“He deserves to rot in hell…”
John gritted his teeth. He’d never thought his so-called “family to feed” meant this.
“Wait a second—why does your voice sound a little jealous?”
Brian chuckled, then his tone turned serious.
“I’m warning you, kid—don’t get any bright ideas. They’re cracking down hard on this kind of crap right now.”
“Uncle Brian, c’mon…” John grinned sheepishly. “Do I look like the type?”
“Hard to say.” Brian raised an eyebrow. With this kid’s… quirks, he’d put nothing past him.
“These days, some Spirit Wielders think they can get away with anything just ’cause they’ve got a bound spirit. Scamming people, even murder and other crimes.”
Brian’s voice was a sharp warning.
“For folks like that, the authorities send in the pros—and write it off as a supernatural incident.”
John’s eyes widened, a chill running down his spine as he realized just how ruthless the authorities’ tactics were.
If it was labeled a supernatural incident, they didn’t need to arrest rogue Spirit Wielders. They could just take them out on the spot—no questions asked, no explanations needed afterward.
“Alright. Just make sure you stay on the straight and narrow, kid.”
Brian didn’t say anything else, hanging up the call.
John stared at his phone, muttering to himself.
“Guess I really can’t mess around right now…”
Ever since he’d gained strength far beyond ordinary people, he’d let himself entertain a few Homelander-esque thoughts. But hearing how brutal the authorities were? Those ideas vanished in an instant.
He could barely handle a single Grade 1 Spirit Wielder as it was…
“Lay low, grind, and get stronger first.”
John cleaned his plate of breakfast in seconds, shoveling the last bites into his mouth.
Bored, he fired up his new laptop and started scouring the web for information.
The authorities weren’t just cracking down on real-world crimes—they’d also arrested a ton of people spreading fake supernatural stories online.
There were far fewer paranormal posts floating around now, proof that plenty of troublemakers had been stirring up panic with made-up tales.
What few posts remained, though, were almost all genuine.
“Blackwater City’s got over twenty sealed supernatural sites now…”
John’s eyes flicked across the official notice, landing on a location on the city’s outskirts.
“The Loess Village incident…”
He’d never forgotten it—that was where he’d bought the rooster blood.
He’d suspected the chickens dropping dead left and right had something to do with ghosts, and now the official report confirmed it.
“Extremely dangerous…”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
A bright red warning label blared next to Loess Village, ordering everyone to stay away. The authorities had even set up cordon tape two kilometers out from the village—proof of just how terrified they were of whatever was there.
“Good thing I hightailed it out of there when I did…”
He hadn’t known a thing about ghosts back then, so he’d bolted the second things felt off. Smart move, in hindsight.
“I’ll go back when I’m strong enough…”
John stared at the list of sealed sites, licking his lips in anticipation. Each one was a potential treasure trove of “medicine” for him…
“Someday, I’ll devour every last ghost in all of them…”
…
That night,
John was at home playing video games when his phone suddenly rang.
“Unknown number?”
He raised an eyebrow, answering it—and talking over the person on the other end before they could speak a word.
“Buddy, need cash? Interested in a nude loan? Don’t need cash? How about an investment? Not into investing? Buy a house—real estate’s solid! Already got a house? Renovations! We’ve got the best deals!”
“??? ”
His rapid-fire sales pitch left the other end dead silent.
After a long pause, Ron’s voice came through, exasperated.
“John, are you actually insane?!”
“…”
John’s mouth twitched, and he fell silent too.
Another pause, then he spoke, feigning innocence.
“Cousin? What the hell are you doing on my phone?!”
There was a dramatic clatter in the background, as if he was wrestling the phone back, then he said sheepishly,
“Instructor Ron? So sorry about that. My cousin was messing around with my phone.”
“…”
Ron’s mouth twitched so hard it was a miracle his jaw didn’t break. “Cut the crap. That was definitely your voice!”
“…”
“You’ve got a pretty diverse side hustle going on, huh?”
“Uh…”
John was at a loss for words.
It was an unknown number—his first thought was a telemarketer. He’d just wanted to use their own schtick against them and leave ’em with nothing to say.
He never thought it’d be Ron.
“Alright, I’ve had a long day. I don’t have time for your nonsense.”
Ron’s tone was flat, all business now. “I put in the application with the higher-ups, and they approved it.”
“Really?!”
John’s eyes lit up, excitement flooding his face.
“Report to Spirit Wielding Class 2 next Monday!”
“You got it!”
“Also…”
Ron’s voice trailed off, then dropped to a low, suspicious murmur. “Is that nude loan thing actually a real thing?”
“??? ”
John’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He sputtered,
“Instructor Ron! C’mon, you’re a Spirit Wielder—you’re the face of the authorities! If you’re really short on cash, we can figure out another way, okay?!”
“What the hell are you rambling about?!”
Ron caught on instantly, his voice rising in annoyance. “I’m asking if it’s real so I can tell the Local Patrol to shut it down!”
“Uh…”
John scratched the back of his head, chagrined. “Why didn’t you just say that? I thought you were actually… y’know…”
“Shut up, kid!”
Ron was this close to losing his mind.
As a certified Spirit Wielder for the authorities, he was rolling in cash. Even if he wasn’t, he’d never sink that low…
“Just tell me—yes or no?”
“I made it up on the spot! I’m a upstanding citizen, okay? I’d never do a side hustle like that…”
“Wasn’t it your cousin who made it up?”
“…”
John’s mouth twitched again. So you were setting me up this whole time?
“Alright, enough with the games. Be there Monday, and don’t be late!”
With that, Ron hung up, not wanting to waste another second on John’s antics.
“Spirit Wielding Class! Spirit Wielding Class! I’m coming for you!”
John tossed his phone aside and flopped onto his bed, a grin so wide it hurt his cheeks.
He’d done it—he’d gotten into the Spirit Wielding Class, and he was still just a regular human!
…
October 8th, 2035 (Blue Star Calendar)
“Spent the National Day holiday in absolute bliss. Can’t complain…”
John stretched lazily, rolling out of bed bright and early—something he almost never did.
Today was the day he reported to the Spirit Wielding Class!
“Wonder if there’s a welcome gift for new students…”
He muttered to himself, heading out the door and cleaning out an entire breakfast stall on the street before making his way to the academy.
“Is everyone always this early on Mondays?”
John had thought he’d been the first to arrive, but the hallways were already packed with students, all ready to start the day’s lessons.
These days, almost everyone lived on campus full-time for safety—they didn’t even go home on weekends. So Mondays were never a struggle.
After all, if you never take a holiday, you never get the post-holiday blues…
“Spirit Wielding Class 2…”
John wandered the first floor, spotting the classroom door in no time.
And standing right outside it, looking like he’d been waiting for a while, was Ron.
“Instructor Ron?”
John blinked in surprise. “Were you waiting for me?”
“Sure was. Let’s go.”
Ron smiled, leading John into the classroom.
The chatter and gossip died down instantly as every single student looked up.
“Boss John!”
William’s face lit up with joy from the back of the room, winking and nudging at John like a kid who’d just gotten the best toy ever.
He’d known John was joining the Spirit Wielding Class—John had told him himself—but seeing him walk through that door? The excitement was off the charts.
Instant backup. A personal bodyguard. Just like that…
