"gratutions to the host for obtaining: One ce to extract a red entry! Do you want to use it?"

  A red entry? So, in addition to gold ehere are other types? I wonder what kind of result this red entry will yield.

  Without much hesitation, Ryuji Hoshino immediately chose to use it.

  "Extra successful: You have obtaihe red entry [Soul Devourer]! Do you want to load it?"

  Soul Devourer? What kind of ability is that?

  After his ret experieh Yin-Yang Eyes, Ryuji wasn't about to blindly load a new ability without first uanding what it did. At the very least, he o know the specifics before diving headfirst into something potentially dangerous.

  "Soul Devourer: By dev spirits, you increase your strength without limit!"

  Dev spirits? How exactly do I devour them? Do I... eat them with my mouth?

  Images of the grotesque creature he'd just seen fshed through Ryuji's mind, and he couldn't help but feel disgusted. There was no way he could stomach eating something like that, even if it did grant him power.

  Unfortunately, the system didn't eborate any further. Well, it ower that promised limitless strength, so he figured he might as well load it first and see how it worked.

  "Loading!"

  This time, Ryuji didn't feel any disfort, just the subtle sensation of a straent energy cirg within his body. As for how to actually use this new ability, that was still unclear.

  "I wonder if the system give me a more detailed introdu?" he mused aloud, hoping for a response.

  Silence.

  "...System?"

  Again, no answer.

  Ryuji's face darkened as he realized something troubling. Could this system be one of those basio-frills types that doesn't have any form of intelligence?

  Fortunately, though the system was rather unrespo still fed essential information directly into Ryuji's mind. Little by little, he began to uand how it worked.

  In short, the system operated by loading talents, or "entries," onto him. These talents could be triggered under certain ditions like how his Yin-Yang Eyes had been triggered by his enter with Yotsuya Miko. It seemed that making tact with anime protagonists in this world was one way to activate talents.

  As for the various types of ehey were color-coded by rarity and power. The lowest rank was white, followed by green, blue, purple, gold, and finally red, the highest rank.

  In addition to passively triggering talents, Ryuji could also use points to extract them. Ten points would get him a white entry, one hundred points freen, and ohousand points for blue. Each tier required expoially more points tha.

  However, ohing still eluded him: how to actually earn points. That part remained unclear for now.

  "Open my character tempte!" Ryuji anded mentally, knowing the system had to have something that tracked his progress.

  In the sed, a transparent data s appeared in front of him visible only to his eyes.

  ---

  Talery System

  Host: Ryuji Hoshino

  Bloodline: Human

  Loaded Entries: [Soul Dev (Red)], [Yin-Yang Eyes (Gold)]

  Points: 0

  ---

  It's a bit thin for now, but it's a start.

  Ryuji couldn't help but wonder about the potential of his new ability, Soul Dev. It sounded incredibly powerful limitless strength from dev spirits? If that were true, the possibilities were endless.

  But how exactly does it work?

  Just then

  "Would you like a bottle of water?"

  The question, spoken in a hoarse, slightly aged voice, startled him out of his thoughts.

  Out of reflex, Ryuji shook his head, assuming it was an elderly person a bit of kindness.

  "No, thank you," he replied absentmindedly.

  But wheurned around, what he saw sent a chill down his spine.

  The one asking was not a person.

  It was the monstrous creature he had seen earlier its twisted, hideous form looming right beside him.

  "Shit!"

  Ryuji cursed aloud. In his pse of judgment, he had fotten that this world was filled with bizarre and dangerous things. Yotsuya Miko had been tricked by something simir in the anime.

  "You see me!"

  As expected, the monster's expression twisted into a gruesome grin, and its once vat eyes now gleamed with sadistic delight. It luoward Ryuji, its i clear: it was going to devour him.

  "That guy?"

  Yotsuya Miko, though pretending to look at her phone, had been keeping a watchful eye oras around her. She hadn't expected to see someone else who could perceive these monsters just like her. But now, it looked like the boy was in serious trouble.

  She was about to scream for help when, suddenly, the se in front of her unfolded in a way that left her pletely stunned.

  ---

  "You bastard!"

  Ryuji never imagihat he would actually fall for a monster's trick. The fact that it had even mao bait him into responding made his blood boil with frustration.

  As the creature lu him, Ryuji remembered the crucial detail: the moment they realize you see them, they'll attack without hesitation.

  In that instant, his face hardened with determination.

  "Soul Devourer!"

  If you want to eat me, I'll devour you first!

  Initially, Ryuji thought he'd have to literally bite into the creature something he dreaded. But just as he activated the Soul Dev ability, the space behind him began to and twist, and soon, a dark craed in the air.

  "Swish! Swish!"

  From that crack, several dark s shot out and ed around the monster, binding it tightly.

  "What is this?! Wait! Let me go! Let me go!"

  The moruggled desperately, but the s held it fast. Without any ce of escape, it was dragged toward the crack. Its voice, once full of menaow screamed in terror. In just a few seds, the creature vanished into the void, and the cra space closed up, leaving no trace behind.

  Silence fell.

  "Burp."

  Ryuji blinked in surprise, a soft burp esg him. Did... did I just get full from that?

  He gnced around, fused. Except for Yotsuya Miko, who was staring at him wide-eyed in disbelief, the other passehe office workers and the bus driver remained pletely oblivious. They hadn't seen the mohe s, or the cra space. To them, everything appeared normal.

  "So... this is Soul Dev, huh?"

  Ryuji had initially imagined he'd have to physically e the ghosts, bite by bite. But as it turned out, it wasn't that at all.

  And as the monster's energy was absorbed into him, Ryuji could feel an immediate ge a surge of power c through his body. It was as if something inside him had awakened.

  Just moments ago, he had been a sy high school student with nothing to show for himself. But now, Ryuji felt like he could punch through solid crete if he wao.

  "Holy shit!"

  He ched his fists, feeling the raw strength swelling within him. A giddy, exhirated grin spread across his face.