CHAPTER 2
Becoming a pro Reaper had always been Max's dream ever since he was a child. In fact, becoming a Reaper was almost everyone's dream.
They were the protectors of mankind against evil ghosts, and a heroic, dangerous, and highly respected profession. Aside from the glory, It was also a very high paying profession along with countless other benefits
And honestly, that was Max's true reason for wanting to become a Reaper.
He knew his family's situation. He knew how hard they struggled, how much his mom worked just to put food on the table for her kids, and he didn't want that life forever.
He had to make things better
He wanted to become a professional Reaper so that one day he could finally help his struggling family.
Because of that desire, when he was young, Max couldn't wait to manifest his Curse Factor. Every single day, he experimented to see if he had awakened it yet.
Whether jumping off a table to see if he could fly, or thrusting his arm forward shouting "FIRE!" just to check if anything would happen. Max was determined to awaken a Curse Factor.
There was even one time he sprinted straight into a wall, thinking his ability might be phasing through objects, but all he got was a nosebleed and a huge bump on his head.
He tried again and again for years, but…nothing ever happened.
Eventually… he gave up.
But if his reason for wanting to be a Reaper was because of the money, why not just get a well-paying job?
Well, with how society was evolving, people only got well-paying jobs depending on how strong or useful their Curse Factor was to the job market, just like having a skill or a degree.
For example, someone with earth manipulation would excel in construction or engineering.
Someone with electricity abilities would thrive in power industries. Your curse factor decided how much you're worth in any given field
But those without any ability at all?
They ended up with menial jobs and wages barely enough for food.
To put it bluntly:
Those with Curse Factors were destined for success.
Those without were destined for poverty.
Everyone else in Max's school had unlocked their Curse Factors. Unfortunately for him, he was the only one who didn't, and that was a lot to take. He was mocked, bullied, called all sorts of names, made to feel smaller and smaller every day.
And on top of that, his grades weren't very encouraging either
.
When he was younger, Max actually scored high on tests, but slowly his grades began dropping drastically. Eventually the school wanted to expel him entirely, saying that his grades were only pulling down the class average, which in turn lowered the schools ranking. It was only after his mother begged on her knees that they considered lettingng him stay.
All his dreams of becoming a Reaper… all his hopes of helping his mom… completely vanished.
Until—
A few months ago, Max ran into a strange old man on his way home from school.
The man approached him in a cold, dark alley and said he had been observing him for some time and had noticed Max was the only one in school without a Curse Factor.
At first, Max slightly hesitant when the man approached him. Like any parent, his mom always warned him never to talk to strangers, and that the world was dangerous.
However, he had a change of thought the moment the old man said he could help him awaken a Curse Factor.
Max didn't know who he was or whether he was lying…
but when he considered his life, how his family was struggling to make ends meet, how things seemed to not be getting any better, he couldn't help but think…
What if it worked
Curious, he listened to the man
****
The moon hung low in the sky, and the atmosphere was cold and silent.
Walking behind the old man, Max felt a mix of fear and excitement swirling inside him as they ventured deeper and deeper into the woods.
The deeper they went, the more the forest seemed to swallow the world behind them.
The old man never once looked back to check if Max was still following. He just kept walking, swinging his lantern , and muttering something under his breath that Max couldn't quite hear.
"Uh… old man, how long before we get there?" Max asked, voice shaky.
The old man didn't reply, which made Max start question his actions .
Was trusting this stranger really the right choice?
They had been walking for over half an hour, and Max didn't want to stray too far from home as this was his first time sneaking out at night after all.
Finally, having enough, Max spoke again.
"Hey! Old man, how long—"
"We're here," the man interrupted.
Max stopped, scanning the dark forest around them, trying to make sense of where they had ended up.
The old man turned with a serious expression, making Max's heart pound uncontrollably.
"Um… what now?" he gulped.
The old man placed his bag on the ground and pulled out a jar of white powder. He handed Max some candles and instructed him to arrange them in a circle, one big enough for one person to stand inside.
The air around them shifted, growing heavier, thicker, and more suffocating with every second. Max could already feel the pressure building in his chest.
'C'mon Max, focus… it'll all be over soon' he tried to convince himself.
"Hey, old man, how exactly is this supposed to give me a Curse Factor?" Max asked while lighting the candles.
Curse Factors were abilities people were usually born with. No one could simply "give" one, at least from what Max was thought in school
It made him even more curious about what was happening.
"I hope this isn't some sell-your-soul ritual or anything like that… right?" he whispered nervously.
The old man didn't respond. He was too busy drawing strange symbols around the candles using the white powder.
"Just trust me," he muttered. "We don't have much time left."
Max kept quiet and helped. Within two minutes, the ritual circle was complete.
Inside the circle of candles, the old man had used the white powder to draw a strange symbol that looked like a skull cut in half, with visible cracks and drips, giving it a somewhat distressed or grunge look.
"Okay… now please tell me how this is supposed to give me a Curse Factor?" Max pressed.
A vein popped on the old man's forehead, showing clear annoyance.
It made Max worried he might actually give the old man a heart attack at this rate.
"Get in the circle," the man said quietly.
"Wait… what?"
"Just get in the circle!" he snapped.
The old man suddenly began panting heavily, like he had just ran a marathon. Sweat poured down his wrinkled face as he dropped to one knee.
Max panicked and tried to approach him, but when Max got close enough—
"GET IN THE CIRCLE NOW!"
The man shoved him hard, causing Max to stumble backward, landing inside the circle.
Instantly, the candle flames exploded upward, forcing him to shield his face.
The strange markings on the ground began to twist and shift like they were alive, squirming across the dirt.
Fear crept up Max's spine. He was starting to regret everything.
He turned sharply to look for the old man, only to see something that made his stomach drop instantly
The old man's body was bending, twisting,
Contorting in ways no human body was supposed to move.
His spine arched with a sickening crack. His skin tore like wet paper as jagged bone pushed through, and his limbs twisted at angles no human bones should allow.
Max froze, horrified.
"U-Ugh… are you okay, old man?" Max stammered.
He took a hesitant step back, but crashed into something invisible. The air rippled like water.
"Huh? What the—what is this!?"
Panic surged through him. He slammed his fists again and again against the unseen barrier behind him, but it wouldn't break.
The old man's body suddenly dropped like a ragdoll.
But from his mouth… something began crawling out. Something thick and black oozed out, dragging itself free in slow, wet strands.
Max's eyes widened in terror as a pitch-black creature slithered from the corpse, and starting to take shape.
It had a humanoid figure, its body shifting like shadows, and shimmering like heat waves.
On its face, It had no mouth, only jagged scars where one should have been, and piercing neon green eyes
Fear gripped Max as he stumbled backward, desperate to escape.
He didn't know what that creature was… but he wasn't staying to find out.
But all of a sudden, the air started to change
A crushing pressure in the circle started to intensify tightening around his lungs like a fist. Max gasped for air, he tried to screem for help, but he couldn't.
His knees buckled as the world gradually into darkness.
"Help" He rasped
Max's body collapsed to the floor, and his vision blurred as the creature's head slowly hovered in front of him.
"Is this…it?"
He didn't know how long he had left. But only one person came in mind
"Mom…I'm…sorry"
Tears rolled down his cheeks as Max regretted his decisions. All his moms efforts in wanting a bright future for her son
All her hard work.
He wished that even before he died, he could've at least become a Pro Reaper, taken his family on a nice holly day, and giving them a better life.
But most of all, he wish he could've at least made her proud
But Just before he lost consciousness, a faint blue light flickered into view.
[Congratulations, host
You have been granted the Ghost System.]