The Legendary Ghost Hunter
chapter-198

"… And that's that," Iris declared, letting out a deep breath as she finished off the last of the Phantoms in this Outbreak. "Any readings on your end, Ace?"

The man crouched a few meters away, clad in midnight black armor and shining purple crevices, slowly rose to his feet.

"No. All dead."

"Then the operation is finished," Iris stretched a bit, then let out a deep breath. "Whew. That Outbreak was bigger than most, huh?"

Finn nodded, and the two prepared to head back for the day.

Ever since taking down the Emperor in District B, the two had been going around District to District, cleaning up Outbreaks and killing Ghosts wherever they appeared. They decided to take a break from Temples and Dungeons and whatnot, since they figured they needed to get more experience and become stronger first. Back against that Specter Emperor, the two had fallen into its trap and nearly got killed had it not been for that man's sacrifice. As a result, gaining more experience was necessary.

And so, about a month or so passed. Unfortunately, more and more Districts were falling to the Emperors residing within them. While in some cases, the Ghost Hunters dispatched were able to win the fight, in others, they lost horribly, with the city as the cost of defeat.

So far, the public was still being kept from the truth, but they were beginning to start having doubts and conspiracy theories. The excuse the GHO was using right now was a pandemic that had suddenly swept through all the Districts that had been taken out, but that could only last for so long—not to mention the monetary expenses and whatnot going into creating fake vaccines, procedures, and lockdown to simulate as if there was really a pandemic going on.

The GHO still have not come up with a better alternative, even now. To Finn and Iris, however, this was of little concern. The more Emperors that succeeded in their fight against the Ghost Hunters, the better. It would mean more opportunities for Finn and Iris to take them out, and thus get stronger from the experience.

As the storm created by Finn faded away and the operation was about to come to a close, however, Finn suddenly felt a vibration coming from his pocket, and pulled out his phone. Since he couldn't see, he passed it to Iris, who could. But when she read the message, she tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"It's… Evelyn. She wants us to meet her in District B tonight at 8. That's in two hours. If we catch a train right now, we should be able to make it there, but…"

Finn fell into thought. Evelyn wasn't a woman who would ask to meet with them for no reason. If she went through the trouble of sending Finn a text message requesting a meeting, then it was undoubtedly for something important.

"… Let's go," Finn decided at last, and Iris nodded.

"In that case, we should hurry."

*****

- 2 Hours Later -

"… This is the place, I believe," Iris said, looking around skeptically. "An awfully… sketchy place."

They were in the back slums of the city, which was rare for District B, but still existed. To choose a location like this for a meeting, though, would entail the contents of the conversation they were going to have were top-secret.

"… So, you actually came," a female voice suddenly whispered from behind the two, and they immediately turned around to face her.

"… You're wearing your Carmen outfit?"

"Yes, just in case there are prying eyes," the voice replied. "Now, due to the nature of this meeting, I will keep things short. It pains me, but there's nothing to be done about that."

"… Get on with it," Finn demanded, already growing tired of this beating around the bush.

"Fufu… as direct as ever, I see," Evelyn said with a laugh. "But that aside… recently, I was informed a new project of the GHO's. As you know, the Emperors' situation is dire. At the rate things are going, only more Districts are going to fall. The GHO cannot hold the public's theories back for long, and so, require a solution now."

"… And that concerns us… how?" Iris prompted, raising an eyebrow. Evelyn, however, only giggled.

"… I had a feeling you would say something like that."

"…?" Finn and Iris were confused, and waited for her to continue.

"Listen closely, you two," Evelyn said, turning serious. "The GHO is planning on starting an academy to train a batch of elite Ghost Hunters, a super force that will be able to take down Ghosts and Emperors of any archetype. This is the first time they've experimented with something like this due to how difficult it is to learn how to defeat multiple types of Ghosts, but drastic situations call for drastic measures. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I'm not forcing you to do anything, but I would give my suggestion some consideration if I were you."

"An academy…" Iris's eyes widened a bit. "And… the enrollment is free?"

"The enrollment is free, so long as you pass a test that will gauge your talent. After all, tons of resources will be poured into this project. Only the best of the best will be deserving of that treatment. I can prepare false identities for you two if you choose to join, but the entrance exam is the day after tomorrow. If you're going to make a decision, do it quickly."

"This…"

"… We'll text you back once we've made a decision," Finn said, cutting the conversation short. "But for now… thanks for the information."

Evelyn, seeing that he was ending the chat early for her sake, gave a chuckle.

"I'm glad you understand. Now then… staying here for too long won't be good for me, so I'll see myself out. Best of luck."

With those words, she disappeared as quickly and as sudden as she came, and Finn and Iris were left alone once more. Silently, they returned to their inn too, without speaking a word.

And on top of the roof of a nearby building, a shadow who had been stalking them lightly tapped on the earpiece on her ear.

"… Report: I have discovered something."