After every fight, the silence that followed was almost deafening. The first chime that broke that silence felt all too familiar by now.
[Congratulations, Master.]
Falling through the fading dark mist, Mikel glanced at the screen once before his eyes rolled back into his skull.
TAK!
Half of the beaded bracelet, now acting like a whip from hell, clung to a barely hanging roof pillar while the other end tightened around Mikel's wrist, halting his fall. The Blood Chain extended until his body was near the broken wooden floor.
At just the right moment, the Blood Chain released the pillar, sparing him from a harder landing.
Thud.
Mikel landed on his side—not hard enough to cause injury, but not gentle enough to keep him unconscious.
"Ugh…" he groaned, opening his eyes weakly.
Triggering the curse on the malevolent spirit haunting this house, then feeding it to the chain before exorcising it, had drained not just his remaining energy, but even his reserves.
"Damn…" he breathed, wincing at the distinct pain in his side. It didn't feel like an external injury, but rather internal.
Is this what a proper incantation does to me?!
This wasn't just exhaustion; it felt as if the fight had wrung his very soul dry, leaving nothing behind but pain.
[You've exhausted most of your spiritual energy helping the forgotten. Hence, using two incantations in quick succession depleted both your spiritual and physical energy.]
"Uh…" Mikel forced himself to roll onto his back, wincing again. "…That explains it."
[You must be proud, Master. I estimated your survival rate at 0.02% and was busy preparing a eulogy.]
Mikel glanced at the screen. His exhaustion was written all over his face, yet he still managed a mocking scoff. "You must've enjoyed watching a miracle happen."
[It had excellent comedic timing. Anyway, ready for your progress bar and the next Side Objective?]
Give me a freaking break!
Mikel groaned and tried to sit up, but to no avail. His body refused to move, as if glued to the floor. Worse, it felt like a boulder was pressing down on him, keeping him in place.
The only consolation was…
He glanced down at the bracelet wrapped around his wrist. "Feeling a little full now?"
The Blood Chain glowed faintly. No words. No heat. But with Mikel's growing familiarity with his cursed relics, he could sense the faint—very faint—satisfaction radiating from it.
"Good," he whispered, closing his eyes, tempted to just fall asleep right there. He had slept in the middle of the street before. This didn't seem half bad either.
But just as he surrendered to the exhaustion, a faint call echoed from the front door.
"Boss!" called a female ghost in a school uniform.
It quickly faded beneath the panicked shout of another ghost. "Boss!"
Mikel forced his eyes open, glancing up at them.
Both ghosts panted as if they could still feel exhaustion. But before they could say anything, their gazes swept across the wreckage. Dry walls toppled over, the stairs broken in half, the floor cracked, and a part of the roof had a gaping hole—as if a giant had punched straight through it.
Their jaws slackened, eyes wide.
They knew the fight must have been intense, but this… This house was on the brink of collapse. One casual kick, or even a strong gust of wind, and it would fall apart for good.
"What?" Mikel's dry voice snapped them out of their shock.
The girl in the school uniform shook her head and blurted, "Boss, bad news!"
"The police are on their way!" the male ghost added, panicking. "If you waste any more time, they'll find you here!"
Mikel blinked once then twice. "…Is that a bad thing?"
Was that a bad thing?
The two ghosts looked at each other, realizing they weren't even sure why they were panicking. It's not like Mikel would be in trouble if he were found here… right?
[Pulling up scenarios if you're found after this level of destruction…]
[Scenario #1: You're taken in for questioning for possible robbery or disturbing the peace.]
[Scenario #2: Zone Zero intervenes. They help you out but keep you under surveillance. Worse, they detain you at the headmaster's residence.]
[Scenario #3: All of the above… and worse.]
Mikel's face twitched. It might not happen, but he couldn't risk it. Especially if it involved Zone Zero.
Not yet. Not when my home isn't even finished…
"Heh. I guess the boss will be fine," the female ghost said with a satisfied smile.
The other nodded. "Yeah, what's the worst that could happen? Just a little questioning. Maybe a trespassing fine."
"Uh… huh?" They both nodded again, then froze, eyes widening.
Slowly, they turned to Mikel, horror creeping onto their faces.
"Boss… if you get detained, doesn't that mean you'll be stuck there for a while?"
And if he was detained, that meant construction delays, disappointed ghosts, and more backlog to handle when he got out.
Mikel clenched his teeth. Two days of delayed crossings were already exhausting; if this dragged on, he might die from overwork—or worse, from his gluttonous cursed relic.
But then—
"I can't get up," he admitted through gritted teeth.
At the same time, they all heard voices outside.
They turned to the entrance, dread settling deep in their chests.
How the hell am I supposed to move?!
Doom! Do something! Speed up Recovery Protocol or whatever!
[I'm afraid I cannot do that.]
"What?!"
Suddenly, the bracelet extended, the chain wrapping itself around the male ghost's arm.
"Huh?" The ghost stared at the chain, confused.
The girl turned and saw it too. "What? How did it—"
Before she could finish, Mikel hissed, "Drag me! Grab the chain and drag me out of here!"
His panic snapped them out of it, and before they knew it, they were hauling him toward the other exit with all their might.
"Boss, why are you so heavy?" the girl complained through clenched teeth. "It's like dragging three sacks of rice at once!"
"Ugh!" the other ghost groaned.
Neither of them had much physical strength; they were only qualified as lookouts. If they'd known it would be this hard, they would've never touched that damn chain.
But just like them, Mikel had a question too.
I should be the one asking—why are you both so damn weak?!
Mikel clenched his jaw as pain shot through his body, dragged helplessly along the floor. And above his strained, contorted expression, Doom's screen floated serenely.
[Master, this qualifies as a new low in tactical retreats. Shall I log it for future reference?]
Give me a freaking break!
---
By the time the police entered the premises, all they found was a ruined interior and a gaping hole in the roof.
One officer tilted his head back to stare up at the damage.
His jaw dropped. "What in the world… happened here?"
Before anyone could answer, another section of the roof collapsed with a loud crash just meters away.