Chapter 673, Heroic Spirit
"Any witnesses nearby?" Sheila Grey continued to ask.
"Still under investigation. No witnesses have been found yet," the dwarf Deputy Steward replied.
Sheila Grey squatted down and examined the corpse.
The situation matched what the dwarf described—the fatal wounds were in the chest and throat.
The wound at the throat looked more like a decapitation attempt.
The cut was much deeper than a normal throat-slitting.
She pried open the corpse's mouth—the tongue was still there.
So the insignia had been hidden in the mouth from the beginning. No damage made sense.
Rising to her feet again, she said, "Find a straw mat and wrap up the body."
A nearby team member immediately brought out a straw mat.
They wrapped the corpse up.
Sheila Grey stored both the corpse and the insignia into her spatial ring.
These needed to be preserved well—what if the killer returned to destroy the body?
"Keep investigating. Since this involves a Whisperer from the Guild, be thorough. Check the nearby shops—there are signs of a struggle, and no one heard anything?" Sheila Grey said from where she stood.
The dwarf Deputy Steward nodded. "I've already sent people to question the shop owners. I'll report back once we have something."
"Mm. I leave this to you," Sheila Grey said, then exited the alley.
She called for a carriage and slowly left.
......
The carriage stopped outside the Island Master's Manor.
Sheila Grey got out and knocked on the gate.
Soon after, the rabbit-eared maid Minnie opened the door and peeked out.
"Steward!" Minnie bowed slightly.
Sheila Grey nodded. "Where's Wu Heng?"
"Master isn't home. You can tell me if you need something. I'll pass it along," Minnie said with a smile.
Sheila Grey paused for a moment, then said, "I want to see the Skeleton Prophet."
"Please come in!" Minnie opened the door and led Sheila Grey inside.
According to Wu Heng, Sheila Grey was allowed to see the Skeleton Prophet anytime.
The two passed through the courtyard.
In the back garden, they saw the Skeleton Prophet sitting on a stone bench.
Minnie stopped walking. Sheila Grey stepped forward and said, "The guards found a corpse. I need your help to see what happened."
As she spoke, she waved her hand.
The corpse and the insignia appeared on the open ground before her.
The Skeleton Prophet walked over.
He knelt and held one bony hand over the corpse while grabbing Sheila Grey's arm with the other.
Sheila Grey's eyes instantly lost focus as visions flashed through her mind.
A few seconds later, her gaze refocused.
"Thank you. I understand now."
She stored the corpse again, placed a hand on her sword hilt, and quickly walked outside.
......
Zombie World.
The pitch-black night blanketed the land like thick ink.
A skeleton hound with a horn hanging from its chest sprinted into the darkness.
Suddenly, the sharp blare of the horn rang out, and in the distance, the night boiled over with roars from the undead.
Countless figures surged from the dark like a tide.
Click~!
A switch was flipped.
A powerful flashlight, enhanced by Soul-Capturing Jade, projected a magic formation onto the street below.
The range was wider and far clearer.
Indeed, the night effect worked better.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!
Arrows rained down, mowing down large swathes of the undead horde.
The rest trampled over the fallen bodies and continued charging.
Then, souls drifted into the sky through the Soul-Capturing Formation.
Glenda rushed in, devouring them one by one at high speed.
Xiaoxiao hovered nearby. "Aunt Glenda, can you reach Level 20 today?"
Wu Heng thought for a moment. "Probably. After all this time, she should've met the upgrade conditions."
"Then Aunt Glenda will be even stronger!" Xiaoxiao said.
"You work hard too. I'm counting on you to protect me," Wu Heng replied.
Xiaoxiao crossed her arms. "Get me some cartoons, and I'll protect you."
"You trying to bribe me with empty promises?!"
"What promises? I've never eaten those."
As they casually chatted, more waves of zombies crashed into the skeletons' spear line.
The horde fell in swaths, and more souls rose thickly into the sky.
Glenda sped up her soul-devouring pace.
She darted back and forth through the airborne souls.
Wu Heng and the two specters chatted about future plans and interesting ideas.
The skeletons handled the fighting. Soul devouring didn't need their help.
It was a way to pass time.
Then, the system chime rang out.
[Specter level raised to 20. Constitution +2, Agility +3, Intelligence +5, Perception +3, Charisma +2.]
[Trait unlocked: Legendary Heroic Spirit.]
[Traits unlocked: Legendary Invisibility, Legendary Telekinesis Mastery, Legendary Possession.]
[Ability unlocked: Steal Body.]
Upon hearing the notification—
Wu Heng's heart surged with joy.
Finally leveled up.
After feeding so many souls to Glenda, if she hadn't leveled up, he would've doubted if some other restriction was at play.
Thankfully, she did. All that effort wasn't in vain.
At that moment, Glenda flew back.
Her form was still spectral, but it looked more solid—no longer that light and airy specter state.
"I think I leveled up," Glenda said, floating beside them.
Wu Heng nodded. "Yes, you did. Congrats."
Glenda smiled with joy, as if wanting to say something but held back.
Then she softly said, "Thank you, Wu Heng."
"No need for that," Wu Heng said with a smile, then looked at Beni on the other side. "Beni, Glenda leveled up. You take over soul devouring."
"Okay." Beni glanced at Glenda. "Congrats, Lady Glenda."
"Thank you, Beni," Glenda said with a smile.
Beni didn't linger and flew into the sky above the battlefield.
She began devouring the remaining souls.
Xiaoxiao flew over. "Auntie, how do you feel?"
Glenda smiled. "Great. I feel stronger than before. Xiaoxiao, you keep at it too."
Xiaoxiao tilted her head. "Can you fight the Guild headquarters now?"
Glenda's smile froze. "Probably not."
"Then... what exactly got stronger?"
......
While the two specters chatted nearby, Wu Heng opened Glenda's status to take a look.
He was curious about the changes after reaching Level 20.
[Heroic Spirit]
[Level: 20]
[Attributes: Agility 42, Constitution 37, Intelligence 50, Perception 45, Charisma 40.]
[Traits: Legendary Heroic Spirit, Legendary Invisibility, Legendary Telekinesis Mastery, Legendary Possession, Phantom, Soul Bind, Paranormal Phenomena.]
[Skills: Soul Vision, Telekinetic Sword, Withering Touch, Steal Body.]
[Legendary Heroic Spirit]: This unit has broken its shackles and achieved miraculous results. The soul has been bathed in necromantic and dark forces. Can learn and cast corresponding spells.
[Legendary Invisibility]: Your haunting tricks have reached their peak. While invisible, it's extremely hard for enemies to detect you.
[Legendary Telekinesis Mastery]: Your telekinesis has reached a breakthrough level and is much easier to control.
[Legendary Possession]: Possession now works at a legendary level. Can possess humanoid beings and gain full control.
[Steal Body]: Can parasitize a dead body. If successful, gains full control over it and accelerates its decay.
(A stolen body can no longer be used for Speak with Dead, Raise Skeleton, or other necromantic spells.)
Upon reaching Level 20, the name indeed changed.
From Specter to Heroic Spirit.
A fitting name.
Besides the stat boosts, four traits and one ability appeared.
[Legendary Heroic Spirit] itself signifies reaching Level 20 as a specter.
But the last line of its description was special.
It mentioned learning and casting corresponding spells.
That made Wu Heng wonder—could Glenda cast spells now?
He'd have her try once they got back.
If it worked, then a Level 20 specter really would become a mobile turret.
Others can't hit specters, but specters could bombard them with spells.
Oh no~!
What about Xiaoxiao then? Telling her to study is like killing her.
We'll deal with that later!
The last three traits—[Legendary Invisibility][Legendary Telekinesis Mastery][Legendary Possession]—
Clearly enhanced her original Invisibility, Telekinetic Push, and Possession.
Just leveled them up.
Then Wu Heng's gaze fell on the final skill: [Steal Body].