World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 10 Testing Capabilities
Apart from the distant buzzing of traffic, the streets were quiet, and the lonely streetlights were barely able to provide adequate illumination.

The nimble wildcat trod across the frost-covered lawn, and Caroline followed behind it, walking together into the darkness.

Despite the near absence of light, a figure, darker than darkness itself, could be vaguely discerned. He was tall and slender, wearing a hat with a brim, and the only light emanated from his silver cane.

Caroline recognized the man's signature long trench coat. She took off her glasses, and a man's face appeared, shrouded in thick black mist. The edges of his human form were jagged, and tiny particles fell from it, making a hissing sound.

"Caroline, what was the result?"

"Considering only the 'Lord of Dreams' medium and the 'World Tree Forum,' this investigation was absolutely terrible, Captain." She briefly described Sasaki's situation. "I've never met anyone so shy!"

"I understand, thank you for making the trip."

“Wait, Captain, there’s an unexpected bonus.” Caroline stretched her shoulders, and the sound of tearing fabric echoed in the quiet twilight as four transparent wings unfurled. “Today’s victims were no ordinary people.”

"After all, it is the one who attracts the Lord of Dreams."

"He is the perpetrator of the gas station shootings a few days ago."

The shadowy figure trembled and said, "I see. The mystery of 'gun-type' crimes makes it hard to separate them from ordinary crimes."

"If it weren't for Sasaki Haruto's friend accidentally turning on a social news broadcast and hearing Hedda Steiner's name, that case would probably have remained an unsolved mystery."

"Sasaki's friend?"

“His name is Lin An, and he’s from China.” Caroline recalled their time together. “I don’t know how to describe this young man. Talking to him made me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles the whole time.”

Caroline was lost in deep thought.

"He exuded a strikingly cold aura that drew attention. At the same time, he tried his best not to let me notice his differences, like a disguised alien pretending to blend in with another civilization and trying his best to make himself look like them."

The shadowy figure remained silent for a long while before repeating, "Lin An, is that right?"

“Before leaving, I gave him the foundation’s city contact number,” Caroline said, twirling her curly hair. “Perhaps this person can be of use to St. Anilov.”

"I'm surprised to receive such high praise from you." The captain chuckled self-deprecatingly. "If I weren't in this state, I would really like to meet this young man right away."

“In my eyes, the captain is the most handsome.” Caroline playfully stuck out her tongue.

"The 'external testing' registration will begin soon. Let him try it out. Once he becomes a member of the foundation and is on the same team as Mr. Lloyd, you'll see him every day."

...............

The lights of a small shop in the corner of the parking lot come on, attracting tired people.

This is a casual dining spot located on a lower street in the city center. The aroma of cheap coffee wafts through the air, and the body heat of the customers makes the indoor environment warm and stuffy.

Lin An ordered an iced eagle and sat down by the window.

A week has passed since the [Magic Shooter] incident. He temporarily withdrew from "Commons" and devoted himself to his final paper and exams, finally finishing the hellish deadline just before the winter festival.

It's time to find some excitement.

Lin An turned his gaze to the window, where several men were gathered at a crossroads, whispering among themselves.

One of them wore a tattered long-sleeved shirt, his thin body resembling a withered leaf in winter; the others had dreadlocks, were covered in tattoos, and the one in the middle wore a cotton hat that covered his forehead.

They pushed and shoved each other, exchanging stacks of money and cardboard bags.

Lower Street, the lawless zone of Dietrich.

The moment Lin An's idea popped into his head, the system's mechanical voice sounded.

"Consume 'Dream Master' x1 to use the Magic Shooter's ability [Perfect Shot]?"

"aim."

"Data parsing complete."

Like a first-person perspective in a shooting game, a green target is aimed at the man in the trading center. With his thoughts, Lin An can zoom in and out of this "lens" and clearly see every fatal point.

If he pays even a little attention, a window will pop up next to the character asking "Confirm Shooting?"
Once Lin An denies it, the window of opportunity disappears.

In addition, there is a countdown timer at the bottom of the data, showing the remaining time: 9:59, 9:58...

There are a total of 10 minutes of counting.

This is a function that Lin An discovered not long ago. Unlike the timely use of mysterious spells, it gives the user a certain buffer time.

When the system asks "Do you want to use it?", you can enter this virtual reality-like page by simply denying it. You cannot force exit; you can only wait for the countdown to finish.

Lin An speculated that this was also a trick by the devil to tempt users to keep firing.

The shooting game's perspective replaced reality; Lin An seemed like a floating camera lens, closely following the man in the hat, even after they had exchanged money and goods and left the crossroads.

Normally, Lin An would never see him again.

However, the 3D design of the man's back and front view, which was being targeted, was presented to Lin An with unparalleled clarity. As soon as he noticed a certain place, a "confirm" window would pop up immediately.

This ability is quite typical of the United States, Lin An thought.

However, the target has moved out of my firing range. Even if I am certain that I will "use" it at this moment, how should I fire the bullet?
Could the Magic Shotgun's trajectory bend in mid-air?
Driven by curiosity, Lin An let the man in the hat walk further and further away, the countdown ticking away. Suddenly, the man got into a car, the camera still glued to him, rapidly following him forward.

The colorful neon lights shone on him as the man drove two blocks in the blink of an eye, arriving at the bustling streets of the city center, a good three or four miles away from the coffee shop.

Even the world's top snipers couldn't possibly hit Lin An from his position.

With less than a minute left on the countdown, Lin An stirred the ice cubes floating in his coffee, silently counting down in his mind.

10, 9, 8...

"use."

Nothing happened; the follow-up shots simply disappeared, Lin An's eyes refocused, and he regained normal vision. The noisy scene in the coffee shop remained unchanged.

Too far away?
Lin An opened his personal panel and went straight to his inventory data.

[Inventory]: Seeker of Knowledge x6, God of Truth x1, Dreamer x3, Prophet x4, God of Agriculture x1, Emperor of War x1, Lord of Dreams x5.

The number of "Lord of Dreams" mediums held has been reduced from 6 to 5.

Was it a success or a failure?

The power of "Comer's" is mysterious and unpredictable, and its usage conditions and effects need to be repeatedly verified and improved. Lin An was not discouraged. He calmly took a sip of Ice Eagle and continued to enjoy the scenery outside the window.

Suddenly, he felt someone staring at him.

Lin An quickly looked for the owner of the gaze, and saw a man with messy hair and single eyelids resting his chin on his hand among the bustling customers, his eyes bright and lonely, staring blankly at the bustling city.

Who is this person?

"Waaaaah—waaaaah—!"

The sharp, rapid sirens pierced the sky as three police cars sped past the intersection.

Lin An opened his phone and kept refreshing the social news. About three minutes later, he saw a newly published headline report.

A shooting has occurred in a downtown area; police are en route to the scene.

The accompanying photo was an aerial shot showing a black car parked in the middle of the street, with cracks in the window spreading from a bullet hole. The man in the back seat was covered in sweat, looking panicked, clutching his abdomen tightly. The gushing blood not only stained his clothes but also seemed to have soaked through them...

Breaking news keeps popping up.

[Scattered white powder was found at the scene]

The victim was disoriented, and an unidentified powder is suspected to have entered his body through the wound.

[After verification, the victim is indeed a hidden contact in Xia Dongzhou involved in the recent xxx resale transactions.]

Police found over 3 kilograms of... in the trunk of the unlicensed taxi.

The victim is currently in the hospital and will await trial in court after his recovery.

Lin An switched pages and wrote a research report.

1. [100% Accuracy] The medium is only consumed when used.

2. When aiming, the real field of view will be replaced by virtual positioning. You need to wait for the countdown to finish. Remember not to use it randomly.

3. The aiming time for 【100% accuracy】 is 10 minutes. During this time, no matter where the person being targeted runs, the bullet will accurately hit the specific part.

Clicking "Save Document" triggered an unexpected mechanical sound from the system.

"Your inquisitiveness about knowledge has attracted the medium 'knowledge seeker' x1."

Did the medium increase by one?
Lin An always had a worry when using mystical arts.

Besides killing other mysterious beings, how do I obtain the medium?
This experience gave him some insight; it seemed that the medium was attracted to the individual's behavior.

Since Brother Tongzi is a seeker of knowledge, am I only allowed to attract seeker-of-knowledge mediums? Or can I increase other divine mediums through other special actions?

After all, the dwarf demon he killed was a mysterious god of agriculture, and it also had the war emperor medium in its body. When Lin An first activated the system, he also obtained a large number of different mediums.

After a moment's thought, Lin An wrote down several new discoveries.

1.每个赫梯仪式至少用到3个介质，必须包含1个‘真理之神’，1个‘求知者’；怪谈能力只消耗1个介质。

2. Only mystical spells that consume 'Seeker' medium can increase radiation levels.

3. The medium can be obtained through personal behavior.

There was no reward this time, so Lin An turned off his phone and the system.

When he was paying the bill, he glanced at the man's spot, but the man had already disappeared into the bustling city. Through the glass, Lin An unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

Five or six thugs surrounded her and forced her into a corner.

Ruan Ruyun, a freshman?

(End of this chapter)