MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

In the underground room, an enchantingly demonic lady grinned with a deadly aura. 

"You, I'll kill you," Bubblegum uttered. 

The training instructor nearby gripped his hammer firmly, preparing to make a move.

"Sigh, this is the worst. She's gone, and it's all my fault. I should have never brought her here. This is horrible." 

She seemed entirely under possession, but there was something odd. Here mannerism hadn't changed much. Could a fox spirit adapt so quickly to a human body? Probably not. Yet what was up with that assassination declaration? 

"How exactly will you kill me?" Jack curiously answered. 

"I'll challenge you head-on and crush you to tiny bits!" She slowly uttered, her eyes locked on his beating heart. 

Jack slowly observed her before finally understanding what was going on. He smiled slightly before walking forward. 

"Kid, be careful! Step back!" Igor shouted. 

"Woo!!" (GTFO!) 

"Don't worry. I got this." Jack chuckled as he as he kept approaching. 

"I'll break you until your body is nothing but a gory mess left to feed the vultures," Bubblegum growled. 

That's when her aura changed. She oozed with violence and ruthlessness. She truly wanted him dead. Why did this peculiar aura feel so familiar? Yet why did it feel so foreign at the same time? 

But then he froze and trembled as he understood. He recognized this feeling. He had felt it that fateful day when he had died, and yet it was different too…how?! It was as if ….it was purer! 

Back then, there had been greed and jealousy corrupting that hateful assassin's aura. Bubblegum didn't have any of that. No, she was simply 100% focused on her desire to kill him. There wasn't even any hate, just an incredibly pure desire to kill. 

What was this?! This was killing intent, wasn't it?! Jack had heard rumors of it before. He had been a Ranker for way too long after all. But somehow, never had he felt it so vividly until now. 

Apparently, it was something that all assassins and most of the Rankers developed at some point. It allowed one to intimidate the opponent and resist mental debuffs, not that Jack had ever used it— not to his knowledge, at least...

Instead of cowering, he embraced this killing intent, basking wholly in it. How strange that he would encounter this here, now, and with her. His newfound ability to sense it meant that he was still growing as a player. 

It was just a tiny detail, but it was enough to bring so much joy in his heart as it began beating even faster. She was still looking at it so intently, akin to a ferocious predator. 

But so what? Amidst the cries of warning of the training instructor, Jack reached her, going one step at a time. She was still as bloodied and looked quite horrifying. 

"I'll destroy you and—" She grunted. 

"Is that so?" Jack lightly replied. 

While surrounded by raw killing intent that would have made a grown man shit himself, Jack ever so slowly raised his hand…and began patting her head. 

"Everything will be fine." He slowly comforted her. 

That's when her entire body shook, confusion visible in her beguiling eyes. All the killing intent suddenly receded as all that remained was a soft body shivering. But a second later, her eyes opened, still looking mesmerizing but clear. 

This weird action of his had been the last push for her to regain her senses.  Her bloodied face suddenly showed color as it twisted in a wry smile: 

"You truly are crazy, aren't you?" She teased. 

"I'll take that as a compliment." Jack laughingly replied. 

That's when a soft furry ball interrupted the moment as the wolf began circling both of them, its tail wagging and tongue hanging out. 

"Woo?!" (Confused) 

"Woo!" (Happy) 

"Wooooo!" (Elated) 

This pet wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but all it knew was that everything was now fine. It didn't have to overthink it either. Its master had obviously taken care of everything. 

But Igor wasn't as nonchalant about it: 

"What the fuck happened?! How is this possible?! She was gone. She was completely possessed. What kind of ultimate move did you use just now?! Please tell me!" 

Jack uttered the most solemnly possible: 

"This is an ancestral technique known as a headpat." As he said so, his hand was still gently ruffling his disciple's hair. 

"H-headpat?! Please teach me! This seems so overpowered: it can even bring back lost souls! This is incredible. This is—" But then he froze. "Wait, why are her eyes still golden?! This doesn't make any sense!" 

"You're overthinking this. She was still fighting that fox's spirit when I approached her. As for the eyes, this should be the new ability that she unlocked. If I'm not mistaken, it helps to see vital spots and is a passive one." Jack explained. 

"Wait, she was still fighting? That's not possible. She wanted to murder you?!" 

"The fox's resentment was powered by a desire to kill me. When we defeated the boss, I was the only one it couldn't kill. She one-upped the boss on that one." He chuckled. 

"What?!" 

"If she already wanted to kill me more than the specter, then there was no need for it to possess her." 

"How is this possible… aren't you two friends? What happened?!" 

"She kept mumbling about crushing my body. Does that sound dangerous to a brave?" Jack said. 

"Ah! She just wants to challenge you to a fair fight but made it sound as if she hated you to trick the fox?! This is insane!" 

"Here I thought I had come up with a revolutionary plan." Bubblegum's crystalline voice echoed. "But you saw through it instantly!" She cutely pouted. 

"Don't be too disappointed. It was a great plan for sure." Jack gave her a thumb up to soothe her. 

She could only smile in response as the wolf still circled her. As for the training instructor, he was mumbling over and over about how crazy the whole thing was. Braves were nonsensical beings, and these two were even worse! 

"Alright, let's leave before you do anything crazier," Igor said. 

"Leave? While we're here, I might go through the process too." Jack shrugged, instantly raising the man's blood pressure. 

"Y-you're not planning anything dangerous, right?" 

"Me? No wayyy!" 

"-_-" 

"Hehe, seriously, everything will be fine. Don't worry." Jack waved as he walked entered the room. 

But he heard soft footsteps behind him, the little wolf right on his tail. Whenever he took a step, the pet would do the same. It obviously wanted to join the training. 

"You should probably stay behind. It will be dangerous inside." Jack softly whispered. 

"Woo!" (Disapproval) 

The little wolf shook its head from side to side, not wanting to be left behind. It was looking forward to this so much! Before, it had shown a clear interest in the mana being generated. Could it possibly be helpful to it? 

Jack gave it a stern look: 

"Fine, you can come. But as soon as you feel unwell, tell me, and I'll unsummon you." 

"Woo!" (Agreeing) 

"Alright, Igor, you can start it!" 

Jack shouted with the wolf climbing nestling on the top of his head. He then brought out the  Fleeting Fox Paws and the Fleeting Fox Fur. It was good that Igor remained outside, or he would have had a heart attack. 

Using two catalysts at once?! This was insanity! Or it would have been usually. Since the two were from the same boss, there wouldn't be any clash. It would simply make this whole thing harder. 

But, with increased challenge came increased rewards too. He wasn't sure what kind of ability he would be getting, but hopefully, it would be something that would prove helpful. 

The door closed with a creaking sound. That's when it all began. The air filled with mana as it engulfed the entire room. 

"Woo, woo, woo!" (Excited) 

On his head, the wolf was happily snapping at the air, trying to devour it all. But then it realized with disappointment that it couldn't be eaten. How sad! 

"Settle down. It's about to begin." Jack whispered. 

That's when the monster appeared. An orange flash glowed brightly as an ethereal fox appeared, charging toward Jack at full speed. As it passed through his body, he could feel the coldness it carried. 

It was akin to getting stabbed with an icicle! Jack couldn't help but click his tongue. Next time perhaps he should bring a heater or something? 

"I'll devour your soul! I'll—" The creature screeched as it flew around. 

"Yeah, sure, whatever. There's no need for the B-rated villain dialogues. We all know how this whole thing goes. You talk a lot of crap but still get exorcised in the end. Then I get an ability and…." 

"Woo!" (Happy!)

That's when the wolf above Jack's head suddenly pounced toward the ghost without any restrain. This had been such an impulsive decision from it that Jack didn't even have the time to react. 

But then he couldn't help but stare, completely stunned. What the fuck was happening?! 

The little wolf playfully chased the fox around, hopping all over the place. As for the ghost, it kept rushing away as if it didn't want to have anything to do with the tiny being. It kept charging at Jack instead. 

The enemy seemed incredibly incensed but somehow still hadn't realized how to use its abilities to the fullest for some reason. It kept trying the weird cold thing that was entirely useless. Still, this was strange. 

He could understand why it was trying to kill him, but why was it ignoring the pup? Actually, wouldn't it be deplorable for it if it managed to possess someone only to end up trapped in such a weak body. 

That's when the specter entered Jack's body entirely, not being seen at all. Inside the human's man began an intense fight between a "Demon King" and a flustered revenant. 

The room returned to complete quiet as this silent mental fight happened. The little wolf could only cry pitifully. Why were they leaving it out of the fun?! But for now, it simply climbed back to the top of Jack's head. 

Seeing Jack's relaxed smile, things were going exceptionally well in there. This boss had been killed alone. It didn't carry the resentment of all its brethren like the Chicken Overlord. A few minutes later, it was already over. 

Jack opened his eyes but couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. He hadn't gotten a single ability. This sure sucked! He slowly exited the room, wondering how he could be so unlucky.

But as he saw the others, they seemed odd. They glared his way with their eyes bulging so damn much. 

"What the fuck is that?!" Igor shouted. 

"Hey, are you alright?!" Bubblegum asked with worry in her voice. 

Jack couldn't help but be perplexed….. 

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[A/N] For the start of next month, there will be a Priv mass release. The more Priv unlocks and the more advertisement the novel gets. It's huge! If you guys can afford it, make sure to grab Priv to support. Hopefully, we'll be out of the tutorial soon as this rate! ^_^v

(Check comments for more info) 

Creator's Thought

Once upon a time, I used to be blind to killing intent. I'm not sure what changed. Was it Bubblegum? Probably not. She only allowed me to realize my ability. It was probably the pressure from dying that made me awaken this sense. How? I'm not sure...