Chapter 11：A young man

After leaving Samantha's place, Ethan walked alone toward the edge of the neighborhood.

He was thinking to himself that he needed to gather more information to understand the changes he'd been going through lately. Unfortunately, Uncle Marcus had come back early, so those materials were probably already stashed away.

It had taken him forever to sweet-talk Samantha into giving him even the most basic knowledge. Honestly, he felt like he'd gotten the short end of the stick.

Once he left the neighborhood, Ethan made his way down the street to a nearby supermarket.

Christmas was just around the corner, and the store had already started putting up lights, gift boxes, and Christmas trees. The entrance was packed with holiday decorations, and customers were constantly asking about prices.

The shelves and counters were plastered with posters from the Aegis Operations Division. In the center of each poster was a soldier in a Phantom Sentinel uniform, with a backdrop of space, Earth, and a shield. Next to it, a simple slogan read: "Phantom Sentinel—keeping you safe every day."

Ethan pushed open the glass door of the supermarket, and a gust of cold wind followed him inside, biting at his back.

He headed to the household goods section, casually grabbing a bottle of salad dressing and a bottle of ketchup. Just as he was about to check out, his phone rang.

"Ethan, you jerk, grab me a carton of eggs and some milk. Oh, and… never mind, that's it." Samantha's voice came through the phone, sounding a little impatient.

Ethan hung up and glanced at the shelves, muttering to himself: Judging by her status bar, she's probably gonna need some pads soon.

He grabbed two boxes of Trojans instead, thinking: Might as well keep these on hand. Better safe than sorry.

With a bag full of stuff, the salad dressing and ketchup clinked together as he walked.

The cold wind whipped through his collar, making him hunch his shoulders against the chill.

There was still a month left before school started, and Ethan was already planning ahead.

Although the shadow clone training had shown great results at first, progress had slowed down over time. Relying on physical training alone clearly wasn't going to get him where he wanted to be.

He sighed, thinking back to the ghost he'd seen at the entrance to the neighborhood.

That ghost wasn't even considered strong among the Anomalous Creatures, but even so, it had taken him a whole month just to chip away 10% of its health. On average, that was only 0.25% per day.

And in the Boundary Passage, he'd already encountered far more terrifying beings than that ghost.

Eighteen years ago, on "The Divine Punishment Day," the Anomalous Creatures had invaded, throwing the entire world into chaos and destruction.

Countless people had sacrificed their lives to secure the peace that Safehold now enjoyed, but beneath that peace lay a darkness few knew about.

This year, all 12th graders were being forced to take the Aegis Operations Division's selection test.

If they passed, they'd be sent to the Boundary Passage to hunt Anomalous Creatures, gain experience, and earn rewards, eventually becoming Metahumans.

Ethan knew this policy wasn't just a coincidence.

Was it because the frontlines were running out of manpower?

Or was there a shortage of reinforcements?

No one really knew the truth.

Ethan walked along the street, his eyes catching the Aegis Operations Division posters plastered all over the walls. The bold red slogan stood out: "Eradicate the Anomalous, Restore Peace to Earth!"

Suddenly, his steps halted, and his pupils narrowed slightly.

Without him even realizing it, his Nightseer's Eye skill activated, flooding his vision with information.

At the entrance to the neighborhood on his right, the ghost from the Boundary Passage had vanished.

On his left, about 300 feet away, two health bars appeared in his field of view.

[HP: 25%, SP: 61%, Soul Energy (SE): 40, Ghost, Enraged State…]

[HP: 15%, SP: 9%, Soul Energy (SE): 20, Phantom Sentinel (Civilian), Weakened State…]

Ethan's gaze locked onto the Phantom Sentinel in the blue-black combat suit. It was a young man, his left leg completely severed, his body covered in ominous black markings, with blood steadily seeping from his wounds.

The guy was leaning against the wall, barely able to stand. His eyes were vacant, as if he could collapse at any moment.

Behind him, two children were huddled together, unconscious from fear.

Ethan recognized the Phantom Sentinel. They lived in the same building. Though they'd never spoken, they'd seen each other a few times. He hadn't expected to run into him like this today.

And standing across from the wounded soldier was a ghost, towering at seven feet tall.

Its lower body was like a swirling mist, its left hand gripping a massive scythe, while its right hand was a grotesque skeletal claw, large enough to be the size of Ethan's head when fully extended.

The ghost still had 25% of its HP and 61% of its SP, while the Phantom Sentinel was down to just 15% HP and a mere 9% SP.

Ethan stood at the crossroads, his eyes fixed on the scene in front of him, his heartbeat quickening.