Special Ability

“Huh? What is this?”

Opening the document, all Lynch saw was a jumble of circles, crosses, and chaotic symbols—a mess resembling a child’s scribbles, without a single decipherable word.

No, it would be more accurate to say that actual words did not exist here at all.

The corners of the officer’s lips curled up. Seeing Lynch’s bewildered expression, she offered a sly smile and explained:

“Mystery documents are far more dangerous than mystery relics. As long as relics below disaster grade remain in a contained state, their influence on ordinary people is fairly minor. However, mystery documents possess no contained state. Every single word within them is suffused with mysterious filth. If anyone reads a mystery document, they might be fine if they fail to understand it, but if they are unfortunate enough to comprehend it, they will inevitably be affected by the filth, with almost no chance of escaping unscathed.”

“Because of this, to prevent accidentally harming ordinary people, most non-malicious mystery documents—aside from notoriously hazardous ones like the Writings of Death or the Ancient Ship Scroll—are written in rather rare, ancient languages like ancient Luojia, ensuring normal people cannot decipher them.”

Lynch stared at the chaotic cluster of circles and crosses. “I may not be the most widely read person, but I did learn five languages, and ancient Luojia happens to be one of them. It looks nothing like this.”

“What I described just now applies to mystery documents meant to convey textual content—those must be written so that someone can read them, as they require a ‘reader.’ But documents intended to guide abilities only require you to perceive the writer’s will. Thus, the ‘script’ used only needs to be considered script by the writer; it requires no comprehension from anyone else.”

Lynch understood now. In essence, this was a page meant to be ‘read’ through inspiration.

Drawing on his previous experience inside the mystery relic Joy of the Flicker, Lynch emptied his mind as much as possible, allowing Lady Luna to guide him in reading the will hidden within the document.

“Therefore, reading this kind of document is a protracted process that requires using your inspiration to savor the will inside bit by bit. Moreover, throughout this process, you must endure the psychic shock of mysterious filth at every moment. You need to pause periodically to rest and recuperate, preventing your willpower from bearing excessive strain—”

“Mm-hmm,” Lynch hummed in agreement, his eyes glued to the document.

“I remember that when I first comprehended an ability using a mystery document, it took me nearly a month, which is considered normal speed. There’s no need to rush, Lynch. Even Madam Bessie acknowledged your inspiration, so you will certainly read faster than I did. I estimate you can finish within ten days. But even if things don’t go smoothly, don’t panic. The moment your emotions get perturbed, it becomes even harder to—”

“What sort of creature is a fog mantis? And what about a subterranean worm?” Lynch suddenly cut across the officer’s explanation. “Also, is that long incantation at the end supposed to be chanted out loud? By the way, what were you saying just now? I wasn't paying attention.”

As he spoke, Lynch turned his head, only to find the officer staring blankly at him with her mouth slightly agape, as if looking at a monster.

“What is it?” Lynch glanced down at his shirt. Nothing seemed out of place.

“You... you finished reading it?”

“Yeah. A bit slow, but it’s my first time after all. I managed to read through it in the end,” Lynch said with a hint of embarrassment. “The other one should go a bit faster. It’s only a hundred or so words, so it won’t take this long. Is something wrong? And what did you just say? I spaced out and didn’t catch any of it.”

“No, you didn't miss anything. I was just saying the moon looks quite round today.” The officer shook her head vigorously with an expressionless face, her tone completely flat. “Both of those are semi-mysterious creatures used as auxiliary materials. They’re inside the box.”

The moon? Lynch glanced at the bright daylight outside, then looked at the officer with confusion. Driven by curiosity, however, he picked up the second document as quickly as he could under her numb gaze.

Amid the officer’s existential self-muttering, Lynch had already finished reading the second document.

In summary, these were two basic abilities subordinate to the authority of Concealment.

One was Lurking, an ability that utilized cover, shifting light, and blind spots in vision to conceal one’s actions. It allowed stealthy movement in poorly lit or obstructed areas without being detected. However, this was merely concealment, not invisibility; careful scrutiny would still reveal him, and moving into plain sight would expose him as well.

A rogue-type ability. It came as no surprise to Lynch. Since his first authority was Concealment, the foundational abilities would naturally include techniques for masking one's presence. Besides, he considered his brain his primary weapon against enemies, making auxiliary techniques like this far better suited to his style. In the short term, he had Officer Natalie for direct combat anyway, and he might very well master offensive abilities in the long run.

The problem was that the effect of this ability was rather mediocre. If careful observation could still spot him, how was it any different from ordinary hiding? At best, it just made him slightly better at ducking out of sight.

The other ability was Silence, which suppressed the sounds he produced. It was not limited to speech; any noise created by his actions could be nullified. Combining it with Lurking should produce miraculous results. As for other uses, Lynch’s thoughts immediately drifted to a silencer.

Neither ability was exceptionally powerful. After all, they were cheap goods learned simply by reading documents, and of the lowest rank at that; it would be weirder if they were overpowered. Still, better than nothing. There was no cap on the number of abilities he could master, so having them wouldn't hurt. One shouldn't complain about free fruit being sour.

Thinking of it this way, Lynch felt no disappointment. Gathering his spirits, he began his preparations according to the method outlined in the documents.

The accompanying box contained the wing powder of a fog mantis and the crushed remains of a subterranean worm. According to Natalie, both creatures were adept at ambushing prey, so using their symbolic properties to aid in comprehending the Lurking ability made a certain degree of sense.

He dissolved half of the powder into water, filled the tub to the brim, and submerged his entire body. Holding his breath for thirty seconds, he silently recited the prayer three times. Once the concealing nature of the two materials successfully merged into him, he mixed the remaining half and pinched his nose to drink it down.

It didn’t actually have much of a taste, yet Lynch still felt a wave of nausea, much like knowing that a bowl of traditional herbal brew contained centipedes and leeches.

Without time to retch, Lynch quickly sank his will into his soul and saw a tiny point of light ignite within the glowing sphere representing Concealment.

Pushing his consciousness further inward, it was indeed the newly mastered Lurking ability. Information regarding its application and usage was automatically assimilated by his mind.

Yet it was at that moment that Lynch realized what he had learned was not the Lurking described in the document at all—there was a world of difference between them.

While his version of Lurking still made use of environmental conditions to mask his actions, once activated, it conceptually placed him ‘outside the perception’ of those around him. As long as no one made direct physical contact, he would not be easily noticed by others, even if he lost cover or the protection of shadows. However, if the disparity in strength was too vast, the effectiveness would drop significantly.

It was closer to a rogue’s stealth in video games—precisely what Lynch thought lurking ought to be.

Only then did Lynch remember what Lady Luna had mentioned before: after awakening Divine Authority, all his effects would undergo a qualitative leap. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he realized they were practically two entirely different abilities.

With that, his anticipation for the second ability surged.

The second one was much simpler. The box contained a large pile of dried petals, said to belong to five different plants capable of absorbing or producing sound.

He mixed the petals with a dried root called dream-catcher grass, placed them in the incense burner, ignited them, and inhaled all the smoke into his body.

In the occult sense, oral ingestion was a method that affected only the physical vessel, whereas incense was an administration method that struck directly at the soul. Though it seemed like just a few breaths of smoke, the conceptual characteristics were guided straight into the soul by the dream-catcher grass.

Inspecting the Divine Authority of Concealment once more, a second point of light had indeed lit up. When the antennae of his consciousness reached out to probe it, he found that the effect had transformed as well.

Silence had evolved into Phantasmal Sound.

Not only could it silence his own sounds, but it could also erase all sound within a three-meter radius around him. Rather than preventing sound from entering, it kept sound from escaping—an area-of-effect muting comparable to the glass dome he had seen at the Black Night Cathedral that morning.

More importantly, it could shift sounds to any location within a five-meter radius. While it certainly couldn't play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” generating a noise loud enough to draw attention was well within its capability.

Truly an unexpected delight. Lynch had not anticipated the influence of Divine Authority to be so profound. He heaped praises upon Lady Luna in his mind, but the gentle female voice paid him no heed, remaining completely silent.

Glancing at the officer on the sofa, Lynch knew that abilities in this world were bizarre and varied from person to person; discrepancies wouldn't raise suspicion. Rolling his eyes slightly, a mischievous grin spread across his face.

“Hey, lady.”

The sudden voice came from right behind the officer. Officer Natalie instinctively turned her head, only to see empty air. When she looked back toward Lynch’s direction, he had already vanished.

Using the sofa as cover, he had lurked outside her perception.

The officer’s eyes sparkled. Straightening her back, she stood up, scanned the room with her gaze, and after finding nothing, began slowly pacing around the small living room.

“The effect is this good? Completely invisible... Even your ability effects are bizarre.”

In reality, Lynch was standing right by the doorway waving at her from a distance, but she couldn’t see him at all.

Thinking for a moment, Lynch grinned wickedly, muffled the sound of his footsteps, and crept closer to the officer. His goal was to snatch the top hat from behind Natalie. Closer, even closer... Just as his hand was about to reach the hat, Lynch suddenly felt the world spin. He took flight with practiced familiarity, before his arm was twisted behind him and he was pinned face-down onto the sofa.

“Caught you. I sentence you to death on charges of hat theft.”

With that, three light raps landed on Lynch’s head before the officer finally released her grip, saying with great enthusiasm:

“For the effect to be this potent... it’s better than many mid-tier Soul Severers with the authority of Concealment.”

“Is it? Felt pretty normal to me. Besides, didn't you still catch and execute me? Your laws are a bit harsh, don't you think?”

Lynch rubbed his arm ruefully. He figured that the closer he got, the easier it was to be detected. Combined with the gap in their combat strength, getting within one meter was already quite impressive. He needed to practice more to ensure he could eventually snatch her hat and sell it to help pay the rent.

The officer raised her sidearm sword at Lynch in a mock beating gesture, pondering aloud, “These two abilities are truly remarkable. For someone to obtain such potent effects from foundational abilities learned straight from documents is truly astonishing.”

Lynch shrugged. Humans have their limits. That's why I decided to reject my humanity.

“This way, when we go out to investigate in the future and run into troublesome enemies, you can hide and provide support from behind, just like when we faced the terror claws. I won't have to worry about your safety, and you...”

The officer was radiantly imagining the scene of the two of them conducting future investigations together when she suddenly turned her head and noticed Lynch resting his chin on his hands, watching her with a smile.

Her words hitched, and warmth rushed to her cheeks. Biting her lower lip, the officer aimed a phantom kick at Lynch, sat back down on the sofa with a straight face, and cleared her throat. “Still, these are all hiding abilities without any offensive capabilities. You’ll be too vulnerable if you investigate alone.”

“They are abilities under Concealment after all, so lacking offensive methods is only natural. I doubt Soul Severers of Lady Red Moon have many offensive abilities either.” Lynch spread his hands with an infuriating grin. “That’s why I need an officer by my side to protect me. After all, I’m just a frail detective.”

“Taking you back to the club and locking you up in detention would protect you best.” Officer Natalie put on a sinister expression and let out a few dry chuckles. “It’s impossible to have no offensive methods; you just haven’t developed them yet. That will depend on yourself in the future. As for the short term... Let’s do this: you just underwent a burst of transcendent state today, and the weakened state following your first burst won’t be pleasant, so don't run around. Come find me at the Scarecrow before lunch tomorrow. There should be news on Donnie’s address by then. First, I’ll take you somewhere to test your arcane affinity. As long as you aren’t practically insulated from arcana like I am, things will be easy.”

“Wait a second, let me think...”

Lynch frowned slightly and lowered his head in deep thought, though in reality, he was inquiring with confusion inside his mind:

【I reminded you before, Lynch: your current soul manifestation is a Divine Authority activated by the supreme will. Thus, your transcendent state differs from that of mortals. Mortals experience weakness because their souls cannot bear the strain of the burst state and suffer damage, requiring time to slowly recover. Your soul, however, is protected by the supreme will and will not suffer damage 'on account of this.' Hence, you do not suffer from a weakened state.】

【As long as your energy can sustain it.】

【As long as your energy can sustain it.】

【No. One-tenth of a second.】

【Because you are using mortal soul power to supply the consumption of Divine Authority, making the duration negligible. A mortal's soul power can only sustain that much. It is not that the duration could not be shorter; rather, that is the shortest increment of time you can comprehend. If I described it as any shorter, you would have no concept of it. In truth, it lasted for only a fleeting instant before your soul power was drained dry. It was only due to the spontaneous protection of the supreme will that you did not faint on the spot.】

You could have phrased that a little more tactfully. Lynch let out an imaginary sigh, but suddenly realized something. Wait, does that mean if my power is strong enough, I can sustain that state over the long term?

【Theoretically, yes. However, a mortal's soul is incapable of reaching that level—of that, I am certain.】

【That is a state difficult to replicate. It can only form during your soul alienation.】

Silence.

【No. It is simply a question I do not wish to answer.】

【Yes. Knowing these things too early makes it hard to say whether it will bring you good or ill, but... I will stay by your side and bear witness to every choice you make.】

Withdrawing his thoughts, Lynch looked at the officer watching him curiously from across the sofa and smiled. “Don't worry, I'm fine. Tonight, I'm going to properly study my abilities and try to develop new techniques as soon as possible. Tomorrow, we’ll use these two new abilities to track down those photos of Maya and Donnie together.”