World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 62 The Stone of Wisdom
[Name]: Basilisk

[Rating]: Legendary C-grade

Radiation level: 41.2%
[Pollution Level]: 79.1%
[Medium]: The seeker of knowledge

Lin An recognized it at a glance as Basilisk, a serpent monster with a bird's head and a snake's body from mythology, and also the witch's number one loyal subordinate in the Foundation's files.

Throughout history, people have recorded many different versions of the basilisk. The basilisk in front of us belongs to the "mine monster" mentioned in alchemical magic.

It has a chicken's head, chicken's feet, snake's body, and a pair of beautiful eyes. Its body is coal black, and it has a pair of shiny wings.

Because of the frequent depictions of basilisks devouring humans in ancient images, the modern Vatican portrays the basilisk as a servant of the devil, a gluttonous and greedy monster.

This is a complete misinterpretation. For the ancients, the serpent monster actually symbolized wisdom.

What these paintings truly express is that only after the body is devoured by the serpent monster, which symbolizes wisdom, can the spirit and soul be enlightened, allowing one to explore psychic knowledge and the mysteries of the universe.

Moreover, the basilisk has an "overflowing" connection with the Gnostic god "Abraxas," the ruler of magic and spirit in the universe, who has the head of a rooster or lion, the body of a human, and the legs of a dragon or scorpion.

The serpent monster before them had lost its gleaming eyes, and all that remained of its shrunken flesh was a bloody mess.

Its wings were broken, its body was covered in wounds, its scales had fallen off in large quantities, and the smell of decay permeated the air.

When Lin An last peeked into the "Paradise," he remembered that the basilisk still retained some of its sanity and was not as huge, ferocious, and insane as it was now. Clearly, its level of corruption had skyrocketed during the battle, and at this cost, it had fought the Foundation to a standstill.

So, with only the captain remaining in the courtyard battlefield, are the rest of the punishment squad...?

In any case, given how severely injured it was, it was virtually impossible for the basilisk to escape from Simon alive.

Crashing through the load-bearing wall was its last act of resistance before it died.

Lin An sensed the snake monster's barely concealed weakness and exhaustion. Having lost its sight, it flicked its tongue to gather scent and pinpoint the enemy's location.

Did they mistake me for the team leader?
The basilisk opened its blood-red maw at Lin An, and a foul, icy stench assaulted his senses.

"Hiss hiss hiss, die—gulp—vomit!"

The moment it opened its mouth, Lin An leaped up like a carp and darted inside with lightning speed.

"Ugh! Ugh—ugh!"

With a foreign object invading its mouth, the snake monster was in pain and raised its massive body, slamming its head against the ceiling and twisting from side to side, trying to spit out Lin An, who was stuck in its throat.

However, the "hard object" kept drilling deeper and deeper until it finally stopped at its throat.

"Hiss hiss hiss—vomit! Hiss hiss—!"

The serpent monster, feeling like a fishbone stuck in its throat, continued to destroy the surrounding buildings, wishing it could grow two hands and dig Lin An out.

"You actually devoured my teammate..." A deep voice echoed from the ruins, "Evil, damned, bastard Free Mystic, unforgivable!"

A sliver of silver light shattered, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind. The basilisk had no time to dodge. The moon angel flapped its wings and approached, its silver-white longsword and javelin piercing its chest, tearing through flesh and blood, sending it flying backward and crashing back into the courtyard.

The basilisk flipped its tail and lashed out at Simon.

"Pfft!"

Simon pulled the longsword from his wound and nimbly flew to the other side, dodging the basilisk's attack.

“Give me a few more minutes.” He narrowed his silver eyes. “Lin, you won’t die; you won’t die under my watchful eye.”

…………

Lin An wasn't without ways to deal with the basilisk; he could summon amulets using alchemy or kill it directly using Hittite rituals.

Of course, choosing the latter would undoubtedly expose the Ghost's identity to the Foundation's full scrutiny.

Upon seeing the basilisk, Lin An couldn't help but think of a medieval occult image.

A man was devoured by a basilisk, leaving only the man's naked body in the painting. His upper body is hidden at the edge of the painting, leaving only his lower body visible to the viewer, as if a cloud has taken him away from the observer's sight.

As the basilisk roared with its mouth wide open, Lin An experienced firsthand the allure of a myth coming true, and his heart was filled with curiosity about this strange creature.

Lost in thought, he touched the "Ouroboros" he kept close to his body.

Alchemical texts record that a special gem was conceived within the skull of the basilisk. Using it as a raw material, alchemists extracted the "spirit of enlightenment" to create the Philosopher's Stone.

When the level of pollution reaches a certain point, the mysterious beings will increasingly resemble their awakened archetypes.

Perhaps a gemstone grew inside the basilisk's head...

If I remember correctly, when I collected Ouroboros, the system prompted me that "The Philosopher's Stone Fragment II has been unlocked in the Pokédex".

If the new "Tracing the Source" feature can merge two entries and collect a [Philosopher's Stone II] entry, would I be able to forge the real Philosopher's Stone?
To verify his conjecture, Lin An went all out. Taking advantage of the snake monster's outburst of emotion, he crawled directly into its mouth and personally searched for the crystallization of wisdom.

As it burrowed into the basilisk's body, chaotic and frenzied energy immediately surged forth, as if to shred Lin An's limbs and bones, turning him into nothing more than food scraps.

"System, release the code!"

Data emitting a green glow surrounded Lin An, and the B-level radiation from the source acted like an invisible shield, isolating him from any malice that might harm his master.

Grasping the fangs, Lin An bent his knees, supporting his body with his feet and back, finding a stable position, and curled up like a miner, placing his hands on the basilisk's upper jaw.

The inside of the mouth feels cold, vibrating, and has a distinct granular texture.

The system's cold, mechanical voice rang out. "Consuming 'Mother of Desire' x1 and 'Emperor of War' x1 to use Pishtako's ability [Fat Stealing]?"

"use."

Energy extended from Lin An's palm, transforming into a fleshy, barbed tongue that "whooshed" into the snake monster's flesh.

As the "sucking" sound rang out, granules of fat were sucked out from the tube of the tongue and slid down Lin An's upper arm, and the originally full and dark inner wall of the snake monster visibly shrank.

"vomit--!"

A violent shaking resounded from the basilisk's mouth. Lin An used his other hand to grab the basilisk's tongue sheath to maintain his balance.

Unfortunately, even after the mysterious spell was completed, Lin An failed to absorb all the flesh and blood from the snake monster's upper jaw.

"Boom!"

The battle outside continued. Simon brandished his longsword, swooping down on the basilisk countless times from the air, scales and feathers flying everywhere, stained with the blood of the two.

Finally, the heavily wounded basilisk could no longer withstand Simon's relentless attacks and had its tail severed by a single sword strike.

Simon pressed his advantage, pointing with his left hand, and colorless flames ignited from the basilisk's wound, spreading along its bone marrow.

"boom!"

The basilisk, losing its balance, slapped its massive tail, creating a fierce wind that whipped up sand and stones, spreading outwards from it. Garden plants were uprooted by the energy and hovered in the air. Simon dodged the boulders flying from the tornado, his longsword aimed straight at the basilisk's vital spot.

The basilisk raised its proud head and hissed at the angels in the sky.

Taking advantage of this brief lull in the fierce battle, Lin An stood up from the tongue sheath and used the same trick again, reaching his hand into the deflated area to reactivate the mysterious technique.

"Hiss-!"

The serpent monster, finally able to catch its breath, let out an extremely painful scream.

Become!

The flesh of the upper jaw was almost completely melted away, revealing the beating brain beneath the mucous membrane. Lin An's right hand seized the opportunity and plunged into the basilisk's brain. The cold, sticky oil and brain matter slid across the skin with a squelching sound.

It's all for the sake of the occult...

Veins bulged on his forehead as Lin An endured the discomfort and plunged deep into the slippery brain matter, his five fingers exploring nimbly until he encountered a polygonal hard object.

He grabbed the object and pulled it outwards with a sudden jerk!
"Boom!"

Under the faint green light of the system, Lin An saw a dark gold-green gem.

Just as the book described!
"With your witness, the illustration of the disaster-level C [Philosopher's Stone Fragment II] has been unlocked in the encyclopedia."

Lin An calmed his breathing as he looked at the brand-new file that had popped up in front of him.

Even someone like him, who would do anything for the sake of the occult, was so disgusted by the "exploration" he had just experienced that he felt like vomiting.

【Name】: Gem of Wisdom

[Rating]: Disaster Level C

Radiation level: 2.3%
[Pollution Level]: 100%
[Medium]: The seeker of knowledge

Captain Simon once said that increasing the radiation level would allow him to create some materialized mystical arts.

Whether it's Doris's Canaan Magic Tablet or the Foundation President's Black Binding Band, both are mystical spells they've cast, while the Basilisk and the Gem of Wisdom are items with increased levels of corruption, separated from a mystic.

Based on tonight's observations, Lin An discovered that the radiation levels and pollution levels were both from "Commons," the difference being that one was actively monitored while the other was passively assigned.

Both increases make the Mystic stronger, but the latter leads to madness and death.

Instead of the unrealistic and unethical method of "awakening absorption," is there another possibility...?

Can radiation levels and pollution levels actually be converted into one another?

Before he could think it through, goosebumps crept up Lin An's back.

The pale blue moonlight pierced through the stench of rotting flesh, and the sharp tip of the sword tore through the darkness and confusion, magnifying in Lin An's vision in an instant.

If he hadn't reacted quickly and shrunk back into the basilisk's esophagus, the sword would have pierced him through.

It seems the winner has already been determined.

Lin An carefully put away the [Gem of Wisdom], relaxed his limbs, and the code surrounding his body disappeared.

First, Lin An stirred up its brain from the inside, and then Simon pierced its skull from the outside. The destructive energy rampaging inside the basilisk gradually dissipated as it died.

Under the influence of gravity, Lin An slowly squeezed the basilisk's esophagus until a space resembling a stomach was clearly visible.

"Brush it!"

A longsword descended from the sky, and Simon's blood-stained face peered through the severed body of the basilisk.

"Forest……"

(End of this chapter)