Taking the Job

This Evil Spirit seemed to have an extremely bizarre ability.

Not only could she pass through solid walls, but her hands also seemed to possess a strange power that kept [Witch Hunter] Rhode from breaking free.

After only a few seconds, his eyes began to turn bloodshot. This was definitely abnormal—he was being 'corrupted' by a supernatural ability!

As he struggled, Rhode's right hand suddenly dropped. He pulled a metal vial from his waist, wrenched it open, and flung its contents over the hands gripping his neck.

Boom!

A burst of light exploded.

The warm, gentle liquid, imbued with the power of light, landed on the Evil Spirit's translucent hands and immediately hissed, sending up clouds of white smoke.

Holy Water of Light! A supernatural item made by the Church of the Goddess of Light, it was exceptionally effective against spirits like Resentful Souls!

The hands almost melted in the light and quickly withdrew into the wall.

Rhode dropped to the ground and gasped for breath. The purplish-black handprint on his neck looked horrifying.

But Sulu noticed that the discoloration around the handprint was slowly fading. The [Witch Hunter]'s resistance was taking effect.

If it had been him, he probably would have died a second after the Evil Spirit grabbed his neck.

As he thought, Sulu kept moving. He snatched up a small table and slammed it into the last Little Imp, knocking back its attack.

"Let's go!"

Rhode uncorked another vial and carefully surveyed their surroundings. "This is no longer a simple Demon-worshipper job... It's a complex supernatural incident! We have to go back and make the Church pay more! That swindler! I won't let him get away with this!"

"Sure!"

Sulu wholeheartedly agreed.

Working together, the two of them kept the sole remaining Imp at bay. It circled them from a distance, too afraid to attack.

But Rhode and Sulu weren't watching it. They were on guard against the terrifying Evil Spirit!

Sulu reached the front door and yanked it open, only to find pitch darkness outside.

Dense Black Fog stood like a wall, blocking their way.

"What is this...?"

He reached out. The pitch-black curtain was like a wall, firmly stopping him from leaving the house. He couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.

"This Evil Spirit is at least equivalent to a second-tier elite!" Rhode explained grimly. "She can even affect the power of the Spirit World and project her influence into reality, temporarily sealing off an area!"

"Is there no way through?" Sulu asked at once.

"Unless we destroy the Evil Spirit or have the ability of 'Spirit World Travel,' even if you break through the Black Fog, you'll find that the outside is no longer where it used to be. If we're lucky, we'll still be in the real world. If we're unlucky, even God won't know where we'll end up." Rhode took a deep breath. "The good news is... as the price for sealing this area and its core, the Evil Spirit can't leave either!"

"How is that the good news? Sounds like the worst news to me!"

Sulu turned around, nervously watching the hall, then suddenly looked up.

Strands of black hair dangled from the ceiling. A scarlet figure appeared—it was the Evil Spirit!

Her limbs were twisted at bizarre angles, and her neck had turned a full hundred and eighty degrees. Like a spider, she crawled across the ceiling on all fours.

The two hands that had been badly injured by the Holy Water were already completely healed!

"How much Holy Water do we have left?"

"Four vials! It might not be enough to destroy her! I'm sorry..." Rhode looked a little dejected. "This is my fault! If only I'd looked into the situation beforehand..."

In truth, he had trusted the Goddess Church too much.

Or perhaps even the Goddess of Light's informants couldn't investigate every detail behind every job.

"From now on, conserve the Holy Water. We can't waste any more!"

Sulu took a deep breath and glanced at the Attribute Panel: [XP: 150].

He knew he was nothing but a burden right now, but if he could earn just 50 more Experience Points, he could advance to [Medium]!

A [Medium] had an advantage when dealing with spirits!

He looked at Rhode. "Do you trust me? If you do, give me your revolver!"

"Of course!"

Rhode stayed focused on the Evil Spirit crawling along the ceiling. When she suddenly vanished, he shoved the silver revolver into Sulu's hand. "The third bullet is a purification round. It's a little less effective than Holy Water! Be careful, she can turn invisible!"

"Don't worry!"

Sulu gripped the revolver and quickly searched for the last Little Imp.

One Little Imp was worth 50 Experience Points. If he took down one more, he could advance to [Medium]!

Of course... even as a [Medium], he might not be able to deal with the Evil Spirit. But at least he'd have some way to protect himself, and maybe he could help Rhode kill her.

Sulu's eyes darted around, and he spotted the last Little Imp.

It was hiding in the shadow behind the sofa, its ears twitching.

Don't panic. Don't shoot yet. Get closer first.

Sulu took a deep breath and approached step by step.

Rhode didn't quite understand what he was doing, but he stayed close by his side.

Just then, the mark left by the Evil Spirit on Sulu's left arm began to throb with pain. "This is... No!"

His pupils contracted. He realized that the Red-Clad Female Evil Spirit had somehow appeared right beside him. She reached out with both hands to grab his neck.

"Get away!"

Rhode let out a bestial roar and charged forward, slamming into her like a Black Bear.

Bang!

He and the Evil Spirit crashed through the wall in a tangle of limbs. Beyond it lay an endless expanse of Black Fog.

"Eek!"

With Rhode gone, the Little Imp hiding in the shadows rushed out and reached for Sulu with its claws.

"Did you think I was that easy to bully?"

Sulu roared in anger and raised his gun.

Bang!

Amid the muzzle flash, the Little Imp's body twisted strangely. It left a ring of bullet holes in the floor before appearing right in front of Sulu.

"Tiger Power! Tiger Style!"

Sulu chopped down with his left arm as he activated Tiger Power.

In an instant, a terrifying strength surged into his left arm. Even the mark left by the Evil Spirit was fading rapidly.

My Strength was already 1.6. With the boost from Tiger Power, it's 2.0! That's beyond the limits of an ordinary person!

Or rather, after the boost, Sulu's Strength had become supernatural!

Whoosh!

His tiger claw slammed the Little Imp onto the floor. The wooden boards cracked, and the creature froze for a moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Sulu raised the revolver, aimed at the Little Imp's head, and fired.

Bang!

After the gunshot, the Little Imp's head burst open, and fluids spilled across the floor.

[XP+50]

A brand-new prompt appeared on the Attribute Panel.

"Finally, 200 Experience Points!"

Sulu clenched his fist, not daring to waste a second. "Take the job as a [Medium]!"