Chapter 9

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Partner got so strong! What the heck? Now I am jelly! …But she’s such a sweetheart, hugging me and stuff.

“Y-You don’t have to hug me all the time, alright?” I asked.

*Crackle*

Partner quickly let me go from her skelly embrace, finally allowing me some room to breathe.

“Now that you’re evolved, I will evolve too, so keep your guard high and don’t let any sneaky wisp get inside to annoy us,” I said.

“Rattle!”

Partner rattled her metallic bones as she seemed to nod. I quickly pressed the [Evolution] Option once and for all, only to find that there were… options!

[Evolution Options]

[Ghost]

[Dark Ghost]

[Phantom]

…

Three options?

I would assume Ghost lets me become a Lesser Ghost, huh. Dark Ghost… maybe it strengthens my Dark Magic? And Phantom is… I don’t know. what’s the difference? Let’s see… My excellent Unique Skill: System, comes with the wonderful Analyze ability, so let’s use it to analyze these babies.

…

[Ghost] [Rank: F-]

A Ghost, a soul, infected by miasma, has become an Undead. Their bodies are ethereal but can materialize for short periods of time. Although their physical damage is very weak, they have the ability to spook people, drain the life out of people, and curse them.

…

[Dark Ghost] [Rank: F+]

A variant of the Ghost Monster evolved from a soul shrouded in dark and negative emotions, becoming closer to the dark side… Its soul is infused with shadows and darkness, resembling a mass of shadows. Dark ghosts are amazing at using Dark Sphere as their primary attacking method and can hide within shadows to ambush victims from behind.

…

[Phantom] [Rank: F]

Phantoms are souls that had not properly rearranged their appearance and had become flawed. They resemble a mass of phantasmal essence and can change shapes at will. They usually are less aggressive than Ghosts, living in desolate areas. However, they would sometimes haunt large manors and move things around with their ability to lift things into the air. They have great Stealth potential and are very hard to detect.

…

They look quite good… But I am inclined between Dark Ghost and Phantom.

With Dark Ghost, my offense will increase a lot… And I could even hide in shadows! Wait, does this means I can hide in the night? Meanwhile, Phantom comes with a very faint presence, and you can even sneak around people in the bright of day without any issue as if I were just a mass of air…

Hmmm… Yeah, it’s obvious what option I will take.

Ding!

[You’ve chosen the [Dark Ghost] Evolution Option!]

FLAAASH!

The moment I picked this evolution, my entire body was shrouded in phantasmal essence and darkness… a lot of darkness!

Alright… let’s prepare… Ugh… this feels weird. It feels as if my entire body is being bathed. Some impurities are being moved away, while this new power, the shadows and darkness, are quickly entering my soul.

And just like that, the evolution finished.

My appearance has become… mildly humanoid. I think I can take the shape of a mannequin or something. But I can’t recreate my real face yet… And my phantasmal body is now shrouded with darkness… It’s as if I had embraced the edginess that lies within my heart!

Ding!

[You have evolved into a [Dark Ghost]!]

[All your stats have increased]

[The Levels of all your Skills have increased]

[You learned the [Dark Gale: Lv1] and [Shadow Sneak: Lv1] Skills!]

Oooh, I got two new Skills right off the bat! And I feel quite stronger than before. Like, my body seems more “real” to an extent… It’s hard to explain it properly…

Anyways, I decided to check my stats.

…

[Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles]

[Race: [Dark Ghost]

[Level: [5/12]

[EXP: [0/600]

[Rank: [F+]

[Status: [Strengthened, Cursed]

[HP: [37/37]

[MP: [185/185]

[Attack: [24]

[Defense: [22]

[Magic: [185]

[Agility: [36]

Characteristic Skills:

[Unique Skill: Supreme Magic]

[Unique Skill: Mana Siphon]

[Unique Skill: System]

[Unique Skill: Goddess] (Sealed)

[Undead: Lv–]

[Dark Element: Lv–]

[Death Element: Lv–]

[Fiend Language: Lv2]

[Shadow Sneak: Lv1]

Resistance Skills:

[Status Effect Immunity: Lv–]

[Magic Damage Resistance: Lv2]

Normal Skills:

[Ghost Touch: Lv3]

[Lesser Curse: Lv3]

[Life Drain: Lv2]

[Possession: Lv2]

[Dark Sphere: Lv4]

[Fake Life: Lv3]

[Stealth: Lv2]

[Dark Gale: Lv1]

Title Skills:

[The Dark Witch: Lv–]

[Bringer of Misfortune: Lv2]

…

Oh, I am indeed looking quite extraordinary there! My MP and Magic had increased by a nice amount, and my other stats don’t look that bad either. Although I guess the only vital stats for a glass cannon like me is having more Agility to evade. Sadly, there are no such things as stat points here to relocate them around. The rest of my Skills leveled up except the new ones and… Eh? Even my Title Skill leveled…

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