57. Inventory
The hospital room returned to silence, and Dean was finally able to settle his mind and organize the rewards he had earned at the risk of death.
First was the specialty gained from killing the ghost, Alexander—
Novice Supernatural Hunter: The hunter harvests trophies from their prey.
You can draw a sliver of power from supernatural beings you kill or who die because of you, immediately recovering a small portion of health and stamina, and extracting 0-2 points from one of their attributes at random.
Note: You can only draw from attributes higher than your own. If all of the target’s attributes are below yours, you will not gain any power from them.
The greater the difference between your attribute and that of your target, the more power you extract.
...
Dean’s eyes lit up.
“This is like the real-world version of getting stronger by slaying monsters.”
With this specialty,
All he needed to do was continuously seek out, investigate, plan, and then hunt powerful supernatural creatures to grow stronger.
Of course, the risks were immense. Without thorough preparation, a hunt could easily become a “suicide mission.”
Moreover, he was more inclined to eliminate evil entities like Alexander.
He glanced at his attributes and noticed that, without realizing it, his spirit had increased from 13.2 to 14.2—he had absorbed a full point of spirit from the old ghost, further empowering the Shadow of the Past!
A sudden gust stirred.
The “Shadow” flew out from Dean’s body, circling the hospital room.
A rough test showed that its range of activity had expanded from thirteen meters to seventeen, its duration from six and a half minutes to nearly eight. Its speed and strength saw little increase.
The “Shadow’s” growth did not seem to focus on these areas, but rather on gradually gaining abilities like Alexander’s—telekinesis, piercing screams, or psychic assaults.
...
Withdrawing the “Shadow,” Dean directed his attention to the events panel.
Event—Brothers, completion: 100%.
Claim reward.
Experience +110, personal level: lv1 (180/200), medium difficulty event, you have received a special reward: one skill from the ghost Alexander Raphael—
Balanced Meditation Technique lv0 (0/100):
A part of the human soul is hidden deep within the universe, transforming into a star, existing for eternity, neither destroyed by death nor reincarnation.
Hence, humans love to gaze at the starry sky.
Mediums, plagued by insomnia and psychological ailments, created this technique. By using special breathing, postures, and visualizing that unique star of theirs and connecting with it through intent, they regulate their body and mind, clear their thoughts, release mental pressure, and maintain a calm self.
During meditation, one gradually enters a deep state of rest, rapidly recovering physical strength and energy.
Note: This skill will balance your spirit and willpower attributes. With each upgrade, the lower of the two will be slightly increased, bringing them closer to equilibrium.
...
Balanced Meditation?
Dean had never seen such a peculiar ability.
“Attribute increase is not fixed—it chooses between spirit and willpower.”
The imagery of stars converging in the universe and narrowing the gap between the two attributes was intriguing.
“This suggests that the reason mediums suffer from insomnia or mental disturbances is not simply due to a high spirit attribute, but because their spirit far exceeds their willpower. They cannot fully restrain their spirit, control their overactive thoughts and emotions, or resist negative influences from the outside world, thus becoming easily agitated, breaking down, or splitting.”
Dean felt enlightened.
If spirit is water, then willpower is the vessel holding it.
Too much water in too small a vessel,
And the water will overflow, even shatter the vessel and flood everything, driving one mad.
Only by developing both in balance can one form a “reservoir” for sustained combat ability, or even a full “water supply.”
“By extension, not only mediums—even ordinary people, if they develop psychological disorders like schizophrenia or mania... excluding organic changes, it’s because their spirit greatly exceeds their willpower.”
Conversely, if willpower vastly surpasses spirit, emotions and thoughts are suppressed; a person becomes numb, cold, loses humanity and empathy.
...
Dean looked at himself: spirit 14.2, willpower 11.2—a gap of exactly three points.
“Lately I’ve had trouble sleeping—it’s because my spirit suddenly grew. Now, the gap has widened again.”
“No more insomnia, please! And I can’t just keep boosting spirit in the future.”
He made a mental note.
“To avoid becoming either a madman or a cold machine, I have to practice Balanced Meditation as soon as possible.”
Conveniently, he was too badly injured to practice combat or shooting for now; he could devote himself to several meditation sessions a day.
Perfect.
...
Next, Dean took out the Sleepless One’s spirit board.
Smooth as jade.
Not only could it be used to conduct séances and summon ghosts, but it also allowed humans to see spirits with the naked eye.
It possessed a special power, extremely deadly to spirit forms.
Alexander was impervious to blades and bullets, even fire could not quickly destroy him, yet when this board pierced his body, he dissipated into ashes without resistance.
Its strength was evident.
A shameless idea immediately sprang to Dean’s mind.
“Find out where there are haunted houses in Nevada.”
“Take the board to a haunted house and conduct a séance.”
“If an evil spirit is summoned, use the board to kill it.”
“Train skills, trigger Supernatural Hunter, absorb attributes.”
Killing several birds with one stone!
But this was just Dean’s naïve plan.
Finding a real haunted house was troublesome, and the risks were high. If he ran into one or several medium-level ghosts no weaker than Alexander, he wasn’t sure he could get lucky and win a second time—or would he end up bedridden for another month?
To implement this plan, he’d need far greater power to protect himself.
...
Having collected his thoughts,
Dean gripped the board and tried to summon the Shadow of the Past.
But this time, the result was completely different from the experience in the Parnon house.
The “Shadow” obediently floated before the spirit board, conveying an impatient urge.
“Why the change in attitude?” Dean looked at the blank-faced shadow. He remembered that it used to be terrified of the board. “Is it because the spirits of Alexander and Parnon, previously sealed inside, are gone?”
The “Shadow” could not answer such a complicated question. Its pitch-black eyes gazed longingly at the board—it wanted to go inside.
Dean’s eyes flickered as a memory surfaced. When he summoned Alexander, he had used his own blood to empower the board and successfully performed a séance.
Later, Alexander’s ghost, the original owner, could not control the board and had to ask Dean to hand it over voluntarily.
“So, I’ve already left my mark on the board, making the shadow—my own creation—no longer afraid.”
The more Dean thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He nodded in approval, watching as the “Shadow” turned into a wisp of black smoke and slipped inside,
Like a whale returning to the sea, a wave of comfort and ease washed over him.
Dean lifted the board and observed it: teardrop-shaped, with a jade-like texture, a streak of red light and a flash of heat passing through.
He could now clearly sense the shadow’s presence and state within the board.
There was no sign of disconnection.
At a thought,
The shadow manipulated the board from within, making it levitate and fly, whistling through the air, trailing afterimages as it circled again and again above the hospital bed.
The sharp-edged tip glinted coldly, as keen as a blade, able to slice through flesh with ease.
Dean grew ever more pleased with the board.
It could wound ghosts, be used as a melee dagger, or as a flying throwing weapon for physical attacks.
It would become his secret weapon.
Dean gave another command.
The “Shadow” obediently flew out of the board.
He tried several more things.
Even when residing in the board, the “Shadow’s” range was still limited to seventeen meters from him.
If it exceeded that distance, it would immediately fly out and return to Dean.
At present, it didn’t seem that the shadow gained any particular benefit from the board—it would take time to observe the effects.
“Buddy, this is your home from now on.”
Dean gripped the board, hoping the shadow would grow a bit stronger and no longer be so easily crushed by medium-class spirits.
...
Summing up the gains from this incident, Dean finally turned his gaze to his own attributes:
Character Level: 1 (180/200)
Age: 18
Constitution: 11.6
Strength: 10.6
Agility: 12.1
Perception: 10
Spirit: 13.2 → 14.2
Willpower: 11.2
...
Abilities: 4/5
Combat lv1 (80/200 → 100/200)
Shooting lv1 (19/200 → 21/200)
Shadow of the Past lv0 (11 → 13/100)
Balanced Meditation Technique lv0 (0/100)
Specialties:
Novice Iron Man
Novice Supernatural Hunter
System Abilities:
God’s Perspective lv0
Events: 0/1
Completed—
1. The Death of Young Dean
2. The Whereabouts of Mona
3. The Hunt at Lake Mead
4. Brothers
...
He closed his eyes, gently leaning back on the hospital bed, letting the steps of Balanced Meditation flow through his mind.
“Relax your body until you’re in the most comfortable, least stressful posture, breathing rhythmically…”
“Imagine yourself sitting on an endless prairie, gazing up at a dazzling night sky filled with a multitude of stars.”
“One of them draws your attention irresistibly…”
“You sense the special magnetic field of this star, the growing attraction between you and it.”
“Your spirit, willpower, body—everything tangible and intangible—is drawn toward it by beams of starlight.”
“Its atmosphere and gravity filter out your impurities.”
“It returns the essence to you…”
...