The Miraculous Treasure Hunting System-Chapter 144. The Evil Spirit Priest

"Wait, there’s danger here!"

The two had just jumped down when they heard Jason shout. Instantly alert, they raised a mirror to reflect light into the chamber.

They saw Jason standing not far away but couldn’t see any immediate threat. Only then did they notice the three skeletons at his feet, still clad in scraps of metal equipment and torn cloth, clutching various weapons.

Looking at the weapons’ styles, Ed understood. "These are the remains of previous explorers. The fact they died here means there’s danger, and their teammates didn’t even collect their bodies."

Jason fiddled with the pouches at the corpses’ waists, and some gold and silver jewelry slipped out. They hadn’t even collected their comrades’ loot before fleeing? Or were these the very last group to come here? No, there were too few of them.

A sudden chill swept through the silent room, a gust like a winter breeze that made them shiver. This was clearly abnormal, the work of supernatural forces.

The group huddled together, back-to-back, warily scanning their surroundings.

Lucilia’s voice traveled through the necklace to Ed’s ears: "Be careful, Ed. It’s a soul, a ghost-like enemy. You can’t see it if it doesn’t want to be seen."

A ghost? An evil spirit? Ed thought. The question is, how do you destroy such a being? I can’t exactly exorcise it, can I?

Before he could think further, a chilling sensation passed by them.

"Ah!" Jason cried out in pain. Three bloody gashes appeared on his left arm, covered not with gushing blood but with a layer of frost.

"An invisible enemy!" Jason gasped.

"Could it be an evil spirit? An undead creature, something like a soul?" Ed said immediately.

Hearing this, Gami frowned. "What should we do? Monsters like evil spirits are hard to eliminate without the right methods."

Ed had already raised his shotgun. Its bullets carried the effect of holy flames, which should work on undead creatures like spirits. It had harmed the skeletons outside and might even restrain other evil monsters.

Gripping the shotgun, his index finger firm on the trigger, Ed was completely tense.

Another chill swept over them. Ed sensed it and immediately sidestepped. He was still too slow; his clothes at the waist were torn in three places, but fortunately, no flesh was injured.

Jason covered his left arm, frowning. "We can’t even see them. How are we supposed to fight an invisible enemy?"

Perhaps because the enemy had grown smarter, the chill around them became increasingly palpable. The cold numbed their senses, dulling their reactions.

This time, there was no warning sensation. Ed frowned as three cuts appeared on his thighs, covered in nerve-deadening frost.

"Shield!" Gami roared. Two of his four tentacles extended, pressing against Ed and Jason’s backs. A thin, azure shield enveloped them like a stream of water. The vehicle’s cockpit, which had just opened, now sealed completely, concealing them inside.

"A good opportunity!" Jason’s face lit up at the sight of the shield. He ripped off his necklace, revealing a coin no bigger than half his palm. As magic flowed in, it emitted a milky-white light.

"Energy Sweep."

Milky-white energy emanated from the coin in rippling waves—an incantation inscribed on the coin for his use.

"Aaaaaah!" A bloodcurdling scream rang out. Through the ripples of energy, everyone immediately looked toward the source.

The enemy was finally revealed: a priest in the robes of the Church of the Holy Mother. His body was a pale, eerie green, surrounded by icy mist. His expression was bloodthirsty and ferocious, his hands like claws.

Seeing the enemy revealed, Ed didn’t hesitate. He raised his gun and fired a blast, the bullets coalescing with holy flames. They pierced the soul’s chest, leaving a gaping hole. The spirit’s screams grew more agonizing, its form contorting in pain before it vanished again.

"Is he dead?" Jason asked worridly.

Ed shook his head. "Be careful. He’s not dead yet; he’s still around us."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chill gathered around them again, confirming his words.

Wait. Ed suddenly remembered: Lucilia had just told him whether the enemy was dead. That meant she could see it.

Thinking this, Ed raised his shotgun with one hand and his pistol with the other. The pistol’s bullets were also engraved with runes of holy power. He opened his mouth and said directly, "Show me the way!"

He hesitated to ask outright, making his words ambiguous, like a spell’s activation phrase. Since Lucilia could see the soul, he needed her to reveal its location.

Lucilia, in the magic mirror, understood instantly. Yes, how come I didn’t think of that before? He’s right in front of Jason!

The instant her voice rang out, Ed turned his pistol and pulled the trigger without hesitation. A bullet flew past Jason’s ear and struck the empty air in front of him. With the hit, the enemy flickered into a faint afterimage before forcing itself to vanish again.

Seeing this, Jason immediately asked, "You can see the enemy now?"

Ed ignored him, his shotgun already aimed at the enemy’s new hiding place.

"Bang!" This time it was a spread shot, pellets flying across an area.

"Aaaaaah..." A miserable scream revealed the enemy’s figure, another devastating blow. As he reappeared, several more bullets pierced his soul.

Jason and Gami didn’t waste the opportunity. They unleashed a torrent of fire from their weapons toward the spot Ed was targeting. They couldn’t see the soul, but they could see where Ed was pointing.

Amidst the screams, the enemy vanished into green smoke. The chill around them quickly dissipated.

"This time... he’s finally dead, right?" Jason couldn’t help but ask.

Ed nodded. "He should be dead this time."

Hearing this, Jason let out a heavy sigh of relief, finally relaxing. The unseen enemy had exerted far more psychological pressure than expected.

"Hiss~" As everyone relaxed, Jason and Ed hissed in pain. The wounds on their bodies ached sharply. With the evil spirit gone, the frost began to melt, and blood slowly seeped out.

Seeing this, Gami quickly pulled out two rolls of bandages and handed them over. "Quick, treat this first. Use magic to seal the wounds."

The two took the bandages and used magic to close their injuries. The blood flow quickly stopped, and the pain subsided considerably. Ed took out prepared medicine, sprinkling powder from a vial onto the wounds before bandaging them.

After this simple treatment, the two stood up and caught their breath. Jason frowned, pondering the battle, then said, "That evil spirit’s disguise was the priest here. I didn’t expect even a child of the Holy Mother could be corrupted by this power and become a spirit."

"Too much time has passed," Gami said, stepping out of the cockpit. He crossed his arms, muttering incantations in a prayer for the priest who had become a spirit. "The darkness that erupted has long since severed us from external forces. May he rest in peace."

The other two did the same. They were all believers in the Holy Mother, even members of the Church. It was the least they could do for the poor soul who died unjustly.

Afterward, the group examined the piles of bones left by the earlier explorers. The skeletons bore no obvious wounds. They searched through them carefully.

"These people reaped a considerable harvest," Ed said, looking at the pile of goods. Just three people carried at least ten pounds of various treasures: jewelry, necklaces, and ornaments broken off from who-knows-where, still bearing signs of damage. These items could easily fetch two or three gold sails, but compared to the ghost they faced, the reward seemed disproportionate.

Hearing this, Jason smiled sarcastically. "If the harvest wasn’t substantial, why would so many fearless individuals come seeking such riches? Just think, it was the wealth left behind by two nations. The darkness erupted so suddenly; those near the core died instantly, powerless to resist. Those on the periphery could only flee, leaving countless riches in the darkness-shrouded sea."

However, Ed wasn’t concerned with these things. What bothered him was that the pile of bones lacked the outlines of the most important spoils. When he saw those skeletons, he assumed one might have possessed magical artifacts. Only one ring, which looked quite valuable, had a white outline, indicating it was what the white dot represented.

What about the blue dot? Where could it be? The priest, right, the priest’s remains haven’t been found. His soul became an evil spirit here, so his remains must be here too.

Thinking this, Ed turned to the other two. "Was this priest a Toucher?"

Jason shook his head. "I don’t know. Who could know?"

"Probably," Gami said after a moment’s thought. "This island is quite large, and judging from the ruins, it must have had a considerable population. In churches in areas like this, the priests are usually retired Touchers."

Hearing this, Ed nodded, thinking of the mad priest on Golden Wheat Island. "Then what about this priest’s remains? If he could become an evil spirit, his body must be lying somewhere. We should bury him."

The two nodded in agreement.

"This is a silence chamber, so he’s very likely here," Gami said, extending a few tentacles to touch a piece of the stone wall beside him.