World Occult Usage Guide

News of the emergency spread instantly to the Capitol Building and then throughout Kinsasha with the bustling crowds of job applicants.

In an instant, panicked, absurd, and illogical speculations emerged one after another.

World Tree had to suspend its recruitment fair and send employees to the streets and alleys of the capital to reassure the public, telling them that it was just a case of a mysterious person going out of control and that it was now under the control of the Direct Department.

But they couldn't explain why, in just a few hours, the already foul air of Kinsasha had become filled with an increasingly disgusting swamp smell.

The smell emanated from the man covered in flies, and its concentration continued to spread outwards.

Without a doubt, this was an attack with malicious intent.

In his office on the top floor of the Capitol, Lin An contacted the black raptor Mvias through the World Tree system and learned the whole story from him.

“That’s all I know, Ranger,” Mvias confessed honestly. “When I got there, it was deserted, not even a trace of a corpse. Tens of thousands of flies flew into the sky and disappeared without a trace.”

"This guy deliberately chose to make his move on the first day of the job fair. He knew that Kinsasha was a mixed bag, and the specks of light from the mysterious and the ordinary were like ants moving house, which could confuse me..."

Lin An frowned slightly. Judging from the methods used this time, this person was a very cautious, cunning, and patient individual.

He was completely different from the tyrant of the Southern Continent that I had imagined.

If it's not a tyrant, does it mean there are other high-ranking mystics or ancient families in the Southern Continent who have chosen to provoke me at this juncture?

Could it be that they want to take advantage of the chaos while the tyrant's army is at war with the World Tree and try to get a share of the spoils?

Despite the urgency of the situation, Lin An remained outwardly calm and continued listening to Mvias's report.

From the narrative, he noticed that Mvias mentioned several close-up witnesses present at the scene.

"Can you still find those three people?"

“I wouldn’t be so sure about anyone else, but I happen to know these three! I even gave them a ride to the job fair this morning!” Mvias replied. “Leave it to me, Ranger!”

As the former hunting team leader of the spotted lion tribe, Mvias was quite efficient.

Less than half an hour later, he sent a message to Lin An, saying that all the people had been captured and whether they should be taken to the [Central Court] for interrogation.

Since the job fair was forced to end, Lin An had Fu Bin turn off the power to the [Central Courtyard] early on. It was obviously not worthwhile to turn on the big screen again for the three of them, so he had Mvias take them to the reception room on the top floor.

Lin An could see the faces of the three people clearly from the surveillance footage.

They were all applicants he had previously followed; it was quite a coincidence, I must say.

As Lin Xile pushed open the door to the reception room, the three restless individuals instinctively stood up. Upon seeing the young and beautiful alchemical life form, they all stared in disbelief.

"The forest ranger?!"

It's obvious what they're thinking. "Le, you really love my alchemical life form." Lin An thought to himself as he had Lin Xile speak in a clear, indifferent tone.

"Ranger-02, codename [Emera]. Temporary crew members Kofi Serge, Kantubi Nehru, and Mel Ashley, please be seated."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the three of them sat back down on the sofa, looking embarrassed.

Lin Xile sat opposite them, her indifferent gaze sweeping across each of their faces.

"Please recount how you encountered that special, mysterious person."

The three were initially very nervous, stammering and none of them daring to speak, but under Lin Xile's unemotional guidance, they gradually relaxed and, with a glance and a few words, explained the whole story.

"Flies and maggots that feed on microorganisms, absorb energy, and then spread..."

Lin An narrowed his eyes. Although he couldn't confirm the attacker's true identity, he understood from the three people's descriptions that this person was not one of those mediums that attacked head-on and had a relatively short range of mysterious effects.

However, the more roundabout the medium, the more unknowns it brings.

Fortunately, Lin An's doubts didn't last long this time.

A strong sense of crisis washed over him, and he immediately turned his attention away from Lin Xile and whirled around.

"Buzzing, buzzing..."

A red fly flew in through the glass window, its flapping wings bringing distorted heat that warped the tables, chairs, walls, and ceiling. The room was filled with dark green swamp gas, and the air was thick with decay.

"Dangdang!"

Lin An's body went limp, and the computer chair turned into a swollen corpse. The weight of his body pressed down on the corpse, causing bile to spill out, pus and blood to flow, and a stench that was nauseating.

His entire body was covered in filthy, rotting flesh and purple slime, and the smell of virus and death enveloped him.

Lin An remained unfazed. The Philosopher's Stone spun, its healing, vibrant green light, like dappled rays of spiritual energy, bathing all the disgusting and terrifying places and purifying the swamp gas.

"My abilities are not limited to this."

A sound rang out, coming from the sharp mouthparts of a fly.

"Ahhh, myriad sacred letters, let them reveal the splendor of the grassland!"

In an inimitable tone, it began to chant the names of all things that grow in the vast tropical savanna. As it sang, these words, which Lin An had found online, sounded like trembling incantations.

The fly listed different tree species, such as the sycamore, the iloco, and the baobab, to awaken the solemn and serene divinity of the "divine tree."

It discusses plants, herbs, and poisonous plants—wild roses in the forest, serene agapanthus, fiery red lilies, and unassuming honeysuckle, which only release their delightful fragrance when praising the new moon.

The leaves of the sweet potato are like drum skins, and the raindrops falling on them sound in waves, like the violent heartbeat of the earth; the rhizomes of the tung tree palm are an untapped good medicine for treating malaria.

Wild grasses grow endlessly everywhere, sweeping across the turbulent grassland like a vast army.

As the flies swarmed, healing power surged, attempting to spread throughout the entire Capitol Building.

Lin An wouldn't stand idly by. With a thought, the interior walls of the office transformed into gold, creating a stark contrast with the endless grassland, like a contest between humanity and nature.

"Disease or cure, it is all in my control," the fly buzzed in reply. "And this city is full of me, blue flies, green flies, big flies, small flies... I can infect everyone with malaria in a second, and I can cure the whole city in an instant."

"You're threatening me."

“No, I’m announcing,” the fly said, standing by the window, rubbing its bent hands together. “If this were a war waged on letters, you’ve already lost, Ranger.”

Lin An remained silent. For the newly established World Tree, whose reputation was not yet stable, a nationwide infectious disease was clearly a fatal blow that shook public morale.

He could kill each fly one by one, but how long would that take?

Swarms of flies covered every corner of Kinsasha, conservatively estimated at tens of thousands, with an unknown reproduction rate.

Moreover, flies can even cure diseases.

It turns out that when the "Trojan Horse" entered the city, the initiative in public opinion was in the hands of the newcomer.

“But I don’t want to do that. It’s not a fair victory, and more importantly—it will have endless consequences.” The fly’s green, reflective head and blood-red compound eyes stared at Lin An. “I will not only destroy your divine name, but also use your skin to make a new blanket.”

Hearing the threat of cannibalism, Lin An breathed a sigh of relief.

The fly must be the legendary tyrant of the Southern Continent.

It was as the scattered gods described it: brutal, ruthless, and decisive. But Lin An was able to arrange for other aristocratic families to take a share of the pie.

"Come to Masina and die!"

Before Lin An could answer, the fly uttered those words and crashed headfirst into the golden wall.

Its body exploded open, and a faint green light, like a thin mist, filled the air. Inside, butterflies fluttered their wings, a gentle breeze stirred, and a lingering, rich fragrance entered Lin An's nostrils, as if it were the dying breath of some natural plant.

Is the tyrant inviting him to a "decisive battle"?
After standing in silence for a long time, he opened the window to let the eerie smell dissipate. The tiny vibrations of insect wings flapping came from all directions, just as the flies had warned, omnipresent.

Should I go to the appointment...?

This challenge letter sounds like a perfectly legitimate conspiracy, just waiting for him to walk right into the trap.

Lin An was not afraid of direct combat, which would minimize the damage the war would cause to the Bantu Kingdom, but the tyrant never said it was a fair one-on-one duel.

Once they reach their destination, being surrounded and attacked is almost a certainty.

And, he said he was in the Masina region?

Lin An looked around and saw that the land stretched northward from the Bantu Basin, passing through the Azanla Plateau and the Niger Delta, and was located in the western part of the vast southern grasslands.

A diverse array of species are born, reproduce, and life cycles endlessly there.

Could the prototype of the tyrant have originated from the mythology of this vast grassland?
With a few guesses in mind, Lin An's thoughts stirred slightly, and the green data of the World Tree System appeared, receiving and issuing instructions from the developers.

The most urgent task is to get rid of these disease-carrying insects.

After the encounter, Lin An discovered that the flies were not strong in their physical form. As long as he overcame the dizziness and nausea caused by the disease, locked onto them, and approached them, his supernatural abilities would be enough to kill them.

Furthermore, the flies' "disease response" to the mysterious figure is not as deadly as that of ordinary people, and it will not lead to death in a short period of time.

A fully-fledged squad of mystics with healing abilities should be able to take down a fly in about three minutes.

This could be a good opportunity to train newcomers.

In that case, why not make killing flies a test subject for job entrance exams?

Having cleared her mind, Lin Anren's consciousness returned to Lin Xile.

Her sudden silence left the three people opposite her completely bewildered. They were now restless and sweating profusely.

Thank you all for your cooperation.

Under the tense gazes of the three, the pretty young girl spoke again.

"As a reward for providing clues to the incident, you have been given the opportunity to enjoy the World Tree's 'employee benefits' ahead of time. Do you accept?" (End of Chapter)