As they sat together, the room quiet except for the faint ticking of a clock, Xiao Ling broke the silence first.
"Ah Xu…" she began softly, her voice trembling just a little.
"What happened down there in the basement?
Did you not hear me shouting your name? I kept calling for you, but you never answered…"
Ah Xu stared into his drink for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
His fingers tightened slightly around the glass before he set it down on the table.
"I didn't hear anything,"
he said finally, his tone low.
"When I went down there, I… saw something. A ghostly figure.
It was… terrifying."
Xiao Ling's eyes widened.
"A ghostly figure?"
He nodded, the memory flashing vividly behind his eyes.
"Yeah. It wasn't human.
It talked about being sealed inside the mansion for centuries.
It said it needed blood… and fear… to grow stronger. It tried to kill me."
The room fell silent for a few seconds. Even Jia Le, who usually had a smirk ready for any occasion, looked uneasy.
Ah Xu continued, his voice rougher now.
"I don't remember much after that. I think it attacked me — everything went black.
The next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor, and Xiao Ling was unconscious near the basement door."
Xiao Ling clutched her hands together tightly, a chill running through her.
"So… that scream… the one I heard before I fainted…"
"It was probably that thing," Ah Xu said quietly.
Jia Le frowned, leaning forward.
"But… you're saying you were stabbed — attacked — and then just woke up fine?
That doesn't make any sense."
Ah Xu forced a small, uneasy smile.
"Yeah… I don't understand it either.
Maybe it didn't hit anything vital. Maybe I was just lucky."
But deep down, he knew it wasn't luck.
He could still feel that strange presence inside him — the faint hum of energy from the system he'd chosen not to mention.
Xiao Ling reached over and placed a hand on his arm.
"I'm just glad you're alive, Ah Xu… Please, no more dares like this. Ever again."
Ah Xu nodded slowly.
"Yeah… I promise."
But even as he said it, a faint notification tone echoed faintly in his head — the system still awake, reminding him that his life had already changed forever.
After hearing the full story from Ah Xu and Xiao Ling, Jia Le leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Alright," he said finally, his voice calm but firm.
"It's getting late. You two need to rest."
He gestured toward the guest room.
"Both of you can sleep there tonight.
We'll talk more in the morning, when everyone's fully awake and can think straight."
Ah Xu and Xiao Ling exchanged a glance and nodded.
The weight of the night still pressed on them, and the idea of a warm bed was more than welcome.
"Thanks, Jia Le," Xiao Ling murmured, her voice soft.
"Yeah… thanks," Ah Xu added quietly, still processing everything that had happened.
With that, Jia Le led them toward the guest room.
The mansion was quiet, the tension from the night still lingering in the corners, but for now, at least, they could rest.
Ah Xu lay on the bed in the guest room, staring at the ceiling as his mind replayed everything from the Feng Mansion.
The adrenaline was fading, but a strange, persistent feeling gnawed at him — the faint hum in his mind that had started the moment he woke up.
Then, without warning, a notification appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness of the room.
[System Alert]
A calm, mechanical voice echoed directly in his mind:
"Welcome, Host, to the Horror System.
As Host, you gain the power to summon supernatural beings or slay them at will. Your choices determine your path."
Ah Xu blinked. "W-what… is this?"
The voice continued:
"You have recently merged with a strong ghostly spirit.
The system will now break down its skills and current functions for you to understand."
A holographic interface floated in his vision, displaying several categories.
Only two were highlighted:
Daily Tasks and Quests.
"The remaining functions will unlock as you complete the required number of tasks or acquire souls of sufficient strength.
Proceed carefully, Host."
Ah Xu swallowed hard, staring at the floating stats.
A detailed description of the spirit he had absorbed appeared:
Strong Ghostly Spirit — Absorbed
Skills:
The Scream
Description: Unleashes a paralyzing scream.
Against weaker beings: Paralysis lasts 1 hour.
Against stronger beings: Paralysis lasts 10 seconds.
Ah Xu's pulse quickened.
The voice in his mind continued, calm and instructive:
"Use your skills wisely, Host. The spirit you have absorbed carries immense power, but mastery will require understanding and practice.
Daily Quest and Main Quest are your first steps toward growth."
Ah Xu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His hands trembled slightly.
The weight of the system — and the power now coursing through him — was real.
So this is… what I've become…
He could feel the faint echo of the ghostly spirit inside him, a cold, sharp awareness that whispered, urging him to test the limits of his new strength.
Ah Xu knew one thing for certain: the world had just changed for him, and nothing would ever be the same again.
As Ah Xu lay on the bed, still trying to process the full scope of the system,.
Another notification suddenly appeared, glowing in the darkness:
[Daily Spin of Horror has arrived!]
Ah Xu frowned, staring at the words.
"Spin of Horror"? The name alone didn't sound promising.
It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
But curiosity got the better of him.
He muttered under his breath, half-amused, half-resigned:
"Fine… let's see what this is all about."
A spinning wheel appeared in his vision, holographic and eerie.
Each section glowed with a different icon — some were weapons, others showed strange symbols, and a few had ghostly silhouettes that seemed to move on their own.
[Spin to receive random reward or challenge. Spin once per day.]
Ah Xu's hand hovered over the "Spin" button. His mind raced.
This could be a weapon… or a trap.
But if it helps me grow stronger… it's worth it.
He took a deep breath and tapped the button.
The wheel began to spin with a low hum, each segment blurring as it whirled faster and faster.
Lights flickered across the room as the wheel picked up speed, casting long, wavering shadows on the walls.
Ah Xu gritted his teeth, eyes fixed on the spinning wheel, waiting to see what fate — or horror — the system had in store for him.