Level Unknown, Mysterious Crystal Shard

The sound of wind whistling filled the air as a sharp, gleaming katana sliced down, aimed directly at the Ghost Leader.

Abruptly, the descending sword blade stopped a mere centimeter from the Ghost Leader's body in a bizarre manner.

Wu Yan gritted his teeth, pressing down hard on the Kusanagi Sword in his hands, but still couldn't touch the Ghost Leader's skeletal frame.

Wu Yan could clearly see that beneath the blade of his Kusanagi Sword, wisps of black gas swirled. Though these wisps were as thin as strands of hair, they acted like the sturdiest copper wall, blocking Wu Yan's strike.

Before he could even be surprised, a bony hand larger than a fan swatted at Wu Yan. He quickly tapped his feet, leaping back to create distance. The bony hand slammed into the ground with a 'thump,' leaving a small crater.

Halting his retreat, Wu Yan quickly dove forward, wielding his sword with both hands, and fiercely struck at the Ghost Leader's chest before it could retract its bony hand.

Just as Wu Yan was about to succeed, the black gas around the Ghost Leader surged again, rapidly transforming into strands of black silk that wrapped around the sword blade.

At that moment, Wu Yan felt as if he weren't cutting through gas, but rather soft leather. All the force of his strike was instantly nullified, stopping a centimeter from the Ghost Leader's body, unable to advance any further.

What's going on? This black gas…

Quickly ducking to avoid another strike from the Ghost Leader, Wu Yan twisted his sword and thrust it again, stabbing at the Ghost Leader's shoulder. Just like before, the black gas enveloped the blade, halting the attack.

"Damn it!" Wu Yan hissed, forcefully pushing the sword, shoving the Ghost Leader away.

Wu Yan stroked the blade, focusing his gaze on the Ghost Leader, or more accurately, on the black gas surrounding it.

Originally, Wu Yan had imagined that with the readily available Kusanagi Sword, coupled with his 'Swordsmanship Proficiency' for attack, 'Complete Memory' to find weaknesses, and the 'Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance' as a finishing move, he should be able to contend with an opponent even one level higher than him.

And the earlier strike, which the Ghost Leader couldn't even react to, had confirmed Wu Yan's guess. But unexpectedly, the black gas actually served as protection!

It wasn't just simple defense, but more like a force-canceling effect, completely neutralizing the power of his attacks.

After several fruitless attacks, Wu Yan couldn't help but feel annoyed. His speed was faster than his opponent's, but his attacks were useless decorations. In the end, he would definitely be the first to tire out.

Truly worthy of being in the same family as those Skeletons and Wandering Corpse Souls. Even with just one of them left, they still plan to exhaust me to death. How truly despicable…

"Hehehehe…" The Ghost Leader twisted its neck with a strange laugh, its mouth rapidly opening and closing, making a "ga ga ga ga" sound. Then, it floated into the air and charged at Wu Yan.

Twisting to dodge the Ghost Leader's collision, Wu Yan swung his sword at the Ghost Leader as it passed by, striking its back, but the attack was once again deflected by the black gas.

But the Ghost Leader suddenly turned around, once again crashing into Wu Yan like a missile. Wu Yan awkwardly bent over, dodging the Ghost Leader's attack. The Ghost Leader twisted around again…

In an instant, the Ghost Leader became like a bony homing missile, constantly crashing into Wu Yan, who could only parry and dodge. The situation took a complete turn. Wu Yan, who had previously held the initiative in attack, was now reduced to passive defense and evasion.

Watching the Ghost Leader constantly attacking, Wu Yan's expression grew increasingly grim.

Attacking is useless, not attacking is also useless, what should I do?

Wu Yan's eyes were fixed on the Ghost Leader, trying to use his 'Complete Memory' ability to record all its attack patterns and find its weakness.

As the Ghost Leader's bony body slammed into the ground, more and more craters appeared, and the entire underground hall echoed with explosions, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Huff… huff…" Dodging another missile attack from the Ghost Leader, Wu Yan breathed lightly. The opponent was clearly unafraid of his attacks, and its puppet-like movements were so unpredictable. If he didn't have the 'Complete Memory' ability to record its movements, Wu Yan would probably have been hit already.

Judging from the craters on the ground, being hit would definitely be no joke!

"I'll be dead if I don't change the situation. There's no choice, I have to attack!"

Grasping the sword hilt tightly, the surrounding air began to fluctuate, then turned into small gusts of wind that swirled around the blade of the Kusanagi Sword. As the wind grew stronger and more solid, at one point, the swirling air transformed into a halo of light around the blade.

Wu Yan stomped on the ground and rushed towards the Ghost Leader, which was charging at him. Just as he was about to collide with the Ghost Leader, Wu Yan raised his sword and slashed at it!

"Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance!!!"

"Boom!!!"

The arc-shaped sword energy engulfed the Ghost Leader. At the same time, a loud, muffled sound exploded, and then the Ghost Leader was carried away by the arc of sword energy, flying backward and crashing into the wall, dislodging countless pieces of rock, burying it in the rubble…

Did it work?

Wu Yan stood with his sword, breathing slightly, watching the rubble that was constantly falling and slowly growing higher.

To be honest, if even 'Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance' had no effect, Wu Yan would really be out of options. Besides running away, he could only look for solutions in the system.

Unfortunately, Wu Yan had already searched, but either they weren't suitable, or he didn't have enough points. So, this attack, 'Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance,' also had a gambling element to it…

Although he wore a hopeful expression, Wu Yan knew that perhaps this attack really hadn't worked, stemming from the oppressive feeling that hadn't diminished in the slightest since the battle began…

Suddenly, Wu Yan's pupils shrank, and he smiled bitterly.

In the rubble, the Ghost Leader wriggled out like a worm. After emerging from the rubble, it simply crawled on all fours, slowly raising its head, chuckling strangely, and slowly crawling towards Wu Yan.

His body tense, Wu Yan raised the Kusanagi Sword, facing the Ghost Leader, his eyes flashing with determination.

No one is unafraid of death. Wu Yan was also afraid, very afraid. However, in order to continue living, in order to one day be able to set foot on that land called Sparlier World again, in order to rush back to cook for the Student Council President…

He could only fight!

His body crouched low, Wu Yan prepared to charge forward. Suddenly, his expression froze, a hint of surprise flashed across his face, and then he smiled with joy.

"Hehehehe…" The Ghost Leader completely defied the laws of gravity. Its body, which had been crawling on all fours, suddenly flipped over, and then twisted its skeletal body in the air like a machine, returning to a standing posture, the black gas around it fluctuating violently.

Although it seemed completely unchanged compared to before, Wu Yan, with his 'Complete Memory' ability, clearly remembered…

The black gas around the Ghost Leader before being attacked by 'Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance' was thinner than the black gas around the current Ghost Leader!

In other words, this black gas protection also had its limits!

Smiling slightly, Wu Yan straightened his chest, held the sword with both hands, and stomped on the ground, rushing out…

In the blink of an eye, Wu Yan arrived in front of the Ghost Leader, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. The sword blade shone brightly, and then drew an arc-shaped slash!

"Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance!!!"

A fierce collision echoed as the Ghost Leader was sent flying backward by the force, on the verge of crashing into the wall again. Wu Yan's figure reappeared in front of the airborne Ghost Leader, and the long sword, shimmering with light, slashed down once more!

"Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance!!!"

The arc of the sword's force drove the Ghost Leader's body into the wall. It let out a strange cry as its entire body crashed into the wall, leaving only its skull exposed on the outside.

A gleaming katana reappeared above the Ghost Leader's head, and the moment it looked up, the blade struck its forehead…

"Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance!!!"

The wall exploded, sending chunks of stone, large and small, flying through the air before crashing to the ground. They kicked up a cloud of dust and created countless craters, further devastating the already battered ground.

Wu Yan panted heavily, watching the Ghost Leader collapse before him. Though its form remained intact, the black aura that had surrounded it had vanished completely, leaving only bone. He smiled wearily.

In less than five seconds, Wu Yan had used 'Turbulent Return of Celestial Dance' three times in a row. Although it was purely a sword-slashing technique that didn't require any battle aura or magical power, it still consumed a significant amount of Wu Yan's stamina.

But it was all worth it. The force-absorbing gas, like a sponge, had completely disappeared.

Ding! Congratulations, user, for leveling up! Current level: 30!

Defeating a level 30 Ghost Leader had leveled Wu Yan up from 29 to 30! Level 30 was equivalent to the fourth tier in the Sparlier World!

Cracking his arms, now refilled with strength, Wu Yan nodded in satisfaction. Leveling up twice in one day, when his level was already high and the experience requirements were steep, was something that hadn't happened in a long time.

Carrying the Kusanagi Sword, Wu Yan walked over to the Ghost Leader, looking at the now-immobilized creature with a speechless expression.

It seemed the black aura was the power that sustained its movements. Without it, it was completely unable to move. How…

Helpless, Wu Yan could only shrug and smile. "Buddy, no hard feelings, but you're a ghost, and I'm a human. We're different. For the sake of my mission, I have to kill you again. Don't blame me; try to be a 'good' person in your next life…"

Huh? Why did he feel like he'd said the same thing before? Never mind!

His helpless expression hardened, and Wu Yan raised his sword in a backhand grip, forcefully slashing down to completely sever the Ghost Leader's skull!

Ding! Task 2 complete! Gained 10,000 Equipment Points, Item Points, Ability Points, and Summoning Points!

Ding! Obtained one 'Mysterious Crystal Shard'!

Ding! Task 3 activated!

Wu Yan's expression faltered upon hearing the system's prompts.

Did killing monsters drop treasure now? That didn't make sense; why hadn't it happened before?

A sense of solidity suddenly came from his empty hand. Wu Yan quickly opened his palm, and a beautiful white crystal was lying there, radiating a golden halo that was mesmerizing. Unfortunately, it was just a shard.

Mysterious Crystal Shard:

Instance World: Hayate the Combat Butler!

Instance Task: Purge!

Task 1: Enter Hakuhou Academy and become a high school student there.

Task Reward: 1,000 Equipment Points, Item Points, Ability Points, and Summoning Points.

Task 2: Slay the Ghost Leader located in the Old School Building of Hakuhou Academy.

Task Reward: 10,000 Equipment Points, Item Points, Ability Points, and Summoning Points.

Task 3: Find another 'Mysterious Crystal Shard' and combine them into a complete 'Mysterious Crystal'.

Task Reward: Randomly draw one reward from Equipment, Items, Abilities, or Summons.

Find another crystal shard? Who knew where it was!

Forget it; he should go back and cook for Hinagiku, or she would get furious again.

Letting out a mournful sigh, Wu Yan stored the crystal shard in his space ring and quickly le