Chapter 78 - 77: A Good Test Subject, Something Good

The cause of this mortal’s death wasn’t limited to his superficial wounds—even the fact that his internal organs were devoured was secondary. More importantly, the Biological Energy within his body, along with all his Vitality, had disappeared.

It was as if they had been absorbed by the unknown creature that had devoured him.

Several types of Witchcraft that could cause similar damage came to Wang Ya’s mind, but they would all leave telltale signs—fluctuations of Particle Energy.

If that were the case, the Spiritual Power perception of a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice, which could easily cover the entire convoy, should have detected it.

Harak’s perception was different from his own. After awakening his Bloodline Power, he could perceive things from a different perspective through the shadows.

To be precise, it was a beast-like entity in a twisted, irregular state, somewhat resembling a canine. When Harak shared his shadow-vision, the image was highly abstract, like a doodle on a scroll.

His gaze fell upon the skinny man. He could see tension, suppressed excitement, and a greedy desire deep in the man’s eyes. It was hunger.

The twisted, irregular beast-like entity darted out from the skinny man’s body before hiding back inside him again.

[Hint: Analysis successful. The mortal’s death was caused by an unknown method. Target locked: the skinny man. Confirmation rate: 92%.]

[While the mortal’s flesh and internal organs were devoured, his Vitality and soul also completely vanished. Within one hour, the corpse will decay into blackened, foul-smelling skeletal remains.]

[The unknown creature can transition between the illusory and the real. It resides within the skinny man, possibly in a symbiotic relationship. It instinctively absorbs the host’s Vitality and Biological Energy and is inherently greedy.]

A hint of surprise flashed in Wang Ya’s eyes as two words surfaced in his mind: ’Vengeful Spirit!’

If a person dies filled with extreme negative emotions, possesses a higher-than-average Spiritual Power, and is in an environment with sufficient natural particle energy, a Vengeful Spirit can be born.

However, this was still a rare occurrence. Furthermore, a newly formed Vengeful Spirit would typically be in a dazed and confused state. Only upon sensing the life force of the living would it instinctively attack, devouring their souls and flesh.

Vengeful Spirits hate all living things, yet they simultaneously crave the very things they no longer possess.

The more people they kill and devour, the stronger they become!

’And the more Nightmare Powder they refine, the more... no, wait. Different types of Vengeful Spirits refine different kinds of Extraordinary Powder.’

’This unknown creature certainly fits the profile of a Vengeful Spirit.’

Normally, a first-stage Vengeful Spirit exists in an illusory state. It can barely affect reality, intervening only through psychological terror or within dreams.

In the second stage, it can begin to affect reality, but its interference is limited. It might cause a mortal to have fatal hallucinations.

In the third stage, it can manifest a physical body and directly intervene in reality, allowing it to kill mortals through physical means, making it comparable to Extraordinary Creatures.

The fourth stage is the most troublesome. The Vengeful Spirit develops its own unique Spiritual Power, making it incredibly difficult to destroy completely.

However, a Wizard’s Extraordinary Spiritual Power can suppress these peculiar Soul Bodies. Furthermore, Witchcraft formed from Particle Energy can harm a Vengeful Spirit even in its illusory state.

’What gives me pause,’ Wang Ya thought, ’is that Vengeful Spirits shouldn’t be able to block Spiritual Power perception. Could it be that a beast-type Vengeful Spirit is different?’

He hadn’t studied this particular branch of Extraordinary knowledge in detail; at most, he had briefly looked up some information on it.

The convoy traveled between two kingdoms, passing through the territories of major nobles. ’How did this skinny man become possessed by a Vengeful Spirit? No... it’s more accurate to say he’s *using* the Vengeful Spirit to kill.’

Wang Ya had observed the glee and hatred in the man’s eyes.

He didn’t care for the love, hate, and drama of mortals. But anything related to the Extraordinary piqued his interest.

Nicotine conferred with the members of the convoy. Then, urged on by Hans, several Knights suppressed their fear and used their Cross Longswords to move the corpse.

After such a bizarre incident, no one dared to linger. They quickly mounted their carriages and departed.

Some of the more experienced old-timers seemed to have an idea of what was going on, but they dared not speak of it, merely walking on in silence with their heads bowed.

Ras was forcibly pulled onto a carriage by Nicotine, who then arranged for several Knights to walk alongside it.

Wang Ya returned to his position at the rear of the convoy, riding a black horse and proceeding leisurely along the mountain path.

In the sky, a faint black shadow occasionally circled past.

’Revenge!’

’I finally killed that bastard! I really drank his blood and ate his flesh!’

Jones walked with his head down, one hand resting on the side of a carriage, his eyes filled with cathartic joy and madness.

’The God of Gendas is real after all! He granted me immense Power.’

He could feel the god’s presence within him. ’As long as I devote myself to Him completely—body, soul, and consciousness—I too can become an immortal god.’

Malicious thoughts churned within him. He glanced at the carriage beside him. ’How is that fat pig inside worthy of owning this convoy? It should all be mine.’

’And that little bitch, Ras, she should be mine too. To think she’d go weak in the knees just from seeing some pretty-boy Knight.’

’And Hans, that son of a bitch, he dared to look down on me, never even giving me a proper glance. He deserves to die too.’

His pupils filled with bloodshot veins as fine black threads began to flow through his vessels. Jones’s teeth slowly elongated, becoming beast-like. A low, bestial roar seemed to echo with the flow of his blood.

The convoy finally exited the forested mountains and reached the main road. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They were now within the territory of the Maya Kingdom, where it was much safer.

The tension from the mysterious death also eased somewhat.

Night fell. The Stars dotted the sky, and under the light of the moon, torches in the established camp drove back the surrounding darkness as people began to light fires and cook their meals.

After everyone had eaten, the night watch was set, and the rest of the convoy settled into their dreams.

Ras lay in her bed, surprisingly unaffected by the day’s death. Her thoughts drifted, and the face of Mr. Arthur involuntarily appeared in her mind.

ROAR!

A low growl echoed within her private tent, filling her with a sudden, inexplicable fear. She sat up instinctively, her pupils instantly reflecting the image of a terrifying, beast-like creature lunging toward her.

Jones stuck out his tongue, licking his teeth as drool secreted. He stood in the dense woods, looking down at the firelight of the camp on the road below.

He was even becoming aroused, repeating in a sickening voice, "Come now, come, my little Ras. Uncle will take good care of you."

However, he failed to notice another figure standing in the shadows behind him, watching him with the gaze one reserves for a rare laboratory specimen.

Wang Ya’s intellectual curiosity was truly piqued. Human Vengeful Spirits were already exceedingly rare; a beast-type Vengeful Spirit was something he had practically never even heard of.

’It transforms from an illusory state into reality, becoming true flesh and blood, and it even has regenerative Traits. It’s so much like an Extraordinary Creature.’

’What is the principle behind this? Does the transition between illusion and reality hold any research value?’

’Or, after dissection, could I discover something useful? Something I could apply to Harak or myself? Or something that could bring a profit?’

Wang Ya’s eyes grew increasingly bright. In his excitement, he subconsciously licked his lips, revealing a neat, chilling set of teeth.

’What a rare specimen for an experiment.’

Through the day-to-day accumulation of a Wizard’s life, Wang Ya was gradually developing into a proper Wizard.

The thirst for knowledge, the instinct for research!