**** Ansem's PoV ****
I walked through the forest with my little goblin following me.
I felt oddly reassured that I wasn't alone. It hadn't been long since the chaos started yet it was now eerily quiet. Everyone seemed to be adopting the route of stealth. It almost felt like a relaxing walk through the forest.
It hadn't been long but I was beginning to worry about my choice to cut through the forest.
'There isn't long left on the goblin ghost. If I can't find something to fight in the time before it runs out then I'll have to fight alone again.'
As I was distracted by these worries the ghost suddenly stopped next to me and pulled my sleeve. I stopped at the sudden pulling force and looked back at the ghost.
It was staring at the thick bushes nearby.
"Wh-"
Before I could finish asking what was wrong a black streak jumped out of the bushes straight at me.
My heart stopped and my body froze in fear as I saw a gaping mouth full of razor sharp teeth flying at me.
I had the experience of time slowing down as my heightened senses allowed me to see the danger coming at me but not react.
'I'm dead.'
That was the only thought that passed through my mind.
However it seemed that although I couldn't react, that didn't mean I was helpless.
The ghost of the goblin slammed it's fist against the wolf's head and sent it slightly to the left of me.
The ghost quickly followed the wolf as it arched through the air and landed roughly on the forest ground.
The wolf quickly jumped back to it's feet to face the creature that attacked it.
That's when I discovered something.
'It can't see the ghost!'
The ghost was standing directly in front of the wolf but the wolf was cautiously eyeing the tree line.
I sent a command to the ghost.
"Kill it."
The wolf looked back at me at the sound of my voice and immediately looked back at the trees nearby for my companion.
However the moment it turned it's head the goblin pounced forward and dug it's sharp nails into the wolf's exposed neck line.
Immediately the wolf began to thrashed around, surprised by the sudden attack, but the goblin wasn't shaken off.
Instead it wrapped it's legs around the wolf and dug it's nails into the other side of the wolf's neck.
There were only a few more moments of struggle before the profusely bleeding wolf collapsed. It's eyes already glossing over and becoming unfocused.
Then it's consciousness faded for the last time.
[+20 EXP.]
The entire ordeal only lasted for a few minutes but most of it was just waiting for the wolf to finish dying. There was no fight.
It was now that I truly realized how powerful a ghost attack could be.
"An invisible enemy that can't be touched but can still hurt you... If I had more of these..."
My thoughts trailed off as I saw the goblin disappear from my sight. Only to be replaced by a floating screen.
[Enslaved Ghost released.]
"I'm lucky that it lasted this long. If not I would have died just now..."
I walked towards the wolf corpse to enslave the ghost when I saw a light coming from the body.
Curious I walked forwards and the light floated towards me.
[You looted 5 gold.]
[You looted Fur Coat (Common)]
Since nothing appeared in my hands I assumed the item I got had to have gone somewhere.
"Bag. Items. Inventory."
A screen with a row of six Grey boxes appeared. In the corner I could also see a small gold coin with the number "5" next to it.
'Must be my gold count. That's good. Carrying thousands of gold would be a hassle for sure.'
I willed the coat into my hand and without any delay it appeared in my hands. I felt the inside of the coat where the fur was and it was incredibly soft. Whoever or whatever made it made the fur the highest quality it could be made into.
I slipped the coat on. I didn't feel anything special about the coat but the rarity was common after all.
"Well I don't know how the rarity works or what it means anyways."
I didn't dwell on the questions I had for long, since they weren't important right now and I wouldn't receive an answer anyways.
I summoned the wolf's ghost and began walking again.
I opened my status as I walked and began to weigh my next move. I wanted to get home as fast as possible to ensure my family was okay but I also knew that taking advantage of my temporary ghost was important for my growth.
'It's 100 exp to reach level 2. If I kill 4 more wolves I'll hit level 2 and maybe I'll get stronger. I don't think it should take too long... I'll kill what I can along the way and carry a corpse with me when I leave the forest.'
Having decided on my plan I turned to the wolf following me obediently.
"Go find something to kill nearby. In that direction preferably."
The wolf didn't show any acknowledgement to the command. It simply sprinted off in the direction I pointed and disappeared in the trees.
I stared off at the direction it went for a moment before I realized something.
"Oh shit. If it's gone then that means there is no one here to protect me."
I glanced nervously around before deciding I should move in the direction the ghost went so that it could get to me the fastest it could in case something did happen.
As I was walking I saw a prompt.
[+20 EXP.]
[Enslaved Ghost has looted 5 gold.]
I was disappointed there wasn't another item, since I was curious about what all I could get, but expecting an item every kill might be a bit greedy of me.
It wasn't long before the wolf made it's way back to me. I had it lead me to the corpse of the kill and then I enslaved that ghost.
Since my skill was only level 1 I couldn't have more than one summoned at a time so the old one was forcibly released. It didn't matter to me though.
I gave the same order that I had before and continued along my way through the forest. It was still full of danger but I felt emboldened by my newfound success.
I didn't run into any issues and soon saw the notification that I leveled up.
[Reached Level 2.]
[+50 Max HP]
[+50 Max MP]
[+5 Unassigned AP.]
After the short burst of notifications I summoned my status and looked at my stats.
"Five points to assign to any stat except Luck... Physical stats are the most appealing right now since I don't have any spells anyways. Also there isn't a guarantee that I would be a spell caster either. Maybe the system is going to make me a Frontline warrior or something."
There wasn't any indication on the path I should take so I couldn't decide what stats I should invest in.
Not wanting to commit too heavily in the wrong direction I decided that I would save most of the point, while investing one into my Constitution.
[Constitution: 3->4]
[+100 Max HP]
I felt an invigorating wave rush through my body and I felt healthier overall. It wasn't a drastic change but I knew it was definitely noticeable.
I chose to invest a point into constitution for two simple reasons:
More health means less chances of dying, and it would increase my overall stamina meaning I could run for longer if needed.
"I wonder how we get skills and stuff. Is it tied to our level or do we get them as stuff like skill books? If they're the latter I bet they have a terribly low drop rate."
I needed more tools if I wanted to ensure my survival.
By now the ghost had finished leading me to the final wolf corpse. I tried dragging it for a while before realizing that wasn't going to work. I tried to put it in my inventory but the system didn't allow it.
Since that was the case I had no choice but to summon the ghost before swiftly making my way out of the woods.
Thankfully with my level up I gained another 50 mana and had enough to cast it one more time.
"I can only summon a ghost one more time before I run out of mana..."
I looked nervously at my mana. Thankfully it seemed that there was a tiny amount of passive mana regeneration since my mana was at 38 and not an even 25.
However it was really slow.
Since the first time I used the skill till now, which was almost an hour, I had only recovered 13 mana.
The rate looked to be about 1 mana every five minutes.
This was far from good news for me. I just hoped I could find something to increase my regen rate.
After leaving the forest I crossed an empty street and began cutting through peoples' backyards towards my house.
I usually had to walk around them but now I figured no one would mind.
I kept the ghost close to me in case something suddenly attacked but my worries never came to life.
I was thankful for avoiding a fight but I was also bitter as I watched the ghost of the wolf disappear.
With my only defense gone I would be relying on my own strength now. Thankfully I had made it to my neighbor's house and was peeking over the fence to my own backyard.
I wasn't sure where everyone went after the attack started. I hadn't run into a single living person after the school.
No one would stay at the school so that made sense, and I had walked through an empty forest, but now I was in a local neighborhood that was completely abandoned.
'Maybe they all evacuated and met with the military or something... Yeah... They're probably fine. Holed up somewhere with other humans. I'll just check the house and grab any necessities I see before going to look for them.'
I couldn't lie to myself though. My chest was clenched tightly as I slowly made my way around the side of the house to where the gates to the backyards connected.
I opened it quietly and closed it gently behind me.
I didn't know if it would be helpful but closing doors behind yourself could alert you of intruders later on.
I made my way through the backyard and crept up to the patio door. The blinds were open and I could clearly see inside to the kitchen.
'It looks... Messy.'
I looked around the kitchen that was in clear disarray. Signs of a struggle were evident and as I continued to look my anxiety continued to rise.
My heart finally dropping as I saw something behind the kitchen island.
There, just behind the corner, I could see a small pool of blood.
I braced myself. Not for a fight.
For what I might discover.
I slowly opened the patio door and stepped inside my home kitchen.