He had now become a ghost NPC

"Wait... if I can't interfere with the mission... are you asking me to die!?"

This time, Feng Rui received no response from the game system.

"Change the mission! Let me send a rescue mission instead of a death one..."

[The current influence of this NPC is too low to issue missions to players.]

'Influence...'

'So I just need to increase my influence in this world?'

Feng Rui pulled his head out of the water, almost coughing up his lungs. Even without cultivation, it seemed that his resistance to death wasn't the same as an ordinary human's.

He felt the furious currents beneath him and quickly rushed toward the shore. The dimensions of the artificial lake were becoming more "realistic," and by some miracle, he managed to grab onto the slippery ground just before it dragged him back to the bottom.

Slash!

Several air blades shot out from the water, creating rain and cutting through thick branches… and Feng Rui's back.

He gritted his teeth and moved away from the shore without making a sound. He couldn't do anything about the blood trail or the smell, but at least he would try to do his best with what he had.

He hid behind an ornamental stone to try to catch his breath. However, soon he had to throw himself to the ground and roll to avoid the demon.

His blood spread throughout the area as he got up and started running, limping from the pain.

Feng Rui could only curse. He had no ability or capacity to fight, despite knowing the techniques. His new body felt heavy, clumsy, and fragile.

His mind worked faster than a salaryman on Christmas, with three cups of coffee in his system and a promise to leave after finishing the report.

He was sure that if he got too close to the demon, he would be broken and trampled like a weak twig.

Gods, a single attack and it cut trees like butter! It was obvious his battered skin wouldn't last more than two seconds against it! Not to mention how he was sent flying like a withered leaf by just the residual explosions of its attacks.

This was madness! Did he start at the hell level or what?!

But he could try to do "that"...

It was better than dying without doing anything.

Feng Rui rushed toward the corridor in his yard, barely saving his arm from being cut, but in return, he received another nasty gash on his back, leaving him with an "X"-shaped scar.

He had been as patient and persistent as possible, waiting and dragging out the time, hoping that someone from his family would come check on the commotion. He refused to believe that other cultivators and powerful figures hadn't felt the birth of a demon...

However, he no longer had the energy to run, nor the strength to wait any longer.

And as if it were a joke or something inevitable for the system, the countdown to his death reached 4.

[3 seconds before your death.]

Feng Rui's vision darkened. Lying in a puddle of his warm blood, he felt his body cold and numb.

A deep terror crawled from his gut: the demon was just one step away from him.

Feng Rui only needed one chance… just one.

[1 second before your death.]

He contracted the muscles of his back hoping to release more blood quickly.

Ding!

[It has been detected that you have achieved the necessary influence in your surroundings to create missions. Would you like to formulate…?]

Feng Rui didn't wait for the message to finish before blurting out his last two ideas to save himself.

'Mission for players: Save Feng Rui.'

'Special mission for non-human entities: Become the last creature standing in the Phantom Gu ritual.'

[Calculating mission rewards and descriptions...]

[Loading...]

[Approving permissions...]

[Denied, insufficient reputation to issue missions.]

[Recalculating...]

[Denied, insufficient prestige to be accepted.]

[Countdown completed.]

[Feng Rui has died.]

[The mission: Save Feng Rui cannot be carried out.]

[Conditions have been approved for the special mission: Become the Last Creature Standing in the Phantom Gu Ritual...]

[Re-adjusting…]

Ding!

[Special Mission: The Last Survivor.

Description: Feng Rui's spiritual physique triggered a fierce battle between the ghosts and demons in his yard. After his death, an ancient Phantom Gu ritual was unleashed, where only one can reign. Now, you must face other competitors and be the last survivor.

Objective: Defeat the competitors and survive the Phantom Gu ritual. 

Rewards:

Exp +100

Item: Pure Ghost Energy Crystal x1

Karma Points: -100

5% chance to obtain the ability "Body of a Thousand Poisons."

20% chance to obtain the ability "Poison Immunity." 

Would you like to grant this mission?]

[Yes] [No] 

Feng Rui said "Yes" with a long sigh.

Now he had become a ghost NPC.

Should he be happy that he hadn't truly died? But what should he do now? Also, if they had denied the mission to save him, was it because he could no longer be revived? Or because the "influence" on his environment was so low that he needed to do something bigger, something on a "global" level?

Feng Rui floated in the air as he watched the ghosts surrounding him. A little bored, he recapitulated everything he just experienced. The most important thing was that, as he ran, dodged, and took hits like a punching bag, he discovered two things:

The first: There were many ghosts, but only two tried to steal the "prey" from the demon.

The second: His blood served as a medium and ink for a new matrix. Even without spiritual energy to create a seal, he could take advantage of the condensed ghost energy and the unfavorable conditions the demon had created to perform a bloody Phantom Gu ritual.

Of course, this was forbidden. Officially, if anyone noticed, Feng Rui would be part of the "dark side"... probably.

The good news was that, just like in the game, players could also choose other races as characters.

If they died, they would lose all progress and have to start from scratch. They couldn't switch characters midway through the game, and some things would have a paywall to unlock, whether it was levels, items, or races. But the experience of being a ghost, passing through barriers, and doing evil was something that always caught the attention.

As for the rewards, once all the ghosts were dead, a crystal would naturally form. As long as they had gone through the baptism of the Phantom Gu battle blood, they had a chance to acquire one of the proposed abilities. And about the demon... well, that part was the hard part.

But it seemed everyone had agreed to take it down first.

More or less, his plan worked.

The lake ghost appeared as a deformed and illusory kraken, several shadow arms shot out from all directions of the house, and small ghosts hiding in the garden began the hunt.

Though, of course, other paranormal NPCs were unrelated to all this, in the end, they became fuel for the demon.

Feng Rui sighed and floated calmly.

If he could, he'd like to bring his body to a safe place.

Maybe he'd still have the opportunity to enter his body and take advantage of his special physique...

Even though he didn't know what it was for, he wanted to stay positive and hope that his talent wasn't garbage like everything else in his current life...

'Status' He tried calling.

[You do not yet have the necessary permissions.]

'Character Info'

[An abnormal state has been detected in the NPC.]

'Sigh, at least you could tell me if I can live again. Or what's going on with my physique?'

Silence.

Feng Rui wanted to pull his hair out in frustration.

In the end, all he had left was to watch the ghostly battle to pass the time.

The illusory kraken, whose body was made of dark water and ghostly energy, had the highest attack of all, with its many liquid and dense tentacles stretching toward the demon, trying to strike it or, at worst, to wrap it up and seal its movements, squeezing it like toothpaste.

What was interesting about the scene was that the water bubbled as if something was breathing inside it. When a tentacle touched the ground, it sank into the earth like watering plants with the pressure of a waterfall.

In the center of the battle, the demon remained standing, its aura crackling with dark energy. Its red eyes glowed with fury as its right claw rose, releasing an energy explosion that disintegrated one of the Kraken's tentacles. But the stream of water didn't disappear. Instead, it recreated the largest and strongest tentacle.

On the other hand, the shadow arms that hid everywhere in the house occasionally rose, stretching from cracks, trying to grab the demon and hinder its movements. But the demon barely paid them any attention. With a single wave of its hand, the shadows dissipated like black smoke.

The same thing happened with the rest of the ghosts who had been brave enough to attack, but stayed at a distance, launching weak ghostly energy projectiles.

The two big ones did not pay attention to the little ants.

However, the air changed, and the Kraken's tentacles moved toward them.

Terrified, the ghosts tried to escape, disappearing into the shadows, but they were quickly absorbed by the Kraken's voracity.

Each ghost the Kraken caught was devoured, disintegrating into the dark water stream and feeding the monster. The tentacles multiplied, and with every soul absorbed, their power grew.

'What fear,' Feng Rui murmured, unfazed. If he kept "living" here, he would have to get stronger quickly or find some backup or divine treasure to protect him in the meantime...

He moved toward the Phantom Gu matrix, still incomplete and faintly glowing around him. His blood had only served as a "path," but his energy wasn't enough. It needed to be completed with the energy expelled from the battle, and his job was to redirect it.

Once done, it would serve as a "firestarter" for the ritual and a seal for the demon. With effort, he concentrated all the remaining ghost energy in the area, emitting energy waves that connected with the ghostly matrix and drew it into his attempt at a matrix.

Meanwhile, the Kraken's tentacles began to move faster, creating whirlpools of dark water around the house. The demon was being cornered.

The house's shadows had been sacrificed, as had the other NPC ghosts.

The demon screamed, and Feng Rui used the last of his energy to complete the Gu matrix with a burst of ghostly light. An ancient and radiant symbol formed in the air, and the energy of the place began to compress toward the demon.

The demon immediately felt the power of the matrix. It tried to move away, to break it with its dark power, but it was too late. The ghostly energy that the Kraken had released, and that now formed part of the matrix, began to corrode the demon's skin.

The demon screamed and tried to escape in vain.

The Kraken took advantage of the moment, surrounding the demon in a deadly embrace.

It almost looks like a "true friendship" postcard from creepy Ghost Stories.

The demon, weakened by the disintegration of its energy, slowly dissolved into the seal. In one last attempt, it tried to counterattack, but could only distort as its body faded.

"I'll get my revenge! I swear you'll pay for this, Feng Rui!!!"

"Old man, it was the Kraken, not me, okay?"

"AAH!"

Finally, with a rumble that echoed throughout the area, the demon disappeared, leaving behind a Pure Phantom Energy Crystal and remnants of its dark energy.

It wasn't dead, it was just sealed. Even if it was a baby demon, it was still a demon.