Chapter 19

Now that he could use magic, finding out if a ghost existed in the mansion wouldn’t be difficult.

‘Was there really a ghost in this house?’

In his original world, he had encountered countless beasts and the souls of the dead, much like monsters in a game, but seeking a ghost in another world felt slightly awkward.

But then, he sensed it—a definite presence of a dead soul in the house.

There was no doubt about it; it was someone’s spirit.

‘There really is one.’

The previous owner’s claim about moving out due to a ghost turned out to be surprisingly true.

In the first-floor parlor.

Confident of the target’s location, Alec left his room.

With his family all awake during the day, it seemed best to lure the ghost outside.

Perhaps moving some furniture out of the house would cause it to follow.

The former residents said it always appeared when they tried moving things out, indicating a strong attachment to the house.

Descending the stairs to the first floor, he suddenly froze.

Louise was lying unconscious on the floor, between the staircase and the parlor.

“…!”

Startled, Alec rushed to her side.

“Louise.”

He shook her gently, but there was no response. Checking her breathing, he found that she was still breathing.

Where were the others?

Scanning the surroundings, he picked up Louise.

As he lifted her, he was startled by her almost weightless body and glanced at her face.

‘A feather?’

Could a person be this light?

Momentarily puzzled, he carried her to the closest room, Eloise’s room.

Opening the door, he saw Eloise lying quietly on the bed as if asleep.

Hurrying to her side, Alec laid Louise down and checked Eloise’s breathing. Thankfully, it was normal.

In the adjacent room, their mother also lay asleep, impossible to awaken, but otherwise unharmed.

‘It’s definitely the ghost’s doing.’

Alec sighed softly as he left his mother’s room.

He attempted to sense the ghost again.

The ghost that had been in the parlor moments ago was now—

A cold sensation crept up his spine.

When did it come so close?

‘What kind of ghost is it?’

A dead person?

Given that this world had yet to see the emergence of demonic beasts, it couldn’t be a monstrous entity.

Most likely, it was the spirit of someone who had died related to the house.

He sensed the ghost slowly circling him, almost as if probing.

Invisible wisps of what seemed like smoke mixed with the air around him, rising and dispersing.

Instinctively, Alec held his breath to avoid inhaling the smoke.

His family must have been affected by this.

Silently, he focused his magic, ready to seize the ghost.

At an unexpected moment, he grabbed hold of the ghost, dragging it out into the open.

A startled ghost, caught off guard, revealed its true form as it was pulled out.

[Growl!]

‘…Growl?’

The sound of a beast snarling reached his ears.

At the same time, a notification chimed.

[Congratulations!]

[You have encountered a post-mortem entity and unlocked the ~Job Quest: Reemployment~!]

[Succeed in the job quest to regain your Necromancer abilities!]

“…!”

A reemployment job quest had been unlocked?

So, encountering a ghost was the trigger?

‘Succeed in the job quest to regain your Necromancer abilities!’

…Necromancer.

That had been his profession according to the system.

A Necromancer could summon any ghost, whether human, animal, or monster, as a minion.

However, being a magic-based profession, a Necromancer’s abilities heavily depended on the player’s mana reserves.

Fortunately, Alec had an immense mana capacity, earning him the nickname “mana spoon,” which allowed him to develop his Necromancer abilities far more powerfully than anyone else.

While other players could only command armies of a few million minions, his abilities let him control tens of millions.

However, the mana of his current body had been practically zero. Although he had now grown it to 1 Circle, it had been confined within him and never utilized until now, effectively rendering it zero.

‘That’s actually why I chose this house.’

When he heard about a property haunted by a ghost, he had his suspicions.

Even if he couldn’t use the system to create minions, perhaps he could capture and use the ghost.

Ghosts weren’t easy to come by.

One could only encounter a soul within a specific time after a body’s death, and graveyards filled with long-dead bodies were usually barren of spirits.

But a ghost lingering in the mortal world was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore.

With mana in his body, he believed he could command a ghost even without the system.

Alec slowly gazed down at the ghost.

A small creature covered in brown fur whimpered, bound by his magic.

“…”

He had expected a human ghost, but it turned out to be a small animal.

An unexpected presence.

A tiny body with soft-looking fur, but an intimidating gaze that seemed to pierce the heavens.

[…Snarl, growl!]

The ghost glared at him with a fierce voice.

He felt no real threat, so he began to release the magic binding the ghost.

[Growl!]

‘Can you see me?’

The ghost’s growl seemed to form words in his mind.

It must have been due to the mana.

He sighed lightly and spoke out loud for the first time.

“Are you the one who put the people to sleep? Wake them up.”

[Growl!]

‘Let me go!’

The ghost barked angrily, jumping around in frustration.

Despite its fury, it looked quite insignificant to him.

Alec asked more sternly.

“These people aren’t going to die, are they?”

[Growl!]

‘Anyone who inhales my smoke won’t wake up easily.’

“…”

A seemingly ordinary ghost, yet capable of putting people to sleep?

It’s not even a demon, but I’m intrigued.

What kind of story did this ghost have?

At that moment, a notification chimed.

[Capture Ghost Gideon, as your minion!]

[Time remaining: 1 minute]

Gideon?

So, the ghost’s name was Gideon.

A thought crossed Alec’s mind.

Could this ghost be a monster created by the system?

If not, Gideon’s ability to affect living humans was hard to understand.

While this world would later see the emergence of magical beasts due to the tyrant, a ghost with such specific abilities was unusual.

‘Could it be…’

Had he stumbled upon a system design without realizing it while looking for a new home?

Was it possible that this ghost had driven out the previous owners as part of that design…?

[Growl…]

‘I must guard this house until my master arrives.’

[Growl!]

‘So, leave now.’

[Sniff!]

‘This is my master’s house!’

“…”

The ghost’s demeanor was fierce.

Waiting for its master explained why it had been driving away newcomers.

This small creature was undoubtedly created by the system to lure him here.

“How did you get the ability to put people to sleep? Are you not just a simple ghost?”

At his continued questioning, the ghost crouched defensively, unfamiliar with being interrogated.

Still brimming with hostility, the ghost growled.

[Growl…]

‘I was sleeping by the fireplace because I was cold, but I died in the fire.’

[Growl.]

‘Someone moved in without knowing I was there and lit a fire.’

[Thud!]

‘I inhaled too much smoke!’

As if recalling the incident, the ghost jumped angrily.

Alec quietly looked down at the ghost.

“…I see.”

An unexpectedly tragic story for a ghost.

Like an NPC, it seemed to believe in the memories the system had implanted as its reality.

[Sniff!]

‘You should taste it too!’

The ghost puffed its cheeks, gathering its breath.

It seemed intent on making him inhale its smoke and faint.

Whooooosh!

Pale smoke billowed from the ghost’s mouth, quickly filling his vision with gray.

Just as he tried to defend with his mana, a notification chimed.

[Passive skill. Resistance activated.]

[Mana is consumed.]