“So that’s how it was.” Fang Senyan seemed to have grasped the fate of the Klee team. He was certain that had it not been for his exceptional perception and meticulous thinking, he too would have fallen into the snare that the vengeful spirit was indestructible. Once the accursed debuff that reduced his hit rate finally dissipated, a cold sneer played on Fang Senyan’s lips. He then gripped the neck of the drift bottle with his backhand, intending to employ a more expedient and direct method to unseal the container brimming with conspiracy, traps, and supernatural power.

With a sharp crack, the sturdy glass bottle was smashed violently against the opposite wall. Although the barnacles and algae clinging to the glass offered a slight buffer, Fang Senyan had poured his entire strength into the blow! Aided by his current Strength bonus of 12 points, the bottle, originally meant for rum, instantly shattered into pieces. At the moment of its breaking, an indescribably deep radiance surged forth. The light expanded like a dissipating mist, rapidly swirling as it leached the heat from the air, then coalesced into a translucent, pale blue phantom that appeared quite blurry. However, its high, protruding cheekbones and protruding, bulbous eyes lent it sufficiently terrifying features. (The look might be reminiscent of the wraith armies in The Lord of the Rings.)

Fang Senyan swiftly activated the "Insight" feature. Despite having used this paid skill a total of nine times up to this point, leaving his financial status in the red, he had to admit the ability offered immense assistance, providing even contractors unaware of future plot points with a wealth of reliable information—albeit at a cost.

As the glow of the Insight ability slowly enveloped the ghost before him, it flailed its limbs as if oblivious, and Fang Senyan immediately obtained its firsthand data.

Contracted Wraith (The servant’s loyal soul now retains only the instinct to guard).

Race: Undead Lifespan: Twenty-four hours (Twenty-three hours and fifty-seven minutes remaining) Height: Four feet Weight: None Strength: 8 points Agility: 7 points Stamina: 5 points Perception: 11 points Charisma: 0 points Intelligence: ?? points Spirit: ?? points Remaining Health: 50 points

Undead Creature Trait: Immune to Fear, Disease, Polymorph, Pain, and Bleeding effects. Undead Creature Trait: Holy-aligned abilities and items will inflict double damage; Fire-aligned effects inflict 1.5 times damage. Passive Skill: Phasing. Has a 50% chance to cause enemy attacks to miss entirely. This trait is suppressed by Holy-aligned abilities and cannot grant an exemption from Holy-aligned damage. Skill: ???? Skill: ????

Fang Senyan observed the multiple question marks in its data, realizing this was due to the vast gap between his own Intellect and Spirit and the target’s, preventing him from discerning certain information. Gazing at the phantom's "Phasing" skill, an understanding dawned upon him: the maximum effect the drug mixed in the wax could have on an inhaled subject must have been, "When your attack hits the enemy, there is a 50% chance it will be nullified." When these two attributes stacked together, it naturally explained why the Klee team’s attacks had no effect.

Furthermore, it provided a clue: Holy-aligned abilities are either extremely rare or assumed to be very high-tier skills, otherwise, the team Klee belonged to should have had at least a few contractors possessing such abilities.

Watching the wraith swirl violently around the room, Fang Senyan clenched his left hand, and the uniquely shaped, formidable Cobalt Steel Exoskeleton immediately materialized. Despite the terrifying appearance of the phantom, for Fang Senyan, who had already sparred with the horrific Corpse Soul, this confrontation felt like a mere warm-up; he felt no psychological pressure. One could only imagine the panic and confusion of the Klee team members: first inhaling the insidious smoke that infected them without warning, and then suddenly facing a monster only known in legends without any mental preparation.

Lacking any ranged attacks, Fang Senyan instinctively lowered his stance and charged fiercely toward the phantom. At that moment, the ethereal form floating in the air suddenly exhibited a faint tremor across its surface. Then, it raised its vague, misty arm toward Fang Senyan. Immediately, an invisible, massive vortex appeared at the tip of its arm. This vortex did not draw in air or water, but the surrounding heat! Fang Senyan couldn't help but shudder, then felt an icy chill settle in his chest, instantly receiving a system prompt:

“You have been afflicted by the Contracted Wraith’s Curse.” “You will lose a total of 100 Health Points over the next five minutes.”

Everything was consistent with Klee’s description. The only difference was that the first unlucky victim only had about fifty health points to begin with, meaning they would have died on the spot in under three minutes, whereas Fang Senyan could remain lively and kicking even after thirty minutes. After releasing the curse, the phantom seemed drained, simply hovering in place. Fang Senyan wasted no time and launched a powerful punch toward it!

When his fist struck the phantom’s surface, he felt a chilling dampness spread across the skin of his left hand, as if it had been plunged into ice water. A ripple, like waves on water, appeared on the phantom’s surface, making Fang Senyan’s attack feel entirely void, as if striking empty air with no purchase whatsoever.

Passive Skill: Phasing activated!

Fang Senyan had not anticipated the phantom's strange ability. After the punch missed, his momentum carried him forward, causing him to stumble and fall ahead. His fist slammed heavily into the wooden wall opposite, and the solid oak panel instantly caved inward with a sharp snap, producing a loud crack. Splinters of wood and dust immediately billowed up.

The bartender downstairs let out an angry roar:

“Hey! Mister upstairs, I seem to recall you telling me you needed a rest, not that you were demolishing the building. If you cannot calm yourself, I’d be happy to have someone come up and give you a little clarity. Furthermore, I regret to inform you that I must add an additional repair fee to your bill.”

Fang Senyan’s reply was to simply toss a money pouch down.

Then, he turned back, facing the phantom before him, and raised his fist once more.

The Cobalt Steel Exoskeleton reflected the candlelight’s glimmer, A flash of cold light vanished swiftly!

The phantom exhaled a puff of white vapor and swiftly floated toward Fang Senyan. As it passed a nearby table, its body, hazy like faint mist, suddenly snatched up a nearby dinner knife and flashed forward like lightning to slice. Fang Senyan’s punch missed again, and because he could not evade in time, the knife raked a long wound across his face. Blood trickled down like tiny red snakes, creating a picture of grim agony.

But for Fang Senyan, there was a sense of relieved ease in his heart. If the phantom required a weapon to attack, it meant it possessed no stronger offensive skills. For Fang Senyan, who possessed the "Tenacity" talent, this level of damage was insignificant. His only current concern was that the phantom might suddenly unleash another "Contracted Wraith’s Curse"! No matter how much life he had, he certainly could not withstand a second instance of that.

Fang Senyan crouched down again, leaning his weight forward, and then suddenly pushed off the ground, lunging outward. At this instant, every muscle in his body was taut, like a fully drawn longbow. He knew clearly that he had missed two consecutive punches! According to the phasing chance, the probability of missing a third time was a mere one in eight! In this instant, Fang Senyan took a deep breath, his eyes burning as if fueled by fire!

The fire in those eyes was not hatred, nor anger, but pure, unadulterated fanaticism! It was the look of a devotee whose piety was so absolute that his mind could hold nothing else save for his faith!

This time, the Cobalt Steel Exoskeleton, gleaming with silvery-white light, whistled through the air, crushing the atmosphere as it advanced, and hammered heavily against the phantom’s main body. The sensation on Fang Senyan’s hand this time was not the complete void of the previous two strikes. Instead, it felt as if his fist had punched into a very viscous substance, within which an intense, bone-chilling cold was boiling! The furious momentum stored in his fist was unleashed all at once, like a mountain flood bursting its banks!

Under immense pain, the phantom suddenly threw its head back and opened its mouth, venting a sound of extreme anguish, as if something inside its mouth had violently exploded. The sound erupted abruptly, seeming to resonate from the deepest parts of the listener’s soul before spreading to the brain and the entire body. This internal shock caused Fang Senyan, who was at the epicenter, to reel, becoming dizzy and nauseous, his vision darkening as he swayed precariously. The phantom took the opportunity to float rapidly out of the doorway. As it flew, small specks of light trailed behind it, as if its very substance were dissipating like a comet shedding debris—it was clearly heavily wounded by Fang Senyan’s punch.

It took nearly three to four full seconds before Fang Senyan regained control of his body. His engagement with the phantom had lasted less than a minute, so the life lost due to the curse was less than thirty points. However, that single, piercingly silent scream had stripped away nearly seventy points of his vitality. He hurriedly accessed the combat logs from his Nightmare Mark to review the records, and what he found there quickly left him stunned!