Chapter 7: Ambush

Carl's eyes scanned the abandoned shack, but he saw no signs of life. However, his Energy Core detected a faint remnant energy, which he quickly traced. The energy signature led him and his companions into the woods, and they followed it for about 20 minutes.

As they walked deeper into the forest, the trees grew taller and the underbrush thicker, making it harder to see more than a few feet ahead. Suddenly, a fireball came hurtling out of the trees, heading straight for them.

Alex, who was walking at the front of the group, didn't notice the ambush and was caught off guard. The fireball struck him with incredible force, sending him flying backward.

Carl's heart skipped a beat as he watched his friend get hit. He rushed to Alex's side, his Faith Core already responding to the emergency. He placed his hands on Alex's chest, channeling the power of his Faith Core to heal the wounds with miracles abilities.

"Don't waste your energy to me, trust my regeneration."

Carl who comes from modern times, never face badly injured person directly. He panicked and reflexes try to heal Alex forgetting he have regeneration abilities.

Ryan, who had been walking behind Carl, looked around nervously, his eyes scanning the trees for any signs of their attacker. "We need to get out of here, Carl!" he whispered urgently. "We don't know what else is coming our way!"

Carl nodded, his eyes still fixed on Alex's injured form. Carl's really Angry. "I've got him, Ryan. Just keep watch and make sure we're not ambushed again."

Carl swiftly conjured a swarm of butterflies made of light, dispersing them around himself, Ryan, and the injured Alex. The butterflies danced and fluttered, casting a mesmerizing glow over the surrounding trees.

Just as suddenly, another fireball came hurtling towards them, aimed directly at the cluster of butterflies. Carl's Energy Core responded instinctively, locking onto the enemy's position with unerring accuracy.

Without hesitation, Carl snatched a nearby stick from the ground and hurled it towards the enemy's hiding place. As the stick flew through the air, Carl manipulated its kinetic energy, imbuing it with incredible speed and force.

The stick struck the hiding spot with explosive force, its potential energy unleashed in a blast of splintered wood and debris. The explosion sent shockwaves through the surrounding trees, causing leaves and branches to tremble and fall.

Carl's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed intently on the spot where the stick had struck. He could sense the enemy's presence, their energy signature now revealed by the explosion. A fierce determination burned within him, and he took a step forward, ready to confront the enemy head-on.

The enemy, undeterred by the previous explosion, launched a new attack, summoning a hail of small stones to rain down on Carl. However, Carl simply chuckled at this attempt, recognizing the familiar tactic.

With a swift gesture, Carl employed a classic Priest technique, using his Faith Core miracles abilities to stop stones. The hail of stones, which had been accelerating towards Carl, suddenly halted in mid-air, suspended mere inches from his face.

Without hesitation, Carl reflected the stones back at the enemy, imbuing them with twice their original speed using his kinetic energy manipulation. The stones shot back towards the enemy with deadly precision, giving them no time to react.

The enemy, caught off guard by the sudden reversal of the attack, was unable to defend themselves. The hail of stones struck them with brutal force, ending their life in an instant.

Carl stood tall, his eyes gleaming with a hint of satisfaction. He had neutralized the threat with ease, his skills as a Priest proving more than a match for the enemy's magical abilities. With the enemy defeated, Carl turned his attention back to Alex, who was still recovering from the earlier fireball attack.

Carl's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the lifeless body of the enemy. As a modern person, he had always believed that killing was morally wrong, and the weight of his actions suddenly crushed him. He felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and his stomach churned with revulsion.

But before he could vomit, a crisp, robotic voice echoed in his mind.

[Detected Host Acquire Soul]

[Deducting Soul Point]

[System Upgrade to Lvl.1]

[System Online]

The nausea instantly disappeared, replaced by an intense feeling of ecstasy. Carl's eyes gleamed with excitement as he realized that his Golden Finger, the legendary ability of the Transmigrator, had finally awakened.

Carl's eyes widened with excitement as he asked the System, "What can you do?"

The System responded promptly, [System can automatically gather the Soul of intelligent beings and convert it to Soul Points.]

Carl's mind reeled with the implications. "So, you can collect souls and turn them into points?"

The System continued, [Soul Points can be used to Upgrade the System to unlock more functions, or Buy things from the System Shop.]

Carl's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "A System Shop? What kind of things can I buy there?"

The System replied, [Host can it yourself]

[With Lvl 1 System, Host can access "Profile" and "Shop" by say it on host mind.]

Carl's fingers twitched with anticipation. "And what about upgrading the System? What kind of functions can I unlock?"

The System's response was straightforward, [Please upgrade the System to unlock more functions.]

Carl nodded, his mind racing with the possibilities. He could feel the potential of the System, and he was eager to unlock its secrets. "Alright, let's do it. How do I upgrade the System?"

[By collecting Soul Points and buy Upgrades on Shop]

Carl Says Shop on his mind. Carl's eyes widened as the transparent window popped up in front of him, displaying the System Shop's options. He scanned the list.

[Upgrades System to Lvl 2 - 1000 Soul Points]

[Doubles Abilities Effect Voucher - 100 Soul Points]

[Ticket - 100 Soul Points]

[Energy Minor Replenishment Voucher - 100 Soul Points]

He saw the option to upgrade the System to Level 2, which would require 1000 Soul Points. He also noticed the various vouchers, each with its own unique benefits. The Doubles Abilities Effect Voucher, which would double the effect of his abilities, caught his attention, as did the Energy Minor Replenishment Voucher, which could recover 1000 energy units. All cost 100 Soul Points.

The Ticket option also piqued his interest. He learned that it could be used to reduce the cooldown for wheel summoning by one day, but even he hungry with power, he didn't intend to spend 100 soul points to reduced cooldown. Waiting a week wouldn't hurt.

Next Carl tested the profile functions. Carl's eyes scanned the transparent window that popped up, displaying his profile information

Name: Carl Mclovin

Rank: Fated

Core: Faith Core, Energy Core

Abilities: Fate manipulation, Minor Miracles, Energy Manipulation

Energy: 860/1000

With a mental nod, Carl closed the profile window, he feels really excited.

As Alex finally fully regenerated, Carl breathed a sigh of relief. The only reminder of the ambush was Alex's burned clothes, a stark reminder of the danger they had faced.

Carl turned his attention to the enemy's body, searching for any clues or useful items. His eyes landed on a short staff, an artifact. He also found a book of runes, its pages filled World Language rune. Church have similar tome like this.

Carl carefully took the staff and book, tucking them into his inventory. He knew that these items could be valuable in the future, and he didn't want to leave them behind.

With their mission accomplished, Carl, Alex, and Ryan made their way back to the village. They were greeted as heroes, with the villagers thanking them for their bravery.

After a brief celebration, the trio proceeded to the church, where they reported their success to Priest Michael. The priest listened intently, his eyes shining with pride.

"Well done, Carl," Priest Michael said, placing a hand on Carl's shoulder. "You and your subordinate have done a great service to the village. The Lord smiles upon you."