The air hung thick with coal smoke and desperation. Jack drifted through the cobbled streets. It was late. Gas lamps cast sickly yellow pools on the grimy brick. He felt a familiar pull. Fear. Raw, animal terror. He followed it.
Two figures loomed over a small food stall. A lone man, thin and trembling, stood behind it. They were thugs. Cogs in the city's underbelly. Extortion was their game. Jack knew the type. He used to cover stories about them. Now, he could be in the story.
He moved closer, a spectral observer.
The thugs were indeed extorting the stall owner. They didn't speak in any language Jack recognize. But he understood what they said. In fact, he believed he could speak the language. Even though, he never learned them. It was really strange.
As Jack were observing, the situation seemed escalated. The thugs slapped the stall owner. Jack, burned with righteous anger, wanted to intervene. But he was a ghost. He had no voice. He tried to yell. Nothing. Damn.
He focused. He remembered the burning fear he felt inside the temple. He channeled it. He reached for the thugs' minds. [Nightmare Shapeshift].
One thug gasped. His eyes widened. The flickering gaslight seemed to dim around him. In his mind's eye, a figure formed. A towering spider made of human bones. Its legs clicked on the stone. Its hollow eyes bored into him.
It was his deepest fear. A childhood trauma he thought he'd buried. Jack amplified it.
The other thug saw his partner's face. A mask of pure, unadulterated horror. He flinched. Then he saw it too.
A swarm of rats. They poured from the sewers, a living tide of teeth and claws. They gnawed at his feet, his legs. A phobia he couldn't escape. Jack cranked up the volume.
The thugs screamed. They stumbled backward, tripping over themselves. They ran. They vanished into the maze of alleyways, leaving the trembling stall owner behind.
Jack felt a surge of power. He had done it. He had scared them off. He turned to the stall owner.
The man was slumped on the ground. Unconscious. Jack had overdone it. The poor guy had fainted. Collateral damage. He sighed, or at least, he tried to. Ghosts didn't sigh.
A new window opened in his vision. A blue glow. A notification.
[LEVEL UP!]
[AVAILABLE NEW ABILITY] CHOOSE ONE:
[ZOMBIE'S STENCH] [DEMON CHEF'S DISHES] [BANSHEE'S REQUIEMS]
Jack stared at the options in full joy. He could level up. Amazing!
Looking at the choices though, he hesitated. He knew this choice could significantly impact his future. He decided to investigate each ability before committing.
He focused on [ZOMBIE'S STENCH]. Another window bloomed, detailing the ability further.
[ZOMBIE'S STENCH: The ability to generate overwhelmingly nauseating and terrifying odors. It can create a stench so potent it can incapacitate targets. It can turn their stomachs and shatter their will. Imagine concentrated decay, or a miasma of unburied corpses.]
Jack recoiled instinctively. The description alone made his stomach churn. Not that he had any stomach that could churn at present though.
He could see the tactical advantage here. It was the sheer power in rendering enemies helpless with revulsion. But the thought of actually creating such smells… It was repulsive, literally and figuratively. He quickly dismissed that option.
Next, he considered [DEMON CHEF'S DISHES]. A new window appeared.
[DEMON CHEF'S DISHES: The ability to alter the taste of any food. It could transform even the most delicious treats into horrifying culinary abominations. Imagine turning a sweet cake into the taste of a mouthful of wriggling maggots. Or a comforting stew into that of a bitter, burnt hair and rotting fish. Culinary sabotage at its finest, designed to break morale and sow distrust.]"
Jack's eyebrows rose. Now this was interesting. The subtle manipulation, the psychological impact... It was intriguing. He could see the potential for infiltration, for sowing chaos from within.
The idea of sabotaging a celebratory feast into a nightmare was undeniably appealing. It could be a truly great prank. It was definitely better than the first one.
Finally, he focused on [BANSHEE'S REQUIEMS]. The final window unveiled the ability. The description was much shorter.
[BANSHEE'S REQUIEMS: The ability to generate a wide range of terrifying sounds. It ranges from whispers to screams. It can even use music to drive your targets to madness.]
The explanation was concise, but evocative. He imagined the possibilities: a chorus of disembodied voices, a chilling wail in the dead of night, a cacophony of whispers that burrowed into the mind. It wasn't just about noise. It was about psychological warfare, about striking at the very core of sanity.
He used to be a content creator of a horror stories. He knew the effect of sound in horror contents. In a way, it could even be more important than visuals.
Besides, if he could generate any sound... It meant he could utter words. He could communicate with others. This was definitely the greatest choice.
Jack immediately chose Banshee's Requiems. The other windows vanished. It left him with the blue glow of his new ability settling around him.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He could already feel a strange resonance in his throat. It was a potential for sound so unlike human way of speaking. He had a feeling this was going to be… interesting.
He thought about it. He could already shapeshift nightmares. Now he could provide the soundtrack. Perfect.
He needed to check his status. He willed the panel to appear.
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Name: Jack Night]
[Race: Formless Ghost]
[Archetype: Supernatural Entity]
[Attributes: Physique (00) Mysticism (42) Passion (56) Essence (99)]
[Karma: Neutral]
[System Sight Modes: Information Panel; Fear Detection]
[Supernatural Traits: Nightmare Shapeshift; Banshee's Requiems]
Seeing the information panel, Jack realized something. He could previously inspect the choices. Could he also inspect his status?
He focused on the Race: Formless Ghost. A description immediately appeared.
[Race: Formless Ghost. It is a being unbound by flesh. A whisper of what once was, now existing as pure potential. Its shape is defined by its will and memories. It was a shifting echo of a life lived, or perhaps never lived at all. It is a spirit adrift, but forever tethered to the realm between worlds. It requires nothing to simply exist. However, to thrive and stay at the peak condition, it needs to consume fear and nightmares.]
Most of the description didn't surprise Jack at all. It was a standard definition of a ghost. However, the last part... He needed to consume fear and nightmares? Wouldn't that make him a pure evil creature?
Wait! No! Jack suddenly realized. It was the opposite. If he consumed someone's fear and nightmares, wouldn't it mean that the guy's problems disappeared because he devoured it? So, would he be an angelic creature then?
Jack looked at the unconscious stall owner. He contemplated whether he should try it to the poor guy. He abandoned the idea quickly though. He would prefer trying anything that could be dangerous to a guilty person, not an innocent. He was tempted though.
To distract him from the temptation, Jack quickly shifted his focus to explore the next part, Archetype: Supernatural Entity.
[Archetype: Supernatural Entity. It is more than just a lost soul. It is a force of nature, a being that bends the rules of reality. It exists outside the mortal understanding of life and death, wielding powers that defy logic and reason. Whether benevolent or malevolent, its existence is a testament to the hidden forces that shape the world.]
Jack created an imaginary grin on his non-existent face. A being that bends the rules of reality? He liked that description.
The faceless ghost turned his attention to the next part. The one he concerned the most... Attributes!
[Physique: 00. The physical, material form... Non existent.]
Jack grunted. He had already known that.
[Mysticism: 42. It is the value to measure the attunement to arcane magic and the affinity toward spiritual knowledge. It governs the capacity to perceive, manipulate, and channel arcane energies. It reflects the potential comprehension for understanding forgotten lore and magical theories. Above average.]
Mysticism was not that different from intelligence in old RPG, Jack mused. It affected magic. Wait! Wouldn't it mean he could use magic here? Great!
[Passion: 56. It is the echo of the driving force that fuel the host's existence. It influences the reaction speed and the resistance against mental affliction. It also affects the magnitude of experience gained and the extent of the impression given toward other beings. Strong.]
Jack was baffled at the description this time. What the hell was this attribute? Reaction speed? Resistance? Experience? Impression? He struggled to compare it to the attributes he knew from his limited knowledge of RPGs. Was this a combination of Agility, Fortitude, Luck, and Charisma? In one attribute?
Shaking his invisible head, Jack moved to the next attribute.
[Essence: 99. It is the density of the intangible energy that governs the source of existence. It affects the lifespan, rate of regeneration, and resistance against soul affliction. In the case of supernatural entity, it also affects the defiance against its natural weaknesses. Mythical.]
Mythical? Jack unconsciously used his newly acquired skill [Banshee's Requiem] to let out a hearty laugh. But the skill turned it into a creepy and evil cackle.
Jack heard a thud beside him. The stall owner, who was just about to get up, fainted once more. The cackle was too scary for him. Jack awkwardly moved away from that place.
But, Jack was too happy to stay embarrassed for long. The last attribute was the best for him. He suspected that it was the reason he felt no fear toward sunlight. Or church. Or prayers. He was practically a ghost without weaknesses.
The faceless ghost tried to calm himself down. Next part.
[Karma: Neutral. The host stands at a crossroads, a being neither inherently good nor evil. His actions will determine the path he tread, and might change this assessment.]
He had no problem with this last status. He had never been a good person, or a bad person. He was just... Jack. Currently, Faceless Jack.