《The King of Phantoms》 Prologue: The Awakening I found myself all alone in what seems to be a classroom. It is quite silent and the only thing I hear is the whistle of the gentle breeze. The place seems be painted blood red due to the light that came from the window making it seem like the sun was just about to set. What surprised me is when I gazed outside the window, I was not able to see the sun but what I see is a small red orb in the dark sky that resembles the moon. My pockets are empty and I don¡¯t see my bag either. It is quite chilly and I have nothing which made me a bit nervous. I walked towards the door leading to the hallway when I hear some footsteps. Cold sweat flows though my neck as I open the door. I was quite nervous ofcourse but since the hallway seems to be the only way out, I decided to go out of the room. As I was walking in the dark hallway I see a person standing in the distance. I walked closer to the mysterious person, it was guy wearing a school uniform but I cannot see his face that clearly because it was a bit dark. ¡°Excuse me but do you know what¡¯s happening here?¡± I asked while I was walking closer towards the guy. The guy did not respond so I just continued to walk towards him. When I was close enough to see his face, my chest became tight and my legs glued to the floor. He looks way too familiar, he¡­ is me right? His height, his body structure and face is really the same as mine, even my clothes. It really scared me since I know I did not have a twin brother plus this setting is quite surreal for a brotherly reunion. But his eyes, they look¡­ dead. He is also smiling quite creepily making him seem like a lunatic. Do I really look like a lunatic?Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Um¡­ hello? Can you hear me?¡± I asked again but there was no response once again so I just considered his silence as a no. I decided to just pass through him since there is no other way but as our distance became shorter and shorter, I hear a lot of footsteps which made me stop from walking. Exact clones of the weird guy appeared. Three came and stood behind the first one but then another three came until there were thirteen of them. They are all making the same face. My heart seemed like it was going out of my chest and my neck is frozen solid. But fear came into me even more when seven of the clones just came out from the room I was from. It looks as if it was a pincer attack. They just stood still in the hallway. My stomach felt like it was upside down and I felt like vomiting. I was petrified by the situation, I was thinking of what kind of strategy I could do to get pass through these goons when the two separate groups simultaneously started walking towards me. Since both paths are blocked, I started running to the group of seven goons with a plan of breaking the window in the room I was previously in to get out of the place when I tripped. As I fall to the ground, a flash of light occurred and then¡­ I found myself lying on the floor beside my bed. I guess falling from the bed helped in waking me up from that creepy dream. I was glad it was just a dream. Shivers still run through my back as I was thinking about the dream. Chapter 1: Just Another Normal Day? Chapter 1: Just Another Normal Day? A bad start for the day, that dream that is plus my neck was sore because of my fall from my bed. But I¡¯m also thankful for that fall because it woke me up on just the right time or else I¡¯m going to get late. Not to brag but ever since I started going to school, I never been late because I am too time conscious. I am currently a second year high school student by the way. I got out of the room and ate a piece of bread before going out of the house. I live alone anyways since my mother is working elsewhere and my father has been missing ever since I was a child. I tried asking my mom about why he left but she just told me that she does not know either. But I can see it in her eyes that she is telling a lie, I am proud of that talent of mine to tell whether someone is telling a lie. Since she does not want to talk about it, then I just left it like that. I only walk towards school since it is not so far and saving a bit of money does not hurt you. I grabbed my phone from my right pocket to see if I am still on time. Yes, yes, that is the side effects of being time conscious. As I put my phone back to my pocket I hear someone call my name. ¡°Hey Rei, wait up!¡± I look backwards and I saw Hector trying to catch up to me. I met him since our families are close way back when I was a child. He is taller than me and his hair is a bit long for a guy and it goes straight down. He is a so-called friend of mine and is currently a third year high school student. I just call him a ¡°friend¡± because the public will judge me if I don¡¯t since we hang out a lot. I believe he also thinks I am his friend but the truth is I only stick with him because he is reliable and the popular type of guy. But he is not the popular to girls guy but the popular to guys type which might be handy in the near future. When he caught up to me, I greeted him with a smile. ¡°Morning Tor¡± ¡°You really have no respect for your upper classmen huh¡± He then replied while rubbing my head. I really hate his carefree attitude. I slapped his hand away since it will make a mess out of my hair, not that I care much about my hairstyle though. ¡°Hey I don¡¯t have any club activity later, wanna hang out at the arcade?¡± ¡°Sure¡± I nodded while smiling. Refusing an invitation without a good reason would cause a strain in our ¡°friendship¡± so I have to comply even though I really don¡¯t want to. We talked about all kinds of things like games and such as we walk towards school As we enter the school, we say our goodbyes and agreed to meet after school before we split up. I entered the classroom and greeted everyone near me. Being ¡°friendly¡± have a lot of perks you know? I even memorized all their full names so they would not doubt that I was just playing ¡°friends¡±. I sit down on my chair and sleep through half of my classes, eat lunch the sleep again. That is my routine during class since I still pass my exams even if I don¡¯t pay attention. Class ended so I met up with Hector at the school gate.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. From the school we went to the arcade and played for a few hours. He can never really beat me in Road Killer VI and it is just hilarious every time he sulks when I beat him. It was night time when we got out of the arcade but something is weird. Everything looks reddish and I was frozen in place as I look at the sky. ¡°Hey what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The¡­ The moon¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem with the moon?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t notice anything?¡± ¡°It is still the white full moon you see every month, you know? ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just a bit sleepy, maybe I should go straight home¡± ¡°Tired even when all you do during class is sleep? Aaaaaaanyways see you tomorrow¡± We split up in front of the arcade since he has some other business to do or so he says. I walked in a fast pace while cold sweat is running through my back. I was actually nervous and I just can¡¯t seem to relax. The moon is red only to my eyes, that¡¯s all but I am really fidgety. As I reached my house, I went straight to my bed and sleep hoping that it will fix everything. I woke up being all sweaty even though the AC is at full power. I looked at my phone to see the time and it is 1 o¡¯ clock in the morning. I gazed at the window and the moon was still red. I grabbed my laptop and searched the net if someone has the same problem as I. Surprisingly, I found one quite so easily. I entered the website which states ¡°if you can see the red moon and want to know all about it, you should meet me as soon as possible¡±. I am not someone who usually do this but because I feel so restless... I sent a message to the site and it replied after a few minutes. It asked me if I am available right now and I said yes. Since it is currently about 1:30 am, we agreed to meet at a secluded warehouse at 2:30 am. I asked him if we could change locations since it is a bit shady but he said that others might think we are crazy if others hear what we are going to talk about so I have no choice but to agree. By the way my talent to tell if someone is lying has no effect when I cannot see the speaker. I quickly changed clothes and grabbed my jacket and then left the house. I went to the meeting place right away. I arrived there about twenty minutes early before the meeting time. As I was waiting at the front of the warehouse, I hear some footsteps and a guy with a grey jacket and black cap appeared. He seems to be an adult and I can¡¯t see his face clearly because of the cap. ¡°Oh you are early, you are mister Rei right?¡± ¡°Yes It is me so can we go straight to business?¡± ¡°Sure sure but first let me show you something¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Just follow me, you¡¯ll see¡± He went inside the abandoned warehouse and so I followed him inside. The inside was big, there are a lot of wooden boxes and crates at the sides but the empty space is still quite huge. I could like play soccer in hear. The guy closes the door and locks it. I became frightened but there is already no turning back. ¡°So what is it that you will show me?¡± He raised his right hand frontwards to the level of his chest and light started to surround him. ¡°This¡­¡± Chapter 2: I Guess Not A flash of light covered the whole place and as it dissipates, a figure very new to my eyes surprised me. It looks some sort of a¡­ monster. It has sharp teeth beneath its tentacle mouth; it is like an octopus kind of monstrosity. It has a lot of tentacle feet and he has two tentacle arms. One tentacle arm is consisted of three twisted tentacles. I got nervous of course, it is like what should I suppose to do if it tries to kill me? I do not know this guy that much either which increases the chance of a surprise assault. I mean what would he even gain from meeting up with me just to give me information? There should be a consequence to this. I ready myself and proceeded to my alert stance by slightly bending my knees to be able to move away as soon as possible. As I think ways to get away from here if things became¡­ horrible, the octopus monster spoke. ¡°To see the red moon means to awaken your powers as a specter, and specters are¡­ this¡± His voice became more deep and rough; you can imagine it to be a voice having a touch of a beast. If I did not see him transform, I would not have believed that this slimy freak is a human being. ¡°So do you mean that I can also transform to a kind of monster?¡± I nervously asked him. ¡°If the moon is red to your sights as you say, then yes, yes you can.¡± I actually do not want that with all honesty. So being awakened to being a specter is the reason why I felt so restless. ¡°Can I get rid of this power? Can I prevent myself from transforming?¡± I asked again in a bit of a panicked state. It¡¯s like, come on! What would others say if they see me transform into a monster? They would call me a freak and I might even be apprehended to be subjected to various experiments in order to identify the origin of this phenomenon. If someone ever knew, all my hard work to please everyone and establish connections would be ruined! ¡°Transforming is voluntary so you do not have to worry about transforming suddenly but as of now, a cure for this curse is not yet discovered.¡± I see, so as long as I don¡¯t transform, I should not be worried about destroying all my efforts. Well that is a kind of relief. ¡°But what you should be afraid of is not the disdain of normal humans but the danger other specters may pose to you¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Specters gain more power from killing another specter you see, and you are no exception from being a prey¡± ¡°And why must they seek for power? What would they gain from it?¡± ¡°The power of the red moon¡± ¡°Is it strong?¡± ¡°It is not strong by itself but if a phantom king uses its power, making the impossible possible will be as simple as breathing, or so they say.¡± ¡°And who the hell is this phantom king?¡± ¡°There is none by the moment, the phantom king will be the last man standing out of the eight king candidates, which is why the specters are striving to gain power in order to help their king achieve the title.¡± ¡°Then how will you know when someone is a candidate? Can everyone be one?¡± ¡°No, only the ones with the mark of the king tattooed in their body would be eligible to be king¡± ¡°I see, so in short, so these so called specters fight to gain the immense power of the red moon, correct? ¡°That¡¯s right¡± ¡°Now that you told me what I need to know, what¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean it is obvious that you have an ulterior motive for meeting up with me at a time like this right?¡± ¡°Well yes¡± ¡°Then out with it¡± ¡°I want to talk with you for a bit longer but it seems you are too impatient to die¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Die? Damn¡­¡± So my guess was correct. He will try to kill me. I don¡¯t want to die yet, I don¡¯t, I really don¡¯t. I look at my surroundings to find another way out but seems that the only way out is the door behind him, but how can I pass him? Damn! I should not have taken the risk of meeting up with a suspicious guy! ¡°So die for me so I can get stronger! Die for my king!¡± He shouted as he swings his right tentacle arm towards me. I barely dodged the blow by diving to my right. Then I quickly stood up to dodge the incoming strike that came from above. ¡°Can¡¯t we resolve this in another way? Money perhaps?¡± I asked him in desperation but he continued on giving me blows. Since the place was huge, I ran away from him to produce a bit of space. But before I was able to increase the distance between us, one of his tentacles was able to grab my right foot and I stumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t run kid, the more you struggle the more painful it will be.¡± I kicked the tentacle wrapping my right foot with the other but it won¡¯t untangle. ¡°Get off me you freak!¡± He then lifts me off the ground by lifting my foot with his tentacles and hanged me upside-down just in front of him. He was very strong to lift me up so easily, it seems that his power is no joke. ¡°Hey, it seems you are even uglier when you are upside down, slimy freak!¡± I insulted him with the desperation to survive ¡°Wait! Hey wait wait wait! Woooooaaaaaaaah!¡± I shouted as he swings me up in the air. I did say wait but it is actually quite fun! He swings me up in the air in circular motion for about five times before he loosened his grip and sent me flying into the other side of the warehouse. ¡°Hraaaah! *cough*¡± I kind of vomited a bit of blood due to the impact. Luckily I landed on the bunch of crates which kind of reduced the impact but it still hurts! My chest hurts and makes me struggle for air. I stood up while heavily gasping while holding my arm full of pain. My vision is a bit blurry but I cannot die yet, I just can¡¯t die yet! Come on! Think! I tried running, I tried begging and I even resorted to insults! Come on Rei, think! Wait there is something I haven¡¯t done yet. ¡°Wait¡­ You said that¡­ I can also transform¡­ right?¡± I smiled after saying those words while trying to catch my breath. He said that it is voluntary so maybe if I just concentrate¡­ ¡°No you won¡¯t¡± His tentacles are flying right towards me when I tried to imitate the stance he just done when he transformed. Light also surrounds me, it is quite an extraordinary feeling. When the tentacles are just about to take hold of me, a large flash of light appeared and deflected his tentacles. ¡°So this is what it means to transform¡± ¡°Transform? You called that transformation? Having marks on your face, scarier eyes and longer nails do not make it a transformation you know.¡± Well I looked at myself and yes, he is right. Those are the only things that changed, physical features that is but I kind of felt stronger. Maybe, just maybe I now have a fighting chance. I ran towards him with the intent to kill him. ¡°So you got confident with that poor excuse of a transformation¡± He uttered as he makes a sweep with one of his tentacles which I dodged by jumping then I sidestepped the next strike that came from above. Then I jumped and tried to slash his head with my well¡­ long black nails which he dodged by bending backward and then he captured me with his tentacle legs. ¡°Is this the best you can do? Then maybe I¡¯ll just end this¡± Somehow, my strength seems to leave me, it is as if it is being sucked out of me. I tried to push him away with my hands but as my palm touches him, a bit of electricity shocked both of us which made him to let me free and move back for a bit. Somehow I kind of felt a new kind of power so I tried to concentrate. ¡°What is that trick you did there? Nevertheless, it won¡¯t work the next time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, It will be different next time.¡± I tried to concentrate and my right hand started to morph. My skin goes up and down then ripples and moves and ripped my jacket sleeve off¡­. It is a bit disgusting. Then my arm became the same as Mr. Octopus right here. So this is my strength. ¡°Copycat? It would be nice to see you get stronger especially with that kind of power but I guess It won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Why is that? Because I only have one and you have two?¡± ¡°It is simply because you are still weak!¡± I ran to the other side of the wall while deflecting his attacks with my new found tentacle hand. I was running because I knew I still won¡¯t win against him unless I find something that I can use to restrain at least one of his tentacle arms. Luckily I found an Iron pole leaning to the walls which I might be able to utilize with my current strength. ¡°So you think a weapon will help you win?¡± ¡°Yes, yes I do.¡± I told him while pointing the pole in my left hand against him. I then started running against him. ¡°Aaaaaaaaah!¡± I shouted to increase the dramatic effect of the scene. He then strikes me from above which I evaded by jumping sideways and then I threw the pole to his arm which pinned it to the ground. ¡°Grrraaaaaah!¡± He shouted with pain while I continue to shorten the distance between us. He swings his other arm against me which I deflected with my tentacle arm. I grabbed a crate blocking my way and threw it against him. I then jumped and sat in his head. His head is also quite slimy and it is gross. I held his chin with my left hand ready to twist his neck anytime he tried resist and my tentacle arm was used to restrain his own tentacle arm. ¡®¡¯Hey¡­ You passed the trial. You are really great as I expected.¡± ¡°So it is just a trial? That really scared me!¡± I told him with sarcasm as I snapped his neck. His body did not return to normal. I guess it stays as it is when it is killed. I did kill him decisively but I was still shaking for a while after I return to my normal body. I was on my knees and looked at my hands. I mean, if I had not killed him, I will be the one who is dead. It is just normal to kill to survive. And to prey on those who are ignorant of the things that are related with the red moon is just unfair. As those thoughts fill my head, I regained my cool and escaped as fast while acting normal as I can. The ripped sleeve of my jacket and bruises and wounds are the things that worried me that would make me seem suspicious. Luckily I got home safely and without any more problems. It is the first time I saw the red moon, the first time I transformed and the first time I killed someone. Chapter 3: I Need Strength ¡°Bluuuuurgh¡± Arghh! Here I am sitting beside the toilet seat vomiting with my whole heart. My head is throbbing like crazy and my stomach feels twisted and upside down. Whenever I think of the slimy tentacles wrapping around my skin, I shiver in disgust, especially now that I can summon the very same tentacles. To be honest, I am currently mentally unstable. It is 6 o¡¯clock in the morning and I was not able to get a wink of sleep since I got home. I tried to but my chest just feels heavy that sometimes I feel like I can¡¯t breathe. Whenever I attempted to close my eyes, I felt as if someone is watching me from far away which made me even more restless. I was afraid, quite afraid of dying. Even though dying would allow me to know if the concept of heaven and hell is indeed true, I am still afraid of what is to come. As all these wild thoughts run round and round on my head, my head started spinning and led me to the bathroom which explains my current state. I then stood up to prepare to go to school. I walk the halls staggering while leaning on the wall to get to the kitchen to at least eat something since my stomach is as empty as it can be. But I forgot that the fridge was just as empty as my stomach so I just filled the pitiful belly of mine with water. I feel a lot better now and was able to normally get out of the house. I was quite fidgety while walking. My fingers just can¡¯t stay still and I look around my surroundings so much that I look like a paranoid, but maybe I did became paranoid. I also became so jumpy that the cat in the side of the road even surprised me and made me jump back, I am just glad no one was around at the time. I got to school without running to Hector which is good since I do not want him to see me like this, he might think I am some weirdo. I headed straight to the bathroom and fixed myself up; no one in my class should see me in this state. I looked in the mirror and tried to fix how I act until I think I seem normal. ¡°Morning¡± I told everyone as I walk towards my seat. It is a bit early so I just tried to relax for a bit. Then random thoughts came into me. If I ever had to fight again, how can I increase my chance of winning? Getting stronger is a given but how do I obtain more strength? How can I increase my chance of survival? The bell rang and class started. Even during class, I was trying to think of a way to survive. It is now lunch break and I am still trapped in the loop of my thoughts. ¡°Hey! You alright bro?¡± The guy in the seat in front of me asked as he was sitting backwards of his own seat. The guy¡¯s name is Leon and he is the idiotic type. I don¡¯t really quite like him since he can get really annoying, babbling through and through about things he only understands. He is also a fan of Idols, how do I know? Because he always sent me links to videos of his favorite idol group that I should take time to appreciate their brilliance. He really said brilliance and that is irritating. The reason I am acting all buddy-buddy with this guy is that he knows a lot of random information that might get handy when I need it, and so I thought. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m good¡± I replied while smiling, the art of being friends is a smile after all. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t even try to make a lie in the presence of the God of truth and justice! Got it?¡± ¡°Lie? I am not lying though. God of truth and justice? I thought it was chaos and discord?¡± ¡°I am both! Anyways I know you are not well since you did not sleep even once during class! Especially while looking so sleep deprived! You have those black circles in your eves you know¡± Damn, He¡¯s right. This is the first time that I haven¡¯t slept in class even by a short while. I did not know that this idiot full of nonsense can be sharp sometimes. ¡°I was just thinking about things but I¡¯m fine, really¡± ¡°What is that? Care to share? I am great at giving advices you know?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Never mind that, if we just sit here and chatter, lunch time would be over in an instant.¡± ¡°Oh? I forgot! Come on let¡¯s eat lunch together. I can even treat you to a meal if you like¡± We then went to the cafeteria to eat lunch but I refused his treat since I do not want to be under anyone¡¯s debt. The annoying thing is that he kept bugging me about what my problem is. When I just ignored him, he then kept babbling about his favorite idol group. Class resumed and I was asleep in an instant. Maybe talking to the guy helped me wind off a little. Ah what a great nap that is. I then headed straight home as soon as classes were over. I locked the doors and closed the window. I made sure that no one would be able to see me from the outside. I removed my shirt and tried to focus then I transformed. I need to get used to my powers in order to increase my chance of survival. ¡°Now for the first test¡± I told myself quietly. I brought out the tentacles to my left arm to test if it was also capable of transforming since on the previous fight, only my right arm was transformed. It was successful but when I tried bringing it out in both arms, nothing happened. It seems that at my current state, I can only do it in a single arm. I also tried to transform my foot, I felt the energy but it seems like I was also not yet ready for it either. ¡°So I have to rely on a single arm?¡± I thought to myself. Next I tried to test the capabilities of the tentacle arm. I tried extending it is far as I could and it seems to be able to reach about 5 meters. It is also quite stronger compared to my normal transformed arm. What else should I do? I practiced controlling the three tentacles in the arm separately and it is quite easy, it is as if I am just moving my fingers. I then grabbed a knife in the kitchen and tried slashing the tentacles but not too deep. It actually hurts and bleeds a lot but when I untransformed my arm, the pain is gone and so does the wound. So I brought the tentacle arm back and cut off an entire tentacle and it wriggles even when severed, Gross. ¡°Damn!¡± The words slipped off my mouth due to the pain but when I reverted my arm to my normal transformed arm, my fingers are complete. It seems that I can use this to my advantage by using my tentacle arm as a shield. So my powers are quite useful after all. If only I could copy more powers and able to materialize it in both arms, I can be like ridiculously strong! Damn, I¡¯m getting over confident. ¡°What else¡­¡± I uttered as I was thinking other things to test but I can¡¯t come up with one. I just grabbed the knife I used to cut my tentacles then put it in its sheath. I then grabbed some cloth from my room and wrapped it around my torso with the knife beneath it. A weapon is also important especially since one of my hands cannot transform. I put my clothes back and looked at the mirror. I turned around to see if the knife can be seen through my clothes. It does not look like I am carrying anything, that¡¯s good. Now my problem is that I need to copy more powers by touching a specter¡¯s body but if I found one, it will probably result into a battle and I want to avoid it as much as possible, I am new to this after all. I do not know how strong other specters are, that octopus back then might even be compared to a slime in a game. It will be even more dangerous if I stumble upon a king candidate. Damn, what should I do? After thinking long and hard, I decided to just rest for the day. I am quite exhausted after all and tomorrow is also a weekend so I think I have so much time to think about things. I just took a bath, went to my room then into my bed and slept, even though it is still quite early. It is now morning, I got out of my room to get some fresh air to relax me a bit. I walk the streets alone looking up into the sky every now and then; the weather is good after all. The thing is I don¡¯t really have a place to go to so I just roam around without direction. I then reached a crowded place which seems to be the market district. The crowd disgusts me but since I am here, I should take a look around. While walking the streets, I saw something strange. It looks like a small, magical dome and people just seem to normally pass through it. If I compare it to games, it is more like a warping something. I came closer to inspect. I touched it my hand then it sucked me in. I then found myself in a place full of ruined buildings; it is as if it was bombarded. I looked back to see if there was an exit from where I came from but there seems to be none. I then heard a loud sound and I think it is quite near. I headed to the direction of the sound and the place was covered in dust, I hid myself in one of rubbles as I see monsters fighting each other. It is a two versus one fight. One looks like a huge white were-tiger, it seems to be more than two meters tall and wearing a large furry vest. On the other side, there seems to be two bat like creatures, the black one looks stronger since it has larger wings and sharp claws while the brown one has a very large mouth, it is disgusting as saliva drips from it. So is this place was made to be a battlefield? Hmmm¡­. I think it is a good opportunity for me, If I can just jump out when one side is already on the verge of defeat, I can make him an ally while copying three powers. This is great! It would seem that the one struggling is the giant tiger since it seems to be a close range attacker and the other two are flying while attacking from a distance. I should watch a bit longer before jumping in. Chapter 4: Im Still Weak They stopped fighting all of a sudden; they were just standing while staring at each other. Are they trying to figure out the enemy¡¯s next move? I think about a minute has already passed. I might have done the first strike only if I am quite confident that I can take all three of them on but no. Since I need to consider the possibility that they might join forces against me just like the saying ¡°What unites everyone is a common enemy¡±. Maybe I should sleep for a mom- ¡°Graaaaaaaaaar¡± The tiger growled as it made a giant leap to smash the other two. The ground cracks but the bats are able to fly before they can receive any damage. The black bat then slashed the air with its claws and blades made of wind flew towards the tiger. The tiger jumped backwards to dodge the wind so it strikes the rocks behind the tiger instead cutting it into two. The brown bat then released supersonic waves from its mouth targeting the tiger before it even lands. The tiger crossed his arms to block the waves but was sent flying instead and landed like a meteor in one of the rubbles. I honestly think that the tiger is stronger but the difference in fighting style gives him a disadvantage. ¡°Grrrrr, This is getting annoying¡± The tiger utters as it stands, he does not look hurt even after taking the attack head on. The tiger then puts his palms together then to the floor. Pillars of stones rose from the ground, they were quite high. Wow, he can control earth! I need that power! The tiger then leaps jumping from one pillar to another just like a ninja. The black bat then released his wind blades again but misses. The tiger then tries to slash the brown bat which is preparing for another attack by jumping from a stone pillar. The bat barely dodges the tiger¡¯s claw sustaining wounds in the face. ¡°AAAAAAAHHHH! That hurts you white pussy cat!¡± The brown one yells with a sharp voice as it then does another sonic wave attack and was followed by wind blades from the black one. Unfortunately, both attacks missed since the tiger is bouncing all around the place. Damn, I don¡¯t think I can beat that thing if I engaged him in a one on one duel like what I did with the stupid octopus. The tiger then pounces towards the black one but the bat predicted his move. The black bat then sent wind blades directly meeting the tiger while on mid air. With no chance to dodge, the tiger meets the blades head on making him fall into the ground. ¡°Look who¡¯s losing now? You think you can win because you can jump? That is the proof you are weak!¡± The black one having a deep voice insults the enemy as he falls to the ground. The brown one then releases its sonic waves to the tiger just after it falls. ¡°That¡¯s payback! You kitten!¡± Dust then covered the area while the duo just kept on attacking the same place. I think this is my chance to be in the tiger¡¯s winning side! If I save him, he can be one of my pawns, I mean allies which will make things a lot easier for me. While the two are so focused on attack the tiger, I dashed towards them while going into my spectral form then transformed my right arm immediately into tentacles. Nice! It seems they haven¡¯t noticed my yet. I then used the tentacles to grab a stone pillar and then sent myself towards the black bat. The black one seems to be smarter and stronger after all. I quickly grabbed him with my tentacles the moment I got in range and then slammed him to the ground. ¡°GAAAAAAAH!¡± The black bat shouts as it vomits blood from the impact. Wow that definitely feels good; I kind of feel sadistic right now. I then followed up with a strike with my left hand; I need to copy his powers after all. My claws pierced through its right wing and then light flashed. I then felt some power going into me. This is great! I definitely got stronger! ¡°You bastard! I do not know you but you¡¯ll pay for this!¡± Damn! I forgot that there is one more left. But before the brown bat was able to attack me, the tiger has already slashed him with his claw. The tiger is quite tough after all. ¡°Brother, it is time to retreat!¡± The black one shouted while struggling to stand which was followed by a thick black smoke. I then transformed my right hand to the bat¡¯s claws. I used the wind blades to clear away the black smoke but the flying rats were already gone. The only one left in the area is the tiger and me, I just hope he will not be angry at me for spoiling his fun and it will be even better if he becomes indebted to me. The tiger stares at me while walking towards my direction.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Um¡­ High five?¡± I reverted my right hand to its normal spectral form and then raised it for a high five. I was actually quite nervous since I¡¯ll have a really hard time surviving if I fight this thing right now. Surprisingly, the tiger did a high five with me! Aaaaaaaand tadaaaaaah! Light flashes as our palms touched and I copied his powers! I feel an enormous strength surging inside me, the ones I felt from the bat and the octopus was quite weak compared to this. The tiger then reverted back to human form. You can¡¯t be kidding me? How come someone like him is quite strong? ¡°What¡¯s that light? Anyways, hey Rei! Good to see you here! I could have finished them myself but thanks anyways. You were quite cool you know.¡± Cool? Damn, I do not want to hear that from the guy who could rip me to shreds in a couple of seconds. ¡°L-leon? Is that really you?¡± ¡°The one and only! What? You don¡¯t remember this pretty boy anymore?¡± Wow, he is still quite annoying even in a situation like this. But the good thing is, I found a specter who I can somewhat trust. Idiots like him are quite easy to deal with after all. ¡°Hey let¡¯s get out of here before we start our tear jerking reunion, shall we?¡± ¡°Sure, just lead the way out Leon¡± He then raised his hands to the sky then produces a dark orb which he threw to the sky. The skies then cracked and so does the ground. Just like that, I am back to crowded streets with two new powers and an annoying guy. I think it is actually quite worth it. Leon then grabs his phone from his pocket. ¡°Wait here for a sec, I¡¯m going to contact someone¡± ¡°You better not be selling me out¡± ¡°Why would the god of friendship and cooperation do such a thing?¡± As always, he spouts nonsense. He then puts his phone near his ears. ¡°Hey bro! it seems the time we are waiting for has arrived! Will sure do! Okay, okay. We¡¯ll be coming there right away! He then returns the phone to his pocket. ¡°Hey Rei! You¡¯re going with me, okay? I know you have a lot of questions but let¡¯s talk about that later, good?¡± ¡°Sure, just get on with¡± I replied with a hint of irritation. He is just talkative as ever. I then tailed him for a while and he kept babbling about random things until we are in front a very large house, a mansion rather. Is he going to sell me to a rich guy he knows? ¡°Welcome to humble home of my great self!¡± And so he says as he bows like a well trained butler. ¡°Seriously? I did not you were rich! Why did you not tell me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanna brag about all this ya know? My school life might just change¡± Well I fully understand him. This guy has more perks in him than I thought he had! This is great! Money is sometimes equivalent to power after all. We then went inside then a bunch of butlers and maids bowed to us as we pass through the halls. We went to the basement and black smoke seems to leak out from one of the rooms. ¡°Hey, what is that? Is there a fire? I nervously asked Leon while we were walking, we will be in quite a pinch after all if we will be trapped by fire especially when we are in the basement. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it dude, its normal around here. Bro is quite a weirdo after all.¡± If this annoying guy called someone a weirdo, it might really be bad news. I might need to be careful around this guys, I might die from annoyance instead if there is someone worse than him. ¡°We are here; this is my bro¡¯s workshop and lab. He loves to tweak and experiment on things which can be quite useful once every blue moon.¡± He then opened the door and more smoke goes out from the door. As the smoke clears out, I see two figures standing inside the room. ¡°Hey bro! I brought him here!¡± ¡°So you are the one huh¡± A girl with a relatively deep voice uttered. She looks like a punk. She stares so sharply as if I will be consumed by her eyes, not in a romantic way though but a scary one. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll like her that much. ¡°Welcome! Welcome! We are waiting for you for quite a long time you know!¡± A guy with silver hair greeted me happily he does not look someone who will be more of a nuisance than Leon. In fact, he seems more mature and looks more of a rich kid than his brother. ¡°So that guy right here is my bro Drake and the scary looking girl is his assistant, Phoena. Chapter 5: More Things to Gain Waiting for a long time? Maybe his sense of time is off. Half an hour hasn¡¯t even passed since Leon called him. But wow, this room is huge! The equipments look so advanced. I wonder how much does all this cost? They sure are filthy rich, I wish I also am. ¡°Amazed? This lab is my pride and joy! I spent my half my life in this room you see¡± Drake told me with confidence. Of course I¡¯ll be amazed. I do not think I would be able to make a place as great as this even though I work my ass off my whole life. Wait a minute¡­ Drake and Phoena, I think I hear that name before. ¡°Wait, are you the Student council president?¡± ¡°Yes, yes I am and Phoena here is the Vice President you see¡± He is a student? I thought he is a working man already. So the genius Student Council President who rarely goes to school and just let others do all his work is that idiot¡¯s brother? And the punk looking girl is the one who does all the council work quite efficiently. So these are really wonderful people after all. I need to get to their good side immediately. ¡°So what do you do around here?¡± ` ¡°Experiments, Specter related¡± Phoena replied coldly, she is really scary. I avoid my eyes since it is quite scary to make eye contact with her. ¡°I see, so do you have breakthroughs that you can share with me?¡± ¡°Direct to the point eh? It takes courage to do that you see. Okay then follow me¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± I followed Drake deeper inside the lab. I looked to the left and I see test tubes and chemicals. I look to the right and there are weird machines. ¡°You see those? You can pick as many as you want. Even if you have spectral powers, there are also times when you won¡¯t be able to transform, you see.¡± I see lots of weapons in the walls that come in various designs and kinds. There are swords that look like those that I saw in the museum once. There also spears of various lengths but all looks quite sharp. There are also guns, from pistols to machine guns. There are also bows, axes, gauntlets and a lot more. ¡°Won¡¯t I look like a psychopath if I walked around carrying those?¡± ¡°And that exact concern is what this technology I am about to show you is all about.¡± Drake then raised his right hand sideward and a dark orb appeared in his hand which is like Leon¡¯s. Then the dark orb became something that looks like a mini black hole. He puts his hand inside and pulls a large scythe from the hole. The hole closed after he pulled the scythe completely. ¡°These weapons that I have here can be stored in the space that you cannot see, I call them warped spaces. Normal objects that are stored within these spaces are lost when you are going to retrieve them, you see.¡± ¡°But I do not have the power to do that though¡± ¡°You are greatly mistaken in that, my friend Rei. Every specter has the power to manipulate space to an extent. You saw the place where we fought? We call that a warped field. You can also create one of those quite easily as long as you are in your spectral form but destroying them might be a bit tricky unless you are the creator.¡± ¡°My brother is right. The concept is quite similar to a warped field you were just in. To create a warped field, you just have to put your concentrate you see. Imagine the energy going into your hand, control the energy to form an orb and imagine the space you want to create then let go of the orb¡± I transformed then I followed Drake instructions. I raised my hand frontwards and concentrated as I close my eyes. The energy then went to my hand. An orb, I imagine an orb forming in my hand. A place, I imagine a place, a place which is quite spacious and dark. I then let go of the orb then opened my eyes. ¡°Whoa! I did it!¡± ¡°Of course you can. But the warped space you can maintain even though you are in human form is quite small you see. And that small space is the one where you can put the weapons I made you see.¡± ¡°I see that you can now create a warped field but, why an abandoned warehouse?¡± Leon asked. This place is just quite memorable you see. I just want to see if I would lose my cool if I see this place again but I guess not. ¡°Just a random idea, that¡¯s all.¡± I then imitated what Leon did back then after the fight with the bats. The whole place cracked and we are back to the lab. I then reverted to my human form. ¡°Now try to create a warped space¡± I repeated the process again while in human form and a small hole in the air appeared. I put my head inside the hole to see how large it is and it is quite small. Maybe it is about a meter wide.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Now that you can do it, you can pick as many weapons as you want. I made all of them you see.¡± ¡°With my assistance of course.¡± Phoena added. Let¡¯s see, I think having three kinds of weapons might be quite good. Having too many might give me a hard time picking the weapon I need during emergencies after all. Since my fighting style can be quite varied like my powers, I should have one that I can use at a range, one with quite some power and one with some speed. Let¡¯s see, what should I choose¡­ It is quite hard to decide with this many choices¡­ ¡°Having a hard time? I suggest you pick the shield there. Not because I made it but surviving should be the main objective.¡± Phoena suggested. Now that she mentioned it, there is only one shield among the bunch of weapons. It is a small round shield with a gem at the center. She is also quite right on that note, maybe having a shield instead of a powerful weapon would be better. I grabbed it and put it inside the space I made. ¡°Thanks for the suggestion Phoena¡± Phoena nodded. I guess she is not as scary as I thought. What else should I choose, I need two more. I think a sword is good for beginners so maybe I should just take the black bladed one handed sword since it looks cool. I then grabbed it and also stored it into the space. ¡°Good choice Rei! That was the design of the God of creation after all¡± So the look was Leon¡¯s idea. That might be the reason why it looks fantasy like. Third weapon, I need one for long range battles. I think a bow will be a little too much for me since it needs some training. Throwing weapons do not cover much range so I have no choice but to pick a gun. I grabbed an all white pistol and inspected it closely. ¡°That pistol is my latest creation, you see. It does not need any bullets, but it sucks a bit of energy from the user for each shot. Even though it is resources friendly, it still packs a lot of firepower, you see.¡± That is definitely neat. A gun that does not use bullets will be very useful. I wish shooting games have this kind of gun. Since Drake¡¯s description of the weapon is good, I then put it in the space and then closed it space. ¡°I know that you won¡¯t help me like this just because I am Leon¡¯s friend. So what do you want with me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite sharp, I like that¡± ¡°Oh? You like him Phoena? Maybe you should ask him on a da-¡° Before Leon was finished talking, Phoena gave him a kick to the face which sent him flying. She is quite strong¡­ and scary. I really should not make her angry. ¡°I¡¯ll say it simply. You see, all we want is to be of assistance to you¡± ¡°As if I would believe that kind of lie.¡± I did say that but I honestly don¡¯t think he is lying. ¡°I am telling the truth, you see. In short, we will help you get the title, my king.¡± Drake told me with a straight face as he bowed, and the other two followed. ¡°Sorry for ruining your expectations but I am not a king candidate.¡± ¡°Hey Rei, you don¡¯t have to lie you know¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not lying, Leon. I do not have the mark that indicates I¡¯m a candidate. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you take your shirt off!¡± ¡°Sure, if that¡¯s the only way for you to believe me.¡± I then took my shirt off as Leon suggested. ¡°See? None in my arms, none in my chest, you can even look in my arm pit if you want.¡± ¡°But you have one right here¡± Phoena said as he was pointing on my back. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re only saying that because I can¡¯t see my back. ¡°I¡¯m not joking, look at the mirror.¡± What¡¯s that? There is a strange tattoo on my back that I never saw before. Is this the mark of a candidate? Must have appeared when my powers awakened. You might think it is just a normal tattoo at a glance, but upon looking at it for a little longer, I sense some power. I guess that is how you can tell if it¡¯s a fake if someone had a tattoo just like it. ¡°So what if I am one? What would you get if serve under me then?¡± ¡°Even though we are not serving anyone at the moment, there are still a lot who want to steal our technology and our powers, you see. So being under a candidate like you would protect us. It¡¯s a win-win situation, you see.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you serve another king then? With all those weapons, you can join anyone quite easily.¡± ¡°Then maybe I¡¯ll just say it, your father had saved our family a big time once. I do not want to go to into detail about the incident you see. We said we wanted to repay him and all he said is that we should offer all the assistance we can offer to his son who is supposed to be a candidate if his powers set in.¡± ¡°As if I¡¯ll believe that¡± ¡°As long as a rat breathes, there is a cat that will be after it. Your father told me to tell you that, do you believe me now?¡± How come Drake knows of the password my dad created when I was a child before he disappears? ¡°I see you are telling the truth, but you could just pretend you are not able to locate me you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I would not be able to face my father in heaven if I did that. I promised him after all, I also made the promise to your dad.¡± ¡°Okay, I believe you but would you allow me to think this over first?¡± ¡°Sure, you can think as long as you like.¡± ¡°Thanks for being considerate. I will be going now then. I¡¯ll just contact Leon if I ever make up my mind.¡± ¡°Okay, be sure to be careful out there Rei! Just remember that you can always call for the help of the God of assistance and support!¡± He never forgets to spout nonsense even after the last second. Phoena then escorted me to the door and then I went straight home. At least I feel a bit safer walking the streets now knowing I have more cards within my sleeves. Chapter 6: Perfect Timing ¡°Hmmm¡­. A king¡± I told myself silently while walking towards school. It was just yesterday when I found out that I was eligible to be king. Moreover, powerful people are offering me their assistance and Leon was one of them. What¡¯s more is that my father is involved in all of this. I wonder where he is. I doubt Drake knows that is why I did not ask. What did father did to Drake¡¯s family to make them owe him that much anyway? Damn, it is too much to take in all at once. I get light headed just thinking all about this things. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to be one, a king that is. Even though that ¡°king¡± thing is not literally someone who rules over a country, I am still responsible for the lives of my followers. I don¡¯t want them to suffer because of my wrong decisions and judgments. But I cannot decline either since my chances of dying early will be higher if I am all alone. The other kings will surely find a way to find me and kill me in order to be the one true king. If only I could just dispose of this ability of mine then maybe I could just live normally. Is that Hector walking in front of me? Well it has been a while since we last talked so maybe I should catch up to him. ¡°Morning Tor¡± ¡°Hey, it has been a while! I was not able to see you that much lately huh.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been quite busy with things.¡± ¡°Busy sleeping? Just kidding, don¡¯t make too much trouble okay?¡± ¡°Are you my mother?¡± Hector just replied with a laugh. He did not change even by a bit ever since we last talked. Compared to me whose life changed too much in just a matter of days. It kind of makes my chest a bit empty. I wish I could just live my life like I normally do. ¡°Have you heard? Roka will be returning to school today.¡± ¡°R-r-r-oka?¡± Damn, why does it have to be right now? I¡¯m busy thinking about things then another annoying character comes to light. The empty feeling was replaced with restlessness. I just can¡¯t stop shaking knowing she will be back from the hospital. She actually makes my skin crawl. Roka is in my class, Hector knows her because she always tagged along with us every time we hang out back then. ¡°Hey are you alright? Are you sick?¡± ¡°N-no, I¡¯m good.¡± We reached the school then said goodbyes. I then found myself standing in front of the door of our classroom. I don¡¯t want to enter the room. Somehow, I kind of feel that she is already inside. Should I just go home instead? No, I should just go inside to get this over with. Damn, here comes nothing. ¡°Good Morning my darling Rei! I missed you so much!¡± Roka greeted me with a happy face. Damn! She did not change even by a bit. Doesn¡¯t she feel self conscious every time he says ¡°darling?¡± It makes my skin crawl, honestly. ¡°We-welcome back, Roka¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to be back by you side!¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Roka said as she was going closer to me. She then tries to hug me but I was able to stop her by holding her arms and pushing them away. ¡°Wow, you really did not change my darling! You should be more kind to someone who came back from the hospital you know?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already fine now right? So I don¡¯t have to be kind to you.¡± ¡°Oh you are so cold! That makes me want you even more my darling!¡± Is that girl really from the hospital? She is damn too energetic! If only no one was around and she¡¯s not girl, I would punch her in the face. But if she was guy, then it will be even creepier. She says she loves me for as long as I can remember and I don¡¯t think she is lying. I believe she does not know me well enough that is why she is thinking that way right now. I don¡¯t really dislike her. In fact I think she is cute. It is just that Roka is so honest and direct and I don¡¯t think I want to manipulate that kind of person that is why I rejected her many times over. What I did not expect is that she can become quite persistent. Thus, my decisions led me to this kind of situation. ¡°Then let me ask formally. Rei, would you go out with me!?¡± ¡°Not interested¡± I told her as I walk towards my sit. All my classmates are laughing. This kind of thing is not new after all. The first time she did that, everyone was so shocked. They even got angry at me for being so blunt when I rejected her. But now, they just treat it as some kind of morning entertainment. ¡°Oh he was still very cool! I think my love for him just got stronger!¡± Damn, I just can¡¯t seem to shake her off my tail. Did her eyes form a heart right now? The bell rang and everyone went back to their sit. Now that everything is in order, I noticed that Leon is nowhere to be found. Maybe he is just running errands for Drake. I slept through all my classes as usual and soon after class was over, I ran as fast as I can to get away with the persistent Roka. Now that I¡¯m alone, I remembered that I still have things to think about. I continue to juggle the pros and cons of each decision I could make at the moment. My head now feels quite heavy. The best option right now is to be king. The only reason that prevents me from accepting that is that I think I am unworthy. If only I can confirm for myself that I am worthy enough to be a king then that will make things far easier. ¡°A warped field?¡± I found myself in some grass lands. Perfect timing! Just the right thing I need right now. It is just that it will be hard to fight sneakily here. I guess I¡¯ll need to rely on with some firepower. ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡± I yelled as soon as I transformed. I then hear flaps of wings, don¡¯t tell me it is them again. ¡°Hyahahahaha! You are now ours you meddlesome brat!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll pay for what you did to us!¡± So they came for revenge? Those freaky bats, do they always have to outnumber their opponents? ¡°Did you come here to get beaten by me again?¡± ¡°You just got lucky the last time! You tentacle freak!¡± ¡°Sneak attacks are only for cowards and a coward like you does not deserve to live another day.¡± Tentacle freak? Are they thinking that the tentacle is my main ability? I guess I can use that to my advantage. Then how about I make my decision regarding the king problem to depend on this battle? If I lose, then I will reject their offer but if I can defeat them all by myself, I will accept being their king. ¡°You call me a coward but is it not the same for two ugly bats ganging up on a poor guy?¡± ¡°Then let me face you one on one. Stand back for a bit, brother. I¡¯ll make this quick.¡± ¡°Hyahahahaha! Sure just make sure he will be screaming loudly in pain!¡± The black bat thinks he can defeat me alone? He must be getting over confident of his abilities. Then maybe I really have to accept being a king candidate then, if nothing else goes wrong. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get it on with it!¡± I yelled to get myself pumped up! I have to go in a head to head battle after all. ¡°I like your vigor kid. Here I come!¡± Chapter 7: Decision time! ¡°Whoa!¡± The same moves? The bat who is up in the sky threw some wind blades at me but I was able to dodge it. Is it the only move he has? If it is then it will be an easy win but I think he has something up in his sleeve since he is quite confident. I transformed my right arm to the tentacles and tried to grab its foot. My tentacles was able wrap around its foot but was instantly cut by the bat¡¯s claws. ¡°Hey! That hurts!¡± I know that I can regenerate it instantly but is still hurts like hell. I reverted my arm to its original form then back to the good as new tentacle form. ¡°Oh? Regeneration? That¡¯s quite an ability you got, but that¡¯s still not enough to beat me!¡± Tentacles and regeneration, those are the only things they know I am capable of. I should try to drag this battle on a bit more before I show my other cards. If I show them now what other things I can do, they would be more alert and might gang up on me instead which is not good. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have a new set of moves either.¡± ¡°Oh, then shall I show you one?¡± The black bat lands with its feet. It assumed an attack stance with its arms raised up widely. He looks quite serious now. I am somewhat nervous because I do not know what he is up to. Damn, fighting is really not an easy task. The bat then jumped forward and slashed at me. I was able to avoid it by jumping back but wind blades then formed after the slash which I was barely able to dodge by landing on my butt. He came at me again while I was down but I was able to be safe by rolling over and standing up right away. ¡°I¡¯m actually specialized in hand to hand combat. Do you want to surrender now?¡± ¡°Not a chance¡± Maybe I should test those things. My tentacles have no effect after all since he can cut it to shreds quite easily. I opened a hole in front of me and equipped the shield on my left hand and the sword on my right hand. ¡°You think you can take me on with weapons? You are still quite naive.¡± ¡°I know right? I just awakened a few days ago, just so you know.¡± ¡°I see, then maybe that is another reason why I should end your suffering right here, right now.¡± ¡°Come and try.¡± He launched himself forward again and attacked with his claw which I was able to stop with my shield. I see, if the claw hits something, there will be no wind blades produced. So blocking the attacks instead of evading will be more effective. I then released a strike at him with the sword but he was able to do a back flip by kicking my shield. He is quite fast. I am really at a disadvantage here. ¡°Hyahahaha! Hey! I¡¯m getting boooooooored! Finish him already!¡± ¡°Stop being so impatient brother. I¡¯m still having my bit of fun.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. While his attention is not on me, I dashed forward and slashed him with his sword but he was able to block the attack. ¡°You are really quite sneaky. You should not attack someone when they are talking, that¡¯s the proper manners in a battlefield.¡± ¡°Like hell should I care about manners when my life is on the line.¡± ¡°You got a point there. Your life is really on the line here.¡± He is getting quite confident of himself. It must mean that there is still something that he has not shown to me yet. I should still be on my guard. I opened my weapon storage again and then grabbed my gun in replace with the sword. I then shot him three times and he avoided all of them by jumping back. It really has quite the power! I can clearly see the holes the gun made on the ground! It is so amazing! I am kind of getting excited. ¡°Your gun is quite strong, but it is nothing if it misses.¡± ¡°Then would you please stay still for me?¡± ¡°You got quite the balls to ask me that. Maybe I should finish this now.¡± He positioned his right foot forward and crouched slightly. He also raised both of his arms and then breathed quite deeply. He closed his eyes and seemed to be trying to focus. I shot him with my gun two times while aiming for the head but he was able to move his head to the right then to the left in order to dodge my shots. What¡¯s amazing is that his eyes are closed. This might be the moment I¡¯m waiting for! ¡°Hyahahaha! Go! Do it!¡± He suddenly did repeated horizontal spins. The winds grew wild as if a storm is brewing. Then a huge whirlwind was formed ripping all the grass around us to shreds. The dust also covered the area due to the strong winds. It looks quite dangerous. If I don¡¯t do something, I¡¯ll be torn to pieces in no time. The tornado then started to move towards me. I quickly stored my shield and gun to my warped space while running from the tornado. It is quite fast. I changed direction hoping it would just head in a straight line. Surprisingly, it also changed direction! He must be able to control it to some extent. Damn, damn, damn! My chest started to tighten because of fear. I¡¯m in real trouble here! Think, think, think! There should be something I could do to avoid this thing. My shield won¡¯t be able to protect me from that thing and I am only able to regenerate a transformed arm. My gun and sword are sure to be useless against that thing either. Damn! It is catching up to me. I see that¡¯s it! ¡°Please don¡¯t betray me!¡± I yelled loudly while I transformed my right hand to the tiger¡¯s arm. If it can make pillars of stone then it should be able to do the reverse. I placed my tiger arm¡¯s palm to the ground and created a hole on the ground. Nice! I jumped inside the hole and sealed the entrance with the tiger¡¯s power. That was close! Damn! My heart is still beating quite fast! I also feel quite drained, is the tiger¡¯s power too much for me? ¡°Hyahahaha! It seems you killed him! There is no trace left of him!¡± ¡°It seems so but we should still find a bit of a piece of his body to absorb some of his powers.¡± ¡°Sure, I just wish I could have heard him scream! Hyahahahaha!¡± Find a piece of my body? Too bad it is still complete and functioning. They should be directly above me soon. I equipped my shield in my left hand and my right hand is still in tiger form. Feel them. Make sure that they are there when I rise up. Concentrate. Wait for it. Now! I rose up from the ground with a slash from my tiger arm. Luckily, I was able to hit the black bat directly to the torso. He is bled quite much. While the brown bat is still surprised, I bashed him with my shield and quickly sealed both of their hands and arms to the ground using the tiger¡¯s powers. ¡°I win, you losers.¡± ¡°It seems you are really good with your tricks.¡± ¡°DAMMIT! You COWARD! COWARD!¡± The brown bat was quite angry. He then released a sonic wave attack towards me which I easily dodged but he released another one towards his brother. Damn! He was able to break free. ¡°Thanks, brother. I guess play time is over, for today.¡± The black bat says before black smoke enveloped the area. Damn! It is just like the last time! When the smoke clears off, they are nowhere to be found. They are really good at escaping, those bats! I just wished I was able to obtain the powers of the brown one. I broke the warped field and was back to the real world. I feel so weak. My legs are quite wobbly and I can¡¯t raise my arms either. I guess I was quite lucky when they decided to escape instead of continuing the fight. Damn, I really reached my limit. I went to a nearby play ground and took a sit on a swing. I should rest for a bit before heading home. I should also call him too. I grabbed my phone and then called him. ¡°Hey Leon, It¡¯s me. We need to talk.¡± Chapter 8: The King of… I am now at the front of Leon¡¯s mansion. He told me to come here when I told him we need to talk. I then pushed the button for the door bell to tell him I¡¯m already here. ¡°Come in Rei! Don¡¯t be shy!¡± I heard Leon¡¯s voice coming from a small speaker beside the gate. He must also know that it was me because of the camera in front of the house. Heeding Leon¡¯s instructions, I went inside the house. It is so huge as always. I saw Phoena standing near the stairs. She is scary and gloomy as usual. ¡°Follow me.¡± I followed her climb up the stairs until we reach the third floor. We walked the hallway and went inside the room with a door with the same mark as the one at my back. As we entered the room, I saw Leon lying in the sofa and Drake sitting comfortably in another. What surprised me is a very familiar person was standing near Drake. ¡°Roka? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to serve you, my darling.¡± ¡°Hey Drake! What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°It is as she said. She also has powers you see. When she found out that we want to help you out, she joined without hesitation you see.¡± Damn! These guys really surprise me with things one after another! It kind of pisses me off a bit. But having more people is better, even if it is Roka I guess. ¡°So I asked to meet you guys beca-¡° ¡°STOP! The God of Knowledge already knows what you are going to say! That explains the mark in the door! This will be our official meeting room and this house as our base, my dear king!¡± ¡°What? How did you know? Are you spying on me or something?¡± ¡°Yes, I am spying on you with a device I attached on your weapon.¡± So that was the reason they gave me those weapons! Damn that Phoena! So they saw me beat those bats which is why they came into a conclusion that I am going to accept their offer. I guess I really have no choice but to agree with them since they already planned ahead quite much. It will be quite troublesome to deal with this bunch anyway. ¡°I guess I really can¡¯t escape you guys.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry my darling! I¡¯ll be right here to protect you!¡± ¡°Sure, but I have three conditions before I accept to take the seat as your king.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead. I¡¯ll be listening, you see.¡± ¡°First, killing should be of least priority. Kill only if your life depends on it. Killing their leader would be enough to destroy a faction and render its member powerless. Second is that important decisions will be decided as a group. I will be a king in name only and decisions would be settled with unanimous decisions within the group. Third one is that surviving will be our biggest priority. Got any problems with these terms?¡± ¡°Wow, I don¡¯t think I have any problems with it.¡± ¡°If Drake thinks it¡¯s okay, then it¡¯s also fine with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m absolutely with you all the way darling no matter what those conditions are!¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°The God of Judgments certainly thinks those are good rules!¡± ¡°Then it is settled, I guess.¡± Damn! That was nerve wracking! Even though I already know that they would agree to my conditions, I still got quite nervous. Those conditions are meant to gain their trust after all. That way, the chances that they would betray me would decrease to an extent. I am the foreign material here, after all. My legs got all wobbly so I sat at the small sofa at the center of the room. ¡°So what should be our next step?¡± ¡°We need to declare the existence of the ninth king, you see. There is a special website made only for specters. I don¡¯t know how it really functions but it seems normal people only see a blank page if they entered the website.¡± Phoena grabbed the laptop on the table near the door and placed it in the table at the center of the room. ¡°What is this website all about?¡± ¡°It contains the list of kings that are on the fight, my darling. Every king has a title and their mark as a king can also be found here. You need to register here to be an official candidate.¡± ¡°How come that something like this became so modern? It kind of ruins the creepy feeling.¡± ¡°We are in this kind of age after all Rei! So just leave it all to the God of technology!¡± ¡°We already have a picture of your mark, you see. We took it when the day we first met.¡± Damn, they were already able to do that? Damn these guys. ¡°I wish I was here when darling took off his shirt.¡± ¡°There are currently eight kings, you see. They are the Kings of Love, Deception, Seclusion, Despair, Justice, Sloth, Cowards and Luck. ¡°So what¡¯s the title gonna be?¡± Phoena asked me for a title. Maybe I should just let her decide what my title should be. I am quite lazy in thinking of names after all. Maybe she¡¯ll think something cool for me. ¡°Hey guys, would we be okay to just let Phoena think of my title?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it. It will be quite interesting, you see.¡± ¡°If my darling is fine with it, then I¡¯m also fine with it.¡± ¡°Sure, I guess the power of the God of titles is too much for this anyways. ¡°So that¡¯s decided. Do the honors.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Phoena grabbed the laptop then typed something and then she showed the screen to us that says the mark is validated and the king is officially registered. She is smiling quite weirdly. I have a bad feeling about this. Then a dialogue box asked, ¡°Do you want to check your info?¡± Phoena clicked yes while laughing and the page with my title and mark appears. . ¡°Hahahahaha! That was quite hilarious you see.¡± ¡°Nice one Phoena! That was neat!¡± ¡°It suits you quite well darling. *chuckle*¡± ¡°A title the definitely suits me! That was an astounding idea from you! I knew I was able to count on you! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Be glad I did not put King of Poop.¡± Damn. I did not know she has this side of her. I always thought of her as someone who is always serious, but I guess I was wrong. Or did she give me that title because she hates me? I hope that is not the case. The title was hilarious and the other kings might think I am not taking this seriously. But thinking of something that sounds cool definitely does not suit me so I guess the title Phoena gave me is just perfect. ¡°So the struggle will officially begin, you see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you the one true king, my darling!¡± ¡°I am excited to show off my strength, for I am the God of War!¡± ¡°It will be more dangerous since you are an official candidate now.¡± Damn, Phoena is still holding her laugh. Should I punch her now? ¡°We will win for you are serving the one and only King of Idiots!¡± Chapter 9: Set up ¡°You already know that my power is copying, right? Now that everything is okay, would you guys le-¡± ¡°Sorry but we can¡¯t let you, darling.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Because you are too weak.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Phoena? Could you please elaborate?¡± ¡°You copied my tiger¡¯s powers and used it in the last fight, right? So how was my destructive power?¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t really used it that much.¡± ¡°Because you can¡¯t¡± Damn, Phoena is right. I honestly tried to bury them inside a large rock which is nowhere near Leon¡¯s earth pillars but I was only able to seal their hands and feet. ¡°Their powers including my tiger¡¯s can be ranked not lower than A rank. The tentacles you got there is probably C rank and the bat¡¯s claws is about B rank.¡± ¡°We classify powers according to rank, you see. In short, you can only use powers up to B rank effectively for now you see. ¡°But copying them won¡¯t hurt, right?¡± ¡°You got quite weak after you used only a bit of Leon¡¯s powers, you see. And I am afraid that you can become quite reckless and use our powers needlessly which then might cost your life. Leon¡¯s powers should at least be enough to be your last resort.¡± ¡°If that is what you guys think, then I am afraid I must comply. I guess I should find other weaker ones first¡± It is actually quite frustrating to hear that, especially since they are telling the truth. To have followers which are about ten times stronger than you will destroy any man¡¯s pride. I am just lucky that I do not have a lot of it but it still hurts. ¡°But worry not! For the God of Preparedness got three monster corpses just for you in the basement!¡± ¡°You talk as if you deserve the credit. It¡¯s Drake¡¯s idea and not yours.¡± ¡°The corpses are frozen you see. We use them in our experiments and they are now a bit of¡­ fragmented but I think you should still be able to make use of them since their genetic data should still be good.¡± ¡°Okay! Show them to me!¡± Wow! These guys are really prepared! They are really reliable. I am actually quite excited to see the new powers I would be able to use. Damn, my fingers are fidgeting quite significantly. Phoena stood up and pushed a button near the fireplace then a door showed up. Damn, this house is really filled with advanced technology. We entered the door and it is filled with high technology stuff. There are a lot of screens which must be responsible for surveillance and spying purposes. ¡°It¡¯s quite chilly here.¡± ¡°Would you like me to warm you up, darling?¡± ¡°No thanks.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Here, try to touch this.¡± Phoena handed me something that looks like a claw which she obtained from a huge freezer. I transformed then touched the claw-like thing then a flash of light appeared. I felt a small surge of power coming inside me. I guess the copying was successful. ¡°I think I did it.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you try these other two?¡± I touched the other monster fragments that Phoena handed to me. One looks like a shard of metal and the other looks like a rock. Are these really specters? These look like construction materials. But even so, I felt the power coming into me. ¡°Wow it felt good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it did but we have to go back now, you see. They should be coming anytime soon.¡± ¡°Who will?¡± ¡°The followers of the King of Cowards.¡± That soon? Are they going to attack us now since they know we just started? They might really be cowards. But with these allies beside me, I kind of think we can beat anyone. Instead of feeling quite nervous, I actually felt quite energized. I went back to the meeting room with everyone. Then I hear a knock. ¡°Heya! How ya doin?¡± ¡°We have been waiting for you, you see." ¡°What?¡± I thought they are with the King of Cowards? How come that they are acting quite friendly with each other? I¡¯m getting confused. Three guys entered the room which does not seem hostile. ¡°Would someone please explain what¡¯s happening to me?¡± ¡°We have a quite friendly relationship with the King of Cowards, you see. They even help us to convince you to be our king.¡± ¡°Hyahahaha! That¡¯s right! Surprised, tentacle freak?¡± ¡°Stop being so loud, brother.¡± ¡°So ya haven¡¯t told him yet?¡± What? Those voices? So the guy with the large eyes is the brown bat and the one with the dark hair is the black one? A friendly relationship? So does that mean that the one versus two of Leon against the bats was a setup? So they planned everything? They are quite entertaining! Surprisingly, I don¡¯t feel quite irritated. I actually feel like laughing a lot. This is hilarious! To actually go that extent to have me as their king! They are quite clever! I like that! So the reason why those two are able to find me so quickly to do their so called ¡°revenge¡± was because they are collaborating with Drake. ¡°Hahahahaahahaha! I see! That was nice you guys! Hahahaha!¡± ¡°Hyahahaha! That was quite a surprising reaction he got there! I thought he is going to lash out!¡± ¡°I also thought so too, brother. But I guess this is for the best.¡± ¡°So allow us to formally introduce ourselves to ya, King of Idiots. The one with the weird laugh is Karl and the serious one is Kyle. I am the King of Coward¡¯s right hand, Fang.¡± Fang seems to be the cool guy type who uses too much hair gel. I think I could get along with him quite easily but getting called King of Idiots kind of ruin the mood. ¡°So where is your king?¡± ¡°He is not the King of Cowards for nothing, ya know?¡± ¡°I guess you are right. So Drake, why are these guys here?¡± ¡°I just want to tell you the truth with these guys as living proof, you see. I assure you, you can absolutely trust them.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°I guess we have to go now. It¡¯s getting late ya know?¡± ¡°Sure, it will be good working with you guys in the future.¡± ¡°I feel the same! Oh by the way, Shelly told me she¡¯ll be returning soon. I kinda hope she¡¯ll take a bit longer ya know. Anyways, smell ya later!¡± ¡°Is that true? I¡¯ll make sure that the God of Welcoming would greet her warmly on her return. Shelly is our ally by the way. She was only gone to retrieve a kind of machine via Drake¡¯s orders. ¡± Is Leon blushing or something? I wonder what this Shelly girl is like. He seems excited. I hope that she is not as idiotic as these guys right here. Oh well, I just need to hope for the best.