World Occult Usage Guide

Leaving the messy alley, the three walked along the not-so-clean streets until a main road that was about to be completed came into view.

Although many places had conspicuous orange roadblocks, the crowd was already enormous, with illegally parked bicycles and tricycles everywhere. Men, women, and children were crammed together, their chattering creating a buzzing sound, like a fully formed black beehive.

The girl stood on tiptoe, glanced at the endless crowd, and sighed deeply.

"The Capitol Building is just ahead. It feels like half of Kinsasha's people are here..."

"What is she saying?" the boy asked the man.

“I don’t understand complicated French, and French doesn’t seem to be her native language either. Anyway, miss, do you speak Lingara?” the man asked, gesturing.

“Excuse me, what is that?... Anyway, I specifically downloaded a local language translator before I came.” The girl took out her smartphone from her bag, tapped her finger, and repeated, “The Capitol Building, where the World Tree job fair is located, is just ahead.”

"This thing can talk," the boy exclaimed in surprise. "Even though it's just saying nonsense. But... could I borrow it for a bit?"

"I can teach you, no, don't steal!"

Just as the two were about to start fighting over the phone, a brief commotion suddenly broke out in the large crowd. The perceptive boy immediately stopped what he was doing and looked in the direction they were looking.

They were looking at the sky, or more precisely, at a point near a building with scaffolding erected on it.

It flew swiftly from afar, leaving a black shadow across the cloudless sky.

"Something flew over—" the boy's eyes widened. "A crow?"

"A large black bird, like a shadow in the night, always lands near the village after the campfire has gone out, capturing and killing the thief who has recently committed a theft." The man stroked his chin. "This is a folk tale I've heard from [Mvias]."

"Oh, that seems to be a person!" the girl, who couldn't speak the language, exclaimed. "A mysterious figure! He is the mysterious figure of the World Tree!"

Many of the people present had come from remote areas. Let alone the mystery enthusiasts, they had never seen a real airplane in their lives. Their mouths were agape as they stared blankly at the dark shadow slowly descending.

A dark shadow arced gracefully, a cool breeze swept by, and the boy was startled to realize that it was slowly approaching his position.

Wait, legend, mystery... a black raptor that catches thieves?
During his time wandering in Kinsasha, he heard many unsubstantiated rumors about the Mysterious Ones. He roughly knew that they were a group of powerful humans with special abilities, capable of killing a fully armed officer with their bare hands, which was terrifying.

Moreover, their abilities seem to be related to legends circulating among the people.

The clues connected, and the boy was so frightened that his scalp tingled. He quickly shoved the smartphone back into the girl's bag.

"Here you go! I'm not a thief—don't kill me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark figure descended to a position two stories above the ground, brushing past the heads of the crowd, and people finally saw his appearance clearly.

The shadowy figure's "human form" was a burly man who was at least two meters tall. He had giant raptor wings covered with black feathers on his back, which could be about four meters wide when spread out. His eyes shone with a silver light, flickering like flames.

Without a doubt, this mysterious figure could easily tear an adult male to pieces!
Just when the boy thought he was about to die there, [Mvias] took out a megaphone from his thick, dense feathers, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly.

"Those applying for positions at [World Tree], please line up. The recruitment fair is about to begin. Please refrain from fighting or engaging in any illegal or unethical activities. Please enter the building in an orderly fashion, one by one. Anyone who cuts in line will be disqualified."

Uh?
The boy removed the hand covering his eyes, and [Mvias] had already grazed his scalp, leaving only a wave of heat in its wake.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the security guards at the World Tree are really something else." The man brandished his cane. "Looks like we'll have to find a place to queue."

"He...he's a security guard?" The girl froze for a moment, then stood on tiptoe again, waving and shouting, "Security guard! Mr. Security Guard! Over here!"

"You want him to take me away? No, no! I've already returned everything to you!" The boy immediately tried to slip away, but a sudden gust of wind swept in from behind, knocking him to the ground.

The man pressed down on his hat, using his cane to barely support himself, and turned his head to see that [Mvias] had stopped on a traffic light that had no power, the rickety metal pole under his foot creaking mournfully.

"Any questions?"

"Hey, security guard, I was one of the early recruits for the 'privileged lane,' but my alarm clock got wet and broke this morning, which caused me to miss the bus... Could you help me?"

The girl swiped her phone screen and displayed a QR code.

“Mel Ashley, I was among the special talents who entered Ivory Coast. Mr. [Reporter] helped me register on the waiting list.”

"I don't understand any of this."

Mvias stretched out what should have been bird claws and scratched his head.

“But [Leo] did say there was such a thing as a privileged passage. Here’s what we’ll do, Mel Ashley, I’ll take you to the Capitol building entrance, and if you’re lying to me, I’ll throw you back here.”

"Okay, thank you." The girl swallowed hard. "I didn't lie!" She glanced at the thoughtful man and the dumbfounded boy, and tentatively said, "Security officer, I came with these two people."

"Are they also special talents? Aren't all those people entering the country white?"

"But they are definitely top contenders! One is a child soldier, and the other is... a scholar."

“The World Tree lacks experienced soldiers and literate civilian staff.” Mvias lowered half of his wing, spreading it out like a strong, sturdy carpet. “Come on, I’ll take you there.”

"Will you personally drive us to the Capitol?" The girl looked around, and the previously chaotic crowd had spontaneously formed a long queue under the intimidation of the black raptor.

Mvias seemed to sense her thoughts and raised his beautiful lips.

"I also have colleagues who maintain order."

The next moment, a shrill scream came from not far away, attracting the attention of the crowd. A person holding a knife covered his lips, and blood gushed from the wound.

He felt dizzy and unsteady, and fell to the ground.

"Although cutting in line is not allowed, please do not murder those who cut in line. Thank you for your cooperation."

A deep female voice rang out, coming from a capable woman standing in the shadows, her waist wrapped in animal skin and her body barely covered by a loose T-shirt.

“The split lips… remind me of the story of [Barbara Aye], the god of plague.”

The man stepped onto Mvias's back, extending his hand in a gentlemanly manner. "A perfect king, a benevolent doctor, a mad infectious disease patient—Miss Ashley, ring ring ring, don't miss this 'bus'."

"Oh! Okay, you come too."

The remaining two jumped onto Mvias's back, adding the weight of three people. The black raptor struggled and flew very low, like a dark cloud passing through the long formation.

"I need to catch a few more thieves these next few days," he muttered. "The more fragments, the higher the radiation levels."

The man and the boy had never experienced such a flight before. They felt the hot wind whistling against their skin and their stomachs itching, and they were speechless for a moment. The girl, on the other hand, had flown on airplanes many times, but this was her first time flying without "windows."

She quickly felt dizzy and, to avoid vomiting, turned her gaze from the rapidly moving scenery to Mvias's glossy black feathers, which trembled like waves in the wind, like wheat.

A few minutes later, the girl recovered, and Mvias flapped his wings and landed near a beautiful tree-lined avenue.

There was a long queue, and people were still eagerly waiting. However, they were all dressed decently, at least in terms of tailoring and color, looking like they had bought the clothes rather than from the trash can or a charity.

"Radiant and dazzling," the man commented simply.

Mvias gestured for the girl to hand over the task to an employee with a green pin on his chest. The employee confirmed the QR code, listened to her introduction of the man and the boy, paused for a moment, and nodded.

"I've confirmed with my superiors, and you can pass."

"This is the most organized military camp I've ever seen," the boy said softly.

"But he didn't look at our ID cards, resumes, or documents; he just believed me," the girl said, pursing her lips. "If I had known, I would have said you were a lieutenant and that the gentleman was a high school teacher."

"Like I said, this is much more organized than any military camp I've ever been to." The boy shrugged.

“Thank you for your help, Miss Ashley.” The man removed his hat and bowed.

"Thank you for getting my stolen wallet back." The girl smiled shyly, glancing at the curious boy beside her. "He... was simply acting out of kindness and a sense of responsibility under the law protecting minors."

At this point, the column began to move.

The three were pushed along for a while and soon entered a circular square. The hard road under their feet turned into fresh green grass with a bouncy feel.

After a short wait, the queue was split into six lines, each entering the building through a different door.

The three men and the remaining thirty or forty people were led to a large room, where the smell of paint from the renovation was overwhelming.

The room was very spacious with no partitions. The floor was covered with tattered canvas, and people left all sorts of footprints when they stepped on the wet cement.

There were no seats, so the three of them leaned against the wall.

They had originally intended to chat for a while, but due to the heat radiating from each other, coupled with the 35-degree weather hovering near the equator, symptoms of heatstroke, including suffocation and dizziness, followed one after another.

When the door opened, everyone let out a soft cheer.

If it weren't for the World Tree's relatively positive reputation this month, there were a few moments when they almost thought they had been tricked into being locked up in a concentration camp.

“The few of you I’ve called on, please come with me, you, you, and you.” The World Tree employee stretched out his hands, as if groping for air, or performing a pantomime. “The rest of you, please use this passage.”

The three people he pointed to were a man, a boy, and a girl. Their hearts immediately started pounding with nervousness, but what was done was done, and they had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow the employee.

Pushing open several doors with still-wet paint, the three remained silent as their tension finally reached a breaking point.

"Could you please tell me why you chose us?" the girl asked, mustering her courage.

“Based on the observations of the forest rangers, you are the mysterious ones who are about to awaken. The rest of you have not yet shown any signs of awakening, so a second round of detailed sorting has been conducted,” the employee explained. “Please come in. Ahead is the courtyard of the World Tree.”

Having no other choice, the three had no choice but to comply. After passing through an archway, they were greeted by the same smell of renovation, mixed with a slightly burnt smell of burning electrical appliances.

The newly completed hall came into view. It was a huge circular space, with the floor divided into 12 areas by carpets of different colors.

The carpet extends forward, ending at massive, towering columns that seem to reach straight into the sky, creating a visual trap in the sunken space.

A person stood in front of the pillar, while the rest of the room was empty. Strangely, his face was "shielded" by a flashing green mosaic, and no matter how hard one tried, it was impossible to see his true features.

This person is probably a high-ranking member of the World Tree!

The three dared not stare at him for too long, for fear of offending him, and continued to observe their surroundings.

This place is currently quite empty, with few decorations.

But when they looked up, a shocking scene unfolded.

The dome resembles a black velvet curtain embroidered with stars. On the display screen, a bright sphere hangs in the air, radiating a soft light, like a blue-green cat's eye stone, against the backdrop of the dark space.

The girl noticed that several electronic eyes were hidden near the romantic starry sky, coldly tracking everyone's every move below.

She had imagined seeing a "king" sitting on a chair made of animal skins, looking down at his "subjects," but little did she know that the interior of the World Tree was far more advanced than she had imagined.

The dreamlike colors, the curved pillars, the backlighting, the viewing screens, and the soft carpets all opened her eyes to a whole new world.

"Ding!"

Like a morning alarm clock, a sound rang out, and on the static sky display screen, a comet streaked across, embroidering a bright golden line through the light blue-gray mist.

The next instant, glowing words appeared in front of everyone.

"Welcome to the second open recruitment event for [World Tree]. I am the developer of this system and the guide for this test—[Forest Ranger]."

A neutral, electronically synthesized voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, rang out, its echoes reverberating throughout everyone's ears.

"Please complete the one hundred questions that will appear in five minutes according to the answer guide; you can change the language in the upper right corner; if you encounter reading difficulties, please tell me, 'Enable dictation in xx language'." (End of this chapter)