"Who are you?"
Derek looked at the terrifying three-to-four-meter-tall demon ghost in front of him, his face full of disbelief.
He wondered, Am I hallucinating from a three-day fever? Or am I dreaming?
"Master, I am your clone," the demon ghost said respectfully.
"Clone? So, I can control you?" Derek circled the demon ghost, recalling the knowledge he had gleaned from reading web novels about clones.
This can't be real. Am I dreaming? Well, it's certainly an interesting dream.
"Of course, you can. I will now hand over control to you," the demon ghost replied. As soon as the words were spoken, Derek felt a powerful force pulling him in. Moments later, he realized he could indeed control the demon ghost!
"Hahaha! I feel so powerful!"
"Is this really not a dream? With a fierce ghost clone, I could become invincible! All the beauties in the world will be mine, and uniting Earth is just around the corner!"
"..."
"But I am still weak and my mana is almost depleted. Master, I need your help to cultivate and replenish mana," the demon ghost clone said, breaking Derek's fantasy.
"Oh? And how do I know you're not just using me?" Derek suddenly grew wary.
"How could I? I'm merely a clone... Master, if you say east, I cannot go west. If you tell me to hit a dog, I dare not chase chickens. If you so much as think about it, I could perish. This is all bound by the soul contract we signed in our past life. Please examine it carefully," the demon ghost explained quickly.
"Well... maybe... that seems about right," Derek examined the soul contract. Though he couldn't verify its authenticity, he reasoned that even if there was mutual exploitation, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
But was this really not a dream?
"How can I help you grow stronger and replenish your mana?" Derek asked the ghost.
"Ghosts like us feed on human fear. As long as we scare people out of their wits, we can grow stronger and accumulate mana," the ghost replied honestly.
"Sounds fun. Staying up late to scare people sounds like a good time," Derek nodded approvingly.
"Here's a ghost leaderboard listing heavily sinful people who should be prioritized as targets," the ghost added. A list appeared in front of Derek.
"There's only one task available right now," the ghost explained further.
"Read it out loud for me," Derek said, straining to read the leaderboard.
"We need to scare a 27-year-old man named Johnathon. Make him wet himself with fear to extract his essence of terror and strengthen us," the ghost detailed.
"How do we scare him?"
"Master, you can consume mana to manipulate the environment. For example, turn the clone into a vengeful female ghost. As long as he's terrified to the point of losing control, the task will be a success. Once you try a task, you'll get the hang of it. Shall we accept this mission?"
"Yes," Derek agreed without hesitation. He was intrigued by the idea of becoming the one to scare others, reversing the usual dynamic from watching horror movies.
As soon as he accepted, a strong wind whooshed around him as if he was flying. Moments later, it stopped. Derek found himself inside someone's home.
More precisely, his ghost clone was in the house, while his real body remained in his bedroom.
Derek examined his surroundings and realized he was in a luxurious bathroom. The opulent decor screamed wealth.
"Seems like this Johnathon might be some rich kid," Derek muttered.
"Pity the target isn't a beauty. That would've been a nice bonus," he quipped.
"It's stricter nowadays. Summoning a bathing woman might get censored," the ghost said sternly.
"What? That's a rule?" Derek was speechless.
"Johnathon will enter the bathroom in three minutes to take a shower. We have that time to prepare the scene. The task must be completed within ten minutes, or we risk exposure. Let's hurry!" the ghost urged.
"Got it." Derek got to work.
Limited to the bathroom, Derek decided to scare Johnathon into wetting himself right there. Classic tropes came to mind—blood-filled bathtubs, ghostly heads emerging from the water. Derek manipulated mana to conjure a tub brimming with blood.
But just blood wasn't enough. A ghostly woman lurking in the water would be perfect. He decided to have the ghost take on that role, hiding in the tub.
To avoid prematurely startling Johnathon, Derek pulled the shower curtain closed.
Next, bloody messages on the mirror? A sudden shattering sound? He thought hard about the optimal setup to ensure Johnathon's fear reached its peak.
Being a ghost, Derek realized, was no easy task—setting up the perfect scare was exhausting.
Three minutes flew by, and footsteps approached. The bathroom door creaked open, and in walked Johnathon.
Johnathon washed his hands at the sink, then splashed water on his face. As he straightened up to look in the mirror, an uneasy feeling washed over him, as if someone else was in the room.
Shaking his head, he smiled at his reflection. It's just my imagination.
Still uneasy, he turned toward the tub. Noticing the shower curtain was closed, he paused.
Wasn't it usually open?
Dismissing the thought, he reached out and pulled the curtain aside.
"AHHHHH!!!" Johnathon screamed at the sight of the blood-filled tub but didn't run. He hadn't wet himself yet either.
"Shameless!" Derek's ghost clone dove into the tub. Moments later, a blood-drenched female ghost emerged, her hollow white eyes locking onto Johnathon.
"AHHHHH!!!" Johnathon screamed again, stumbling back toward the door. He frantically twisted the doorknob, only to find it locked.
The ghost clone cackled. "Run all you want. Tonight, you're mine."