[Spend 200 Experience Points to become a Medium... Checking requirements: Spirit 1.5, Constitution 1.0! Requirements met! Beginning advancement!]
One line after another appeared above the Attribute Panel.
At the same time, Sulu groaned as a terrifying force erupted directly inside his head, nearly tearing his skull apart.
The immense pain made him drop to one knee and howl.
He had experienced the pain of having knowledge poured into him when upgrading passives and skills before, but this time it felt as though an entire mountain had been crammed into his mind!
Sulu's mind trembled as he did everything he could to digest the terrifying flood of information.
In that instant, he seemed to lose his physical body. His senses, however, were pushed to their limits, allowing him to feel the terrifying "malice" all around him, as well as the presence of the Spirit World!
All kinds of "messages" poured in from outside, driving Sulu almost mad.
He could only fight off the foreign influx with all his might while struggling to process the information in his mind.
He suspected that if he couldn't endure it, his hopes of advancing this time would be dashed.
[Beep! Profession acquired successfully!]
He had no idea how much time had passed when a mechanical voice finally rang out, sounding like the sweetest music to Sulu's ears.
A wealth of new information had appeared on the Attribute Panel before him:
[Profession acquired: Medium! Spirit +1! Skills gained: Soul Projection, Spirit Pressure, Spirit Spike!]
This was the Baptism Rhode had mentioned, the one he would undergo with every advancement. Since the Medium profession focused on spirit, only his Spirit had increased.
But even that single increase was tremendous. No wonder the process had been so painful.
Panting, Sulu continued reading:
[New attribute unlocked—Inspiration!]
[Inspiration: A combination of spirituality, spiritual power, and perception. It is a spark of thought and an elevation of the spirit, allowing you to sense invisible spirits. Spirituality and spiritual power can be used to cast spells. Inspiration is converted from Spirit at a ratio of 1:1.]
"So this is the Medium's mana bar?"
Sulu quipped, then looked at his character stats. Sure enough, they had changed dramatically:
Name: [Sulu Portley]
Profession: [Medium] (First Tier)
Rank: [1]
Title: [None]
Strength: [1.6], Agility: [1.3], Constitution: [1.2], Spirit: [2.6]
Inspiration: [2.6]
Skills: [Corpse Maiden Creation LV1], [Krav Maga Combat Arts LV5], [Soul Projection LV1], [Spirit Pressure LV1], [Spirit Spike LV1]
Passives: [Common Hebraic LV3], [Basic Physics LV4], [Demon Hunting Lore LV3], [Ancient Hebraic LV2], [Gulam Language LV1]
Experience Points: [0]
"As expected... a First Tier profession, Medium!"
Sulu's thoughts quickly touched the profession, and he sensed more information:
[Medium—a researcher of spirits. You can explore the Spirit World and communicate with spirits through Soul Projection, or let them possess you to answer difficult questions. You can briefly unleash Spirit Pressure to drive away Evil Spirits, or use Spirit Spike to restrain and damage spirits.]
After reading the information, Sulu immediately understood that the Medium was indeed a profession specifically geared toward dealing with spirits. Its skills were much the same.
Spirit Pressure and Spirit Spike were primarily meant to deal with spirits, though they could also be used against ordinary people.
Spirit Pressure was simple. Against ordinary people, it meant using the strength of your own soul to overwhelm theirs. If the difference was great enough—for instance, if the gap in Spirit exceeded 1—the result would be like mowing down grass. Of course, it wouldn't have much effect on someone with a firm will and a resilient soul.
Spirit Spike, meanwhile, used spiritual power to form a sharp spike. It was the Medium's strongest single-target attack.
In truth, neither of these abilities was particularly powerful, since they were intended to target spirits.
Soul Projection was the Medium's true specialty.
Some spirits were exceptionally skilled at hiding, and ordinary physical attacks were useless against them. Only a spirit could fight another spirit.
Moreover, if he wanted certain lingering souls to possess him, his own soul would have to leave his body first. The body was like a house that could only hold one soul. But that also meant taking a risk: if he summoned an Evil Spirit and gave up control of his body, he might never get it back, leaving him to become a wandering ghost.
All these thoughts passed through his mind in an instant.
In the outside world, only a few seconds had passed.
Sulu stood up and took a deep breath.
"Here and now, I'm a Medium! A true supernatural being!"
He closed his eyes and let his Inspiration surge, reaching out to sense his surroundings.
Through a strange kind of vision, everything around him grew hazy and unreal. Its original colors vanished beneath a thin veil of mist.
According to the Medium's knowledge, Sulu knew that he had activated spirit vision.
Likewise, the mist meant that this area had been irradiated by a higher layer of the Spirit World, bringing about certain changes.
The world is both flat and three-dimensional... Countless layers of spatial dimensions overlap with our world. A Medium's Soul Projection only touches the shallowest layer. If you keep going deeper, perhaps you'll reach the true Spirit World, the Abyss, or even the realm of the gods... It's extremely dangerous!
Of course, this area could at most be considered half a layer—the point where reality and illusion converged.
Sulu's Inspiration extended through the hole in the wall Rhode had smashed and reached into the Black Fog.
Five meters, ten meters!
At last, a figure took shape within his Inspiration.
"Rhode!"
Sulu's expression shifted. He opened his eyes and hurried over. "Are you all right?"
Rhode looked a little worse for wear, his shirt torn across the chest. He waved it off. "I used a bottle of holy water... This place is even stranger now!"
Beyond the wall was a space enveloped in Black Fog, stretching endlessly in every direction.
But in the next moment, Sulu pressed his silver revolver against Rhode's head and fired!
Bang!
A gaping hole burst open in Rhode's head, its edges corroding beneath a milky-white glow. It was the revolver's third round, a purification bullet designed to deal with spirits!
"Why...?"
Rhode remained standing, the words spilling from his mouth as his voice grew increasingly mechanical and cold.
In an instant, his body took on a crimson hue, becoming alluring and feminine.
"If this had happened earlier, you might have fooled me, but not anymore!"
Sulu aimed at the fake Rhode's head and fired several more shots.
The Demon-Breaking Bullets sent a huge spray of blood into the air, but Sulu's expression darkened.
This Evil Spirit is tough to deal with!
After all, this was a Second Tier Evil Spirit. He had only a sliver of a chance if he teamed up with the Witch Hunter Rhode!
"Begone!"
Sulu gave a quiet shout and used Spirit Pressure!
BOOM!
An invisible wave burst out from him, sweeping through the surroundings like a hurricane and spreading farther and farther.
The Evil Spirit's figure quickly faded and vanished. The Black Fog thinned considerably, revealing a faint figure not far away—the real Rhode!
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