Deklan grinned from ear to ear.
He unconsciously activated his Eerie Smile skill, stretching his lips far wider than normal.
It was a face that scared the lackey in his final moment.
Before the Spirit Talisman could free him from the inflicted unique stun, Deklan already threw the spear with all his strength. The spear whirled like a drill, spinning like a bullet, and tore through the air with the ease of a hot knife through butter.
And in the blink of an eye, it pierced through the lackey's heart.
Or rather, he was aiming for the lackey's heart but missed.
"Ah…" Deklan paused, seeing the lackey didn't instantly die, only topple over and gargle on blood. "It should be on the right side of the body, right? Why isn't he dead—yet? Oh, wait… My mistake, it's on the left!"
Deklan put the white spear in his inventory and summoned it again.
He skipped over to the lackey and then dealt the final blow, "Sorry, it's my first time doing this."
Spurt!
[Defeated enemies: 2 / 3]
Once the lackey is dead with a thrust to the neck, Deklan wipes the sweat on his brow.
Seems like the other lackey was also dead, so that makes two.
Earlier, he had been watching Rock and his two lackeys from the inside.
Initially, Deklan's plan was to scare them by using his Eerie Smile skill.
He was planning to appear at the window out of nowhere and smile—hoping that it would dissuade the group from rushing into the hut, and that would give him the perfect opening to freely kill one from the back.
But instead of being dissuaded, the group became more determined instead.
Since that was the case, Deklan threw the spear through the window, catching the first lackey off guard.
Once the first one was hit, he quickly climbed to the roof and crossed over to the other side.
And that was how he ended up here.
"All of these people should be Iron-rank, right?" Deklan shook the spear to clean the blood, eyeing the dead lackey. "I'm about equal to them, but with the Breeze Affinity, I'm a lot faster than them. Like, a lot faster."
Deklan rubbed his chin and nodded his head—pleased with the result.
But the battle showed his fundamental flaw.
It was his fighting skill.
Once the element of surprise and speed was out of the equation, he got easily pressured.
Even so, he was dreading fighting these three people.
So the fact that he did this well for his first battle was already a pat on the back.
Boink!
Boink!
Deklan glanced to the side, noting that the Red Pumpkin Head was still active.
[1:24]
A bit more than one minute until it ran out of time, not that little but also not that plenty.
"Good work, beggar. Couldn't do it withoutcha," He winked.
Hearing this, the angry vein popped on the Red Pumpkin Head again.
It headbutted Deklan's leg repeatedly out of anger, but fortunately, it was only playing around.
"Guess you still retained your stupid personality," Deklan kicked it away—as he summoned the mana potion from his inventory and chugged it. As he did that—he turned to look at the roof, "And how long are you planning on watching me exactly? Aren't you supposed to take vengeance for your friends?"
On the roof was Rock.
He was squatting down on the edge, watching Deklan in amusement.
"Tell me, have you been fooling—everyone?" Rock asked, tilting his head a little. "You're an Exorcist, likely has an assimilated spirit, can take things out of thin air—and now is even working with a Ghost. One that's unique nonetheless, seeing that it has a red shade instead of its normal orange color."
"Nah, I'm not hiding anything," Deklan threw the empty mana potion away and turned to face Rock. "I am a completely different person. Don't compare me to the wimp you had in mind."
"Dual personality? Your entire demeanor is not normal."
"Like I said, I'm a different person. If you don't believe me, then forget it."
Swish!
Deklan's body seethed with mana, and the wind blew weirdly around him.
"Judging from that smile you have, I'm guessing only one of us will come out of this alive." He added.
Immediately after saying that, Deklan turned his face away and covered his mouth in glee.
I always wanted to say something cool like those main characters in the novels I read.
Instead of answering, Rock dropped down from the roof—and shifted the way he held his machete to a reverse grip. His body steamed with mana and his muscles bulged with strength, "That's true, but that confident attitude of yours… It's starting to piss me off. Don't compare me to those weaklings."
Slowly, Rock raised his menacing gaze.
His smile stretched into a dominating, confident one.
"I'm not an Iron-rank Exorcist…"
"What...?"
Swoosh!
Rock blurred from his spot and appeared to Deklan's right.
So fast… He's not kidding!
Clang!
Deklan gritted his teeth and brought up his spear right in time to intercept Rock's slash.
His eardrums trembled from the sharp impact, and the force pushed him several steps sideways across the mud.
It's numb. My arm is numb from blocking one attack?!
Before he could even stop, Rock was already on him again—relentless, feral, his machete flashing in a blur of silver arcs. Each strike came with purpose, not rage. Every swing sought his hands, his weapon, his life.
It was clear that Rock wasn't an amateur.
Far from it.
Clang!
Deklan parried another slash, feeling the vibration rattled up his arm—as the machete screeched down the shaft of his spear, spewing sparks everywhere. He released his left hand to avoid the blade, shifted his grip to the upper end, and whipped the shaft toward Rock's face.
Easily, Rock caught it with his forearm and drove a knee straight into Deklan's gut.
"Kaghk!"
His eyes widened as the air burst from his lungs in a choking gasp, as saliva flew from his lips.
His body folded—then a fist crashed into his jaw.
But before the blow could connect, the Red Pumpkin Head lunged from below, slamming its rock-hard skull into Rock's ribs—the crack of impact echoed like a drumbeat in the night. Deklan staggered back, and so did Rock.
From start to finish, the clash had only lasted seconds.
And yet, Deklan could tell that he was not on Rock's level.
I need to slow him down somehow, or else I'll be overwhelmed. Also, I need to play dirty.
Deklan pointed his spear forward again, ready to resume.
Beside him, the Red Pumpkin Head also glared at Rock—ready for the next round.
"Let's go, beggar, pumple, pumpkin, whatever!"
Instead of waiting for Rock to make the first move, Deklan decided to strike first.
The Red Pumpkin Head led the way and leaped towards Rock.
But instead of headbutting him, its eyes flashed.
It used the Small Prankster skill, inflicting its unique stun.
From the side, Deklan appeared with his spear, brought all the way back—and with a rough grunt, he swung hard with all his might. But to his surprise, Rock broke free from the stun—without even using his Spirit Talisman.
Perhaps the gap between ranks made it impossible for the Red Pumpkin Head's skill to work.
Clang!
As soon as his attack was blocked, Deklan's pupils dilated as his focus skyrocketed.
Here it comes… A counterattack!
Swoosh!
Just as he expected, Rock counterattacked with his machete, and at that exact moment, Deklan focused his Breeze Affinity on the machete. He concentrated the air resistance on the machete, making it harder for the blade to cut through the air.
Visibly, the slash was slower than earlier to the point that even Rock noticed the oddness.
It felt like swinging in water.
Deklan leaned back, avoiding the slash narrowly, and immediately tightened his grip on the spear.
Seeing this, Rock smirked as Deklan's body movements made his attack too obvious.
'Another cleave? How predictable can you get?'
Rock tracked the spear, anticipating another cleave—but Deklan's real attack came lower.
A sharp crack echoed as Deklan's bare foot drove straight into Rock's groin, landing right on his family jewels. At that moment, Rock's expression froze mid-grin, and the world suddenly became silent until his body registered what had happened.
"Kyaaargghkk!!"
His face twisted, and his knees buckled inward as the excruciating pain shot straight to his brain.
"Are you a man?" Deklan laughed aloud. "If you are, you should take better care of your balls!"
Shamelessly, he and the Red Pumpkin Head charged in for the final blow.
Alright, with this, it should be done.
Deklan tilted his head, ready to plunge the spear, but froze when Rock suddenly met his gaze.
And his eyes that are earthy brown seemed to glow.
"What the fu—?"
Bam!
Both Deklan and the Red Pumpkin Head were pushed back by an invisible force that struck them.
A spell? I couldn't even react to it!
Deklan blinked his eyes in horror as Rock was already standing before him.
Like a savage barbarian, Rock pulled back his arm far back—and plunged the machete into Deklan's stomach, sending him hurtling away. He watched calmly as Deklan crashed through the wooden fence and screeched across the bud.
The Red Pumpkin head charged.
But Rock caught it with one hand and kicked it away like a soccer ball.
"Heurghh…"
Deklan lay on the ground weakly, gargling on his own blood.
[Warning!]
[Warning: the host is in a critical state!]
"No shit, Sherlock…" Deklan uttered weakly, gritting his teeth through the pain.
Slowly, he braced himself and looked down at the source of the pain.
His stomach was stabbed, and blood began to drench his clothes.
Beside him, the Red Pumpkin Head was also in the same condition, struggling to even recover from the kick. Only fifteen seconds left until it went back to the grave—but Deklan didn't care, as right now, he didn't even know if he would survive.
Fuck, am I going to die again?
Deklan looked ahead and saw Rock approaching slowly and menacingly.
His machete dripped with blood, and the murderous intent behind his eyes was evident.
[If you die, you're not meeting your father again. It's game over.]
"I'm impressed, young master. I didn't expect tonight to be this fun, but all fun things will always come to an end," Rock stood towering before him, raising his machete overhead. "At least for once in your life, you're not a disappointment. You can die peacefully now."
Just as Rock was about to end Deklan's life, he noticed the Red Pumpkin Head was eating something.
Deklan stared at him and smirked.
"In the next life, if you're going to kill someone, don't monologue like a moron."
"Hmm?!"
"System, assimilate the Red Pumpkin Head!"
[Stage 1 Assimilation is initiated…]
[Targeted Ghost Resident: Red Pumpkin Head.]
[Persona Unlocked: Agna the Red Scarecrow!]