I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Ghouls have no intelligence.

The memories, personality, and emotions that once belonged to the host are all gone, leaving only the most basic hunting instinct.

They also feed on vitality, possess strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, and have extremely strong resistance to physical damage.

Cutting off its arm won't stop it, nor will piercing its heart.

In the mystery-side danger rating system, ghouls are classified as the lowest level.

But Richard remembers very clearly the notes at the end of Appendix C:

"The bottom level is only a relative comparison among practitioners like us. For ordinary people, even the lowest level evil is an inescapable disaster."

The souls of those who die from attacks by evil spirits cannot enter the normal spiritual cycle.

The etheric contamination remaining at the site of death will anchor the soul in place, preventing it from leaving.

Appendix C has a specific term for this – death sound.

Vox Mortis, the Voice of the Dead.

Unlike wandering spirits, which possess a high degree of self-awareness, the dead do not.

The sound of death is a videotape that is played repeatedly. The fear, pain, and anger of the moment of death are etched into the etheric field, forming a persistent source of interference.

They are unconscious and unable to communicate, but they can affect the minds of living people.

If what Warren said is true, the foundation is sealed with the remains of ghouls and several death sounds.

Beneath that playground lies a small, supernatural pollution zone.

"Dude, what do you think?" Warren leaned over and nudged him on the shoulder.

"Newspaper reports are usually not very accurate," Richard said. "The specifics may differ, but the core events should be true, and the transcript your cousin found is more valuable as a reference."

"You believe in ghosts?" Mason interjected.

"I believe some things are hard to explain."

Warren chuckled twice, stuffed the photocopy back into his pocket, and got up to pour tea.

Grey glanced at Richard from the side.

Throughout the story, everyone present reacted with fear, curiosity, or indifference.

Richard, however, remained quietly deep in thought.

………………

After school that day, Richard returned home, closed his bedroom door, and began brainstorming.

The most crucial question now is: what triggered them?

The seal has been maintained for over forty years, and without external intervention, the internal deathly sounds should be in a state of attenuation.

They have no energy source, they will only get weaker and weaker, and eventually disappear completely.

He saw the bronze pendant on the table and suddenly remembered the divination disc that Warren had brought.

Before the divination disc was emptied by him, Warren carried the cloth bag across half the campus for the entire day.

The bag has no function of concealing the ether; it is just an ordinary piece of coarse cloth.

If even a tiny amount of ether leaks from the séance disc during this journey, it would be food for the Death Voice.

Within the range of the Dead Sound's perception, which had been sealed for decades and was in a state of constant hunger, even a slight leak of ether was enough to trigger a reaction.

After being briefly "fed", they became active again.

He emptied the divination disc, preventing a larger leak.

But before absorption, a tiny amount of leakage along that route may be enough.

It could also be completely unrelated to these things, and he's just overthinking things.

The seal itself has a lifespan. When it reaches the age of decay, it begins to stir inside. The two events just happened to coincide in time.

He didn't have enough information to make a judgment, so he had to put it aside for the time being.

There was another thing that had been on his mind but he had never had the chance to verify.

The available points on the panel have so far only been obtained from three items: the bronze pendant, the divination disc, and the Sphinx oil lamp from Clement's Antique Shop.

These three things have one thing in common.

They are all ancient artifacts, and each contains remnants of extraordinary power.

But he couldn't figure out one thing: could he absorb it as long as there was any remnant of ether, or was it necessary to use an artifact as a medium to absorb it?

If it's the former, then he should also be able to gain points from the environment where ether is diffused in the air.

If it's the latter, then his cheat ability has a clear limitation:

You must find and come into contact with artifacts containing supernatural remnants to earn points.

This issue directly determines his future strategy for acquiring points.

Unfortunately, there's no way to verify this now, unless he can go to a place where the ether concentration is significantly higher than usual and try it out.

For example... the basement.

He shook his head, leaving the thought lingering in some corner of his mind.

………………

After history class the next day, Mr. Hutton called Richard back as he was about to leave.

"Williams, wait a moment."

The footsteps and laughter in the corridor gradually faded away.

Mr. Hutton waited until the last student disappeared around the corner before standing up and closing the classroom door.

He walked back to the podium, sat down against the edge, and slowly twirled the unlit pipe between his fingers.

"Have you heard about the rumors of a haunted basement at school?"

It is not a question.

"I've heard about it."

"Do you believe the story your friend Warren told you, about things that happened fifty years ago?"

"Believe only half of it."

Which half?

"I believe that something is sealed down there."

Richard carefully considered his words and decided to stop hiding it.

"The ghouls and the death cries sealed in the old foundation beneath the playground could explain the recent anomalies in the basement. But the details in Warren's story, such as the wording in the newspapers, are usually exaggerated."

Mr. Hutton's eyebrows twitched, noticing that Richard hadn't used words like "ghost" or "monster."

The child's proficient use of terms like ghoul, death voice, and seal at least indicates that he is indeed interested in the occult and studies it diligently.

He moved the pipe from between his fingers to his other hand and slowly turned it around.

"Williams, there is indeed a seal beneath the foundation of this school."

"What was sealed inside roughly matched what Warren said: ghoul remains and several anchored death sounds."

The textile factory was forced to close completely because of this incident, and the land remained abandoned for over a decade. When Greenwood expanded, they acquired the original site.

"The seal was set up by professionals forty-three years ago. It is made of silver with engravings and holy water sealing wax, so it is very strong."

"But it's not permanent."

Richard understood what the other person meant: "It needs to be reinforced regularly."

Mr. Hutton nodded:

"Yes, someone needs to check and reinforce the seal every now and then."

The silver engraving will fade over time, and the holy water seal wax will slowly degrade in the damp underground environment.

If not maintained regularly, the seal's effectiveness will decline year by year.

He took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and then closed it again.

"I go to reinforce it once every year before or after winter."

This year is a bit unusual; the sounds of death within the seal have become more frequent than in previous years, as you've probably deduced from those events.

"I plan to take care of it this Friday night."

The old man put away his pipe, which was no different from saying he was going to fix a water pipe this Friday night:

"Would you like to come along and take a look?"