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Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: GHOST Core

As they pressed deeper into the arid expanse, Brand stumbled as a Sand Hare erupted from beneath his feet, its massive claws sending a spray of granules into his face. He blinked away the grit, watching the creature bound away in erratic zigzags, dust trailing behind it like exhaust.

Occasionally, there are some Sand Beetle scuttled over his boot, its carapace the exact color of the dunes, nearly invisible until it moved.

Brand sighed and wiped sweat from his brow. This place was about as subtle as a children's picture book.

Twenty yards ahead, a pack of lean, tawny canines. Sand Wolves. According to his interface, they perked their ears at the commotion. They maintained their distance, with yellow eyes tracking his movements while simultaneously monitoring a limping Sand Antelope on the opposite ridge.

At this point, Brand turned to Seraphine, whose holographic form flickered with a soft light, and asked, "What's the deal with this place? Why does everything here seem so... thematic? Even the naming of the monsters."

"I understand the connection between sand and the desert, but does everything really need to start with 'sand'?"

Seraphine's eyes widened in disbelief at Brand's question. "Haven't you ever played a game before? That's just how they name things!"

"You're in the Great Desert, a realm ruled by the Archangel. This place serves as a canvas, imbued with the essence of its creator. The creatures you encounter are reflections of the world's design—each one a piece of a grander puzzle," Seraphine explained.

"The Creator entrusted the Archangel with the responsibility of naming these beings. There are simply too many creatures to be named individually, you know?"

The Archangel has a bad naming sense!

"So, I've been sent here because it's under the jurisdiction of the Archangel? What about the Nano-Machine? Where can I find it?" Brand asked after thinking for a moment.

"Map, respond! Where can I find the Nano-Machine?" Brand pounded on the holographic interface, irritation boiling over as it remained stubbornly silent. Without warning, the map flickered and plunged into darkness, leaving him staring into an empty void where information had just been.

"Hey! Don't break the map!" Seraphine exclaimed, her tone a mix of disbelief and annoyance.

"How can it break? It's just a hologram!" Brand attempted to reactivate it, but instead, a notification flashed across the screen.

[System reboot in 24 hours.]

"Fantastic. What a design flaw," Brand muttered, slapping his forehead in exasperation.

Seraphine faced Brand, her holographic form pulsed.

"Even the Archangel is in the dark about the Nano-Machine's whereabouts," she disclosed, her voice laced with frustration. "This isn't just any ordinary artifact. The Nano-Machine has its own consciousness and an astonishing array of abilities. It can even perform Time Jumps and Dimension Jumps!"

She paused, allowing the gravity of her words to settle before adding, "But here's the catch. The Nano-Machine is only scheduled to pass through this world for the next two years. That means you have a strict deadline."

A knot tightened in Brand's stomach as he absorbed the weight of her revelation.

"To thrive in this world, you need to build Karma," Seraphine said, her demeanor shifting to one of encouragement. "You earn Karma through your actions—helping others, overcoming challenges, and surviving the dangers of the desert. With enough Karma points, you can exchange them for power upgrades, skills, and even GHOST Core that will enhance your abilities."

"Sounds simple enough," Brand replied, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "But how do I know what actions will earn me Karma?"

Seraphine smiled. "Trust your instincts. This world is alive, and it will respond to your choices. The more you align yourself with its essence, the more powerful you'll become.

***

As he trudged through the dunes, the clanking of packed sand beneath his boots, he started to experiment with the system interface in earnest. The first surprise came when he discovered that the class abilities were not locked behind a rigid archetype.

Unlike games where a player picked a class and stuck with it, he could access any skill tree, as long as he met the level requirements. The "stat modification" ability was only the tip of the iceberg.

He began to explore this newfound versatility in the field.

Starting with the "Warrior Tattoo," a dark sigil that materialized on his forearm, radiating an aura of strength. With each swing of his arm, the tattoo shimmered with a metallic sheen, amplifying his strikes. When a sand hare bounded into the air, he seized it mid-leap, the tattoo's energy lending a sharp, decisive snap to his wrist as he captured the creature effortlessly.

Next, he tapped into the "Mana Circle" of the mage class, feeling the pulse of energy emanating from the core in his chest. This connection allowed him to conjure a swirling vortex of sand, a miniature storm that he hurled like a grenade. An unsuspecting sand beetle bore the brunt of the attack, its carapace fracturing under the force as if struck by a shotgun blast.

The "Faith Level" skills of the priest class were more elusive, manifesting as a soothing calm that enveloped his mind whenever he uttered words of conviction. Although he had yet to find a practical application for this serene power, it lingered in his consciousness like a hidden reserve, waiting for the right moment to be called upon in times of dire need.

"With GHOST, you can tap into the abilities of every class!" Seraphine exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement. "As long as your Ghost Core aligns with the corresponding tier level!"

Brand wasn't a seasoned gamer, but he grasped the significance of her words. This revelation unfurled an expansive horizon of possibilities before him.

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