As Adam lay on his bed with the envelope in his hands, his mind was racing with thoughts.
"Hmm…What would happen if they found out about this… Ghost System?"
It was a concerning thing to think about, and he couldn't get I lit out of his mind, but he believed that if he didn't give out any information, they might not find out. At least, not yet.
For now, he just needed to focus on the present.
"Graduation is tomorrow, and I need to start applying to different high schools."
His entire class was already planning on applying to the various Reaper Academies across the country, with most of them already setting their sights on the most popular one…Reaper High.
Either way, he needed to find one fast before it was too late. The deadline is in a few days after a
Before opening the envelope, Adam decided to check his system for any new messages.
_______________________
«Host: Adam Cole»
Level: 2
Exp: 0 / 80
«Shadow Ball»
Each use takes 5 G. Points.
[Allows the user to cast a dark ball of shadow which, upon contact, slows down the target for a brief moment.]
_______________________
"That's weird," Adam thought as he reread the message. "That sounds similar to the move the ghost used during the battle."
While the Reapers were fighting the ghost, he noticed moments where they seemed to slow down in the middle of their attack. Was that the ghost's doing?
He couldn't tell, but it certainly seemed similar.
But what did it mean by each move takes 5 G. Points?
He looked at his hands as he lay on his bed, studying them as if they were foreign to him, his fingers passing right through the message.
___________________
«Stats»
Strength — 10
Agility — 10
Stamina — 10
G. Force — 10
_________________
Looking at the final stat, he noticed a small circle with an "i" in it.
"That's strange… that wasn't there before. Or maybe it's because I'm level 2 now?"
Whatever the reason, Adam focused on it, and, as if reacting to his thoughts, another pop-up appeared.
_______________________
G. Points (Ghost Points):
[Every skill consumes a certain number of Ghost Points. Once all Ghost Points are depleted, the host must wait for them to replenish before using a skill again.]
__________________________
"That explains it," he muttered.
"I guess I'll have to be mindful of how I use my skills then, or I'll be a sitting duck."
Available stat points: 2
[Where would you like to allocate these points?]
Adam thought deeply about where to put them, and part of him already wanted to add them to strength.
He remembered when the ghost had pinned him down and how he had struggled to push it off. Strength was a very important factor when it came to fighting. Even though agility was vital, there was no point in being fast if you couldn't hit hard.
"Hmm… I'll focus on agility later. Right now, strength is more important."
As soon as Adam thought about putting the stat points into strength, he received a message:
***[Strength.]***
Would you like to allocate your stat points into Strength?
[Yes / No]
Adam selected "Yes."
_________________
Current Stats:
Strength — 12
Agility — 10
Stamina — 10
G. Force — 10
_________________
Seeing the increase in his strength, Adam felt slightly delighted. He had to test it out.
He got off his bed, clenched his fists, and prepared himself. Then he bent over and tried to lift it.The bed felt slightly lighter as he raised one side a few centimeters off the floor.
It wasn't much of a difference, but Adam still felt stronger compared to his previous self.
"I guess I'll have to try harder if I plan on leveling up and improving the rest of my stats," he said. "Now, let's see what's in this envelope."
Adam stared at the envelope for a while before finally opening it.
Inside, there was a document with the words "APPLICATION FORM" boldly written at the top, and as Adam's eyes landed on it, he immediately knew what it was.
"Isn't this… the Reaper Entrance Exam form?" Adam couldn't believe his eyes.
The forms for the Reaper Exams were very expensive, and given Adam's situation, he never thought he'd come by one so easily.
Growing up, his mom had been saving up so he'd be able to apply once he got older. However, with Adam's curse factor never manifesting, they had both lost hope and decided to channel that money into paying bills and putting food on the table.
But now, there was a chance.
Excited, Adam scanned through the forms and started to fill them . They contained basic information like his name, age, and some details about his mom
While scanning through, he paused at one particular section.
"Curse Factor"
He didn't know what to put there. His hand hovered slightly above the space, unsure what to write. Adam thought for a while before finally deciding to type something.
"Strength," he wrote.
"Yeah, that'll do. I hope this works…"
A thought suddenly flashed into Adam's head immediately after completing that section. What about that skill he had just unlocked, could he put that there instead?
It was a promising question, but the issue was that Adam hadn't tested it out yet too, and plus, part of him still felt like he needed to explore the system more
With that, Adam was done filling out the forms, but that was only one part of it. He still needed to take them to the post office tomorrow.
Adam fell flat on the bed as a wave of excitement washed over him. Everything felt so surreal. Just a few days ago he was wallowing in sorrow over the fact that he may not get the chance to attend Reaper high and become the pro Reaper he'd been dreaming of for so long.
Now, he was one step closer to achieving his dream
Looking at the time, it was almost midnight, but Adam wasn't feeling sleepy. In fact, ever since he acquired the system, he hadn't really felt sleepy at all.
"Mom, I promise" he said faintly "I'm going to make you proud,"