Deklan stared at the quest panel in surprise.

He had been having fun exploring the town and seeing this new world, for what it is, that he had forgotten momentarily that his little brother was actively hunting him. Deklan pretended to be Rock and reported that the work is done.

But since Rock hadn't come back up until this point, it was natural for Callen to be suspicious.

Now, another one was sent.

And there was no doubt that this one was a lot stronger than Rock.

Question is, how strong?

Deklan needed to know how strong this hunter was for him to make his move.

However, it was safe to assume that this person is an Exorcist at the one-star silver rank or even higher.

I could ask Kaelyn to help, but she must have her own reason for hiding her strength. Maybe the Jinketsu Clan's technique is too eye-catching and noticeable. Regardless, this is my problem, and I should make a plan that relies on no one else but me.

Kaelyn can help, but the plan should be able to be executed by me alone.

Deklan looked to the horizon, where the Slosa Hamlet should be.

This hunter is aiming at me, but I hope he doesn't cause trouble for the hamlet.

For a few seconds, Deklan stilled on his spot, looking down at the wooden floor in deep contemplation.

He then exhaled roughly through his nose and climbed the carriage.

Kaelyn knocked on the wall, informing the driver that they're ready to move again, but she then noticed the air around Deklan changed completely. His face was serious as he sat down across from her, staring at the floor like he was reading an invisible book.

'What happened to him?' Kaelyn tilted her head in confusion.

…

A middle-aged woman in plain clothing opened the door to her house and froze.

She was startled to see a hooded man with impressive stature and glowing white eyes standing on her doorstep. Considering that it was late in the night, she was even more alert and afraid.

Just then, the sound of mooing cows from the barn snapped her out of her daze.

"C-Can I help you?" She asked timidly.

"Madam, I apologize for the sudden visit," the man, Agnar, smiled a little, trying not to scare the woman. He then placed a hand on his chest and bowed a little like an honorable knight. "I am an envoy on behalf of the Tiernan Family, and came to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?"

"Tiernan Family?!" the woman gasped before she nodded repeatedly. "Yes! Yes, of course!"

"I heard the Miracle Exorcist came to accept your request. Is that true?"

"I apologize! I was wrong!"

Almost instantly, the woman went down to her knees, not daring to raise her head.

Hiring an Exorcist is not illegal.

But considering that an envoy from the Tiernan Family was sent to investigate, the supposed Miracle Exorcist must not be a registered Exorcist. And if that was the case, then it's illegal for her to request his services.

"I'm not here for that," Agnar gently helped the woman stand back up again. "Don't worry."

"T-Then what are you here for, kind Sir?"

"I want your help to identify him."

Agnar unrolls a leather parchment and shows the content to her—a magical drawing of a young man barely in his twenties, threaded in glowing yellow lines. "Take a closer look and tell me—is this person the Miracle Exorcist?"

For a good moment, the woman inspected the drawing.

It was detailed and intricate, making it easy for her to properly look at the young man.

"He does look like the Miracle Exorcist," the woman nodded while pinching her chin. "But his hair is not long. It's short and was styled strangely. He looks like a ruffian, yet he wears a polite smile no matter what I said."

"Hmm, I see… Anything else?"

"A beautiful woman travels with him. Her hair is black, and her eyes are unnaturally red. She didn't say much or help, she only watched the Miracle Exoricst hunted the Ghosts, troubling my cows."

"You've been helpful," Agnar nodded, having heard enough to begin his hunt. "Which direction did he take?"

"I overheard him mention Nagor Town. He rented a carriage, so he must be headed there," the woman answered as truthfully as possible, not wanting to have any trouble—with the Lord of the land. "That's all I know."

"Perfect," Agnar rolled the parchment and turned to leave. "Then, a good night to you, madam."

…

Moments later.

It has been a few hours since the carriage departed for Nagor Town.

And throughout those hours, Kaelyn could tell that Deklan was doing something.

He was sitting in a meditative position and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes closed.

One might think that he was resting, as it was already late in the night, around ten, but Kaelyn could tell that he wasn't resting. His mana was moving—in a particular manner inside his body, 'It's not the mana inside his Mana Veins. It's the mana inside his flesh.'

Kaelyn knew now that he had two bodies.

And because of that, he could traverse the path of Exorcist or Ghost.

It was the reason why he was so strong when he wasn't even an iron-rank Exorcist.

Frankly, she couldn't even believe that such a mutation in a human body could happen. But considering his raw strength, along with his noble background, there's no other choice but to believe him. It would be easier to believe if he were a human experiment, though.

Swish…

Kaelyn's eyes narrowed.

She could see a faint trace of mana being pushed out of Deklan's body slowly.

Clearly, he was advancing his Ghost path.

Sensing that the mana was creeping towards the center of his body, his heart, Kaelyn was almost certain that he was cultivating his Paranormal Heart. An organ only Ghosts possessed, and also the organ that marked a Ghost reaching the bronze rank.

Just then, Deklan finally opened his eyes.

Kaelyn instinctively grasped her Spirit Talisman when it suddenly glowed.

A Spirit Talisman would only react when there's a supernatural attack.

'Did he try to do something to me?' Kaelyn looked down at the Spirit Talisman around her neck, then back to Deklan. The faint, curling smirk at the corner of his lips was all the answer she needed. 'He did something, that's for certain. Is he testing something? A Minor Presence?'

Since Deklan is a bronze-rank in his Ghost path, he must also have his own Minor Presence.

And that earlier was him using his Minor Presence.

"Didn't you say that you'd teach me about Exorcists earlier?" Deklan leaned forward, putting his elbows on his thighs. "Come on, I'm all ears now. I really wanted to quickly advance to the next rank. And you are the only one who can help."

"It's already late. Why not sleep and talk in the morning?"

"Sleeping near a beauty like you is already hard enough, and now you're also going to torture me with curiosity?"

"That tongue of yours… Fine."

Deklan was expecting it to be harder to coax her to teach him right now.

But this was too easy.

Am I getting better? Or is it because she's starting to warm up to me? Hmm, I guess being handsome has its own perks.

[Bleh… Handsome and you in the same sentence is plain dumb, host.]

Since it's going to take two days to reach Nagor Town, Kaelyn decided that teaching him early is also going to be better. Not only would she finally be at peace from Deklan's pandering, but he also would have the time to train.

In order to register as an Exorcist, the candidate would need to undergo three tests.

A potential test, spell test, and lastly battle test.

Deklan would have no problem going through the potential test and the battle test.

His potential was undeniable since, as of this moment, despite having only recently awakened his Mana Veins, they were already nearing a quarter maturity. That's exceptionally fast for someone who uses no accelerants or enhancers.

As for the battle test, Deklan had been hunting ceaselessly in Rora Forest.

It was to the point that almost no Ghosts remained.

And he can even dispatch lower-stank, bronze rank Ghosts with extreme efficiency.

No doubt he'd ace the battle test.

However, his only real problem was the spell test.

Just recalling what happened the first time when Deklan used the basic spell Binding Thread, Kaelyn was worried that his unique Mana Veins might not allow him to perform normal spells. But either way, she's going to teach him the basic spells anyway.

Upon awakening the Mana Veins, normal Exorcists would go to a preschool for Exorcists.

In there, young talents would learn to feel mana, sense Ghosts, and even cast their very first spell.

In general, a full-fledged Exorcist would be able to command three fundamental spells—for combating Ghosts: Binding Thread, Purify, and Aegis. Binding Thread is used to immobilize a Ghost, preparing it for exorcism. Purify weakens the Ghost by cleansing the corrupted mana within its form. Aegis creates a protective barrier, shielding the Exorcist from supernatural harm.

All three are considered fundamental spells because they were pivotal in battling Ghosts.

But there was another reason for that.

"The other reason," Kaelyn explained—summoning shimmering white threads from her palm, "is that these three spells have the shortest activation sequences. They place almost no strain on an Exorcist's mind—so even those with the lowest potential can use them. They are the absolute foundation—the basics of the basics."

"Hmm? What do you mean by putting a toll on the mind?" Deklan asked in confusion.

"A spell is basically harnessing the power from the intangible dimension," She explained—like a patient teacher. "Learning a spell meant connecting yourself to the intangible dimension. So, it's the general rule of thumb to never learn more than three spells. There are Exorcists who can sustain more than three spells, but they're the minority."

"What happens if one learns more than three spells, let's say, five spells?"

"Then their connection to the intangible dimension becomes stronger, and if you're not strong enough, the Ghosts in there would corrupt your mind. You'll end up killed or turned into a Zombie. It's why the Exorcists who wanted to learn their fourth spell have to be tested by the Exorcist Association."

Considering the consequences, this didn't come as a surprise to Deklan.

Of course, the Exorcist Association would intervene and set up these rules.

Not doing that would only incite a catastrophe.

But learning this made Deklan question his state of being.

I have more than three skills, but I didn't sense anything wrong. Do I not have a limit? Is having a Ghost body negate the effect entirely?

Deklan's lips curled at the thought of that.

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