were only supposed to be **eight** ghosts in the vicinity. How had this multiplied to **nineteen**, including a **first-order ghost**? The very existence of a first-order ghost leading this horde was unexpected.
Su Yu recalled the principles established by the Skrulls, who had categorized ghosts in a spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, according to the dispersion of light. Red was the designation for the first-order ghost.
**Something is off!** Su Yu's mind raced. **I distinctly remember that first-order ghosts didn't appear until a week after the great change in my previous life. Why is this one here on only the third day of this life? What could have gone wrong?**
But he had no time to ponder. As the horde closed in, he quickly executed [Blink] to evade their encirclement and initiated his counterattack.
A massive bolt of lightning shot from Su Yu's hands, arcing toward six of the ghosts.
**Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!**
The six ghosts had no time to react before they exploded into clouds of dark mist.
Thanks to the upgrade of [Chain Lightning], the number of targets he could hit simultaneously had increased from four to six. In one decisive strike, he obliterated six first-order ghosts.
The remaining spirits were momentarily stunned, taken aback by Su Yu's overwhelming power.
Yet, this shock was fleeting. They quickly regrouped and surged toward him, their hunger igniting their aggression once more.
A thick shroud of black mist engulfed Su Yu.
"[Ice Shield]!" he called, solid ice crystals enveloping him and shielding against the relentless onslaught.
The ghosts' attacks ricocheted off the [Ice Shield], their blows producing nothing more than a series of cracks, failing to penetrate his defenses.
Noticing this, the blood-red ghost clasped its claws together and began to cast a spell. A sinister, crimson energy shot out, connecting with Su Yu. At that moment, a wave of **drowsiness** washed over him, threatening to pull him into a deep slumber.
Su Yu jolted awake, biting his lip to shake off the lethargy. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, but the sharp pain revived him fully.
"[Earth Thrust]!"
A massive stalagmite erupted beneath the red ghost, sending it flying into the air and interrupting its hypnotic ray.
[Earth Thrust] was a low-damage earth spell, but its control effects were invaluable. After its upgrade to epic quality, the red ghost would remain in a **stun state** for an additional second upon hitting the ground, leaving it vulnerable.
Su Yu understood the principle: **"Catch the thief first, catch the king."** He swiftly followed up with [Frost Nova] to freeze the surrounding lower-order ghosts. With his last [Blink], he dodged the encircling ghosts and unleashed a flurry of lightning strikes upon the incapacitated red ghost.
**Crack! Click! Click!**
Bolts of lightning, thick as a child's arm, cascaded from Su Yu's hands. The red ghost's defenses crumbled under the assault; within moments, it burst apart, showering the area in a cloud of crimson mist.
The other ghosts, witnessing their leader's demise, were momentarily stunned. They hadn't expected their boss to fall so easily!
Once freed from the control of [Frost Nova], the remaining ghosts ceased their attack and began to scatter in panic.
But Su Yu had no intention of letting them escape.
He unleashed [Chain Lightning] and [Lightning Arrow] in rapid succession, ensuring that none of the ghosts could evade his strikes. One by one, they fell to his relentless assault.
What had started as a battle with overwhelming odds quickly turned into a complete rout, with Su Yu emerging victorious.
---
"Whew! That was dangerously close! I could have easily been overwhelmed!" Su Yu exhaled, a wry smile crossing his face. "I'm fortunate to have so many skills and such formidable power. Otherwise, dealing with these ghosts would have been a challenge. But why are there so many spirits here? It's completely different from my previous life!"
Glancing at his experience bar, he noted it was barely one-third full. "Looks like I need to be more cautious next time."
He shook his head, sitting cross-legged on the forest floor, ready to absorb the psychic energy released upon the ghosts' demise.
"Ding! You kill [Soul Control Ghost lv8] and gain 640 experience points."
"Ding! You killed [Resurrection Ghost lv9] and gained 810 experience points."
"Ding! You kill [Hypnosis Ghost lv13] and gain 1600 experience points."
"Ding! Congratulations! You have leveled up, reaching level 11!"
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After absorbing the released psychic energy, Su Yu felt a surge of strength as he achieved level 11. This advancement saved him at least two hours of grinding in-game.
Of course, saving time was secondary. More importantly, he had saved over **400** lives from the clutches of the ghosts, a victory he deemed more valuable than anything else.
"However, events like this will continue to unfold across the world. I can save some people, but countless others will still fall victim to these spirits."
"Unless… I can create the **Spirit Seeking Ruler** ahead of time?"
He chuckled, dismissing the thought. "How is that even possible?"
The **Spirit Seeking Ruler** was a powerful weapon wielded by the previous government to combat ghosts. Wherever the ruler went, spirits were vanquished with ease.
However, crafting such a weapon required a **small psionic fountain** to assist in its creation. In Su Yu's past life, it had taken **eight months** for the Huaxia Kingdom to procure its first small psionic spring from the Skrulls, leading to the creation of the Spirit Seeking Ruler and an effective suppression of ghost activity.
"The Spirit Seeking Ruler is a far-off dream, at least in the short term. I can only hope the government recognizes the dangers posed by ghosts sooner rather than later."
With resolve, Su Yu stood, brushed off the dirt from his clothes, and made his way toward the spot where the red ghost had fallen.
"Now, let's see what transpired. Why did the first-order ghost appear so early?"
Su Yu focused his magic and began searching for the memory fragments of the red ghost. After reaching the second level of his priest profession, he would learn a signature skill called [Mind Stealing], allowing him to explore the ghost's memories and understand its creation process.
The mage profession had a similar spell, [Soul Search], achieving similar results. While he didn't possess [Soul Search] now, he remembered its principles from his previous life.
Though he wouldn't uncover the entire process of ghost creation as he did before, he could still glean critical information.
With his eyes closed, he cast the spell.
After **five minutes**, the soul search concluded.
But as Su Yu opened his eyes, his expression shifted dramatically, and he couldn't help but curse, "Fuck! Is this real?!"
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**(End of this chapter)**