First things first, I had to fix myself up.
My form was still in that ridiculous, melted, pudding-like state on the ground, and quite frankly, I refused to have any kind of serious interaction while looking like spilled dessert. With a bit of focus, I gathered what remained of my scattered essence and reassembled my body, pulling myself back into the familiar shape of my human ghost form.
It took a moment, but once it was done, I felt stable again.
"Much better," I expressed under my breath.
The next thing I did? I retreated. Very quickly.
If I were still human, I would have called it running away. But given my current state, "drifting away" sounded more appropriate. And so, I drifted—no, hurriedly drifted—upward into the air until I was hovering at a height I believed was safely out of reach.
From there, I looked down at the… thing below.
"I'm only going to ask this once," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Who are you, and what have you done to my friend, Kaiden?"
The figure looked up at me. "It's me," he replied.
"…Lies." I didn't even hesitate.
"I know Kaiden," I continued firmly, gesturing toward him as if presenting evidence. "And in no possible world does he look like you. Not even by the tiniest stretch of imagination."
That wasn't an exaggeration. Not even close.
"But it is," he insisted.
While speaking, his gaze shifted downward, scanning the ground as if searching for something. It didn't take long before he found it. He bent slightly and picked up what turned out to be the snake's skull.
Then he raised it up. "Look," he said. "You recognize this, don't you?"
I did. Of course I did. "That's…" I trailed off.
"The same skull," he continued, holding it up more clearly. "The one you helped me get. That means I'm the same one you named. Your friend. Kaiden."
I went silent. For a moment, I just stared.
Listening to him, watching him, I couldn't help but hesitate. Especially when he said that word. Friend.
"…Hmph." I almost reacted. Almost.
It wasn't like I was about to blush or anything ridiculous like that. No, nothing like that. But there was a faint flicker of something I chose not to acknowledge.
'…Almost,' I repeated inwardly.
That didn't change the main issue.
"But how?" I asked, my tone shifting back to suspicion. "The Kaiden I know and named is… uhm…"
I paused, trying to find the nicest possible way to phrase it. "…A midget."
That was me being generous.
"He's small," I continued. "Scrawny. Fragile-looking. While you are…"
I took my time, scanning him from head to toe. "…The exact opposite."
There was no other way to describe it.
"You're right," he said calmly.
At least he admitted that much.
"After you named me," he continued, "you passed out. And then I underwent an evolution."
"…An evolution?"
"Yes. I changed from a Goblin into a Hobgoblin."
I blinked. "Say what now?"
"Among my kind," he explained, "being named is the same as having our existence acknowledged by the world. Once that happens, we are granted the chance to evolve for the first time."
He kept talking. Explaining in details, but I wasn't really paying attention. Not really.
My focus as it seems, was somewhere else entirely.
'…This is unfair.' That was the only thought running through my head. Completely unfair.
"He went from looking like a malnourished ten-year-old…" And I wasn't talking about modern ten-year-olds who already looked like they belonged in fitness magazines. No. I meant the kind from back in the early 2000s and earlier. Thin. Small. Barely there. "…to this?"
I looked at him again. Broad shoulders. Defined muscles. A solid, imposing presence.
"…This is just ridiculous."
Meanwhile, me? I evolved. And what did I get?… Nothing.
I didn't get a visual change, no glamorous glow up or even a transformation. Just… me, ghostly and ghastly.
"…I'm not bitter."
I definitely was.
Before I could dwell on it any further, a series of notifications suddenly appeared.
[Notice! You have assigned the identity, Kaiden, to a nameless Goblin]
[The Goblin, Kaiden, has evolved into a Hobgoblin]
[+1,000 experience points!]
[Experience threshold reached! You have leveled up!]
[Experience threshold reached! You have leveled up!]
[Notice! The nameless Ghost has named. You have acquired a blessing]
[Nameless Namer – The grace to name despite being nameless yourself]
Effect: Required Spiritual Essence for naming is reduced by 10%
"…Couldn't you have shown up sooner?" I snapped.
"Uhu?" Kaiden tilted his head.
"Not you," I said quickly, waving him off. "I'm talking to the system. The one that refuses to show up on time."
Honestly, if that notification had appeared earlier, I wouldn't have had to go through that entire shock sequence.
At least now, everything made sense. "…Evolution, huh."
Crazier than I thought. Still, there was something else I needed to check.
"Template," I called mentally.
And just like that, the familiar screen appeared.
GHOST TEMPLATE
Origin Race: Ghost (Unranked)
Pathway Race: Wandering Ghost (D-)
Blessing: Nameless Namer
Level: 2/10
Spirit Essence: 6,000 / 6,000
Pathway Racial Skills: Possession, Memory Hijack, Fear Pulse, Ghost Glide
Origin Racial Skills: Thermal Discharge, Inconclusive Lifespan, Physical Pain Discharge, Ghost Sight
Experience Threshold: (61 / 600)
"…Level 2 already?"
I raised a brow. Naming him alone had taken me from level zero to level two.
"That's… actually impressive."
Eight more levels to go before the next pathway evolution. "…Not bad."
But then, "…Wait."
My eyes dropped to something else. My Spirit Essence.
"…Six thousand?" I remained fixed in place, too shocked to be expressive.
Six fucking thousand. It was ten thousand before as an overall, meaning I lost over four thousand Spirit Essence.
Just like that, gone. Poofed away like the air.
"What the heck?!"
That wasn't a small amount. Not even by a small margin. Nearly half my total reserves gone.
"If this is the cost of naming…" I exhaled slowly. "…Then I need to be very careful moving forward."
Spirit Essence wasn't just some random number. It was everything for me as a Ghost.
Without it, I couldn't use my abilities, couldn't function properly.
"…And I just burned through four thousand in one go."
Even with the new blessing reducing the cost by ten percent, it still felt like too much.
"Definitely not something I can spam."
Before I could think further, another notification appeared.
[Notice! As the namer of the Goblin, Kaiden, you can choose to register him as a Vassal]
[Benefit – As your Vassal, it becomes impossible for Kaiden to rebel against you]
[Note: The effect strength depends on the rank difference]
[Would you like to register Kaiden as your Vassal?]
(Yes / No)
"Yes."
I didn't hesitate. Not even for a second. There was no downside to it, only benefits.
And after losing four thousand Spirit Essence? 'Heck yeah. Make that goblin my bitch- I mean, vassal. Make him my vassal.'
I deserved some compensation for my tremendous loss.
[Designating Kaiden as the first Vassal of the Wandering Ghost]
A magic circle formed beneath us.
It expanded outward, glowing with an intense light that engulfed both of us within its range.
"…Bright." Very bright.
Even for me, it was overwhelming. I had to shut my eyes just to endure it.
The magic circle, upon doing its work, faded just as quickly as it had suddenly appeared.
Everything returned to normal before I knew it.
[Congratulations! Kaiden has been successfully assigned as your Vassal]
When I looked down, I noticed something new.
On Kaiden's arm, two black markings had appeared, forming a ring-like pattern that intersected at the center. It looked almost like a tattoo.
"…That actually looks pretty cool."
It suited him. Especially with those newly attained muscle of his.
I drifted down slightly, extending my hand toward him in a welcoming gesture.
"Congratulations, Kaiden," I said. "You are now officially my friend…" I paused briefly. "…And my first vassal."
Whatever that truly meant, I figured I would find out going forward.