SSS: I awakened a ghost system

Run

Clang!

The sound of metal echoed violently through the area, sharp and deafening.

Max slowly opened his eyes to see what was happening, but then froze at the sight before him.

"Gah! Don't just stand there kid, RUN!" John groaned, gripping his war hammer tightly as he struggled to push the creature back.

"But… ho—"

"Just Shut the hell up and run already! This is no time for questions. Just move!"

Max, feeling slightly embarrassed and terrified, obeyed the reaper's command and sprinted off before he lost his life for real this time.

The reason he was even alive was thanks to John's Curse Factor, a short-range teleportation ability.

The creature had been too fast for anyone to react, but the moment John saw its eyes lock onto the boy, his instincts screamed, and without hesitation, he teleported right in front of Max, just in time to block the ghost's deadly claw swipe with his hammer.

"Gah… is it just me, or did it just get stronger?" John gritted his teeth.

The chaos around them only worsened. Citizens who had gathered to watch scattered in panic as the ghost let out a menacing growl, sending shockwaves of fear throughout the battlefield

It lifted its head slightly, its glowing eyes drifting away from John, as if something else had caught its attention.

WHAM!

A solid impact slammed into its back. A staff had struck it clean, sending ripples through its formless body.

The ghost wailed in pain, its body flickering violently. It then turned sharply toward the source of the attack

"C'mon, at least pay attention to your oppone—"

BLAM!

Amy didn't even finish her sentence before the ghost's twisted arm smashed into her side, sending her crashing through a nearby building

"Amy!!" Kein shouted, his voice filled with panic.

'What the hell is this thing made of? It was weakened, and now it's even stronger?' Kein thought, his face twisted in disbelief.

"Huff… huff…" Max gasped for air, his heart still racing from what had just happened. He clutched his chest, his body still trembling.

"That… huff…that was way too close."

A sudden vibration in his pocket startled him, causing hm to quickly pull out his phone.

"Forty-seven missed calls?!" he shouted internally, immediately covered his mouth. He sti wasn't far from the battle, and making any noise could get him noticed again

Just as he anticipated, all the calls were from his mom.

"Gah… she's gonna kill me for this," Max muttered under his breath. He genuinely felt guilty for this. His mom already worked too hard to raise both him and Jimmy on her own, the last he wanted was for her to worrying about her son

Suddenly, another notification popped up in front of him. But this one wasn't from his phone.

_________________________

[Mission]

«System instability detected.»

Level up as fast as possible, or face the consequences.

__________________________

"Not this thing again…" Max groaned. He had no idea what those "consequences" were in the first place, but he surely didn't want to find out.

Crouching behind a pile of rubble, Max peeked out toward the battlefield, still eager to watch the fight. But his eyes widened in shock

Amy was down. Kein lay motionless on the ground, deep claw marks carved across his torso. Only John was still standing, barely.

Every swing of his hammer looked heavier than the last, he was badly bruised, as blood could be seen oozing from his head

It was then that Max saw someone else on the battlefield

A young woman was trapped under a pile rubble, just a few meters from where the ghost loomed. Her leg was pinned, blood streaking down her face as she struggled to free herself.

Max's heart skipped a beat as he saw the lady in such a state. He didn't know why, but seeing her like that made something twist inside him. His chest burned. He could feel her fear… almost like it was his own.

"What… is this feeling?" he muttered, clutching his chest. "Why does it… hurt?"

Every part of him screamed to run…but something deeper was keeping him from moving.

The reapers already had their hands full dealing with the ghost, barely trying to fight back Things were not looking good.

"I…i have to do something" He muttered bravely

….

….

Max sprinted forward without hesitation, heading towards the injured civilian

The battle was still ongoing, and he had to hurry before the ghost noticed him

"Hel..help me" the woman said faintly, tears all over her face. She was definitely in and the struggling had already exhausted her

"Dont worry ma'am, I'll do my best"

Max, panicking, went over to the rubble and started moving the rocks one by one

Thanks to his increased strength, he was somewhat able to move the rocks quickly, but he needed to hurry, time was not on his side

****

"Gahh, get back you filthy demon!" John roared, slamming his hammer into the ghost's side and sending it skidding across the cracked pavement.

Its form rippled and twisted with a sickening sound, reshaping itself as if trying to take on a different form.

"I don't know how you're getting stronger, but this ends now!" he yelled, charging forward.

John was exhausted, his breathing ragged. He knew the ghost was on its last legs, but so was he.

'Damn it. A B-Class ghost shouldn't be this strong…' he thought, gripping his hammer tighter. 'Reinforcements won't make it in time… I'll have to finish this myself.'

Unfortunately for him, the ghost had other plans.

Its glowing eyes snapped toward Max, who was a ready helping an injured civilian nearby.

John's pupils dilated. "Kid, MOVE!!"

The ghost's claws shot forward in a flash. As Max locked eyes with the ghost, he hardly saw the attack coming, and barely had time to think before instinct took over.

At the last second, he dove to the side. But he wasn't fast enough

Pain tore across his arm as the ghost's claws grazed him, causing blood to splatter across the concrete, and leaving a deep gash that burned like fire.

[HP: -8]

[HP: 2/10]

"AAH!" he raspes, clutching his arm as his body trembled from the shock.

Max hesitated for a split second, as the ghost was already turning toward him, its hollow mouth opening into a distorted scream, and revealing rows and rows of sharp jagged teeth

Max darted his eyes around, looking for something, anything he could defend himself with. Then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw something glinting near him. It was Amy's staff.

"C'mon, move!" he yelled at himself, forcing his body to respond. He dragged himself on the floor with one hand, desperately reaching for the staff

At the very last second, Max grabbed the staff and swung it wildly, blocking an incoming strike from the ghost. The impact sent a violent vibration through his arms, almost knocking him over.

He desperately held onto the staff with both hands, and all the adrenalin rush took his mind off the agonising pain from his wounded arm.

John's voice rang out faintly behind him, "The core! Go for its core!"

Max's gaze flicked toward the ghost's chest, where a faint, flickering light pulsed inside the swirling darkness.

He gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the staff.

"Let's… end this!"

He charged forward, his heart pounding so hard it drowned out everything else. The ghost lunged, claws slicing through the air, but Max ducked under it, sliding on instinct alone.

And with every ounce of strength he had left, he thrust the staff forward piercing the creatures chest

BOOOOM!

A green explosion of ghost energy burst from the creature's chest, shaking the ground. The entire street lit up with spectral light as the ghost let out one final, ear-piercing wail before its body shattered into fragments of dark mist.

Max fell to his knees, panting heavily. His body felt like it had just gone through a meat grinder, and no amount of adrenaline could hide the sheer ounce of exhaustion he was going through

The green particles slowly drifted upward, disappearing into the air.

John stumbled closer, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Heh… not bad, kid…"

Looking at the spot where the ghost had been killed, there was a small glowing stone that was left in place, hovering slightly above the ground

"Wait, what's this?"

Max went closer

Upon closer inspection, the stone was black in colour, with a feit yellow glow at the center that seemed to be bulging like a heartbeat. Curious, Max went to pick it up

"Kid, NO!" John roared

The moment Max made contact with the stone, everything went black…

…