A hologram flickered to life before his eyes, rapidly displaying information:
[Name: Plague Phantom
Type: Spectral Entity
Rank: Unique]
[Status Effects:
- Toxic Aura (Active): The area around the Plague Phantom is filled with a constant, invisible cloud of toxins. Prolonged exposure causes nausea, fatigue, and gradual organ failure.
- Corrupting Miasma (Dormant): A latent ability that can be activated when the Plague Phantom is severely damaged. This miasma rapidly corrodes anything organic within its radius, turning it into a vector for further disease spread.]
[Abilities:
- Disease Spread: The Plague Phantom can infect living beings within a certain range, causing debilitating diseases that weaken both body and mind. Infected individuals may spread the disease to others.
- Corporeal Drain: Upon contact with a living target, the Plague Phantom drains their life force, siphoning health and vitality to restore its own ethereal form.
- Poisonous Touch: A physical attack from the Plague Phantom causes immediate poisoning, leading to paralysis or death depending on the victim's resistance.]
[Weaknesses:
- Holy Magic: The Plague Phantom’s spectral form is highly vulnerable to purification or holy spells, which can disrupt its ethereal body and disperse the toxic miasma.
- High Heat: Intense heat burns through the toxins surrounding the Plague Phantom, weakening its defenses and forcing it into a dormant state.]
Iskander’s eyebrows arched with interest.
The creature’s soul might align with his Authority. He recalled his Authority's description.
[Authority: Degradation
Description: Control over the quality and functionality of entities, causing them to deteriorate or lose effectiveness. This authority influences the degradation of value, status, and capability, affecting everything from physical objects to abstract concepts like morale and prestige. By wielding Degradation, the user can weaken the strength, durability, and operational efficiency of targets, rendering them less effective or entirely obsolete]
Truthfully, it was a broad description—perhaps too broad for Iskander’s taste. I mean, come on, it starts off talking about control over the quality or function of entities, but then the second sentence implies something entirely different. Tread of Decline doesn’t really affect entities. The wording in the last sentence feels awkward as well. Is Degradation even supposed to be a noun?
It's nothing important at the moment.
If I could absorb its soul, I'll know the answer.
As they say; no risks, no gains.
But to do that, he would first need to kill it.
The Plague Phantom crept closer with slow yet deliberate movements, making the air around it increasingly toxic.
Still, this is getting annoying, Iskander muttered inwardly.
He hadn’t been particularly bothered when he awoke atop the towering building, or at least, that’s what he believed. Perhaps it was his inherently detached nature, or his ability to quickly suppress unwanted thoughts, or maybe it was the lingering resilience of Aiura Moor’s mind keeping him composed.
He couldn’t say for sure which was true.
For all he knew, he was growing sick of these strange creatures constantly approaching him. Anyone would feel the same.
Well, whatever. He shrugged those thoughts aside and refocused on the immediate threat.
He could either use the power he already possessed, or he could find a way to lure the creature to a place where its weakness could be exploited.
He exhaled.
Slowly, he moved, keeping a sharp eye on the Phantom as it inched closer, all the while searching for an opening to strike.
The Plague Phantom was weak to holy magic and extreme heat. Unfortunately, Iskander had no access to holy magic, but heat—that might be something he could manage with the resources around him.
His eyes swept across the room, searching for anything that could serve as a source of fire or heat. In the corner, he spotted some broken wooden debris from shattered tables and chairs. The wood looks dry and brittle—easily flammable. Near the reception desk, he noticed an old lantern, tipped over and leaking what seemed to be the remnants of oil. A plan began to take shape in his mind.
With swift but cautious movements—always mindful of the Phantom’s slow advance—Iskander moved toward the pile of debris. He kept a deliberate distance, ensuring the creature’s toxic fumes hadn’t reached him yet.
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This thing doesn’t seem to have much intelligence, Iskander mused, observing its lack of reaction.
The Phantom showed no sign of awareness, even as Iskander gathered dry wood, piling it into the center of the room. It simply continued its slow crawl. Or it’s pretending, he thought.
Even if his plan didn’t work, Iskander had thought of an escape route. The Phantom lacked speed, so by luring it to a specific point, he should be able to easily outmaneuver it and flee through the large entrance. The reason he decided to face it head-on was simply because the chance to grow stronger. This was the perfect opportunity.
Without hesitation, he dashed to the overturned lantern.
Picking it up, he gently shook it, confirming there was still a small amount of oil left inside. With a bit of effort, he struck his kris against a metal plate on the reception desk, creating a spark that ignited the lantern’s wick. A small flame flickered to life, enough to begin his plan.
Iskander quickly carried the lit lantern to the pile of dry wood he’d assembled. As the flame touched the wood, it began to catch, gradually growing larger, casting flickering light and increasing heat throughout the room. Thin wisps of smoke curled upward as the temperature slowly rose.
The Plague Phantom seemed unfazed by Iskander’s efforts so far and continued its slow advance.
With that in mind, Iskander grabbed a piece of burning wood, its end flickering like a torch, and directed it toward the Phantom with a subtle grin. Let's test whether you're scared of it or not.
The creature recoiled slightly as the fire neared, its movement sluggish but distinct. It was clear—the heat did affect it. Seizing this opportunity, Iskander began to circle the fire, keeping a safe distance while swinging the torch toward the Phantom, forcing it to edge closer to the growing flames.
The creature hesitated, its form wavering like a mist disturbed by a breeze. The closer it came to the heat, the more its body distorted, the once-thick toxic cloud around it thinning with each passing moment.
Good. Let’s hope the rest goes this smoothly.
The thickening smoke from the fire began to sting his eyes and lungs, but he simply ignored them.
As the heat intensified, the Plague Phantom grew more erratic, its once-smooth movements turning jerky and disjointed. The toxic miasma that clung to its form like a second skin began to disperse, the greenish fumes thinning in the heated air. It would be great if that was the end, but unfortunately, it's not.
—got you, Iskander smirked.
The Phantom lurched suddenly, its shadowy form elongating as it lashed out with tendrils of poisonous mist toward Iskander. One of the tendrils grazed his arm, sending a sharp, searing pain through his body. His grip on the torch faltered, and he stumbled back, causing his vision blurring for a moment. However, he quickly regained his balance with a still clear mind.
The skin on his arm burned, a sickly green patch forming where the mist had touched him. The poison quickly spread through his veins like fire. He silently gritted his teeth, forcing the pain to the back of his mind. He thrust the torch forward, the flames licking dangerously close to the Phantom. The creature writhed, retreating once more. Iskander pressed his advantage at that instant.
He swept the burning torch across the Phantom’s body. The Phantom shrieked soundlessly as the fire began to consume it.
Ssshtt!
Its form twisted, writhing, the once-dark cloud visibly dissipating into the air.
It seemed as though the Phantom would vanish completely. But in a final act of desperation, it lashed out again, its tendrils whipping toward Iskander’s chest. This time, though, he was prepared. With a fluid motion, he dodged to the side, the tendrils missing him by inches.
Eventually, the fire consumed it as the Plague Phantom's form finally gave way, disintegrating into a cloud of ash and smoke.
That was easy, he was a bit surprised, if not dissapointed.
Iskander stood still, sighing. The room was silent except for the crackling of the fire. His arm throbbed with pain, but he’d won in the end.
From the remnants of the dissipating fog, a faint green orb of light emerged, floating slowly toward him. Was that supposed to be the soul of the Plague Phantom? What should I do to absorp it...?
[Calm your Mind and Body]
He read them briefly. Sounds fair.
Taking a moment to center himself, Iskander assumed a meditative position, calming his thoughts and opening his mind to receive the soul.
As the orb touched his chest, a wave of cold energy spread through his body. The sensation was strange. It felt like mix of clear improvement and a faint nausea, possibly caused by the toxic nature of the soul.
His Authority responded swiftly, however, taming and assimilating the foreign energy into his system. The initial discomfort transformed into a growing sense of control, the power settling into place within him. Then, the hologram blinked into existence before his eyes, displaying new information:
[The Plague Phantom's soul has been successfully absorbed and fused with your own]
[Aspect of Rot Acquired]
[New Manifestasions (Rot) Acquired:
- Plague Emission (Lv. 1): Allows the user to emit a toxic miasma, inflicting nearby enemies with a weakening rot-based plague. The range and potency of the emission increase with Soul Force.
Range: 5 meters
Duration: 15 seconds
Cooldown: 1 minute per 15 seconds
- Disease Resistance (Lv. 1): Significantly reduces the effects of rot-based poisons and infections. Rot-based damage is reduced by 50%, and healing from such afflictions is accelerated.
Resistance: +50%
Recovery Rate: +30%
- Corrupting Touch (Lv. 1): By channeling the power of corruption, the user can degrade the physical and spiritual integrity of targets with a mere touch. This ability deals continuous rotting damage over time and lowers enemy's thinking capacity.
Damage: 15% rotting damage over 10 seconds
Chaotic Thoughts: +20%]
Iskander, needless to say, was impressed.
He wondered about something and check his Profile.
[Name: Aiura Moor
Soul: Iskander Yansen
Race: Elf (Possessed)]
[Dominion: Entropy
Authority: Degradation
Aspects: Corrosion, Dissonance, Erosion, Rot]
[Progress: 1.79% SA (Souls Accumulation)
Soul Force: 380/500]
[VITAL SIGNS]
He ignored the pain in his hand, which was slowly losing in intensity, and instead focusing on something different with his Profile.
His Soul Force had decreased—likely the result of using Degrading Vision earlier. On top of that, though, he noticed that his Souls Accumulation Progress had increased, though very slightly. So what do I gain from that?