[Current Viewers: 12 -> 55]
The living room fell into a deathly silence.
The Female Ghost, who had just been screaming like a banshee, was now floating in mid-air, her jaw unhinged in shock. The black pits where her eyes used to be seemed to widen.
Did... did this puny human just tell her she has something in her teeth?
Usually, at this stage, the victim would be crying, wetting their pants, or trying to claw through the locked door. The fear would make their soul tasty and tender. But this guy? He looked like he was waiting in line at a boring grocery store.
"YOOOUUU..." the ghost hissed, her voice sounding like grinding metal. "DO YOU... WANT... TO DIE?"
She flared her aura. The temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees. The furniture began to rattle violently. The windows cracked. It was a terrifying display of supernatural power.
Ryan sighed. He checked his fingernails.
"Look," Ryan interrupted, pointing his selfie stick at her. "I'm on a tight schedule. I have to explore the kitchen and the basement before 3 AM. Can you stop screaming? You're peaking my microphone audio."
The Ghost: "..."
[System Notification: The Ghost feels insulted. +20 Fear Points.]
Enraged, the ghost lunged. Her claws extended, glowing with dark energy. She aimed straight for Ryan's neck.
User_Slayer69: "RIP Streamer. It was nice knowing you."
User_CatLover: "OMG look out!!"
The claws were inches away from his throat.
Ryan didn't dodge. Thanks to the 'Nerves of Steel' skill, his brain didn't register the danger signal. Instead, his logic took over.
She came out of the TV, right? Ryan thought. That means she has a physical form.
He lifted his right leg and, with all the strength of a desperate man needing $10,000, kicked her square in the chest.
THUD!
It wasn't a spiritual attack. It was a simple, dirty street-fighting kick.
"Oof!" The ghost let out a very human-sounding grunt.
Because she had materialized to kill him, she was solid. And because she was solid, Newton's Third Law of Motion applied.
She flew backward, crashing into the dusty sofa. Dust motes exploded into the air.
[System Notification: Physical contact successful. You have touched a 'Vengeful Spirit'.]
[Fear Points +30]
Ryan didn't stop there. He marched over to her.
The ghost tried to get up, hissing, but Ryan grabbed her by the back of her head—right by her greasy, long hair.
"You like crawling out of TVs, huh?" Ryan grunted, dragging her towards the television set. "You think you're Sadako from The Ring? You think you're a movie star?"
He shoved her face toward the flickering screen.
"Go back in!"
Bam!
He slammed her head against the glass screen.
"I said, go back inside! Don't come out until you learn some manners!"
Bam! Bam!
"STOOOOP!" the ghost shrieked. It wasn't a scream of anger anymore. It was a scream of panic. This human was crazy! He was touching her! He was hitting her! Why wasn't he scared?!
Ryan ignored her pleas. He picked up the heavy CRT television—which was surprisingly light for him now—and tilted it so the screen faced the floor.
"Stay in there," Ryan panted, wiping his hands on his jeans.
He sat on top of the TV to keep it weighed down.
Silence returned to the room. The only sound was the muffled sobbing coming from inside the television set.
Huuu... huuu... why is he so mean...
Ryan adjusted his hair and looked at the phone camera.
"Sorry about that, guys," he said casually to the stream. "Technical difficulties. The local residents are a bit unruly. Anyway, welcome to the stream."
[The Livestream Chat has exploded.]
User_LonelyDriver: "WTF???? Did he just... beat up a ghost?"
User_Slayer69: "CGI. Definitely CGI. But the acting is top-tier. I'm subscribing."
User_GhostHunter99: "No, look at the dust! Look at the shadows! That physics engine is too real. Dude, are you an Exorcist?"
User_RichKid: "This is the funniest shit I've seen all year. Here, take my money!"
[User_RichKid has sent a Gift: 'Sports Car' (Value: $100)]
[User_CatLover has sent a Gift: 'Love Potion' (Value: $10)]
Ryan saw the donation notification. $110 in five minutes.
His eyes lit up. That was more than he made in a week at his old job.
"Thank you, RichKid! Thank you, CatLover!" Ryan beamed. He tapped the TV beneath him. "Say thank you to the donors, Miss Ghost."
Muffled sobbing continues.
"She's shy," Ryan explained.
[Ding!]
The mechanical voice returned to his head.
[Hidden Objective Completed: Make the ghost cry.]
[Evaluation: S-Rank. You dominated the spirit with pure audacity.]
[Rewards:]
Fear Points: 250
Item: Novice Gift Pack
Ryan's heart raced. A gift pack?
"Open," he commanded mentally.
A golden light flashed in his vision, invisible to the camera.
[Ding! Opening Novice Gift Pack...]
[Reward 1: Skill Book - 'Ghost Touch' (Level 1)]
Description: You can physically interact with spiritual bodies without taking damage from their Yin energy. Your slaps deal +50% emotional damage to spirits.
[Reward 2: Item - 'The Rusty Crowbar']
Grade: Common (Cursed)
Description: A crowbar found at a crime scene. It deals physical damage to humans and spiritual damage to ghosts. Effective for opening doors... and skulls.
[Reward 3: Attribute Points +5]
Ryan felt a warm current rush through his body. His arms felt lighter, stronger. The fatigue from his double shifts vanished.
[System Prompt: Please assign Attribute Points.]
Ryan looked at his stats. His strength was 5 (Average). In this house, he needed to be faster and stronger.
"Put 3 points into Strength and 2 into Agility," Ryan thought.
[Updated Stats:]
Strength: 8 (Stronger than an athlete)
Agility: 8 (Fast reflexes)
A rusty, bloodstained crowbar materialized in his right hand. It felt heavy and cold, humming with a strange energy.
He hopped off the TV.
"Alright, chat," Ryan said, swinging the crowbar through the air with a whoosh. "The living room is cleared. But the mission says I have to survive until 6 AM."
He looked at the dark staircase leading to the second floor. The darkness up there seemed thicker, almost like a living creature breathing.
"Let's go wake up the other neighbors. I hope they have better manners."
As he stepped onto the first step of the stairs, the sobbing from the TV stopped.
A text message appeared on the TV screen, written in blood:
"HE IS UPSTAIRS. RUN."
Ryan read it and chuckled. "Run? I'm not stuck in here with him. He's stuck in here with me."
[System Warning: High-Level Spirit detected on the 2nd Floor.]
[Fear Points needed for next upgrade: 500.]
Ryan tightened his grip on the crowbar. "Let's go farming."