There was a lot of smoke everywhere, I could also see light.

It brought back memories of another life. Yes, in that prison, I was also in a dark place and there wasn't much hope.

But where am I?

I was on the ground, lying down. My body was trapped, under something heavy.

Debris. I tried to push with my arms but it was too heavy.

Suddenly, I saw a face appear, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth next. Everything was in the wrong order.

It was Yav, he was standing and looking at me.

"OKO! The noise will attract all the Drifters here, we have to hurry! Put all your points on the strength of your chain and push the debris with it!" he said.

All my points? I had 12. That request wasn't reasonable.

I didn't like putting my talent points into just anything, just because I was in danger. But if this idea came from Yav, I was even less inclined to do it.

I kept pushing the rock that was on me with my arms.

Yav sighed. "Let me explain something to you, if you die, I die too. I'm just a few yards away from finally getting out of this shitty dungeon. Can you please stop being stubborn?" he asked, his hands together as if he was praying.

"Aren’t you... already dead?" I stuttered.

"No! Well... More or less. But I completely disappear if the person I'm haunting dies," he said.

I listened, all while continuing to push the rock until I had no more strength in my arms.

"Well then stop haunting me," I simply said. I might have found a way to get rid of him.

"Yeah... That's not possible. I'm forever linked to the person I haunt. Well, until we leave Hell," he said. He hadn't given me that detail before. I'd been had.

This information almost made me want to give up, as if I'd lost this game.

Maybe I could die again to resurrect. My screen had told me that this was my last chance, but it might be worth trying.

"Oko..." said Yav. He crouched down next to me. "I was with a group here. But now they're all dead, however, we had a base. A base with lots of equipment. Once out of here, I can take you there. How about it?" he proposed.

This ghost was clumsy, even sometimes a bit stupid. But he had an undeniable quality: he knew how to read people.

He understood what my weak point was and he was now skillfully exploiting it.

I was sad to have lost the orb, worried about having pissed off not one, but probably two high-level Merchants. And then the idea of having to spend the rest of my days with this ghost was the nail in my coffin.

But the idea of finding equipment to sell, then leveling up and unlocking a bunch of points to place, and abilities, that excited me.

In fact, now that I had unlocked my level 10 ability, the next one was waiting for me at level 50.

I felt easily manipulated by my desires, but it was irresistible.

"12 points on the strength of my chain? Are you sure?" I asked.

"The more points you put on the strength of your chain, the less it will consume to carry the same load. You're in bad shape, you don't have a lot of EP left and it would be a shame to level up while you're stuck under there," he explained.

This guy had flashes of brilliance. His idea was good.

"Okay, let's do it." After saying that, I placed my 12 talent points on the strength of my chain.

The chain I held started to vibrate, it seemed heavier, more powerful.

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I slid it so that it coiled around the heavy piece of wall blocking my legs.

As I lowered my head towards the stone, I noticed a pool of blood on the ground. I hadn't felt it, but my legs were crushed.

My vision began to blur. Was it because I was on the verge of fainting from the shock, or because I had lost too much blood?

"No no no no no! Look at me, not your legs! It's nothing, don't pass out! Push the stone and then you can heal yourself by leveling up, okay?" said Yav, he was panicked.

I blew out through my mouth and continued to coil the chain.

I didn't need his advice to know what to do.

Once the chain was well coiled, I made it pull towards my feet. After a little effort, it rolled.

I heard my bones cracking, but there was no pain. It was weird, knowing something was off, but not feeling anything. From my hips down, I couldn't move.

Once the stone was off me, I looked down at my legs.

They were completely flattened, there was blood everywhere.

"I... I put... I level up," I said with difficulty, caught between the urge to vomit and the sensation of fainting.

I noticed a faint glow beneath my skin, and my screen began to flicker.

Suddenly, I saw my legs swell back up, my feet straighten, and return to their normal color.

It was an incredible sensation, even more so to witness.

"Perfect, now we have to run. I hear something approaching!" Yav warned me.

He was right. I could hear a rhythmic, metallic noise coming closer.

I got up, grabbing the chain that had just released the boulder, and started to run with Yav tailing me.

I seized my other chain and scanned my surroundings for the third one. I saw links here and there, the explosion had completely destroyed it. The sight was painful.

"Such a good chain," I muttered, bitterly.

There was a large cavity in the wall from where light was seeping out, opening up to the outside.

The hole was small but big enough for me to fit through.

It was about two yards above ground, so I threw my chain through it, fastening it to a rock I spotted just outside the hole.

I hoisted myself up to escape through the hole, simultaneously using my chain for leverage.

This time, it felt strong enough to bear my weight.

I caught a glimpse of the armored Drifter as my legs cleared the hole.

He was too large to follow me, fortunately.

Now outside, I found myself amidst overturned rocks, dirt, and bushes.

"No time to relax, we need to get as far away from here as possible!" Yav insisted.

I didn't like how often he was telling me what to do, but now wasn't the time to argue. I pulled out my map and quickly located my base, setting a southward course.

.

After an hour of non-stop running, I stopped to catch my breath.

We were in the middle of a forest, and it was unlikely anyone had followed us.

However, just to be safe, I decided to take a detour and spend the night up in a tree, away from my base.

I quickly scaled the tallest tree I could find, leveraging the enhanced strength of my chain to carry me. This method was not only faster but also less energy-consuming than climbing using my arms.

Once comfortably settled on a branch, I opened my profile.

I was at level 12, with four talent points to allocate. I needed 580DP to reach level 13, and I had 2450PP left.

The strength of my chain had almost tripled, from 7 to 19.

"You should invest these four points into your speed," suggested Yav, who was hovering over the void near the branch, his eyes glued to my screen.

I looked at him, disheartened.

Could he actually see my screen? There went my privacy.

"For a few minutes there, I had forgotten you existed. It was pleasant," I retorted.

"Given the amount of time we're going to spend together, it'd be nice to get to know and appreciate each other," he responded, seemingly unfazed by my comment.

"No, I’m fine," I said, turning my gaze back to the screen.

My eyes were directed towards the screen, but I was focused on my peripheral vision, specifically on Yav.

He was looking around.

He's been underground for years, it must be nice for him to be outside.

"My base is near a large lake," I mumbled, perhaps seeking to impress him.

"A lake? I love lakes! How big is it?" he asked, excitedly.

"Large," I simply replied.

"When are we going?" he further inquired.

"Tomorrow. We're spending the night here," I explained.

"Is it too far, or are you just worried someone might be following us?" he asked perceptively.

"A bit of both," I replied, and then returned my attention to my profile.

I had low energy, which was to be expected given the exertion to get here. But I wanted to check on my chain's consumption. I dived deeper into my energy usage.

Most of the energy consumption had indeed come from my chain. But then, there was another line: "YOU ARE HAUNTED -1EP" appeared several times.

"What the hell is this?!" I demanded, pointing at my screen.

Yav moved closer to inspect.

"That's the cost of being haunted," he said nonchalantly.

"What cost?" My exasperation was mounting.

"Every hour, you lose 1 EP. Essentially, I'm using your energy to exist. Didn't I mention that?" he asked with feigned innocence.

This ghost was a parasitic liar. Just my luck.

"And what happens when I run out of EP?" I asked, trying to conceal my anxiety.

"Oh... I think I'd take control of your body," he replied, a sly grin on his lips.