Ghoul Gangster

Magnus was currently staring at a handbook that had been put on display.

"A Guide to the Undead of Hummolus," He read the title under his breath.

He needed that book. But he lacked the money, nor did he want to waste Spirit Energy just to cast Mirror World Thief for it.

The book was in a grey area that Magnus had failed to consider.

"I'll just keep hunting ghouls then," Magnus muttered to himself as he walked past the many warriors in the area.

He admired the works of Hummolus' craftsmen as he went. The armour and weapons they made out of monster materials looked sturdy and trustworthy. Serrated swords, bone chestplates and gauntlets, skull helmets, bows made out of sinews, and many other bizarre creations.

It looked as if everyone was a necromancer here—surely the Emerald Twilight would've gone crazy just by being in their midst.

Magnus wanted a set for himself. He placed it on his list that before the month ends, he should have his own bone armour and weapons.

"Which will probably be easy," Magnus thought about that ring, the reason why Emerald Twilight was after Klaris.

It tied his fate with the undead. Even now, it was all about the undead, so what more in the future?

Magnus was excited as he thought about which undead horrors could become his meals and materials.

He just silently prayed that he wouldn't die before he could have his tastes.

"But if I die, then I could truly become an undead," A dangerous thought entered Magnus' brain at that moment.

He felt another surge of shivers as he shook his head.

"Bad thoughts, no. No bad thoughts." He scolded himself.

The undead were advertised too much as brain-dead soldiers incapable of feeling. Magnus did not want that. He still wanted his thrills.

Arriving before a set of barricades, Magnus breathed. He recalled that 3-star ghoul and made sure to keep Javelin hiding nearby so that he could unsummon himself out at any moment.

He walked into the darkness as he held a torch, looking like a lonely campfire in the midst of a storm of dark winds. Restiel was flying above him, basking in the clouded silver and gold moonlight.

It was eerier closer to the ground for sure. A fog had descended from the mountain and flowed like a river.

Magnus could barely see a thing.

"I may have made a mistake," He suddenly realised the visibility issue as a blur of movement caught Restiel's eye.

The fog shifted, and Magnu pinpointed his target's location.

He leapt backwards, keeping in mind the size of the street and let out several focal points of gravity.

The fog swirled due to his commands, creating galaxies that lacked starlight.

Magnus could now see the area he was in. He launched his golden gravity sphere and chased after it, wielding a stone spear.

"Hah!" Magnus stabbed a ghoul in the head, narrowly dodging its claws.

He then let go of his spear and pulled out his stone sword and swung at the next ghoul that rushed towards him.

"Damn!" A swear sprouted from his lips as he blocked the blow and was flung backwards.

His golden gravity sphere locked onto another three ghouls coming from the side, and Restiel swooped down for the kill.

Swah! Swah! Swah!

Bodies began melting, allowing energy to begin flowing into Restiel's body.

Magnus summoned his golden gravity sphere back and smashed the head in of the ghoul who smacked him away.

Dong!

Magnus then followed with a decapitation.

That squad of ghouls had been annihilated.

Magnus killed two with slight difficulty, Restiel did in three in an instant.

The difference in affinities could be seen at that moment.

Magnus then took a bite out of the two remaining bodies and collected their main characteristics.

He went to continue his spree. With every battle, he grew more proficient in the use of his weapons and responding to the rapid advances of the ghouls.

Soon, with every five killed, he could take four for himself while Restiel just had one.

Magnus soon reached 1.99 on the threat rating.

"Now, all I need to do is get Klaris to the same level," Magnus thought about how he could do that.

Using the Stargazing Art that Restiel had would take took long.

As for the Soul Devouring Art, that meant turning Klaris into an undead. Magnus did not want to do that.

He currently did not have any other arts in hand... but there were some inside the marketplace. Some that met Magnus' requirements, at least.

'Ancient Spirit Techniques...' Magnus thought to himself, 'Is it really alright to use those?'

Thus, Magnus continued grinding throughout the night.

Multiple times did some kind of 3-star threat begin its hunt of him.

But Magnus would always disappear before it could reach. With Restiel scouting from above and Javelin hiding nearby, nothing could truly touch Magnus.

Unless there was something greater than 3-stars.

Magnus could only pray that such a thing wouldn't appear.

Magnus returned when the sun began rising again. The fog that housed the many undead began receding and so did the monsters, it seemed.

He carried his loot by hand, to avoid anyone knowing about his Storage Scroll and having designs on it.

Many other warriors came walking back, carrying materials with them as well. They arrived in squads, and only a few were lone wolves.

Magnus made straight for the same shop he had gone to before.

"18 silvers," The lady took one look and said a price. Magnus nodded.

18 silver coins totalled 180 bronze coins. It was just about the amount he calculated based on his earlier experience.

It was not enough money to buy the book he wanted though.

'At least it's enough to stay a few nights here,' Magnus thought as he looked for an inn to rest at.

.

.

.

The days passed by quickly.

Magnus went into a routine of hunting at night, selling his loot in the morning, and sleeping throughout the day.

When he amassed 10 gold coins, which was about 100 silvers, he finally had enough to buy the handbook he wanted. He quickly skimmed through it the moment he received the book and discovered what that 3-star ghoul was called.

"So it's called a Ghoul Gangster," Magnus whistled, "Who came up with such a name?"

Magnus wasn't sure. But all he cared about was the fact that the book provided a rather detailed evaluation of it.

[[ Ghoul Gangster ]]

[[ Blessing and Curse: N/A ]]

[[ Physical Attributes: 3.4-stars ]]

[[ Spirit Attributes: 2.8-stars ]]

Those were the averages that Magnus calculated after examining the average stats of the Ghoul Gangster.

He then flipped to the back page of the monster's profile.

[[ Ghoul Gangsters like to mess around with their prey and only arrive after enough of their subordinates are killed. Killing too many Ghoul Gangsters will anger their stronger counterparts, and the cycle of appearance repeats until the Ghoul Lord appears.

Please avoid killing too many Ghoul Gangsters for the sake of both the city and your own life. ]]

[[ Weaknesses of the Ghoul Gangsters include harsh sunlight and their Undead Heart located beside their original heart. ]]

"Undead Heart?" Magnus was intrigued by such a fact.

He didn't know that such a thing existed, nor has he come across any such thing.

But now that Magnus knew of its weakness, he felt tempted to make an attempt on the ghoul. If he won, he could gain a lot more coins.

It was all so that he could buy the Spirit Techniques that cost around 30-50 gold coins.

He needed one for Klaris, after all.

Thus, at sunset, Magnus headed out. A plan was in his mind as he summoned all four of his members and began killing ghouls.

He chopped their heads off or pierced through their brains with practised proficiency. Soon, Restiel caught rapid movement from within the fog, alerting Magnus who instantly unsummoned himself.

Whiiiiizz!

Something dashed past where Magnus was standing, moving rapidly and agilely across the city street. It vaulted off of debris and ran sideways on the walls.

Magnus summoned himself once again a distance away. He appeared near Klaris' hiding place and pulled the attention of the Ghoul Gangster.

He then poured a massive amount of Spirit Energy into his golden gravity sphere and allowed his weapons to float in midair. He then made a silent mental command.

Whoooooom!

In the next instance that the Ghoul Gangster rushed towards him, Magnus acted. He hurriedly unsummoned and summoned himself as his golden gravity sphere began its pull on the Ghoul Gangster.

The ghoul was pulled into the air and exposed to sunlight, making it flinch in pain. Magnus thought it interesting that the ancestors of these ghouls didn't have the same weakness.

He then commanded the gravity sphere to stick onto the Ghoul Gangster and keep it in the air.

In the next moment, Magnus flung his weapons out like a psychic, controlling things with his mind. The air whistled as the sword, spear, and knife all zoomed through the air at high velocities.

Shu shu shu!

The weapons clanged against the Ghoul Gangster's skin, clearly showing their growing ineffectiveness.

Magnus resorted to Restiel, who poured a large amount of Divine Energy into his scythe, making it glow in white light.

"Not... too... much..." Magnus struggled to control the Divine Energy as it flowed.

Despite it being Divine, it was a very violent power that kept flowing and flowing. It always sought the annihilation of impurities, and thus it always went all out. Magnus could barely keep it contained with his 4-being willpower.

This was the technique to keep the bodies intact even after Restiel slashes through them. It was vital that Magnus was successful with it.

"Hah!"

Magnus let out a battle cry as his energy reserves all decreased rapidly. The Ghoul Gangster was stuck in orbit, constantly kicking at the golden gravity orb whenever it got close. It was doing so in an attempt to escape.

And it was indeed close to escaping. It was slowly adapting to the orbital pattern, exhibiting an intelligence level much greater than that of normal ghouls.

But Magnus had already sent Restiel out. His scythe was coated in white light as he slashed down like a true angel of the heavens.

The air was split apart as a small pillar of light erupted just as Restiel struck.

Magnus had to reposition himself using Javelin and Klaris to avoid the aura that Restiel was now emitting.

Shiiiing!

The scythe broke through the Ghoul Gangster's steel-like skin and dug into its flesh.

Sizzle sizzle!

The sound of an undead being roasted by Divine Energy echoed out, but it was still not enough to kill the monster.

Restiel's scythe couldn't cut completely through.