Early the next morning, Finney was both excited and nervous, ready to test the effects of *Haunted by Demons*. Although Skye had wanted to come with him, he ultimately refused her. Considering the nature of this ability, he wasn't sure how it would behave, so it was better to go alone.
He rode his bicycle all the way to a very remote suburb, a place that was once a small factory but had been abandoned for years. After stumbling upon it by accident, Finney had quietly transformed it into his secret base. Occasionally, he would come here to dispose of extra *Sumire Chicken Nugget Rolls*, or to test the limits of the *Golden Great Technique* and how it affected reality.
After unlocking the gate, Finney carefully scanned the surroundings to ensure nothing was out of place before proceeding. Standing in the open space, he took a deep breath and called out in a steady voice:
"Evil Spirits!"
A silver sword appeared from the void, its chain-tailed end swinging slightly, a ruby embedded in its center glowing ominously. A dangerous aura radiated from it as it floated before Finney.
He had already considered the possibility that extracted skills could hurt him. That concern dated back to when the *Golden Great Technique* had succeeded for the first time. He still remembered the splitting headache it gave him, requiring two months of recovery—he had been only seven then.
Still, his instincts told him the system wouldn't harm him—not through the abilities it granted. Just like with the *Golden Great Technique*, he hadn't been able to use it as a child, but the effects grew more manageable as he aged. So, despite the dangerous energy emanating from *Haunted by Demons*, Finney didn't feel fear—his gut said the worst that could happen was simply being unable to equip it.
Without hesitation, Finney reached out and grasped the silver hilt.
Instantly, a massive surge of energy burst from the ruby, enveloping him. At the same time, a gigantic phantom clad in bright silver armor materialized behind him, arms extended, slowly embracing him.
A bloodthirsty roar echoed in Finney's ears, and he felt something ancient and powerful surging through his body.
The phantom disappeared, and in its place, a gleaming silver armor covered Finney's entire form. A white cloak billowed behind him, even though there was no wind—his transformation was complete.
At the very moment the armor settled into place, Finney felt the power of *Haunted by Demons*. Not just metaphorically—he genuinely believed that even Hawkeye, or perhaps even Captain America, wouldn't pose a threat to him now.
"This is incredible—it's seriously strong!" Finney clenched his fists and shouted in his heart. The anxiety about how he would face the future melted away in that moment.
Once equipped, *Haunted by Demons* boosted all his attributes. His speed, strength, and mental clarity were all heightened. Most importantly, the armor gave him extraordinary defense. Finney couldn't say whether the armor's material was harder than Vibranium, but the fact that it evolved based on its user made it far more impressive in his eyes.
However, there was a price—he could feel his stamina draining rapidly. Despite all the training he had done over the years, he estimated that he could only sustain the armor for about twenty minutes.
As for the stealth feature of *Haunted by Demons*, it likely wasn't available yet because his base strength was still too low.
"Right! *Golden Great Extension!*"
A thought suddenly struck Finney: what if he used the *Golden Great Technique* to enhance his physical stats and feed that boost back into *Haunted by Demons*?
"Double my physical fitness!"
Finney activated the technique. He had tried this in the past but never succeeded.
This time, as soon as he spoke, his already strengthened body surged with even more power. He felt invincible.
Not only that—boosting his physical stats had slightly extended the duration he could sustain the armor, though he couldn't yet measure by how much.
"Triple my physical fitness!"
He tried again, thrilled by the success, but nothing happened. Maybe he had lost focus.
After steadying his thoughts and concentrating, he repeated in a low voice, "Triple my physical fitness!"
A wave of warmth flooded his body. It felt intoxicating—almost euphoric. But then came the crash: a wave of mental fatigue surged through his head. It seemed that tripling his stats was currently the limit of his ability to affect reality.
Still, Finney wasn't disappointed. Quite the opposite—he was thrilled. Progress could be made gradually. After the disappointment of the *Sumire Chicken Nugget Roll*, the fact that *Haunted by Demons* was so effective already exceeded expectations.
He didn't have the tools to measure his stats exactly, but he could lift the heaviest objects in the area with ease. Sadly, even with the stat boost, the stealth ability of *Haunted by Demons* still didn't activate—clearly, it required a higher threshold.
Additionally, the enhancements from the *Golden Great Technique* weren't permanent. As his mental fatigue increased, his ability to focus declined, and the buff gradually weakened. Soon, his stats began returning to normal.
After about forty minutes, Finney's stamina hit its limit. He deactivated *Haunted by Demons*, and the armor collapsed into the form of the silver sword once more.
Immediately, a crushing wave of fatigue overwhelmed him. His muscles screamed in pain, and he collapsed to the floor.
"I overdid it…"
That was the first thought that crossed his mind as he lay sprawled out. He had underestimated the aftereffects of *Haunted by Demons*. Now, his body felt like jelly—completely useless.
The sword slowly faded from view, vanishing into the air. At least he wouldn't have to worry about carrying it around. Clearly, it was still a skill, not a physical piece of equipment.
Struggling to turn over, Finney ignored the chaos around him and focused on recovering and reflecting.
"It's probably because the *Golden Great Technique* temporarily enhanced my body, but when the effect wore off, my actual strength hadn't changed. That made the aftershock worse."
It didn't take long for him to piece together what had happened. The root cause was simple: he was still too weak.
He was, after all, only a fifteen-year-old boy. No matter how disciplined he was in training, his body was still limited by the bounds of human development.
After a few moments of sulking, Finney pulled himself together. Complaining wasn't his style. Rather than brood, he focused on figuring out how to grow stronger.
"Maybe I should go through with the plan… find that bald guy and see what I can learn?"
Still lying on the ground, Finney muttered to himself.
But before he could finish his thought, a calm voice came from behind him:
"It's rude to talk about someone's hair behind their back, you know."
Then, a shiny bald head came into view.