The Legendary Ghost Hunter

Soon after, Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper set off for the library just as instructed. In the meantime, Elder Hua and Nurse Yang had both gathered in the infirmary, facing Finn and Iris.

But there was also one other visitor here — Lei Feng, Patriarch of the Thousand Dragons Sect.

"… Elder Hua, Nurse Yang. Leave this boy and I alone for a while."

"Understood, Patriarch." Elder Hua and Nurse Yang both bowed deeply, before shooting a glance at Iris.

"Follow us, Iris. Your wheelchair is ready," Nurse Yang said.

Iris nodded and flew off of her bed using the wings on the back of her armor, shooting Finn one last glance before following the two out of the infirmary.

As the door shut tight behind them, Patriarch Lei sat down on a chair and moved it closer to Finn's bed.

"… Your name. It was Finn, correct?"

Finn nodded. "Finn Thresher."

"I see. Well then, Finn… do you know just what you did this afternoon?"

"I nearly completely destroyed the training dojo, so I've been told. I apologize for that."

"No no, not that. I mean… the Ability you used."

"… All I did was what Elder Hua taught me," Finn replied after some hesitation.

"Impossible. I have used Stormbringer's Wrath many, many times. Not once has the two arc orbs converged into one and created a singularity so strong that it has gravitational pull and possesses the capability to generate a shock field of debris around it."

"The two orbs converging into one…" Finn utilized his skill of coming up with bullshit on the spot once again and gave his response.

"I had a sudden flash of inspiration and thought, 'I have two balls. What if I combine these two together?' Who knew it actually worked?"

[Pfft~ you actually expect him to believe that?] Zelestria desperately tried to hold back her laughter inside Finn's mind, but he paid her no heed.

"I see…" Lei Feng rubbed his chin in thought, genuinely taking Finn's words seriously. "Perhaps you just possess talent I do not."

[… Mkay~! I take back what I just said~]

"Talent? I'm just a quick learner, that's all," Finn replied, hoping to bait out some information from Lei Feng.

And indeed, he took the bait.

"No no, you do not understand," he said, shaking his head. "That Ability you used… it's called Raiju's Howl — the Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica. You are blind, so you couldn't see it, but everyone else did. Within the thunderclouds that you summoned… the silhouette of a dog, wolf-like creature lay beyond."

"So that's where the howl came from…" Finn murmured quietly.

"Indeed. That creature's name is Raiju — the mythical animal of storms and lightning. Had you finished your Ability, everything that got sucked into the singularity would've been transferred over to Raiju as energy, essentially summoning him into this world to be your ally."

"… It was just a random thought," Finn muttered. "I never expected it to be this impactful."

"Finn, listen closely. You may not have enough mana right now, but the moment you do, summon that beast. He is extremely powerful and will aid us Ghost Hunters in our fight against the paranormal. Especially with the Perfect Outbreak that occurred recently… help is required more than ever. Do you understand?"

[Fufu~ little does he know, my sweet darling already has more than enough mana to do it~] Zelestria remarked.

Finn nodded in response to Lei's words. "I understand. Thanks for letting me know. But… you mentioned Lost Arts earlier. What are they?"

"Lost Arts are exactly what their names say them to be — Angelica Abilities lost to time. The only reason their existence is known is because of old records and stories, but none have any instructions on how to actually cast them — hence why they are called 'lost'. Most of the time, they are also the most powerful Abilities of their respective Angelica."

"So what you're saying is… anyone could suddenly discover the method to use a Lost Art, as long as they have the luck?" Finn asked, thinking casting Abilities was as simple as knowing the name and action tied to it.

"No. While you were unconscious, I asked Elder Hua to tell me exactly what you did — your body gestures, words, and such. I replicated your movements perfectly, but was unable to activate the Lost Art. Which means…"

"… Only certain people can do it?"

"Hm… that may be true for Lost Arts, but for normal Abilities, it just takes multiple tries most of the time."

"I see." Finn sank into thought. Since he'd always pretty much first tried all the Abilities he was taught, he thought it was easy learning them. Now he knew it wasn't for most people, and that he just was able to do this because of either the Ghost Blood in his body or Zelestria's help. Perhaps a little bit of both.

"Finn," Patriarch Lei suddenly said, interrupting Finn's thoughts.

"… Yes?"

"Tell me the truth. Just who are you?"

"…" Finn didn't try to play dumb or ignorant. He knew what Lei was referring to, but the patriarch expanded on it anyway.

"According to the GHO's database, your Angelica is listed as Oculus. Yet here you are, using the Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica like you knew how to cast it all along. I find it hard to believe you are just some random stray kid Archon picked up on the street again like the others."

"… I lied when I was filling my application in," Finn replied calmly. "My ex-squadmate, Storm, also had the Stormbringer Angelica, but he was… weak. If I told the GHO I had the Stormbringer Angelica as well, there was a chance me or Storm may be transferred to a different place."

"That is true, every squadron requires a Stormbringer to cover up their operations. The GHO is always in need of them, and I know who you're talking about. Derek, I think his name was? He was a competitive young man. Although his chanting was slow, he gave it his all."

Finn nodded. "Which is why-"

"However," Lei cut in before he could continue. "I would strongly suggest you not lie to me again, Finn."

At this, Finn stopped and fell into silence momentarily.

"If you had the Stormbringer Angelica all along, I would've sensed it as a fellow Stormbringer when our paths first crossed at the guild HQ," Lei explained. "That is an intrinsic trait of Stormbringers. With that being said… there leaves only one conclusion."

Narrowing his eyes, Lei stared intently at Finn, dropping his tone dangerously.

"One way or another… you somehow managed to gain another Angelica after we met. Theoretically speaking, this should not be possible and has never happened in the past. So… tell me, Finn Thresher.

Who — or what — exactly are you?"