"I didn't think I'd be trespassing on private property again."
Yuuma muttered nervously as he carefully walked through the hallways of the warehouse where he had previously seen the specter.
He had waited until dusk to enter when there was less foot traffic.
Even so, he needed to be cautious not to run into anyone. While security measures in Japan were far more relaxed compared to New York, he couldn't afford to be careless—getting caught could land him in a police station.
However, the nervousness he felt at the moment wasn't just about the risk of being caught; it was also about facing the ghost he had seen earlier that morning.
As an ordinary human in his past life, Yuuma had not been the superstitious type to believe in the existence of ghosts or specters. Yet, like any other person, he felt some anxiety when it came to the paranormal.
His reaction to encountering the old man and the surreal experience during his transmigration was proof enough of that.
In his previous life, ghost movies and paranormal stories had been mere entertainment—but this was real.
That's why he had spent the entire day scouring the city's lower districts, buying anything that might help him face a ghost, according to popular culture.
Salt, crucifixes, talismans, special herbs, amulets—things he would have dismissed as scams in his previous life.
He wasn't sure if any of it would work, but it was better than being unprepared.
He had watched enough TV shows and movies to piece together some sort of plan, and now, it was better to be safe than sorry. He filled his spatial storage with everything he could.
"It looks like it's here"
Yuuma followed a trail of dark mist in the air, moving slowly toward one of the rooms on the third floor of the warehouse. This wasn't ordinary fog—it was something else, something he immediately associated with the paranormal.
When he entered the room, everything seemed normal at first glance, with nothing out of place.
However, at the far end of the room, near a wall, he saw the mist gathering, creating an ominous atmosphere.
"There's no need to hide… I know you're here"
Yuuma said with an air of apparent calmness, though inside, he was growing increasingly uneasy.
He knew he had to confront this sooner or later.
A moment passed, and nothing happened.
With no immediate response, Yuuma simply stood still, silently staring at the eerie spot.
Anyone watching him now would have thought he'd lost his mind.
Then, after several seconds of silence, something finally happened.
The wall of the room began to distort, rippling as if it were a mass of gelatin, while a grotesque creature took shape!
It stood as tall as an older man, yet its figure resembled a grotesque, thin, deformed woman.
It was dressed in what appeared to be office attire, though it was disheveled and severely deteriorated.
But the most striking feature was its face, where only empty eye sockets could be seen.
"You… see me… I…"
The creature 'spoke' haltingly, barely managing to string together a coherent sentence.
'Son of a bitch, it is a damn ghost!'
Yuuma's anxiety skyrocketed, as this was his first time experiencing something so terrifying.
Nevertheless, he mustered all his courage, standing his ground and staring at the specter.
He didn't know if he could do anything to eliminate this monstrosity, but he was determined to try.
"Yes… you… can… see me!"
Suddenly, the creature lunged at Yuuma, swinging its arms wildly and opening its mouth to reveal dangerous, sharp teeth!
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, Yuuma moved swiftly, dodging the specter's attack. With a quick motion, he pulled out the jar of salt and threw it at the ghost.
But it was useless—the salt passed through the specter as if it wasn't even there!
"Annoying… this is annoying!"
The creature turned around and lunged at Yuuma once more. He swiftly dodged again, immediately pulling talismans and amulets from his dimensional storage.
Although the salt had passed through the specter as if it were nothing, Yuuma noticed it had inflicted minimal damage, which only seemed to enrage the ghost further.
This observation confirmed that he could attack and harm it, and he was relieved his purchases hadn't been a scam.
*Tssss*
"Annoying… hateful!"
The ghost froze momentarily when the amulets landed on its spectral body, but it quickly regained movement as each amulet burned up completely.
However, amulet after amulet, the ghost's movements grew slower and slower, with visible burn marks beginning to appear on its surface.
"Come on, I can do this!"
Next, a small metal baton appeared in Yuuma's hand, engraved with numerous inscriptions on its surface. Without hesitation, he swung it like a bat, landing a direct hit on the specter.
*Baaam*
"Ughhh!"
The ghost let out a pained sound, causing Yuuma to grin—it was clear he was dealing damage.
But his joy didn't last long.
In a sudden, rapid movement, the specter's arms shot forward with incredible speed, giving Yuuma no time to react. Both arms struck his chest directly.
*Baaam*
Yuuma was sent flying several meters from the impact, crashing and tumbling across the dusty floor of the room.
"D-Damn it!"
Yuuma tried to get up quickly, but the pain made it hard to keep his balance or even breathe properly.
In his past life, he'd taken hits like these while training in boxing, so he wasn't unfamiliar with pain. But this wasn't training.
Now, what the hell could he do?
Run? No, that wasn't an option.
He had to think of something fast, as the ghost didn't seem remotely friendly.
*Ding, ding, ding*
[Secret Mission! You've come face-to-face with a supernatural being for the first time and didn't flee, confronting it without using your spiritual energy!]
[You can now control your spiritual energy at will!]
The system's message suddenly interrupted Yuuma's thoughts.
"Control my spiritual energy? Hahaha… Finally, it's about time this happened"
Although it sounded like an excellent skill, he quickly accessed the holographic screen to see what it entailed.
[Spiritual Energy Control – Active Skill: As a Transcendent, your internal energy is the most powerful weapon you can wield in the cosmos to defeat your enemies, no matter their nature. You can use it to enhance your body or perform various other skills, such as 'Mental Fortitude.' Cost per use 1 SE per minute]
When Yuuma first arrived in this world and saw his stats, he noticed they were similar to those in a video game.
However, there was something peculiar about it.
In most games, there were always HP and MP bars. But in his case, he had none of those—just "Spiritual Energy," which was at the level of an average human.
When he asked the system about it, he was informed that he would eventually be able to use this energy, but he needed to be patient.
And it seemed that day had finally arrived.
With this, he was sure everything was about to change completely!
"Strange… you're strange… annoying!"
Yuuma couldn't relish the moment further as the ghost began to accelerate, closing the distance between them. Realizing this, he quickly readied himself.
[Skill Activated: Spiritual Energy Control!]
*Whoooosh!*
A multicolored burst of energy erupted from within, spreading in all directions!
'Hahaha, damn, this feels amazing!'
Yuuma felt all his anxiety vanish as his heart raced like the gallop of a wild horse.
*Boom!*
He felt a small explosion within as if something had burst in his abdomen and spread throughout his entire body!
With movements far quicker than before, he easily dodged the specter, putting several meters between them.
Gradually, the wave of energy faded, leaving behind a faint multicolored aura that enveloped him completely, like a soft, luminous painting.
He raised his hands, staring in awe at the power surrounding him.
Even though it was just a thin layer of energy, it was energy nonetheless!
"Hahaha! Finally, things turned out the way they should!"
Yuuma exclaimed with a broad grin.
As an ordinary human, gaining this kind of energy made him feel euphoric!
"You… annoying… you… tasty! Uaaah!"
Yuuma sighed at the creature's reaction. With a swift movement, he dodged its attack again. His body moved instinctively, recalling the boxing sessions from his past life.
*Baaam!*
Immediately, he threw a punch with his clenched fist, striking the creature square in the center and sending it crashing into the room's wall.
*Booomm!*
"Hagh!… p-pain! S-stop!"
The specter began to scream, letting out sobs as it felt its body shattering from the devastating blow it had received.
If an ordinary person had thrown that punch, it would have done nothing, their fist merely passing through the specter.
However, Yuuma had managed to hurt it!
How was this possible?
The answer lay in the faint layer of energy that now covered the protagonist's body.
"Just as written, despite its ethereal nature, it was affected by my punch"
Yuuma said, raising his hands to observe the faint multicolored energy surrounding him.
Was this like Dragon Ball's Ki or the Cosmos from Saint Seiya?
"It doesn't matter. I need to end this as soon as possible"
Yuuma stopped looking at his hands and cautiously began walking forward.
Though the creature appeared pitiful now, he wasn't going to let his guard down or assume victory just yet.
Yuuma came to the creature's side and, after standing still for a moment, cautiously crouched down.
With one of his hands, he grabbed its deformed head and the other placed it on its chest. Then, he applied a great amount of force and began to crush both hands down
*Splash!*
Pieces of flesh and fluids flew everywhere as the creature was torn into dozens of pieces!
At this moment Yuuma felt nauseous at the sight of the specter's body, but he held back the feeling of disgust.
"Hold on… this is not a human… remember that in other worlds you will have to do this, you will even do it to some people"
Yuuma spoke to himself as he watched the remains of the beast slowly begin to smoke as they turned black and disappeared like ashes in the wind.
In his past life, he had only killed, but when he went on hunting trips, they were only deer.
Now, however, he knew that he would be facing sentient beings, even humans, whom in the worst case he would have to kill.
*Ding, ding, ding*
[Hidden Mission: Eliminate your first supernatural being!]
[Level up!]
[You have acquired the skill Mixed Martial Arts!]
Yuuma was stunned by these unexpected rewards. Yet, a wave of joy completely overtook him.
"Ha… damn… ha… ha… I think I'm going to pass out."
He let himself collapse onto the ground, breathing heavily. Despite this, a smile spread across his face.
'Status'
Name: Miyamoto Yuuma
Age: 22 years old
Profession: Language and Literature Teacher (Unemployed)
Level: 01 → 02
Race: Human (99%) / Transcendent (1%)
Spiritual Energy: 20 → 19 (Locked)
Strength: 10 → 15
Agility: 10 → 15
Vitality: 10 → 20
Intelligence: 10 → 11
Perception: 10 → 11
Fatigue: 0 → 10
Average Human Value: 10
Passive Skills:
(Unknown): Max Level
Dimensional Storage
Active Skills:
Spiritual Energy Control: Level 1
Mental Resistance: Level 1
Mixed Martial Arts: Level 1
Sewing Skills: Level 1
Inventory:
Pen, Sturdy Boots, leather gloves, strong rope
Daily Tasks:
100 push-ups (completed), 100 sit-ups (completed), 100 air squats (completed), 10 km run (completed)
[Mixed Martial Arts – Level 1]: This skill allows the host to fight optimally based on the opponent, adapting to their combat style and maximizing attack efficiency. Cost per use: 5 SP to double stats per minute.
"Wow, not only did I gain several rewards, but I also leveled up!"
Yuuma was thrilled with everything he had achieved that day. Now, he felt more confident in tackling future missions and even cleansing the world of these specters.
He stared thoughtfully at the spot where the remains of the ghost's shattered body had disappeared.
"System, according to the old man, this world is supposed to be calm and normal. Why are there ghosts?"
After a moment of silence, he finally asked the question.
*Ding, ding, ding*
[Responding to the host: This world's level is considered normal compared to other worlds.]
"What does that even mean?"
The system's response left him with more questions than answers.
[Compared to other worlds, the world in which the host resides has minimal danger but not zero. However, with the host's potential growth, this will not pose an issue. The worlds you will travel to have varying levels of danger, such as powerful magic capable of destroying entire cities, supernatural beings that indiscriminately kill humans, and cosmic entities that wipe out entire civilizations.]
Yuuma stopped, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.
[Additionally, there are worlds where there are no extremely powerful beings but deeply vile ones. Worlds where morality and ethics do not exist, where blackmail seems to be an unspoken rule. Worlds where mind control and brainwashing are in the hands of twisted individuals. Worlds where the idea of settling down and starting a family is nothing more than an illusion.]
'Damn…'
When put that way, it was true that a ghost wasn't as troublesome compared to those other worlds.
'…And I suppose those are the worlds I'll be going to, right?'
[Correct. The host will travel to various worlds in accordance with their level, with a specific mission to complete. From the gains earned, the host will grow stronger. But first, focus on this world. Do not let your mind be distracted by anything other than securing this world.]
Although he knew he had to complete those missions, it seemed he hadn't fully internalized the seriousness of it yet.
He was aware that anime worlds didn't just have stories about powerful beings and the supernatural but also ridiculous plots like the ones found in hentai—worlds where living would be nearly impossible because your mental stability would be constantly at risk.
"I guess I need to start taking all of this seriously" - he murmured as he slowly stood up.
"I was too focused on trying to do things the way I used to in my previous life, neglecting what truly lies ahead… Let's start by conquering this world"