3 Chapter 2: A Wandering Soul's Wondering

[Float: The ability to move or hover in a liquid or the air is granted.]

[Intangible: The ability to become unperceivable by the surroundings is granted. It applies to the five senses.]

[Pain Resistance Lv. Max: The ability to withstand Pain is enhanced. The level corresponds to the degree of pain the skills negates. Nullity is gained after reaching maximum level.]

[Trigger Fear: The ability to induce fear to any creature in the vicinity, within a 10 meter radius around the user, is granted.]

Hmhm. I see, I see. So float makes me… float. Yeah. Just as it is.

But that gives me a proper view of things. I'm floating right now.

Due to the fact that I can't see anything, I don't know my current position or what I am doing at the moment. So I suppose, I'm floating right now, huh? Still, 'where' is still a question.

Next is the skill Intangible. As the word suggests, it makes my surroundings incapable of perceiving me. I wonder up to what degree am I 'intangible'? Is light passing through me as well? I mean, perhaps the reason why I can't see right now is because light passes through me, too. At any rate, what I know right now is that even the air passes through me like I'm never here at all.

So it was because of this skill, huh?

I wonder if I can activate and deactivate it at will.

I focus my mind and suddenly, I feel a soft click somewhere inside my body.

It worked. The feeling of the wind passing through me is now gone and I now feel the cold temperature that is brought upon by the wind itself.

So it's cold in here. Just where is this place?

Also, I still can't see.

If Intangible also works against lights, making me unable to see optically, then now that the Intangible is deactivated, I should be able to.

But with the fact that I still can't is… Hmm. I guess this is a matter of having the sensory organ or not, after all. I just don't have any eyes to see, or so it would seem.

But I can't possibly worry about that now. I'm being dragged by the wind.

Hm. Let's try moving.

I tried to concentrate my mind into my body (if there is) and directed my brain (if there is) to move towards left. And with a swift glide and a change in the movement of air, it worked. I felt the surrounding wind changed course, so I must have faced a different direction. My body moved towards left.

Alright, let's turn Intangible on first.

My body stopped moving and once again, I feel the wind is passing through my body as if I'm never existing in the first place. This can be convenient in certain situations. Nice, very nice.

The last skill is the Trigger Fear.

Since it's in the Passive Skills category, I guess that means that I'm constantly inducing fear. This is also one of the skills that was bestowed by the Spectre title, together with the Pain Resistance. Truly very ghostly. But if you think about it carefully, I can avoid unnecessary trouble if I make use of this. Let's say for example, I did encounter a monster, I can just scare it away even before a fight break out.

I see, I see.

But there's one thing that got me real concerned upon seeing it.

<Nameless: Wandering Soul Lv. 1>

Why am I nameless? I should properly have a name when I was still alive. There's no way I wouldn't have one. I mean, I have a proper name and it's…

It's…

My name is… What is my name? Your name… is? Maki-kun? No? Mizuha?

Alright. I should refrain from referencing movies. It's not like I'm swapping bodies with someone.

Heck, it's not the time for this.

I can't remember my name. I feel like I know it, or somehow remember it. But when the word is starting to come out from my mouth, it suddenly vanishes.

I know everything about me, though. I remember my childhood friend, Chloe. I remember Diana. I remember that place. I remember my school, I remember the books I've read. But I can't remember my name… That alone…

Hmm… Interesting. I wonder why. This tingles my curious self.

In any case, it's not that of a problem, anyways. It's just a name. Or looking at the bright side, maybe I'll just remember it sooner or later. For now, I should think of what to do from now on.

I've seen my status. I learned how to control my body. I know my skills. I already have a fair grasp of how to use them. But there's one problem.

Am I alone in this place?

To begin with, I don't have a hand to touch things and I don't have a feet to feel the ground. I'm continuously floating. I feel like I'm in an unknown space. The only familiar feeling here is the wind and the cold. Well, since there's wind in this place, I can assume that this is not some space without anything in it. If there's air, that means there's oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and other gases. If those gases exists, then there's a possibility that there is 'something' or 'someone' who makes use of them.

That is, if it's the same wind or air that I know.

So comes the point that I'm as vulnerable as I can be right now. Alone and easy to attack in the middle of somewhere. If there is actually something here aside from me, and it decided to go hostile against me, then I can't do anything about it.

Hmm…

Oh well. I mean, what can a soul that has an average status of 0 and an HG of 1 do? I also have Intangible and Reflect, anyways. Since there's nothing to do, I'll just wander around. I'm a Wandering Soul after all. Can't betray what I actually am.

Wander, wander.

So I spent the next few days wandering around the still unknown place, testing and experimenting on the limit of the Float skill.

According to what I learned so far, I can only reach 3 meters from the ground. I did so by turning off the Intangible skill and touched the ground. After that, I went straight upwards to measure the height.

I was skeptical at first. Since I can't see and gravity doesn't seem to work for me, I doubted that I was really going upwards. But even though that was what I believe is the case, I knew that I was going upwards and I know the distance I travelled. It's like I know what I am doing.

Is it the instinct of a Wandering Soul? Wait, does a Wandering Soul has instincts? I mean, I'm not even alive…

In any case, I still don't know where I am.

And I'm already bored.

I want to read.

I don't even have anyone to talk to, much less grace me with their presence.

And even though I feel like I want to eat or drink, unsurprisingly, I don't thirst or feel hungry at all. I don't even feel the need to sleep. I've continuously drifted off to wherever I whimsically go and I was awake all throughout that time.

That's why I conjecture that I'm already dead. Or so I've decided to think so. I mean, look. I'm a soul. I'm intangible. I don't feel thirst or hunger. I'm floating. I don't have a body. If I'm not dead right now, then I don't know what I am.

Wait, I'm a Wandering Soul.

Haaa…

I'm bored.

If this is not really the world that I know, and it's the world that is always depicted in books, then there's a possibility of monsters or people right now right? Because I don't have a body, I don't have the capability to listen to sounds. I can't listen to anything or anyone. I won't be surprised if I'm actually in a town or something.

I mean, where're the thrilling adventures? Where're the passionate battles? Where's the pitting clash between the hero and the monsters? Give me some excitement, man.

Hm?

Hmmm?

Wait, wait. I… I suddenly feel scared all of a sudden. No, it's the level of terror… Even though I don't feel cold due to the Intangible skill, I suddenly felt a chill and it's as if shivers have begun crawling all over my body.

I know I wanted some thrilling adventures but… isn't this a bit different from what I was talking about…?

Oh… I gained a skill.

And there's the voice again. Hmhm. I see, I see. The voice is only there when I acquire skills, huh? But when I just use Analyze or something, I won't hear it. Alright.

At any rate, the terrifying feeling subsided a little bit. So that's the Fear Resistance skill, huh… Another resistance skill along with the Pain Resistance.

[Fear Resistance Lv. 1: The ability to withstand Fear is enhanced. The level corresponds to the degree of fear the skill negates. Nullity is gained after reaching maximum level.]

But it doesn't change the fact that I feel terrified. It's also kind of weird to be scared when I can't see or hear anything. The feeling just suddenly came enveloping me from the outside.

What the…? Now what? It's kind of warm… No. It's hot…!

Wh-Whoa??

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a sec… Am I being attacked or something? I don't want this kind of thrill…! I wanted a thrill where I'm also capable of fighting back and stuff! Not this one sided bullying! I'll die…! Even though I'm dead…! I take back my complaint about excitement and stuff…!

I don't feel any pain or discomfort, maybe because of my Pain Resistance, but I feel like my body is being burned by a heat…!

And…

And it stopped.

No more heat.

Also, the fear is now gone.

… Wait, what?

Whaa…?

…

Chapter End

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