Disperse (Seeking Recommendations! Collections!)

[Consuming 200 XP, Classing into Medium... Detecting requirements: Spirit 1.5, Constitution 1.0! Conditions met! Beginning advancement!]

Above the attribute panel, lines of text emerged.

At the same time, Sulu let out a muffled groan, feeling a terrifying force detonate directly inside his head, nearly tearing his skull apart.

The immense agony forced him to his knees, a howl escaping his throat.

Although he had experienced the pain of knowledge infusion when upgrading passives or skills before, this felt as if an entire mountain had been shoved into his mind!

Sulu's spirit trembled as he struggled with all his might to digest the horrific torrent of information.

In that instant, he felt as though he had lost his physical body, his perception heightened to the limit, allowing him to sense the terrifying "malice" of his surroundings and the aura of the Spirit World!

All manner of "messages" flooded in from the outside, driving Sulu to the brink of madness.

He could only fight desperately against the external influx while simultaneously digesting the information in his mind.

He guessed that if he couldn't endure it, the hope of this advancement would be extinguished.

[Ding! Classing successful!]

He didn't know how much time had passed, but a mechanical voice finally sounded, which to Sulu sounded like the music of the heavens.

Before him, the attribute panel had gained a wealth of information:

[Classed as Medium! Spirit +1! Obtained skills: Soul Projection, Spirit Pressure, Spirit Spike!]

This was the baptism Rhode had spoken of, the one received during every advancement. Because the [Medium] class focused on the spirit, only Spirit was increased.

But even this single increase was terrifyingly large; no wonder the process was so painful.

Sulu gasped for air and continued reading:

[Unlocked new attribute--Inspiration!]

[Inspiration: A collection of spirituality, spirit power, and perception. It is the spark of thought and the sublimation of the spirit, allowing you to perceive intangible spirits. Spirituality and spirit power can be used to cast spells. Inspiration is converted from the Spirit attribute at a 1:1 ratio.]

Is this the mana bar for a Medium?

Sulu muttered to himself and looked at his character attribute panel. Sure enough, it had undergone a massive change:

Name: [Sulu Portley]

Class: [Medium] (Tier 1)

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]

XP: [0]

"As expected... a Tier 1 [Medium]!"

Sulu's consciousness quickly touched upon the class, sensing more information:

[Medium--A researcher of spirits. Can explore the Spirit World through the Soul Projection ability, communicate with spirits, or allow them to possess the body to answer questions. Can briefly erupt with Spirit Pressure to repel evil spirits, or use Spirit Spike to restrict and damage spirits.]

After reading this, Sulu immediately knew that [Medium] was indeed a class specialized against spirits, and its accompanying skills reflected this.

The so-called [Spirit Pressure] and [Spirit Spike] were primarily meant for dealing with spirits, though they could, of course, be used against ordinary people.

The [Spirit Pressure] skill was simple: when used against an ordinary person, it used one's own soul foundation to suppress the target's soul foundation. If the gap was too large—for instance, if the Spirit gap was greater than 1—it would result in a one-sided slaughter. Of course, if the opponent had a firm will and a resilient soul, it would have little effect.

As for [Spirit Spike], it used spirit power to form a sharp thorn, which was the [Medium]'s strongest single-target attack.

In reality, neither of these two moves was particularly strong, as they were still aimed at spirits.

The final skill, [Soul Projection], was the true capability of a [Medium].

Because some spirits were highly adept at hiding and were immune to ordinary physical attacks, one had to use a spirit to deal with a spirit.

Furthermore, if he wanted to allow certain lingering souls to possess him, his own soul had to leave first, as the body was like a house that could only hold one soul. However, this also meant risk; once he channeled an evil spirit and gave up control of his body, he might not be able to take it back, leaving him to become a wandering ghost.

Within his consciousness, these thoughts passed in a mere instant.

In the outside world, only a few seconds had elapsed.

Sulu stood up and took a deep breath.

"Here and now, I am a [Medium]! A true transcendent!"

He closed his eyes, his Inspiration surging as he probed outward.

In a strange vision, everything around him became semi-illusory, losing its original colors and shrouded in a thin, pale mist.

According to the knowledge of a Medium, Sulu knew he had activated his spiritual vision.

Likewise, the fog indicated that this area had been radiated by a higher layer of the Spirit World, resulting in certain anomalies.

The world is two-dimensional, yet also three-dimensional... In our world, there are layers upon layers of spatial dimensions constantly overlapping with the original world... A Medium's Soul Projection only touches the shallowest layer. If one were to delve deeper, they might reach the true Spirit World, or the Abyss, or perhaps the kingdoms of the gods... This is a highly dangerous endeavor!

Of course, this area at the moment could at most be considered a half-layer, an intersection of reality and illusion.

Sulu's Inspiration extended, following the hole Rhode had smashed into the wall, and probed into the black fog.

Five meters, ten meters!

Finally, within his Inspiration, a figure began to take shape.

"Rhode!"

Sulu's expression shifted; he opened his eyes and ran over quickly: "Are you alright?"

Rhode looked somewhat disheveled, the clothes on his chest torn, and he said dismissively: "Used a bottle of holy water... This place is getting even weirder!"

Behind the wall was a space enveloped in black fog, extending infinitely in all directions.

But the next instant, Sulu pressed his silver revolver against Rhode's head and fired ruthlessly!

Bang!

A large hole exploded in his head, with milky-white radiance corroding the edges—this was the third shot of the revolver, a purifying Demon-Breaking Bullet meant for spirits!

"Why...?"

Rhode remained standing, the voice coming from his mouth becoming increasingly mechanical and cold.

In an instant, his body was stained with a layer of crimson, becoming alluring and feminine.

"If it were before, you definitely would have fooled me, but not anymore!"

Sulu aimed at the fake 'Rhode's' head and fired several more shots fiercely.

The Demon-Breaking Bullets brought up a spray of blood, but Sulu's expression turned abruptly grim.

This evil spirit is not easy to deal with!

After all, this was a Tier 2 evil spirit; he had to reunite with the Witch Hunter Rhode to have even a sliver of a chance at victory!

"Disperse!"

Sulu let out a soft shout and utilized his Spirit Pressure!

Boom!

An invisible wave, centered on him, swept through the surroundings like a hurricane, spreading continuously outward.

The evil spirit's figure rapidly turned illusory and vanished, and the black fog thinned significantly, revealing a faint figure not far away—the real Rhode!