After slapping a poor ghost into the unknown, Hùng stood alone in the dark, eerie forest. He sighed and scratched his head in frustration.
"Weak like a snail! One slap and it's gone! Boring. I didn't even use one percent of my strength. What a waste of my time!"
The system kept silent but thought privately: "If I hadn't guided him, he'd probably be crying and running for the emergency exit by now."
Still grumbling, Hùng continued:
"What kind of ghost is that? Didn't even have time to do anything before getting smacked away. Are they malnourished or something? System, do you think they need more food? Maybe I should open a sandwich shop here in the forest?"
[Master, please focus. I have a mission for you.]
"Oh? A mission? Finally, something to do! What is it?"
[Mission: Exorcise a ghost.]
Hùng's eyes widened in surprise.
"Exorcise? I'm not even religious! How am I supposed to do that? I'm a 'ghost-slapper,' not some monk or enlightened Buddha!"
[Reward: A super ultra VIP pro-level skill.]
Hùng's expression immediately changed. His eyes sparkled like headlights, and a sly grin spread across his face. He nodded eagerly:
"Gods, creators, heavenly beings, Buddha… I follow no one, but today, I will exorcise these spirits! For a mission this juicy, I'm off to work now!"
With that, Hùng dashed off at racing speed. Enhanced by the system, his speed was now twenty times that of a normal human. He zipped through trees, mumbling to himself:
"Wait for me, ghosts! Your savior is here! Don't be too dazzled by my good looks and run away!"
The deeper he went, the darker the forest became. The trees crowded together, and not even moonlight could pierce through. The cold air would have made any ordinary person shiver. But Hùng's main concern was…
"System, are there no mosquitoes here? I've run around a few laps, and none have bitten me. Are they scared of me?"
[Master… This is a haunted forest. Mosquitoes don't survive he— Oh, I mean, they probably didn't want to ruin your 'handsome factor.']
"Ah, that makes me even sadder! So boring! Hey, system, can I exchange a warning point for a bag of chips?"
[Yes. One point for a bag.]
"Awesome! Buy it now!"
In an instant, a bag of chips appeared in Hùng's hand. He tore open the packaging and sat under a tree, munching while muttering:
"Delicious! Listen, system, hear this crunch!"
He deliberately chewed loudly to make the system hear. The system remained silent, showing no reaction.
After finishing, Hùng casually tossed the empty bag on the ground, stood up, and dusted himself off.
"I've been searching forever but haven't found any ghosts. System, did you trick me? Is this mission too hard, or are they all hiding?"
[Master... Why not try your usual approach?]
"My usual approach?"
[Punching trees and destroying things randomly—your classic reckless style.]
Hùng clapped his hands excitedly:
"Right! Why didn't I think of that? I'll go full Steve from Minecraft and clear this whole forest! If there are no ghosts, I'll just deforest everything!"
The system muttered to itself:
[Yep, knew he'd say that.]
[Notification: For every tree you break, you will receive 25 reckless points and 10 experience points. You need 1,000 points to level up to Qi Refining Stage Two.]
Hearing this, Hùng laughed maniacally:
"System! I love you! You're the greatest! Forest, prepare for disaster!"
Without further ado, Hùng charged at the nearest tree, fist raised.
Crack!
A tree as wide as two people hugging snapped in half like a twig. Hùng shouted gleefully:
"Alright! Time for my 'Qi Refining Level Up' journey!"
The forest trembled under Hùng's destructive spree. The sound of trees falling echoed nonstop. In just one hour, hundreds of ancient trees were flattened. Rocks cracked from his punches, and birds fled in panic, yet not a single ghost appeared.
The system finally intervened:
[Master, perhaps you should restrain yourself...]
"Restrain? I'm leveling up here! Once these ghosts see me at Qi Refining Stage Two, they'll run for their lives!"
After wreaking havoc through half the forest, Hùng suddenly stopped. In the distance, he spotted an old wooden house nestled among the trees. The house looked dilapidated, its wooden door rotting and its roof covered in moss.
Hùng's eyes lit up:
"A haunted house? You're done for! I'm coming for you, woohoo!"
He sprinted toward the house, ready to punch anything that showed up inside. Little did he know, the house held secrets that would make everything far more thrilling than ever before.
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End of Chapter 4