World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 15 A Ghost

"You have killed three mystics."

Unlike before, just as Lin An was about to move the green data that the system was shoving in front of him, the mechanical voice continued.

"Your decisiveness attracted the medium 'Judge' x1."

Lin An was taken aback. Could he attract a medium other than a "seeker of knowledge"?

"Your contamination level has increased by 3% due to the radiation from the medium 'Judge'."

What the hell!

Lin An was deeply shaken.

I'm going to mutate!
If I remember correctly, once this value rises, the individual will undergo a distortion, increasingly resembling the image of "mystery" itself, instead of being a living, normal person.

Among the mysterious beings Lin An had encountered, the dwarf demon had red skin and cold blood; the magic bullet shooter had deformed legs and hands that were not human-like; and the Pishtako was emaciated and listless.

When the pollution level exceeds 60%, individuals lose their rationality and descend into madness.

The degree of pollution was "the consequence of misinterpreting Comers." Lin An originally thought that following the guidance of the "Encyclopedia of Mystery," he could not possibly use mystical arts incorrectly, after all, the system had already simplified the casting process for him.

Unexpectedly, individual behavior can also increase the level of pollution.

Despite receiving the reward of a "presiding judge" medium, Lin An was not happy at all.

Murder actually increases the level of pollution.

My medium is "The Seeker of Knowledge," which sounds like a deity representing "the pursuit of knowledge and curiosity." When I was exploring the mysterious power of psychological testing, I added another medium called "The Seeker of Knowledge."

Now I also know that "killing" is the medium that attracts the "judge".

Lin An cleared his mind and his expression returned to normal.

It seems I can no longer casually attack other mysterious figures.

Fortunately, the 3% pollution level is not serious, and...

If we find a way to reduce pollution levels, then exchanging increased pollution for a suitable medium wouldn't be a losing proposition.

What kind of behavior would attract the mediums of other deities...?

When Lin An boarded the first bus of the morning, the light snow had stopped, and the clouds seemed to disappear into the winter air as if they were breathing.

The city center fell into a rare brief silence after the revelry. Lin An looked up at the sky, where the stars had dimmed in the dawn, except for one lone star that stubbornly shone beside the waning moon.

Half an hour later, he returned to his apartment.

After changing into dry clothes, Lin An washed his face; the cold water was refreshing.

Even after bedtime, he wasn't sleepy. He sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The events of that night kept replaying in his mind: the newsstand, Carmen, the aristocracy, and the magic of Canaan...

Although he was burned by the furnace flames for less than a second, his soul was inevitably damaged.

The most direct feedback was that Lin An's thoughts slowed down.

The young man kept recalling the light that had almost killed him, and fear crept uncontrollably up his back.

Was death really this close to me?
For the past 21 years, Lin An's life has been smooth sailing.

He was born into a wealthy family. His father was an engineer who spent many years building railways in the South; his mother was a professor of folklore who traveled the world to collect materials for research.

Due to work reasons, Lin An's parents sent him to live with relatives. They sent his aunt a five-figure allowance every month, fearing that they would mistreat Lin An.

When he left the Dragon Kingdom, his aunt's family cried the most.

From childhood to adulthood, Lin An has never experienced setbacks, except for loneliness.

He had little recollection of competition; during the summer after his junior year of high school, a letter of recommendation from his mother led to the University of Ann Arbor offering Lin An an unconditional offer of admission.

Lin An, whose life has been smooth sailing, is always looking for unrealistic thrills, such as games, online novels, and the occult.

When he discovered the traces of "Comers", it was as if a beam of light rose from the horizon, dazzling, brilliant and unknown secrets that dazzled Lin An's eyes.

He was fearless, like Kuafu chasing the sun, resolutely throwing himself into the shadow of another planet.

But just now...

Lin An realized that he knew far too little about the world of "Comers," lacking both the means to acquire information and the methods to conceal his own strength.

Going it alone is unrealistic.

The aristocratic family is suspected to be the inheritor of Canaanite magic, making cooperation impossible; the free and mysterious are elusive, and the Witch of Bavomet is ambiguous in her nature, making her unpredictable.

They either have to give up the search for the power of "Comos," or they have no choice but to join the last faction, the Foundation.

Lin An took out his phone and opened the call log.

Three days ago, someone from St. Anilov contacted him, but Lin An cleverly fooled them, telling him that he could call this number anytime he encountered "strange events" in the future.

Lin An saved the hotline to his contacts and opened his social media app.

As the end of the semester approached, his classmates' social media profiles were quite amusing. While clicking on the red dot to dismiss the group messages, he unexpectedly swiped past a familiar profile picture.

Mike_Smith: Lin, bro, I need your help. Mike_Smith: Remember the party Doris's throwing this weekend? Yeah, that's it, you have to come with me.

Mike_Smith: My relationship with April has been going badly lately. She keeps talking about Az and stuff, saying that the gods there would never allow her to do... well, it's a long story. Anyway, I need your help, my mythology master.

Mike_Smith: Dude, don't ignore me, let's just scratch each other's backs.

Mike_Smith: If you succeed, I'll let you throw the ball at next year's college football opening ceremony!

Mike_Smith: Damn it, what do you want? Knife music? How much?

Mike_Smith: Fine, I'll tell you the truth. This summer, April and I went on vacation to Havana Beach and stayed in a bungalow. It was just the two of us in the room.

Mike_Smith: I came back from vacation and April told me she wants to start a family... My God, I don't understand what she's thinking! We're still college students, how can we possibly afford child support!
Mike_Smith: As a rational man, I told her it was impossible. She didn't say anything at the time, and seemed to agree.

Mike_Smith: We made up later and it was all over. Who knows what got into her lately, she's started bringing up that old saga again.

Mike_Smith: He's always complaining and blaming others, damn it, I can't take it anymore.

Mike_Smith: Lin, I've sent you the party location and invitation to your email. Remember to come!!!
That's all the news.

This lavish party is located in the upscale neighborhood of Dietrich, and admission is at 7 p.m.

It’s still early.

Sleepiness washed over him, and Lin An tossed his phone aside and fell asleep without realizing it.

………………

"The cause of death was the shattering of the soul."

The coroner vividly remembered those words; about a week earlier, she had delivered that same verdict on a body with the same pained expression and unseeing eyes.

His companions remained silent for a long while. Then, the man, who was not good with words, punched the glass of the newsstand. Cracks spread outward from his fist.

"Boom!"

He withdrew his fist, the shards of glass gliding across his sticky skin without leaving a trace.

This punch ignited the fury of the control team.

Caroline gritted her teeth and said, "It's 'Ghost's' doing again! I told you long ago, if we let this go unchecked, he'll become the second 'Balfmet'!"

“Calm down,” the steady voice said. “It’s not that the ‘Punishment Squad’ didn’t intend to kill him, but ‘Ghost’ comes and goes without a trace. Every time he kills his victim with lightning speed, he disappears without leaving a trace. They simply cannot track him down.”

"You cunning bastard!" Caroline blinked her bright red eyes hard. "You'd better not let me catch you!"

"Excuse me, may I say something?"

"Go ahead and say it," the captain nodded to the coroner.

“This is the second victim of soul shattering we have discovered. In Dietrich, only the abilities of ‘ghosts’ are related to the soul, so we naturally assume he is the murderer.”

"Is not it?"

"Based on the case of the 'Dwarf Demon,' we've deduced that 'Ghost' is a meticulous and calculating individual. If that's the case, why would he leave such a mess after his second crime, letting the corpses lie exposed in the street without any cleanup?"

The captain's expression hardened, and he said, "You don't think it's a 'ghost'?"

"Perhaps a new mystic has awakened in Dietrich, who has also mastered abilities related to 'souls,' but unlike 'ghosts,' he is a tyrant who doesn't care about trivial matters and disdains cleaning up corpses."

"Everyone who's recently awakened is a scumbag!" Caroline complained in despair.

“This is one possibility, just in case,” the coroner said in her gentle voice. “I’m wondering if we initially misunderstood the ‘ghost’.”

"How to say?"

"Actually, 'Ghost' wasn't as cautious as we imagined, but he was very lucky and quite clever, always managing to evade searches. His actions were unplanned; he simply wanted to find some fun in his ordinary life."

"Is this...is this even possible?" Caroline stared in disbelief.

"It's just speculation based on two completely different methods of committing the crime. The more I try to investigate 'Ghost,' the more elusive he seems, as mysterious and unpredictable as a real 'ghost.'"

"No matter what, we must convince the others this time to raise 'Ghost's' control level to Beta." Caroline clenched her fist angrily. "Careful, tyrannical, nonchalant... whichever is his true nature, this person is extremely dangerous!"

"Beta level, a powerful and mysterious being who controls the soul..."

The captain looked at the agonizing corpse and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Every time I have to clean up after a Beta-level enemy, I can't help but wonder—with our abilities, are we really capable of dealing with that terrifying 'ghost'?"

“I heard that Mr. Simon Lloyd has returned.”

"what?"

"The president called headquarters, and they transferred Mr. Lloyd back to Dietrich. This 'external test' is precisely to build a new team for him."

"That mythical 'Lord of Dreams'...Vanatha, this is truly explosive news."

"Yes."

The coroner paced back and forth, the temperature rising with each step she took.

“If Mr. Lloyd forms a new control team, we might as well hand over ‘Ghost’ to him for investigation.”

This chapter was just removed TT, so the plot outline for this section needs to be revised and will be a bit short. Sorry everyone.

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(End of this chapter)