Lucifer relished in the increasing number of fear points he was accumulating. His diabolical plans were working, and the villagers were succumbing to his every whim. However, his joy was short-lived as he learned that the village chief had reported the strange occurrences to the big city.

At first, Lucifer was horrified at the thought of getting caught. He began to make preparations to flee the village, but then he had an idea. He reasoned that the city would not send their most powerful martial artists just for some strange occurrences in a small village. And even if they did, he was confident he could outrun them.

With his new plan in place, he began to harvest fear points with a frenzy. He needed to build a reservoir of fear points so that he could replenish his energy quickly and survive any attack that might come from the martial artists.

Lucifer became the terror of the village, and the villagers were helpless against him. He continued his wicked ways until the martial artists arrived, confident that he could outrun them if they were to detect him.

.....

Lucifer watched as the two martial artists entered the village, and he quickly hid himself in the shadows.

He positioned himself far enough away to avoid detection, but close enough to hear their conversation.

As he listened, he was surprised by the way the martial artists behaved towards Old Man Zhou. In all the novels he could remember, martial artists were portrayed as arrogant and haughty, especially in front of mortals.

As Old Man Zhou recounted the terror and despair that had engulfed the village, Lucifer felt a twinge of guilt. He couldn't believe that his actions had caused so much suffering.

But then Old Man Zhou mentioned something about a dead old woman and strange activities near her house. Lucifer was completely bewildered by this and couldn't comprehend what the old man was talking about.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Lucifer decided to follow the martial artists to the old woman's house. As he watched them quivering in fear at the sight of a curtain, he was left utterly speechless.

After that, he decided to test if they could see him or not. So, when they went to the next house, he followed them and appeared in front of them when they least expected it. To his surprise, they were somehow able to see him or at least sense his presence.

Just as he disappeared from their sight, he received a system notification.

Another shocking discovery was that he could obtain more fear points from stronger targets.

Upon discovering this, his plan of action became as clear as day. He utilized various means to terrify the martial artists and collect an abundance of fear points. He continued in this manner until nightfall, by which time he had accumulated enough points to evolve into the 'Ghost'.

.....

He ventured deep into the forest to avoid drawing attention during his evolution. Once there, he carefully reviewed the details of the ghost's evolution process. After giving it some thought and mustering his determination, he clicked the "evolve" button.

Suddenly, the wind around him grew stronger and started swirling with a ferocity that shook the very ground beneath his feet.

His soul form shattered into tiny particles, and Lucifer could feel himself being pulled in all directions by the wind.

He felt as though he was being torn apart from the inside out, but there was no pain, only a strange sensation of numbness.

The wind continued to swirl around him, faster and faster until a black hole began to form in the center of the vortex.

The black hole grew in size, and Lucifer could feel it absorbing everything in its path, from the trees to the ground beneath his feet. It was as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart, and Lucifer couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and fear at the sheer power of the black hole.

The wind reached a fever pitch, and the black hole exploded with a deafening sound that would have shattered the eardrums of any living creature within a mile radius. The force of the blast sent Lucifer hurtling through the air, and when he finally came to a stop, he was standing on his feet, surrounded by the aftermath of the explosion.

The ground around him was scorched and cracked, and the trees had been uprooted and thrown aside like twigs.

Lucifer slowly opened his eyes, and what he saw was a sight to behold. His eyes, once a deep brown, had turned as black as the void, and his skin was now as pale as the moon. He was dressed in a long, black coat that seemed to be made of the same material as the black hole that had birthed him.

As he took his first steps, Lucifer could feel the power coursing through his veins.

He was no longer the weak and helpless spirit that he had been before, but a being of pure darkness and terror. The wind around him died down, and the forest fell silent as if in reverence to the new being that had been born.

He soon received the system notification detailing his new powers.

'System Status'

.....

'New Skill!, show the details for all new skills, system' he thought excitedly.

Lucifer's excitement knew no bounds as he gazed upon his newly acquired skills and powerups. The surge of power coursing through his non-existent veins made him feel invincible, and he couldn't wait to test out his newfound strength.

But amidst all the excitement and euphoria, he failed to notice one crucial change in his status screen. It was a warning sign, a harbinger of the darkness that would bring him closer to the dreaded energy-saving mode.

.....

As he crept towards the village through the rustling forest, Lucifer's malevolent mind was already concocting nefarious schemes to terrify the martial artists.

Upon reaching the village, his wicked gaze fell upon William, who sat on watch duty during the dark night.

Lucifer quickly discerned that William's mental state was far from stable. He had been relentlessly vigilant and fearful since morning, and the strain had clearly taken its toll on his psyche.

In a calculated move, Lucifer decided to test out his freshly acquired skill - [Weak Illusion{E}] - on the vulnerable William.

Lucifer's mind raced as he quickly formulated a devious illusion, one that would surely strike fear into the heart of the already weakened William.

With a swift motion, he channeled 30 units of his newly acquired energy to create the intricate illusion, and then focused it onto William, using another 20 units of energy.

As the illusion took hold, William's expression contorted in terror.

Seeing this, Lucifer smirked to himself, relishing in the thrill of his newfound power. He knew that with these abilities, he could strike fear into anyone and gather tons of Fear Points.

Lucifer was caught up in his excitement to test out his newly acquired skill on the fearful William, without realizing a crucial detail.

Despite the success of the illusion, William's fear did not trigger the usual notification signaling the acquisition of fear points.

This oversight was a grave mistake on Lucifer's part, one that would lead him down a path towards the darkness of energy-saving mode.

.....

As the night wore on, Lucifer relentlessly tormented the martial brothers with his newly acquired skills. He conjured up terrifying apparitions, all in an effort to elicit the maximum amount of fear from his targets. His efforts were successful, as he could see the terror etched on their faces with each passing moment.

However, in his fervor, Lucifer failed to take notice of his rapidly depleting energy levels. It wasn't until he received the ominous system notification - "Energy below critical level" that came back to his senses.

'System convert fear point to energy' he ordered the system.

After not receiving any feedback he decided to open the status screen and see if the exchange had happened or not.

'System Status'

As Lucifer observed the changes on his status screen, his heart began to race with anxiety and fear.

He had never seen such unfamiliar options before, and the uncertainty of their meaning made him feel uneasy.

However, he took a deep breath and reminded himself to stay calm, knowing that panic would only hinder his ability to think and react clearly.

With a steady hand, he selected the new options and asked the system about their purpose, hoping to gain some clarity and understanding.

'Doesn't this sound like the system is encouraging me to consume souls of children'