Hitman with a Badass System

The mention of wraiths sent a shiver down Michael's spine, memories of battling plague maidens within the dark confines of Valorix's dungeon flooding back. Yet, an instinctual feeling suggested these spectral adversaries would prove even more troublesome. Spectral enemies, unlike their tangible counterparts, required more than brute force to vanquish. Michael's recent encounters had shown him that some foes possessed resistances to dark flames, a worrying sign if these wraiths shared similar immunities. This predicament also jogged his memory about a wooden house he had glimpsed when seizing the orb—a vision showing him what he needed most. It was a reminder that upgrading his dark flames should be a priority.

Lost in these thoughts, Michael was jolted back to reality by a piercing screech. Lost in his strategizing, Michael's musings were violently interrupted by a piercing, screeching cry that tore through the silence. Gaya, momentarily startled, almost let her crossbow slip from her grasp, but managed to maintain her hold.

As they turned their attention toward the source of the disturbance, several smoky figures began to materialize from behind the charred remains of the buildings. These dark, smoky apparitions, with glowing red eyes that burned like coals, bore rotten heads with skulls partially exposed, giving them a visage that was both terrifying and grotesque.

"Great, those ugly fucks must be the wraiths," Gaya remarked with a snap, her hands working quickly to load an explosive bolt into her crossbow.

"They don't look like they'll get hurt by your bolts," the Phoenix observed, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of naive innocence, as if the concept of danger was foreign to him.

"Shut up," Gaya growled, positioning herself behind Michael for a better strategic advantage.

"Got any bright ideas on how to deal with those?" she asked, her eyes locked on the advancing shadows.

Before Michael could formulate a response, Pink's voice buzzed in their ears, providing a much-needed insight into their foes. "I found out something crucial. Wraiths are spawned from a clash between the aura of death and a life force. This collision births creatures that are neither fully dead nor alive, driven to extinguish all that lives," Pink explained, her voice a mix of urgency and excitement from her discovery.

Gaya's patience, however, was thinning. "Thanks for the lecture, really, but we're kinda busy here. Skip to the end, will ya?" she shot back, her sarcasm thinly veiling her stress.

"Right, sorry," Pink quickly adjusted. "So, about the wraiths, normal weapons are useless against them. But, they're vulnerable to fairy light, can be trapped using wraith trapping runes, or destroyed by annihilating the death root, whatever that means."

Hearing this, Michael felt a glimmer of hope. The last option Pink mentioned seemed the most actionable under the circumstances. As he began to consider their options, the wraiths started their advance.

In a flash, a red beam of light burst forth from one of the advancing wraiths, slicing through the air towards them. Michael and Gaya, driven by instinct, dove to the sides, narrowly escaping the attack. Phoenix, however, remained in place, his expression one of intrigue rather than fear, as if the deadly specters before him were nothing more than a curiosity.

"Watch out!" Gaya's warning tore through the air, her voice sharp with the urgency of her protective instincts, born from her role as the Goddess of Monsters. Despite her alert, she was too late to prevent the beam from striking Phoenix directly in the chest.

To their astonishment, Phoenix stood unharmed, the beam leaving not a trace of damage upon him. "Fascinating," he uttered, his voice tinged with wonder rather than concern.

"Idiot!" Gaya couldn't help but exclaim as she rushed to Phoenix's side, yanking him back to safety just as the wraiths prepared for another assault.

Meanwhile, Michael, with swift agility, created a barrier of black lightning bolts around them as he deployed his Black Shield. The shield absorbed the incoming energy beam, but the intensity of the attack caused the shield to heat up alarmingly, searing his wrist. Thankfully, his Adaptive Pain Deterrent (APD) mechanism kicked in, healing the burn almost as quickly as it had formed.

In a disconcerting display of their spectral abilities, the wraiths vanished from view only to reappear moments later, encircling the trio with malevolent intent.

"What were you thinking, you idiot?" Gaya scolded Phoenix, her frustration evident.

"Why did they attack me?" Phoenix inquired, his tone one of genuine confusion and surprise. There was no trace of anger in his voice, only a childlike bewilderment.

Phoenix's naive question struck a chord in Gaya, briefly reminding her of Nightmare. She quickly stifled the emotional surge, focusing instead on the immediate threat.

As the wraiths launched another volley of red beams, Michael acted swiftly, invoking Silenes to slow down time within their immediate vicinity. The world seemed to pause, the deadly beams hanging ominously in the air, as he quickly grabbed Phoenix and Gaya, pulling them to safety with remarkable speed.

Having put some distance between them and the encircling wraiths, Pink's voice chimed in once more, breaking the tense silence. "Hey, you two. Got some good news. Digging a bit deeper, I stumbled upon something awesome. The records mention that a simultaneous strike to their glowing eyes with weapons coated in primordial flames or fairy light can take them down instantly," she explained, a touch of pride lacing her voice for uncovering such a crucial piece of information.

A sly grin spread across Michael's face, not solely due to Pink's timely intel but also because he noticed something else. The wraiths were enveloped in a yellow aura, a telltale sign they were vulnerable to the correct approach. Moreover, his senses picked up on a pulsating presence underground, a few meters away from their current location.

"That must be the death root," Michael murmured to Gaya, nodding towards a patch of soil that bore a distinctly darker hue than its surroundings.

Before Gaya could fully process the situation, one of the wraiths materialized dangerously close to Michael, its shadowy arms poised for an attack. Michael, however, was not about to let it land a hit. With agile movements, he ducked, avoiding the strike, and in a swift motion, he unsheathed the dark swords resting on his back. Tapping the medallion he wore, armor enveloped him seamlessly, preparing him for the confrontation.

With a determination fueled by the heat of battle, Michael's swords were soon wreathed in dark flames. He leaped into the air, his target clear. The swords plunged through the wraith's glowing eyes, and for a brief moment, its form solidified, becoming vulnerable to his attack. Within seconds, the wraith's form shattered, dissolving into nothingness.

In the heat of the battle, Michael's system chimed with notifications, a testament to his prowess in combat.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the cursed shadow monster. The reward is 4000 Experience points and 400 Badass points]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 5000 Badass points]

The satisfaction of the kill was short-lived, however, as another wraith took the place of the first, emerging directly above the area where Michael had sensed the death root. His initial success and the subsequent appearance of another wraith only served to broaden the sly grin on his face, recognizing the unique opportunity this battleground presented for gathering experience points.

"Don't touch that death root," he called out to Gaya, his excitement barely contained. Over their time together, Gaya had come to understand Michael's non-verbal cues as clearly as if he had spoken at length. His slight gestures and the tone of his voice conveyed his intentions perfectly, signaling to her that he had a strategy in mind.

Trusting in Michael's plan, Gaya held back, ready to support him but allowing him the space to execute his strategy.

As the battle against the wraiths unfolded, Michael's determination and skill became the focal point of their struggle for survival. With each wraith that appeared, Michael adopted Pink's suggested method, his movements a blur of precision and power. He coated his dark swords with flames that seemed to draw from the very essence of darkness itself, moving through the wraiths with an agility that belied his imposing form.

The wraiths, for their part, moved with a haunting grace, their forms shifting and swirling like smoke on the wind. They attacked in unison, their red beams slicing through the air, aiming to overwhelm Michael and his companions. But Michael, fueled by the thrill of the fight and the promise of experience points, met them head-on. He danced between their attacks, his swords striking true, targeting the glowing eyes that Pink had identified as their weakness.

With each successful strike, the wraiths shattered, their forms collapsing into ash that was quickly swept away by the breeze. The system notifications kept coming, a constant reminder of the rewards reaped from this dangerous harvest.

Meanwhile, Phoenix's curiosity got the better of him. Drawn by the chaos and the mysterious nature of their adversaries, he edged closer to the fray, only to be sharply rebuked by Gaya.

"Stay back, let him handle this!" she snapped, her protective instincts kicking in. Her eyes never left Michael, but her awareness of Phoenix's movements remained sharp.

Phoenix, undeterred by the danger, pointed towards the ground where the death root pulsed with a malevolent energy. "What's that?" he asked, his voice filled with a childlike wonder that seemed out of place amidst the battle.

"Do not touch that," Gaya replied tersely, her attention divided between keeping Phoenix safe and watching Michael's back as he continued his assault on the wraiths.

Aware but focused on the task at hand, Michael moved with a purpose. He understood the importance of the death root in maintaining the barrier and the continuous spawn of wraiths. Each wraith he dispatched not only cleared the immediate threat but also increased his strength, a necessary preparation for whatever challenges lay ahead.

"I am so close to breaking through to the next cultivation stage," Michael excitedly said to himself.

But he didn't know that his perfect experience farming was about to be abruptly cut short.