Chapter 9: The Spirit Tower's Apprentice

Minato Yaiba's POV

The night was cold, and a thick fog rolled through Kinshin Park, covering the ground like a ghostly veil. The streetlights flickered weakly, barely illuminating the empty pathways. Minato Yaiba tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his sharp eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. The atmosphere was heavy, unnatural. It was the kind of place where spirits lingered, trapped between the world of the living and the dead.

He had been sent here on a mission. Reports of a violent ghost attacking late-night joggers had reached the Spirit Tower, and as an apprentice exorcist, it was his duty to investigate and eliminate the threat. The Spirit Tower was a secret organization, hidden from the public, dedicated to protecting the world from malicious spirits. They trained exorcists, gathered information on supernatural entities, and sent their warriors to handle threats that normal people couldn't even comprehend.

Minato had been training for years under their guidance. Though he was still just an apprentice, he had already gained experience dealing with minor spirits. However, this mission was supposed to be different. The ghost in Kinshin Park wasn't just any wandering soul—it was rumored to be dangerous. Some witnesses even claimed that it had killed people.

But as he walked deeper into the park, he found nothing. No wails, no whispers, no flickering shadows—just eerie silence. It was as if the ghost had never existed in the first place.

Something felt off.

Minato knelt down near a bench where the last reported attack had happened. He placed his hand on the ground and closed his eyes, channeling his spirit energy to sense any lingering presence.

Immediately, his entire body tensed.

'There was something here. Or rather, there had been something here.'

A powerful spirit energy lingered in the air, faint but undeniable. It was not the chaotic energy of a violent ghost but something controlled, something refined. Whatever had been here had been dealt with—and not by an ordinary person.

Minato's mind raced as he tried to understand what had happened. If the ghost was gone, then someone had exorcised it before him. But who? Normal exorcists didn't operate without reporting to the Spirit Tower, and there were no recent records of any high-level exorcists being in this area.

"This energy… it's different," Minato murmured to himself. "It's from a strong exorcist I know, but it doesn't feel like a ghost's presence either."

It was confusing. There were very few exorcists who could eliminate a ghost without leaving a trace, let alone one strong enough to have been killing people. Whatever had happened here, it wasn't normal.

Minato stood up, his grip on his sword tightening. He needed to report this to the Spirit Tower.

*****

Jin Kyoto sat in his dimly lit room, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. The night was quiet, and the only sound was the occasional rustling of leaves outside his window. The battle earlier at Kinshin Park had been brief, but it left a lingering feeling in his chest. He had defeated the ghost effortlessly with Spirit Cloak, yet he felt… unsatisfied.

It wasn't just about exorcising spirits anymore.

Jin let out a sigh and opened the translucent blue system screen in front of him. Ever since returning to his original world, he had been reviewing every function the system offered, trying to understand how it worked. But today, he finally uncovered something important—the method to obtain World Keys.

His eyes narrowed as he read through the information carefully.

World Key Acquisition Methods:

Method 1: The system passively absorbs natural energy to form World Keys.

Bronze Key: 6 months, Silver Key: 2 years, Gold Key: 20 years, and Diamond Key: 60 years

Method 2: Absorbing spirit energy from powerful spirits to hasten the process.

Jin rubbed his temples, feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration. "So, you're telling me… I could've been collecting World Keys this entire time?"

The realization stung. If he had known about this earlier, he would have started gathering spirit energy in the Ying Dynasty. Five years of training and countless exorcisms—wasted opportunities.

As if responding to his thoughts, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

[System Notification: The host was not in his true body at that time. Absorbing spirit energy was impossible.]

Jin's frustration softened slightly. It made sense. Back in the Ying Dynasty, he had taken over Chen Yuan's body, meaning he hadn't been able to use the system's true functions. Still, he couldn't help but feel annoyed that the system had waited until now to reveal this information.

"So basically, I have two choices," Jin muttered, leaning back in his chair. "Either wait years for the system to naturally generate World Keys… or hunt down powerful spirits to speed up the process."

The first option was useless to him. Waiting months, even years, just to earn a single key? That was way too slow. If he wanted to grow stronger and explore other worlds, he had no choice.

He needed to hunt spirits.

He was also able to confirm that he was able to retain the spirit energy from the 10 years that he stayed in the Ying Dynasty. He was able to understand that the energy was stuck with him he cannot use it to convert into Works key's because it is already been refined by him.

A small grin formed on Jin's face. This world was filled with ghosts, spirits, and dangerous supernatural entities. If he played this right, not only could he obtain World Keys, but he could also use spirit energy to refine his strength.

He clenched his fist, feeling his spirit energy surge slightly at the thought.

"Fine then," Jin said with determination. "If that's how it works, I'll just have to find the strongest spirits and absorb them."

His next goal was clear.

Hunt. Exorcise. Absorb. Become stronger.

Jin had just returned to his original world, but his journey was far from over.

"Hehe, It's training time." Jin softly muttered.