The next morning,

  early sunlight streamed through the window,

  and John’s brow twitched slightly as he stirred lazily from sleep.

  “That was one hell of a good night’s rest…”

  He stretched, feeling every cell in his body buzzing with energy.

  Between pulling an all-nighter and the intense fight the night before, he’d been a little worn out.

  “Too bad the Ghostly Mask still hasn’t finished digesting it…”

  He glanced down at his chest. The mask hadn’t given him any medicine the night before—apparently it needed a little more time. After all, that ghost from last night had been somewhat powerful.

  “Time to head back to the academy.”

  He rubbed his eyes, quickly washed up, and headed straight for the hotel’s cafeteria.

  A good number of students were already eating,

  and the moment John walked in, every single one of them averted their gazes, not daring to meet his eyes.

  No one knew if this guy might just punch someone to death on a whim for fun…

  “Afraid of me now, huh?”

  John shook his head, not caring in the least.

  He’d joined the Intelligence Division to get stronger, not to make friends.

  “Not half bad…”

  Under the stunned stares of everyone present, John ate his fill without restraint, cleaning out most of the food on the tables.

  An appetite that fierce was practically inhuman,

  but considering his freakish strength, everyone thought it made perfect sense.

  And just then,

  Ron walked into the cafeteria too, spotting John shoveling food down at a glance.

  “Good morning, Instructor Ron!” The students all stood up and greeted him.

  Ron merely nodded, heading straight for John.

  “Kid, don’t you think eating like this is a waste of time?”

  “Can’t be helped.”

  John shrugged. “Strength like mine—how am I supposed to punch ghosts if I’m not full?”

  “…”

  Ron chuckled, then pulled a small vial of blue liquid out of his pocket.

  “Wanna try this?”

  “What is it?”

  “High-concentration nutrient solution.”

  With that, Ron downed the whole vial in one gulp. “A Spirit Wielder bonded to a Grade 1 ghost only needs one vial a day. And unlike regular food, if you take it long-term, it’ll boost your physical stats too.”

  “That good?”

  John raised an eyebrow, instantly tempted.

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  Eating like he did was a waste of time, and as his body grew stronger, regular food would only fail to satisfy him more and more.

  He couldn’t very well be chomping on a pork knuckle while beating the crap out of a ghost for the rest of his life…

  The mental image was just plain disrespectful to pork knuckles…

  “Naturally. It’s developed by the authorities, specifically for Spirit Wielders.”

  Ron pulled out another vial, then added, “This little thing doesn’t come cheap, you know. The official price is ten grand a vial… Huh?!”

  Before he could finish speaking, John had snatched the nutrient solution from his hand and downed it in one go…

  “What price?”

  He blinked innocently.

  “…”

  Ron’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected the kid to move that fast.

  He shook his head. “Consider it a gift.”

  “Can I get a few more gifts?”

  John rubbed his hands together, already ready to leech off this rich guy…

  “I don’t carry extra on me.”

  Ron shrugged. “You’re part of the Intelligence Division now—you can exchange for it directly from the authorities.”

  “Forget that.”

  John refused flat out. “Ten grand a vial, one a day? The division only pays two grand a month. You really think I’m a sucker?”

  “You’ve got that Ghost Crystal, don’t you? It’s not like you have any use for it anyway.”

  “Still not gonna do it.”

  John shook his head. Sure, the nutrient solution boosted physical stats, but only with long-term use—and who knew how much money that would cost…

  It was way more cost-effective for him to just eat a yin ghost…

  Ron nodded, not pushing the issue any further. After all, the stuff was ridiculously expensive.

  “By the way, Ethan filled me in on what happened last night. We really owe you one.”

  There was a genuine note of gratitude in his eyes now.

  If John hadn’t stepped in, the hundred-some members of the Intelligence Division would’ve most likely ended up dead to a man.

  The authorities wouldn’t have punished him for it, but he’d never have been able to live with himself.

  John waved a hand, speaking his mind.

  “It’s nothing. Just give me a bigger reward and we’re square.”

  Ron nodded seriously. “I’ll put in an official application for it later.”

  “One reward for killing the ghost, another for coming first in the Intelligence Division assessment. That’s non-negotiable, right?”

  John had his eye on the rewards, and he knew exactly what he was owed.

  “Naturally.”

  Ron nodded, then frowned slightly. “But you fought that Cursed Corpse Ghost with your bare hands last night. Are you sure your body’s okay?”

  Even Spirit Wielders needed their bound spirits as a weapon medium. Without one, touching a curse could even kill you on the spot.

  “Never felt better.”

  John shrugged. “Guess I’m just special.”

  With that, he held out both hands, showing no signs of any abnormality whatsoever.

  “You completely ignored the curse… That shouldn’t be possible…”

  Ron’s brow furrowed as he studied John up and down, uncertainty creeping in.

  “Uh… Maybe I just got lucky. That ghost didn’t have a strong curse anyway.”

  John tried to change the subject. After all, his resistance came from taking medicine to boost his supernatural affinity—he had no interest in being studied like a freak ghost…

  “It’s not the ghost. It’s you.”

  Ron shook his head. “Actually, cases like this aren’t unheard of.”

  “Huh? There are other people who can punch ghosts with their bare hands?”

  John blinked, surprised.

  Could there be someone else taking the same medicine as him?

  “They’re extremely rare, but they exist.”

  Ron nodded. “Some are soldiers with blazing yang energy, some are true scholars with pure noble spirit that repels evil. As for you, though…”

  He trailed off, deep in thought…

  After a long moment, Ron came up with a plausible explanation.

  “Some truly ruthless, vicious people carry such a strong killing aura that their own bodies become a weapon medium—they’re immune to ghosts and ghouls.”

  “…”

  John’s mouth twitched. “C’mon. I’m a student—why can’t it be the noble scholar spirit?”

  Was he really being pegged as a ruthless criminal now?

  “Save it. I said true scholars—the kind that are few and far between in the entire country.”

  Ron shook his head, already making up his mind to dig deep into this kid’s background…

  “…”

  John fell silent on the spot.

  Oh no. He really couldn’t explain this anymore…

  But he’d got nothing to hide anyway, so he didn’t dwell on it.

  “Instructor, does that mean they don’t even need a bound spirit to take on top-tier ghosts?”

  “That’s impossible.”

  Ron shook his head. “Most of them are old and have no real combat power left. Besides, their immunity only works against low-grade ghost curses anyway.”

  In a fight against a ghost, a weapon medium is just one factor—it doesn’t decide the outcome.

  “I see…”

  John nodded. So he really was the most special one after all…

  “Alright, pack your things. We’re heading back to the academy.”

  Ron clapped his hands. “You can also write a report on last night’s ghost and submit it to the authorities—they’ll give you an extra reward for that.”

  “I still haven’t gotten the reward for the Footstep Ghost from last time.”

  “Reviews take time. Gotta make sure no one’s making up stories for a quick payout, right?”

  “Fine…”

  John nodded, then thought of something else.

  “Uh, can I skip the rewards entirely?”

  “Huh?”

  Ron’s expression instantly turned wary, and he narrowed his eyes.

  “What do you want instead?”

  He’d learned a thing or two about John by now—and he didn’t believe for a second that this greedy kid would pass up on rewards for no reason…