Hua City.Far beyond the city's bright skyline, past the neon haze and sleepless districts, there stood an old, forgotten shrine on the outskirts—a dusty, crumbling temple dedicated to a deity few still remembered.
It was the dead of night.Even downtown had long since dimmed its lights. But here, in the depths of the ruins, flickering red lanterns cast broken shadows against weathered stone walls.
The statues loomed.The City God, grim-faced.The gatekeeper demons, their snarling stone jaws frozen mid-roar.Eerie and ancient, they watched over the darkness like silent sentinels.
Lucian Graves sat cross-legged on a worn cushion before the altar. His face was pale, his brow furrowed, his lips pulled into a subtle frown. A battered mini-television flickered in front of him, casting ghostly light across the chamber.
"Tonight marks the peak of Ghost Month,"the anchor's voice crackled."The Gates of the Dead have opened wide. According to recent intel, we are expecting a full-blown Parade of a Hundred Ghosts. All residents are urged to remain indoors.Do. Not. Open. The. Door.Under any circumstances. The Spirit Tamers will protect you."
Behind the news anchor, the studio backdrop was stained with dark, rust-colored streaks—like old, dried blood. Lucian could swear he saw something move beneath the anchor's sleeve. A lump... shaped like a tiny hand, squirming.
"Great," Lucian muttered. "Everyone gets a Spirit Tamer. What do I get? Statues and a bad TV signal."
He shut off the screen and stared up at the dusty City God statue. The old deity offered no answers.
Nineteen years ago, Lucian had woken up in this world.A parallel Earth called Yanhuang, where the language and customs felt familiar… but one horrifying detail shattered the illusion.
This world had ghosts.Not bedtime-story ghosts.Real ones.Ugly. Angry. Hungry.
In this world, monsters weren't metaphors—they were Thursday night.And unlike in the stories, there were no gods to save you. No monks, no exorcists, no holy warriors with sacred water and Latin chants.
The only defense against the dead?Other ghosts.
They called them Spirit Tamers—humans with the ability to control ghostly beings and use them to fight back.But Lucian?He was not one of them. Not even close.
He was a regular guy. A former student. A failed job-seeker.And now, the reluctant caretaker of this decrepit shrine—thanks to a bloodline that, apparently, had nothing better to do for three generations.
He never knew his parents. Only the old man who raised him here, who passed away a year ago.
The old man hadn't wanted Lucian to take over the shrine.But Lucian… had nowhere else to go. The modern world was full of horrors. Shadows with teeth. Whispers in the dark. He saw things others didn't. Felt things others ignored.
And somehow, this broken-down temple made him feel... safe.
So he stayed.And on the very first day of becoming shrine keeper...Ghost Month peaked.The Gates opened.The Hundred Ghost Parade began.
Just his luck.
Even if he wanted to run, where would he go?Ghosts didn't respect fences. Lock your door, hide under the bed—it didn't matter. He'd seen what they did to the unprepared. People torn apart. Gutted. Emptied like fruit.
He let out a long sigh.
"A new era of suck," he muttered.
Suddenly—His body froze.Muscles locked. He couldn't move.His brain screamed commands—stand! run! shout!—but his limbs refused.
All he could do was watch… through the dim reflection in the dark screen.
And then he saw it.
His reflection… was smiling.But he wasn't.
That face—his own—slowly twisted.The smile grew. Wrinkles etched themselves into the skin.Blood trickled from its eyes, its nose.
And it spoke.
"Your face… is mine now~"
A cold, rancid stench filled Lucian's nostrils. Something pulled at his cheeks—something unseen, tugging, twisting.
His neck bent sideways.Bones creaked.The world spun.
This was it.
This was the end.
But then—A voice thundered in his mind.
[Host in life-threatening danger. Activating Supreme Netherworld System™.][Newbie Gift Pack ready. Would you like to open it?]
Lucian's eyes widened."A system!?"
His soul screamed YES.Anything. Just do it.
[Gift Pack claimed.][Congratulations, Host. You have received: Dharma Form of Merit.][Congratulations. You have received: Six-Eyed Truth Listener.]