T-minus 1 Day till D-day. Friday, 9:21PM. Eglinton and McCowan. The Path’s rental apartment complex #22.

Gale hugged his knees beside his bed in his apartment under the single ceiling light that was clearly not enough to make any shadow disappear. The washroom light was on, and the laptop was also on. Those were the only light sources he had access to in this stupid Path donated apartment.

[Gale: are you busy?]

[Rachel: Kind of. Whats wrong?]

[Gale: are you free on saturday?]

[Rachel: A bit…]

[Gale: can you come with me and my friends to an abandoned bridge down at old finch bridge to hunt for ghosts?]

[Rachel: Sorry, Gale. you have the magic ghost powder now though. You can do this. I believe in you.]

In a sick twist of fate, Rachel had left him alone. An ironic twist of events for the dark hunter who now yearns for the light of the city that would most definitely protect him from the big bad ghosts.

A ghost hunt, they said. A hunt implies that they were hunting something. But in this case, the only one hunting would be the ghost. And the ones being hunted are them.

Gale couldn’t accept this. A hunt was supposed to be fun. A bear, a moose, a bird, and maybe even rabbits. Those were fun to hunt since a spear could catch them inside their burrows.

This whole going back to school was a disaster.

Last time, they hunted a ghost in an abandoned asylum of all places. And then they got hunted by a skinwalker. Fortunately, that was killable. This wouldn’t be any different though. Gale felt it in his stomach. Something bad was about to happen. Maybe this time, it would be an actual ghost that couldn’t be hit…

At least he had the ghost powder. But what use would that be if he fumbles around, scaring him enough that he’d defecate his pants? He’d take on Adam and Eve any time of the day instead of a ghost.

Looking around his apartment, it was still too dark. He couldn’t wallow in despair alone. He needed a companion.

Presence Between connected to a subject inside the voidal pocket. Willing Dani to materialize in a passive state, she faded into existence in front of him.

“Dani!”

Holding his arms out to her, she flapped herself to his embrace. Warm, leathery skin that’s surprisingly not mucousy as she really was just one big eyeball with wings, she felt soft and rigid too. Just like a pet bird.

“What would you do if you saw a ghost?”

Dani looked at him, eyes dilated then contracted like she understood what he had just said. Then, she started trembling and quickly turned her body around to look around the room.

Her name was Diabolical Apocalypse Nether Inquisitor. She had the race that was literally called “Overseer,” a being that oversaw the void. A creature born in the in-between, a dimension that no human could enter.

And it looked like the mention of a ghost made this very being tremble in fear.

Which means Gale had every right to be afraid. Very afraid.

In other words, he needed to just get stronger. That should solve his problem.

“Guide,” Gale said. “What do!?”

[Query rejected. Threat level: Minimal]

“NO!” Gale shouted. “I mean, is there anything I can do to get stronger now for tomorrow?”

[Query accepted. Host has unallocated resources. Current Origin Grain reserves contain 1000 grains ready for distribution. Host is recommended to allocate them immediately.]

Oh yeah. He had completely forgotten about those grains. But wait; Erin wasn’t here to tell him where to put them.

“Guide, give me optimal allocation.”

[Recommendation: 600 grains to mind, 160 grains to body, 200 grains to heart. Host’s Core Integrity currently at 96%. 40 Grains will repair Core Unit. Based on E_W’s combat assessment, Master Lucid is being used as a template, modified in order to fit self-sufficiency in having no Dainv Army at disposal.]

“Why Heart?”

[Heart allocation increases processing power. Translates to increased Max Load and Efficiency. Max Load allows for simultaneous skill activations and/or higher complexity skills in order to minimize Core Unit damage. Efficiency determines essence conversion rate.]

Alright. This was a good start. He also had Erebus anyway, which was a complete upgrade from the Weber blade. Maybe it’ll be different this time.

Gale focused, tapping on the plus button per attribute until he reached the amount needed. Though it was cumbersome. He couldn’t just type the amount he wanted into the UI. Instead, for each 10 grains, he needed to press the plus button, which was completely user-unfriendly.

Vianne did say this was the prototype. Maybe Cev didn’t account for user-friendliness, nor did he care. At least pressing the buttons gave him some time to take his mind off the inevitable ghost hunt.

When he pressed the checkmark button after pressing the plus button on the attributes a total of 100 times, warmth spread into his chest. It spread from his spine, to his heart, then head, then limbs.

No longer did he feel the warmth of the Origin Extraction whenever he killed. The only time he could feel it was during the adding of attributes in his system. As the warmth faded, he willed the status screen to life.

…

Name: Gale Hathie

Race: Dainv

Core Class: Attuned

Origin Grain: 0/1400

Core Attributes: [

Max Load: 350

Efficiency: 550

Essence: 3540/3540

]

Core Parts: [Body: 38, Heart: 32, Mind: 114, Spirit: 12]

The author’s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Skills:

[Phase Touch Lv.3][Alter Lv.3][Distort Lv.3][Reflection Lv.1]

Passives:

[Presence Between Lv. 4][Essence Control Lv.2][Dainv Combat Arts Lv. 3][Manifest Lv. 1][One Step Lv. 1]

Extra:

[Vianne Points: 118457]

…

“Dani, do you think this is enough?”

Dani nodded, but her trembling betrayed him. She clearly knew it wasn’t enough against the almighty ghosts.

Maybe he should get some food. Eating something always comforted him. Food solved every emotional problem there was. Well, most emotional problems. Might as well try this time.

Gale stood up, Presence Between’s tendrils extended to the McDs’ below across the street. Its street sign glowed at night, casting the sultry, seductive yellow glow that attracted him to it like a fly to a zap lamp.

That thought didn’t make sense. However, Gale wouldn’t stop, couldn’t stop. Anything to ease his mind off of D-Day.

Quarter pounders. This time, $300 worth of them. He didn’t have cash, but he saw Rachel pay for the food at Fran’s with her phone. His phone should be able to do that too; it was the phone she gave him, after all.

Grabbing his wallet and phone, he put on a hoodie and walked out of his apartment unit with Dani still clutched to his chest. She still trembled in his hands.

“It’s ok Dani. There’s no ghost right now,” Gale said, hoping his words were true.

Pressing the down button on the elevator, it dinged soon enough, and he entered the rickety elevator. On the way down to the first floor, it stopped, and the lights turned off.

Gale started hyperventilating. Dani too. Her eyeball grew bigger and smaller at the same rate as his, like she was also scared.

Phase Touch activated in his full body. Quickly phasing through the elevator doors, he entered the third floor. Everything looked the same.

Presence Between once again activated, tendrils shot towards his own unit. His unit was still there. 3 units down was Yohan’s empty apartment unit. His bag was there. The annoying couple upstairs was still there.

Good.

The elevator didn’t take him to another world.

Gale walked towards the stairwell and quickly went down with Dani. Exiting the apartment, as the cool January air hit him, the Ann Family ring activated, encasing him in a cozy warmth that negated most of the winter cold.

Once the crosswalk light turned into the white walking man, he crossed, and the McD’s became just a few steps away.

As he arrived in front of its door, the distinct smell of its ketchup, burgers, and fries wafted at him, seducing him to buy them.

Entering the facility, it was half full, with people at tables just spaced evenly enough. Some were by the window, just eating and looking at their phones. A couple of families were at tables with their children.

All of them looked at him when he came in. More specifically, all of them looked at the translucent eyeball thing he was hugging against his chest like a stuffed animal for comfort.

Gale ignored this completely. It didn’t even register in his mind that they were looking at him. The smell was too alluring. Walking straight to the kiosk, he pressed the takeout button on the screen.

He squinted at the options, starting to tap through them. There was only one thing in his mind. Burgers » Quarter Pounders » add to cart x 20. Looking down at the one in his arms, he changed the order to 25. It was a bit over $300, but it was fine. Dani was a growing girl.

He pressed checkout. Then a payment screen appeared with three options: Debit, Credit, or Cash. Pressing the credit button, the receiver told him to pay $382.

However, he didn’t have a credit card or a debit card, not that he knew of anyway. Looking at his phone, he scrolled through the apps to see which one would let him pay. But again, he found no match. He was once again defeated by modern standards.

Pulling up the Messenger app, he tapped on Rachel. She was always so helpful to him.

[Gale: hey, i saw you use your phone at restaurant to pay. how do i do that?]

[Rachel: Double tap the side button. Your card should show up. Then put your phone near the card reader thing.]

[Gale: thank you. this debt has been recorded.]

[Rachel: Gale… please don’t do what erin does, please.]

[Gale: lol]

[Rachel: What you buying anyways?]

[Gale: quarter pounders. lets go to McDs sometime too! ill buy you quarter pounders.]

[Rachel: I like the nuggets more. How about we share?]

[Gale: ok. youll give me your leftovers right?]

[Rachel: Sure, lmao.]

Gale nodded in satisfaction. The plan was sealed. Now time to do this thing.

Double tapping the side button, a credit card appeared on his screen. He didn’t remember setting this up, but it was there. Probably something Rachel already did when she gave him his phone.

He pressed his phone against the card reader.

BEEP.

Gale and Dani flinched at the same time, causing the people to once again look at the two of them. On the screen, a confirmation order appeared.

Order number 847.

He moved to the pickup counter and waited with Dani in his arms.

Twenty minutes passed. During that time, most of the customers had stopped staring and gone back to their food, except for one kid from the family in the corner booth who had wandered over while their parents weren’t looking.

The kid stood below him, maybe five or six years old, staring up at the translucent Dani with wide, curious eyes. His hand reached up, trying to touch the indomitable eyeball.

Gale smiled and knelt down to let the kid reach her properly.

The kid’s hand made contact with Dani’s translucent wing. The texture was probably strange to him since Dani’s skin was leathery but warm and slightly fuzzy. At first, he looked confused at the feeling, then began petting Dani more.

Then, Dani turned around to look at the kid. She blinked once, and her eyes contracted as her single massive pupil focused directly on the kid’s face.

The kid froze. Then the crying started, loud. His mom quickly looked around and saw him. She stood up, then reached for him beside Gale, saying, “Sorry.”

“It’s ok, he was just playing with Dani,” Gale smiled at her.

The woman pulled her kid away and went back to their table.

“Number 847!”

That was his order. Two bags sat on the pickup counter, both stuffed full. Gale put Dani on his head, grabbed the bags, and walked out of the McDonald’s.

Going back to the apartment this late at night alone with the scaredy cat Dani was not a good idea. They’d just be two scared idiots in one room, waiting for a ghost to attack them, only for them to probably run away to Rachel’s house.

Probably. At this point, it was better to find someone to hang out with.

Presence Between’s tendrils extended outward, spreading through the neighbourhood, searching for a familiar mundane signature. It went through all of Toronto but found that familiar person east of where he was currently at Eglinton.

Tendrils showed him Yohan standing in front of a place called ‘Eglinton Gentlemen’s Club,’ scrolling through his phone while laughing.

Gale started running as he cradled the treasure of McDonald’s in his embrace so they wouldn’t rip apart. The streets were mostly empty at this hour, just a few cars passing by that probably wouldn’t notice a person.

But just in case the Path didn’t get on his back, Distort activated, making him, Dani, and the bags of treasure invisible.

Arriving at the club as Distort deactivated, the building’s black walls stood out against the white neon sign that displayed the facility’s name. A gentleman’s club. He should be one too, and the thumping music inside made it sound like a fun place.

Yohan looked up from his phone.

“Hey, no outside food or drinks allo—” He stopped. Squinted. Then his shoulders drooped immediately. “It’s you.”

“I’m here to hang out,” Gale said, smiling. “Wanna go inside and eat these burgers? I’ll give you two. Maybe three if you’re hungry.”

Yohan scratched the back of his neck. “That’s, uh… probably not a good idea.”

“Then do you have a ball?”

“What?”

“A ball. You said you were a bouncer. Where’s the ball to play with? We can play ball while we hang out.”

Yohan’s mouth opened, then closed. He looked at Gale confused, like he just heard something weird. Sighing and turning around, he pulled out two folding chairs and set them beside the blaring heater by the door.

“You really got nothing to do this late at night?” Yohan asked as he sat down.

Gale sat on the other chair. “Nothing. Just wanting to hang out. Like a normal person who’s definitely not afraid of anything.” He held out one of the bags toward Yohan. “Now eat. Or else.“

“Alright…” Yohan leaned back away from him, taking one of the quarter pounders inside. “You got any ketchup packets in there?”

Gale fished through the bag. His fingers found the small packets at the bottom, mixed in with the napkins. He pulled out four and handed them over.

Curiously, Gale watched Yohan tear open two packets and squeeze the ketchup onto his burger, spreading it across the patty before closing the bun. He took a bite and chewed.

He fished out another packet, tore it open, and squeezed it onto his own burger. Taking a bite, he immediately tasted the difference. The ketchup elevated this sustenance into a whole’nother level. This debt to Yohan shall be recorded!

“You’re a good guy,” Gale said while chewing. “But I still don’t know where the ball is. You must be a useless bouncer.”

Yohan ignored the comment. His eyes had drifted upward to the thing perched on Gale’s head. “What the hell is that?”

“Dani. She’s cute, isn’t she?”

Reaching for another burger and taking it out of its box, he held out the burger in front of Dani.

A line appeared across the middle of her eyeball. The line widened, then split the eye horizontally, revealing rows and rows of smaller triangular teeth. The maw clamped down on the burger, eating the whole quarter pounder in one bite from Gale’s hand.

Dani purred. A low, rumbling, guttural cute sound of satisfaction as she chewed with her single smiling eye.

Yohan froze. His burger hovered over his open mouth that was about to take a bite but didn’t. His eyes stared at Dani for a full two seconds before saying, “You know what, I’m not gonna even ask anymore.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep