Suddenly... Jack felt a familiar tingle. The level up notification again appeared before him.
[LEVEL UP!]
[AVAILABLE NEW INCARNATION FORM] CHOOSE ONE:
[DEVIL INCARNATION: KRASUE]
[MONSTER INCARNATION: SLIMER]
[NATURE INCARNATION: SPRIGGAN]
[FIEND INCARNATION: DRAUGR]
[SPRITE INCARNATION: GREMLIN]
[DEMON INCARNATION: KAPPA]
Jack gasped. The notification this time was... different. He stared at the notification for a while.
His invisible, faceless visage couldn't convey the feeling of confusion mixed with excitement that he was experiencing. Well, it couldn't really convey anything. He was faceless. And invisible.
But... this was not the usual ability or supernatural trait choices he got. This was a whole new level of weird. Even for him.
An incarnation form? Was he supposed to reborn again? To pick a new body? Or to evolve into new species? Can he return into his current ghost form?
Jack read the notification more carefully. He expected another window bloomed, detailing the notification further.
But no! He only got more detailed information in his first level up, when he chose [Banshee's Requiem]. After that, helpful details never appeared anymore in level up choices.
It was as if the one who reincarnated him here felt that it would be too easy for him. And not that fun anymore.
Or, if he was a character in story... the writer was too lazy to add the information in different writing style.
Jack let out an invisible sigh and focused back to the notification. Available new incarnation? It was a new incarnation. It was not saying: upgrade or evolution.
It should be a new form, right? A new selectable... avatar? Jack was not sure. He sighed. Whatever it was, looking at the choices, he didn't think it would be wise to make a choice this close to human settlement.
He needed to find a secluded place. Jack floated away, drifting to the wilderness.
Meanwhile, he dove into his mental archive, the vast library of horror lore he'd accumulated in his previous life. Time to find out what the hell these options even were.
First up: [Devil Incarnation: Krasue].
Krasue. Also known as Kuyang. It was from Southeast Asian folklores. A floating human head, usually female, with her organs dangling below, glowing in the night. It fed on filth, afterbirth, and basically anything disgusting.
Weaknesses... thorns, sharp objects, salt. Advantages... ability to fly, terrifying form, and… well, that was about it.
Jack imagined himself, a spectral floating head, bobbing around Asquall Village, looking for discarded placenta.
No. Just no. Vile and repulsive. He already enjoyed flying as a ghost, without the hassle of carrying his innards everywhere.
Next: [Monster Incarnation: Slimer].
Slimer? From Ghostbusters? Really?
Well, it could be considered western popular culture. A classic ghost. The specter was a green, amorphous blob. It was perpetually hungry. And it left a trail of ectoplasmic goo wherever it went.
Weaknesses... er... ghost traps? That was how the Ghostbusters caught it in movies. Advantages... intangibility, ability to eat almost anything, comedic potential.
Was he really considering becoming a glorified garbage disposal? Did he really want to be a comedic character? And the mess? He shuddered. No way.
The first two choices were awful. Then, the next choice was: [Nature Incarnation: Spriggan].
Spriggan. This came from Cornish folklore. It was an ugly, grotesque guardian of ancient ruins and treasure. It could shapeshift, control storms, and generally be a pain in the ass to anyone who disturbed their territory.
Weaknesses... iron, prayers. Advantages... control over nature, potent magic, territorial defense.
This one was a bit more tempting. The connection to nature appealed to his sense of justice. But being bound to a specific location? Asquall Village was already depressing enough. He couldn't imagine being stuck here forever.
Besides, he set himself as the Harbinger of Vengeance. He should be useful in a chaotic city, where most sinners were. Not in wilderness, where nature was already the perfect judge.
He could imagine that he would soon feel useless in nature. He'd already felt that way in Asquall Village before the inquisitors came.
Next choice. [Fiend Incarnation: Draugr].
Draugr. Ugh... Elder Scrolls: Skyrim?
Anyway, this creature actually came from Norse mythology. It was an undead Viking warrior, guarding their burial mounds. It had superhuman strength and retained the warrior's combat instinct. Some stories even said that it could also control weather and spread disease.
Weaknesses... light, decapitation. Advantages... immense power, terrifying aura, combat instinct.
Now this was interesting. A powerful undead warrior? He could definitely work with that. The weakness to light was a concern. But, it was still workable.
Plus, he could imagine the fear he could instill as a Draugr. He would be a frightening punisher of the wicked beyond imagination.
Two left. The next one was [Sprite Incarnation: Gremlin].
Gremlin. It came from western popular culture. It was mischievous, destructive little creatures that sabotaged machinery.
Weaknesses... sunlight, rules. Advantages... ingenious mind, quick movement, and capability of causing chaos on a grand scale.
This could be fun. Especially during this Industrial Revolution Age. Jack could imagine his imp-like body sabotaging the factories, bringing the exploitative owners to their knees.
But being a creature that small bothered him somehow. It would make the world much bigger and harder to travel. And honestly, he wasn't really interested in messing with machines.
Last, but not least... [Demon Incarnation: Kappa].
Kappa. This one came from Japanese folklore. It was a water demon. As for the appearance, it was a turtle-like creature with a dish on their head filled with water. It drowned people, ate internal organs, and was obsessed with politeness.
Weaknesses... iron, sesame, polite bowing. Advantages... supernatural strength in water, knowledge of medicine, and a unique sense of honor.
A water demon? In this era of polluted bodies of water? The advantages were... dubious. And the politeness thing? Jack, even as a ghost, had never been known for his manners.
He weighed the options. The Krasue was disgusting. The Slimer, pathetic. The Spriggan, too restrictive. The Gremlin, too chaotic. The Kappa was just… not for the current time.
That left the Draugr. The undead Viking warrior. Powerful, fearsome, and capable of delivering righteous vengeance. It suited his purposes. It fit his personality. He felt a cold grin spread across his nonexistent face.
But he could not choose it yet. He needed a safe, secluded place. Wait! What about the Mirror Room.
Jack almost forgot that he had this power. The side branch of [Bloody Mary's Mirror World]. A safe small room in the freaky Mirror World.
He stopped moving. He had hadn't cease flying to the wilderness as he analyzed his choices.
Now he was already pretty far from Asquall Village. But it wasn't the true wilderness. Not yet. It was still farmland here. Poor, barren farmland.
Jack heard the sound of water flow. It was a river. Polluted one. But it still had reflective surface. It should be enough for what he needed to do.
He activated the [Bloody Mary's Mirror World].
And...
He was back in his personal Mirror Room. It was still the same. Stark white walls, ceilings, and floors. An oppressive silence. And the single, large mirror staring back at him.
It should be safe here. He reached out with his will and selected: [FIEND INCARNATION: DRAUGR].
A wave of icy energy washed over him. He felt his form slowly… solidify. Grow stronger. The ethereal transparency of his ghost body began to fade.
It was replaced by something… denser. He could feel the weight of this new form. It truly had the promise of immense strength.
This was a slow process that took him several minutes to complete. But, finally, the ghostly tingle subsided. The notification vanished.
He looked down at his hands. It was no longer invisible. No longer translucent. It was now pale, almost grey, with thick, corded veins. He felt a surge of power coursing through him. He felt a primal rage simmering beneath the surface.
He tried to speak. Without the [Banshee's Requiems]. It worked. He tested his new vocal cords. The sound that emerged was a guttural growl. He would need to practice that.
He flexed his fingers. He felt the unaccustomed weight of bones and fleshless muscles. He looked at the room's mirror. He was something tangible. Something real.
A Draugr. Naked, ugly undead. But he had a body.
Jack activated his [Information Panel Vision] as he looked at his reflection. His status panel immediately appeared.
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Name: Jack Night]
[Incarnation Type: Fiend]
[Persona: ???]
[Race: Undead Draugr]
[Archetype: Supernatural Entity]
[Attributes: Physique (71) Mysticism (35) Passion (66) Essence (99)]
[Karma: Neutral]
[System Sight Modes: Information Panel; Fear Detection; Aura Detection]
[Supernatural Traits: Nightmare Shapeshift; Banshee's Requiems; Poltergeist's Telekinesis; Bloody Mary's Mirror World; Draugr's Combat Instinct; Incarnation Shift]
There were many changes in the panel. Several new... things. He tried to observe each new information, expecting it would fail like during the level-up choices.
But it worked.
First... the Incarnation Type: Fiend.
[Incarnation Type: Fiend. A supernatural being driven by a single overwhelming addictive desire. Only by fulfilling this desire continuously can it enhance its passion attribute. It is usually considered malevolent in nature, as it preys on souls to strengthen its physical attribute.]
So, this was how fiend was defined here. At least, it had shown ways to improve two of its attributes. Fulfilling desire to enhance passion. Consuming souls to enhance physique.
Formless Ghost didn't have any way to enhance attributes. No. It did say that to thrive it needed to consume fear and nightmare.
He didn't get stronger when he consumed nightmares though. Probably, the improvement was extremely small, a fraction of single point. And it was assigned to many attributes at the same time. Perhaps.
Next is... Persona?
[Persona: ???. The identity associated with certain incarnation. Unassigned.]
Suddenly, a different panel appeared in Jack's vision:
[The Persona automatically assigned for the Formless Ghost Incarnation is: Faceless Jack. Does the host want to assign the same identity for the Undead Draugr Incarnation?]
No! Jack immediately replied in his mind. He was no longer faceless in this draugr form. He needed a different name.
He looked at his reflection and saw the eerie spark of fire within its eyes. The only sign of life out of its unmoving dead body. That was when the inspiration struck him.
'Deathspark! Jack Deathspark! That will be the identity of this Draugr,' he commanded. The information panel shifted. It now showed:
[Persona: Jack Deathspark]
Jack grinned and inspected the next panel... Race: Undead Draugr.
[Race: Undead Draugr. An animated corpse, bound by sheer force of desire to protect one thing it considers the most important. Overcoming death, it seeks to fulfill one single desire of protection. While not inherently malevolent, its fanatical devotion often makes it a brutal and unforgiving guardian.]
A different panel appeared again in Jack's vision:
[Set one protective obsession for the Undead Draugr!]
Jack replied hesitatingly... 'Er... my life?'
[Invalid. Set one protective obsession for the Undead Draugr!]
He thought hard. What could he possibly want to protect that hard? Certain location? No! A particular person? No! A single object? No!
Jack tried to think of more abstract concept. The innocence? No, he was not even that innocent. Knowledge? Was he a scholar? No! Justice... Well...
'My personal sense of justice,' Jack tried the answer half-heartedly.
[Success. Undead Draugr' protective obsession has been set.]
'What the heck? It works?'
[Race: Undead Draugr. An animated corpse, bound by sheer force of desire to protect its personal sense of justice. Overcoming death, it seeks to fulfill that single desire of protection. While not inherently malevolent, its fanatical devotion often makes it a brutal and unforgiving guardian.]
'It really worked.' Jack grinned more widely. Now he didn't have to stop his self-assigned calling to be the Harbinger of Vengeance.
Jack observed the next changes... his attribute panel. Now it showed:
[Attributes: Physique (71) Mysticism (35) Passion (66) Essence (99)]
His physique was now extremely strong, no longer non-existent. His mysticism dropped down from above average to average. His passion increased nicely from strong to very strong. And his essence stayed at mythical value.
In short... he got much stronger.