Boink…
Boink…
From the edge of the woods, the Red Pumpkin Head appeared once again.
Before it was the full view of the small, desolate hut.
Instead of approaching hastily, it looked left and right, almost as if it was making sure that nobody from the woods was following. Once the coast was confirmed clear, it boinked its way towards the backyard with clear excitement.
So much so that it decided to leap way higher over the wooden fence like it couldn't help itself.
Not even an hour later, the Red Pumpkin Head returned.
It checked the window—clear.
Then the front yard—clear.
No sign of the pesky warden that lived in the hut.
Cheerfully, it went straight to the Ward, circling around it in search of something.
Once it reached the back, it paused in surprise, and its eyes glimmered at the sight of a fruit lying on the mud. It was a deep sapphire apple with glassy skin that gleamed like liquid midnight. Against the murky mud, its color became more vibrant than ever.
Even though it looked slightly different, fake, the Red Pumpkin Head wasted no time.
It happily approached the fruit and gobbled it up.
But instead of savoring the dense mana inside it, the fruit puffed into pale brown smoke.
Fart spray.
"HAHAHA~!" Deklan burst from inside the hut, laughing in satisfaction at the sight of the coughing and puffing Red Pumpkin Head. His hand was already spinning the lasso, eyes focused on his target, "I got you now, motherfucker! You're mine!!"
Swish!
Before the Red Pumpkin Head could recover, the lasso wrapped around it tightly.
[Notice: Ghost Conqueror skill has been used on the Red Pumpkin Head!]
[Capturing in progress…]
[Estimated time: 5 minutes.]
"Five minutes?! Are you damn seri—woaah!"
Deklan was pulled hard as the Red Pumpkin Head tried to flee.
Despite possessing his physical body now, the difference between them was still stark.
Compared to him, its strength was still superior.
Deklan was akin to a ten-year-old who was being dragged by his full-adult pitbull dog pet.
Even so, he couldn't give up.
If he lost the Red Pumpkin Head right now, there's no saying when it would come back again, or when another Ghost would stumble to his desolated hut. He can't let go, or he'll risk delaying getting the precious rewards.
Gritting his teeth, Deklan pushed himself to stand, but it was hard.
He was fighting against the muddy ground.
"Krrgh!"
Deklan wrapped his arm around the tombstone and held on.
His arm felt like it was going to be torn completely, but he managed to stop the Red Pumpkin Head's momentum. But it won't last. In this awkward position, one hand holding the lasso in a tight grip and the other wrapped around the tombstone, he would not last a minute.
Five minutes is impossible, but he has an idea.
In quick succession, Deklan pivoted his body and stepped on the tombstone.
And without thinking much, he kicked as hard as he could, aiming to scoot over to the Ward.
Surprised by the sudden pull, the Red Pumpkin Head was dragged back.
Deklan cracked a smile as he managed to reach around the Ward, but before he could firmly plant his feet against the tree trunk, the Red Pumpkin Head pulled hard again. "Shit, shit, shit!" He cursed as he tried to grab hold of anything and settled his hand on the bulging root. "Krgggh…! I need to change position!"
[Notice: If the Red Pumpkin Head leaves the premises, the capturing process will fail.]
"No shit, Einstein! Why the fuck do you think I'm holding it back?! I know already!"
Krrk!
His eyes widened in horror when the bulging root was torn.
It wouldn't hold on.
Deklan took a quick look at the Red Pumpkin Head and noted that it was still far from the fence.
At least, it was a good eight yards away.
Nodding his head, his eyes glowed with mana as he elongated the lasso.
Once the tension loosened, he immediately got up and dived to the other side of the tree.
Before the Red Pumpkin Head could pull again, his feet were firmly placed—against the tree trunk, and his back was flat on the ground, providing him a strong support. As expected, he fared better.
No matter how hard the Red Pumpkin Head yanked the lasso, Deklan didn't budge.
"Okay, I can hold on," Deklan said through gritted teeth. "System, how much longer?!"
[Estimated time: 4 minutes and 30 seconds.]
"Fuck, it's only been thirty seconds?!"
At that moment, Deklan paused when the tension on the lasso suddenly disappeared.
He immediately sat up to check, afraid that the Red Pumpkin Head managed to escape, but to his horror, it was currently seething—with red mana. It cast a look at Deklan before in the next second, it boinked forward hard.
Deklan gritted his teeth as he was losing his grip.
Even wrapping the lasso around his arm or even his entire body didn't help much.
"I'm being overpowered," He grunted desperately—as his knees were buckling, and he was slowly pulled to the side. "I can't hold on much longer! Did I bite more than I can chew? No, that thing is the same rank as me, even though it has B-grade potential. And that fake fruit has a dizzying effect!"
Despite all of that, the Red Pumpkin Head proved to still be too much.
Deklan racked his brain for a solution, and then, his eyes widened.
He recalled something that could help.
"Hey, stupid pumpkin! Or should I call you, beggar pumpkin?!" Deklan roared in a mocking tone, his lips curled into a forced smile. "How shameless can you be? You stole my fruit and even pranked me instead of thanking me. Come at me like a man! Are you that much afraid of confronting me head-on?"
The Red Pumpkin Head kept pulling, but Deklan could see that it was getting annoyed.
It was easy to tell since an actual angry vein popped on its forehead, exactly like in a video game.
"Come on, pumpy, pumpy. Face me or I'll plant a patch of pumpkins and eat them in front of you!"
Almost instantly, the Red Pumpkin Head turned around and glared at Deklan.
Like the first time they met, it squealed and flashed its hollow eyes bright red, using its stun skill again.
[Notice: the host has been inflicted by the Small Prankster skill]
[Debuff applied: Unique Stun.]
Seeing the notifications, Deklan grinned mischievously, "Gotcha!"
[Iron Spine is activated!]
[All applied debuffs have been negated, and the target has lost a small portion of its mana!]
Deklan was trying to rile the Red Pumpkin Head earlier, to make it use its Small Prankster skill in order to trigger his Iron Spine skill. He cannot be startled or scared by the same skill twice. Or rather, he can still be influenced the second time, but the effect would be weaker.
Against an Iron-rank Ghost, though, the debuff was completely negated.
Now, the Red Pumpkin Head suffered from the Iron Spine skill.
Its red mana was sucked a little and seeped into Deklan's body.
Using his newly gained mana—a small amount for the Red Pumpkin Head, but a lot for him—and the brief moment while the Red Pumpkin Head was still reeling, Deklan extended the lasso once more, and then sprinted a full lap around the Ward before securing it tightly around a tombstone to anchor it.
Once he was finished, he straightened his back and watched as the Red Pumpkin Head was held back.
It doesn't have the power to escape anymore.
Unless it has the strength to shatter the tombstone and uproot the Ward, it cannot escape.
"Phew… that's what I call good, honest hard work." He wiped the sweat from his brow, only to notice his clothes completely soaked in watery mud. "Man, should I buy a shower from the Shop? A proper and well-functioning bathroom is a must in this damn primitive world."
Pivoting around, Deklan covered his mouth and chuckled at the Red Pumpkin Head's futile attempt.
For once, it was good to see that the beggar pumpkin was the one doing the work.
"Give up, dude. You're not uprooting a big ancient tree—just accept your fate as my precious, personal juice maker!" He laughed, clutching his stomach in a mix of relief and triumph. "I'm going to certainly squeeze you dry every single d—hahhk!"
Out of nowhere, Deklan was forced to exhale hard as the Red Pumpkin Head struck his stomach.
He screeched against the mud, and some got into his mouth.
"Oyy! Fuck was that for?!" Deklan cursed, half his face covered in mud. "Are you still resisting?!"
As he turned to look, he immediately got up and ran the other way.
Deklan was chased by the Red Pumpkin Head, who had already abandoned trying to escape and focused solely on beating him to a pulp. Both of them played cat and mouse around the backyard for the remaining minutes until a notification appeared.
[Capture complete!]
Splash!
Deklan jumped when a loud splashing sound reverberated through the air.
He looked to the other side and saw that the grave was suddenly dug out by itself, revealing a black coffin.
In the next second, the coffin's lid opened.
And the moment it did—the Red Pumpkin Head stopped mid-track as its mana and entire being sucked into the coffin. Deklan watched as it faded bit by bit, turning into strands of energy until it eventually evaporated from its spot.
Then, the coffin was closed again, and the ground fixed itself.
[Congratulations, host has captured a unique Ghost: Red Pumpkin Head!]
[All of its Traits and Skills have now been identified.]
[Ward: +5 Spooky Dollars per day.]
[Ghost Residents: 1 / 1]
[The Red Pumpkin Head is a B-grade Ghost. A special fruit will be produced by the Ward.]
[Sudden Quest completed!]
[5 Spooky Dollars and 1x Random Devour Skill Ticket have been rewarded.]
[First Ghost achievement has been completed!]
[10 Spooky Dollars and Fondness Fruit have been rewarded.]
[First Unique Ghost achievement has been completed!]
[100 Spooky Dollars have been rewarded.]
Deklan's eyes glimmered with excitement as notifications flooded his vision.
He was only aiming to complete the sudden quest, but he ended up completing a lot of things, and the rewards were really good. "Considering that I've worked hard to capture that beggar, I am glad it was worth it."
[Good work, host. Never doubted you.]
"Never doubted me, my ass," Deklan cursed as he inspected the rewards.
First of all, he opened the Ward menu to check on the Red Pumpkin Head's status window.
…
[Red Pumpkin Head]
Rank: 3-star Iron
Potential: B
Rarity: ★★★★ (Unique)
Fondness: 50%
——
SKILL(S)
[Small Prankster] [Phasey-Daisy] [Eerie Smile]
——
TRAIT(S)
[Mini Ghost]
…
Deklan inspected the status window and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.
He noted that there was an additional Fondness section—and the Red Pumpkin Head has three skills and one trait, which was quite a lot. But what truly seized his attention was the three options underneath the status window.
"Oh… This is interesting."