Ghost Billionaire-Chapter 56: A Fantasy Protagonist

Matthew took a breath and closed his eyes, focusing again.

It was like opening a door in his mind. The moment he concentrated on the backpack, something shifted. A strange sense of weight, not heavy, just present, unfolded at the edge of his awareness.

A space.

Roughly two meters long, maybe a little less in height. It wasn’t massive, but it was enough to walk a few steps in or stretch out your arms. It felt dim, like standing in a closet with no lightbulb, but he could still sense the contents inside it clearly. They weren’t objects he could see in front of him, but his mind registered them the way you’d remember items placed in your own pockets.

He narrowed his focus.

He could sense a pile of stones in the corner of the space, varied in shape and size, scattered loosely, like someone had tossed them in without much thought.

They weren’t arranged or secured, just dumped there as if they were nothing more than common rocks.

There was also other stuff, but he chose to focus on the stones first.

He blinked.

"No way..." he mumbled.

He reached into the backpack and focused on one of the objects. A moment later, his fingers brushed against something solid. Without hesitation, he pulled.

And just like that, a black stone appeared in his hand.

He stared at it.

It was identical to the stone from the black market, the one that had vanished from his pocket the moment he returned home. At the time, he thought he’d dropped it or someone had taken it. Now, he knew that it must have vanished after he accidentally absorbed it.

Now that he thought about it, this stone was even bigger than that one.

"So, it was a spirit stone," Matthew muttered. "That’s why I started seeing ghosts..."

The ghost girl hovered behind him. "Looks like your potential got forcefully triggered when you picked a spirit stone. Not the safest way to awaken, but hey, at least it worked."

"What do you mean, it worked?" he asked.

The ghost girl didn’t hesitate. "Usually, someone who would awaken without the help of an elder will die. You are very lucky to have lived."

"Why would they die? I thought Nexians are meant to use the stones?"

"Because an awakening needed the help of an elder to help your body absorb the energy."

He didn’t answer. He had died once, perhaps that was the reason why he survived this time? Matthew turned the stone over in his hand. It pulsed faintly with energy, just like the one he absorbed the first time. "So, I can use this?"

She floated closer and nodded toward the bag. "Congratulations. You’ve officially got a resource stash. You can use those to cultivate your Nexian abilities now."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "If I cultivate, can I fly?"

She blinked. "What?"

"You know," he continued, completely serious. "Like, ride a sword? Throw fireballs? Maybe summon lightning?"

The ghost girl stared at him. For a long moment, she didn’t say anything.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Oh my god," she said between laughs. "What are you talking about? Are you trying to become a fantasy protagonist?"

"I’ve read books. I’m just checking," Matthew answered. If he couldn’t fly, then... what else could he do? Just see ghosts? Touch them and absorb their memories? "I couldn’t hurt people with one punch either?" he asked just to make sure.

Again the ghost girl only laughed in response.

"You’re not going to fly on a sword," she said. "This isn’t a martial arts comic. Cultivating here isn’t about defying gravity and yelling cool phrases. It’s about spiritual endurance. Strength. Speed. Awareness. Control."

"So, no lightning," he confirmed flatly.

"Not unless you’re born with that affinity or trained in the right direction. Even then, it’s more of a controlled release of energy, not... storm summoning."

Matthew nodded slowly. "Disappointing." So much for vaporizing his enemies with a single glare or blowing up buildings or controlling someone’s mind. He had half-expected to throw a punch and cause earthquakes.

"Welcome to reality," she said. "You’ll still be able to do a lot more than the average human, though. Once you learn how to use those stones properly."

Matthew looked down at the black stone again. The energy inside it pulsed against his palm like a second heartbeat.

So this was what started everything.

"If Nexians can do everything, why do you think they haven’t conquered the world yet?" she asked.

"That’s a valid question," he nodded. Yes. The ghost girl had a point. If Nexians were so powerful, why hadn’t they ruled the world yet? There had to be some limitations.

The girl finally gestured for him to sit down on the floor. He eyed the bag.

"Don’t worry about it," she said. "No one else can open it aside from you."

"Oh." Matthew nodded and dropped to the floor beside his bed, stone still in hand.

The ghost girl hovered near him, arms crossed. "That right there? That’s your battery. Your fuel tank. Your lifeline."

She gestured to the stone. "Nexians don’t run on hope or adrenaline or food. Without spirit stones, we burn out. And when we burn out, we die."

Matthew glanced at the glowing shard in his palm. "So this is it. The big secret. Nexians can’t even function without spirit stones. Kind of pathetic, isn’t it?" He turned the shard over in his hand. All this power, and it’s basically rented. No stone, no strength. Just a ticking clock and a slow collapse. Doesn’t exactly scream ’chosen ones,’ does it?

"Exactly," she said. "We’re not superhumans. We’re unstable prototypes pretending we’ve got control. Sadly, this runs in our blood. It’s not like we can avoid it if we want to."

Matthew leaned back against the wall, rolling the stone between his fingers. The glow pulsed against his skin, faint but alive. Now that he’d seen its power, he understood why others risked everything to get one.

And why, without it, they’d fall apart.

"Sadly, spirit stones aren’t endless," the girl said. "Like gems, they’re rare. And once they’re gone, that’s it. That’s why owning a mine is a huge deal. But we’ll talk about that later."

She floated a little closer, her expression shifting. "Anyway, there’s one rule every Nexian lives by. Do you know what it is?"

Matthew didn’t hesitate. "Nothing about your gift is free. You just haven’t seen the bill yet."

She blinked. "What?"

"Am I wrong?"

She frowned. "No... actually, that’s a good one. But not what I meant."

"Oh? Then what is it?"