C14 Enrage

"If it keeps scratching at the door, wouldn't that mean certain death for the player? Seems like a huge flaw in the game, doesn't it?" Xiao Hao mumbled to himself.

The live chat provided the answer he was looking for.

Nope, a wild monster would get hurt by magic if it scratched the door.

Sadly, the magic backlash wasn't all-powerful. It did nothing against wild monsters with regenerative abilities.

The key thing was eating.

If the wild monster ate, it would leave.

Too bad, all this was knowledge accumulated by our races. Newcomers to the game had to blaze their own trails and gather their own insights.

So, Xiao Hao unabashedly compiled the wisdom shared in the chat.

"No, that can't be right. The game can't have such a glaring oversight."

"If I were scratching at the door, I wouldn't keep at it indefinitely. I'd need to eat, drink, and take care of other... needs."

"Ghosts probably don't need to sleep..."

At that thought, Xiao Hao startled, his face a picture of horror: "It better not be relieving itself right outside my window!"

Puhahahaha...

Are you trying to kill me with laughter to inherit my meme collection?

I never pay attention to livestreams, but this guy is the exception.

I was actually concerned about what he said, but I couldn't help bursting into laughter.

The chat erupted with "Haha," filling the virtual screen as the ghost outside the window seemed so frustrated it could have asthma.

If ghosts could get asthma, that is.

A shriek from a female ghost, seething with rage and resentment, pierced the air.

"Ah!"

He couldn't resist unleashing a powerful move.

Xiao Hao coolly played a Pacify Card.

It worked – the ghost understood!

Now, provoking it would be a piece of cake!

Offense aside, manners were still important.

So, Xiao Hao said with courtesy, "Don't be shy. If you really need to..."

"You can't use the bathroom, but feel free to squat in the bushes over there."

He even pointed out the spot with thoughtful consideration.

The response was a shrill, ear-piercing scream: "Ah!"

The female ghost gave a furious scratch, and Xiao Hao noticed that this single swipe drained 50L of the room's magic power!

The cost...

The female ghost recoiled in agony, the Sickle Finger glowing red-hot, bubbling furiously at the bottom of the sea.

Even the Ribbon sawtail fish couldn't ruffle Xiao Hao's unyielding heart, much less this grotesque ghost.

It was only fair to return the favor; if the ghost nauseated Xiao Hao, he was determined to reciprocate.

Just watch as it becomes utterly frustrated, unable to scratch at the window for minutes on end.

Score one for Xiao Hao.

The ghost, having regained its composure, resumed its steady assault.

Why won't this kid take a hint?

Xiao Hao advised with a tone of concern, "Hey, make sure to cover it with a layer of soil when you're done. We don't want to pollute the environment."

The ghost's sanity points steadily dwindled.

"Of course, it's better to pack it up and take it with you. Where we come from, any decent pet owner would do just that."

"Ah!"

With all its might, the ghost conjured a massive purple-black energy claw.

This time, Xiao Hao didn't need to use his calming card; he effortlessly played a rebound card instead.

The enormous purple-black claw missed the Shellfish House and nearly shredded the ghost itself.

Xiao Hao could clearly see the fractures forming in its bones.

The withered tree limb left from the last invasion of the Shellfish House was charred, and this time it nearly split the charred limb even further.

The ghost collapsed to the ground, making no sound.

Should Xiao Hao seize the moment to deal with it?

He wasn't about to be fooled.

He waited several minutes, and it still lay there motionless.

Xiao Hao decided to sit on the bed and quietly observe its act.

To think he could defeat it with a single reflected attack was laughable.

If it were truly gravely injured, it would have limped away, not stayed put as bait.

With nothing else to do, Xiao Hao pulled out a bucket of popcorn from his spatial storage, munching away as he scrolled through forums and watched the streaming comments.

Another ten minutes passed, and Xiao Hao sensed the ghost's body quivering slightly.

Was it out of rage or chill?

The ghost rose nonchalantly. Xiao Hao, glancing up from the forum, asked bluntly, "Feeling awkward?"

The rise and fall of the ghost's chest told Xiao Hao all he needed to know about its fury.

His goal was to provoke it.

Xiao Hao's Spirit Bead was at 60 points, just enough for one upgrade. He couldn't afford to use up all his cards at once; he needed to save some for future encounters with the ghost.

He needed to buy time until it left, then he could dash out to harvest Spirit Beads.

Xiao Hao was in dire need of Spirit Beads at the moment. The Guardian required an overwhelming number.

The ghost kept scratching at the window, seemingly oblivious to Xiao Hao's words.

Clearly, it was unaware of the gravity of the situation, prompting Xiao Hao to give it a nudge.

"You're aware I'm a player, right? Then you might know that the player's game panel has a video recording feature?" Xiao Hao said, barely suppressing a chuckle.

"Oops, I just recorded this. And I might have accidentally uploaded it to the player's forum."

"Ah!"

The ghost's sanity points plummeted to zero.

The massive purple-black energy claw struck down again.

And once more, it hit itself.

Seeing the increased number of cracks on its bones, Xiao Hao commented with satisfaction, "Bones adorned with cracks look even better."

Furious, the ghost seemed ready to storm off, but then it spun back around.

Its gaze locked onto Xiao Hao, its eyes bore a message: 'I will not leave, no matter what! I'm going to destroy your Shellfish House in one fell swoop!'

The ghost's attention then shifted to the card in Xiao Hao's hand, and the eerie skull appeared to grin.

It hadn't uttered a word, yet Xiao Hao had a strong hunch.

As if it were saying, 'You must be running low on Spirit Beads, right? That's why you're so desperate! Cards are rare, and using them this often must mean your Shellfish House's magic is nearly depleted!'

Whether his interpretation was correct, Xiao Hao couldn't be sure, but he felt that was the gist of the ghost's message.

'Damn it!'

'How can I read so much into a skull's expression?'

The ghost stopped paying Xiao Hao any mind, steadily inflicting damage on the outside of the glass window.

Xiao Hao let out a quiet sigh.

A wild monster with high intelligence was truly a tough opponent.

He had indeed intended to anger it into leaving so he could swiftly collect Spirit Beads.

Now that it was ignoring him and just scratching at the window, Xiao Hao found himself without a plan.

However, Xiao Hao did have another option. He could summon the Shadow Hippocampus and employ Dark Erosion and Dark Domain right there in the room.

The AoE skills, once stacked, had enough reach to affect the ghost lingering outside the window.

From its ultimate and AoE abilities, it seemed clear that it lacked long-range attack capabilities.

Thus, the ghost had two choices: retreat or endure the onslaught of the Dark Domain.

However, if Xiao Hao were to summon the Guardian, the ghost might very well interpret this as a last-ditch effort and double down on its assault on the Shellfish House.

A level 5 Shadow Hippocampus wouldn't last long against such an attack, and its resolve to target the Shellfish House would only spell trouble.

After some deliberation, Xiao Hao decided against using the hippocampus.

Wasn't the ghost under the impression that his room was low on magic and he was short on Spirit Beads?

Let it keep scratching then.

Just as the level 5 base was on the brink of destruction, a sudden upgrade would surely send the ghost over the edge.

Over an hour went by, and the Shellfish House bore numerous scratches, looking significantly worse for wear.

Hope seemed to dawn on the ghost, fueling its fervor.

But alas, just as the web of cracks on the glass window threatened to give way under the deep-sea pressure, Xiao Hao hit the upgrade button.

In an instant, the Shellfish House was as good as new.

Magic power restored to full.

"Ah!" The ghost's eye sockets showed fractures from sheer frustration.

Xiao Hao smirked, "I never claimed to be running low on Spirit Beads."

That look of feigned innocence seemed to wound the ghost's pride, prompting its departure.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Xiao Hao couldn't resist a quick glance at the Spirit Bead count on his game panel: zero.