12 012. The Essence of Humanity_1

"Testament" is less an item than it is an ability.

By turning voice into bullets, in other words, Speech Bullets, "Testament" can hold up to six different voices.

When these bullets are shot and hit Lu Ban, he gains the ability to repeat those voices.

This repetition defies all common sense and is unaffected by Lu Ban's own condition.

All he needs to do is open his mouth and speak, and it's done.

Recording a voice is completely at the will of Lu Ban; opening the magazine isn't necessary, but serves as a psychological suggestion to avoid recording strange voices.

When a seventh voice is recorded, one of the previously held voices in the magazine must be discarded, and if that Speech Bullet was already in effect on Lu Ban, its effect would disappear immediately.

Moreover, although he hasn't tried it, Lu Ban's knowledge tells him that currently, the Speech Bullets from "Testament" only affect him.

"...How should I put this, the ability I got for working hard on the mission is a tape recorder, feels like finding a White Lover chocolate in a birthday gift that's about to expire."

You'd say it's useless, but actually, it's quite useful.

You'd say it's useful, but for what Lu Ban is about to do, it doesn't seem to have any use.

"But now at least I won't be lacking background music."

Lu Ban decided to record a segment of "Good Fortune Comes," to play later when he engaged in those weird horror games to calm his nerves.

He focused his consciousness on the [Refineable] description in the "Testament" instructions.

He rubbed his fingers together, and the text twisted and turned.

[Essence Extraction]

"Sublimation Qualitative Change"

[Spend Resources, Gain Miracles]

[Suggested Trial]

[Silence Points Required: 10,000 Points]

"...Should I be relieved I don't need to break through with the same card?"

Initially, Lu Ban thought his 2,000 Silence Points made him quite wealthy.

But he didn't expect that just to refine the ability of "Testament" would require 10,000 points.

An already not-so-rich family situation felt even more daunting at the sight of this description.

There's also no preview of the upgrade; Lu Ban considered that perhaps after the upgrade, the action might change from a revolver to a submachine gun, capable of repeating endlessly with a barrage of "tat-tat-tat."

"No need to think about it for now."

He made his decision quickly.

With only 2,000 Silence Points, he couldn't afford the upgrade; rather than saving them, it was better to spend some now to strengthen himself, else what would he do if a ghost really did appear on the next mission?

With this thought, Lu Ban, after two hours of studying "Testament," flipped the pages back to the section with the three hung human heads.

Concentrating, Lu Ban saw the fine, twisted but clearly distinguishable text surrounding the three heads, forming several descriptions.

The head on the far left had eyes a sickly, eerie green.

[At the End of the Hallway]

[An abandoned hospital, a concealed truth]

[The room at the far end of the deep hospital corridor is said to hide the truth that reaches the end of life and death. The disappearances that occur every year, where do those people go?]

[You come to the hospital and see your reflection smiling creepily at you in the mirror]

[You know, only by reaching the end of the hallway can you leave this land]

"Hiss, a hospital, huh..."

In various horror stories, hospitals are frequent settings; even in normal circumstances, the morgue in a hospital, the green light of the emergency lights at night, and the pungent smell of disinfectant often evoke fear.

Things like the nurse with rotting flesh, the plague doctor with a bird beak mask, and the woman with a slit mouth due to a medical accident, these can easily be found.

Exploring an abandoned hospital sounds terrifying just from the sound of it.

Lu Ban looked towards the head in the middle; its eyes were red as if scorched by rage.

[The Last Lesson]

[Ten years ago, a student hung themselves dead in the dormitory]

[Ten years ago, an accident led to the school's abandonment]

[Ten years ago, students who left the school kept a deep silence, unwilling to utter a word.]

[What exactly happened during The Last Lesson ten years ago?]

[You arrive at the school, where you see an overgrowth of weeds and moss-covered desks in the classroom. On them, a few names have been carved with a venomous force.]

[Alright, take a seat. The Last Lesson has begun.]

"...An abandoned school?"

Lu Ban whispered under his breath.

Abandoned schools are often haunted, with innocent children frequently accompanied by unreasonable malice and shocking cruelty.

This task seemed similar to the one in the hospital, another exploration type.

Thinking about the level of completion and the final task evaluation, Lu Ban felt this might not be so simple.

He looked towards the last head.

The skull's eyes shone with a pale light and seemed to swirl with gray mist, giving an eerie and unpredictable feeling.

[Who's Playing the Piano]

[Who is it that sings high in the theater at midnight, playing the music of the forbidden, with only lonely applause echoing in the empty audience seats?]

[In the theater burnt down by a great fire, there are always low sobs like weeping and wailing. You've come here, but you don't know that you've already become a character on the stage.]

[Don't stop playing, trust me, you wouldn't want to witness that scene.]

"A theater burned down by a great fire..."

This was indeed a less common place.

Lu Ban thought about it, and only "The Phantom of the Opera" and its derivative adaptation "The Midnight Song" could be considered horror films with a theater theme. It seemed safer here compared to a school or hospital.

But from another perspective, human fear mostly stems from the unknown. Lu Ban was mostly mentally prepared for what might appear in a school or hospital, but in a theater, who knows what strange things could lurk.

However, it looked like he'd have to travel for all three tasks and couldn't complete them from the comfort of home like last time.

Regrettable.

Lu Ban soon noticed, in the corner of the thrilling severed head illustrations, a number that was continuously decreasing.

21:34:56

"A countdown, huh..."

It didn't take long for Lu Ban to confirm that there were twenty-three hours left on it.

Meaning, after receiving the new task options, he would have a maximum of one day to make his choice.

"I'll start with some online research."

So, Lu Ban closed the book.

He planned to look up hospitals, schools, and theaters with similar backgrounds to see if he could find any information.

After that, he'd choose the task to get detailed information.

Then he would purchase some props that might come in handy.

An hour later.

Having reviewed the related materials, Lu Ban curled the corner of his mouth.

"Absolutely useless..."

There were certainly abandoned hospitals, schools, and theaters, but none contained descriptions of the tragedies mentioned in Lu Ban's tasks; they were all abandoned for very common reasons, such as poor management, relocation, or urban redevelopment.

Perhaps even if there were similar ones, the System would erase them?

Lu Ban thought about the little game he played last night. He had not heard about anyone trying it on the internet before.

He had to make a choice.

Lu Ban pondered.

If it was like before, and his experiences could be recorded, then hospitals and schools would be too common. The theater was fresher and more interesting.

Moreover, being a Director, the theater was a setting highly compatible with Lu Ban's persona.

"It's decided then, you're the one."

Lu Ban's finger lightly touched the pale skull.