Chapter 23: Chapter 13: Truth Technique
"Hahahahaha! I did it!"
An excited laugh echoed through the woods.
Having successfully completed his Meditation and awakened his Magic Power, Johnson was ecstatic. His uncle had been right—after drinking the spring water, he could truly see a world of different colors. Even the crows overhead had changed, becoming dreamlike and fantastical, like inverted, spiraling rainbows.
"Huh, Sean?" Noticing Sean under a tree in the distance, Johnson called out a greeting. "You came over too?"
Sean leaned quietly against the tree trunk and nodded, but didn’t say anything.
Lost in his joy, Johnson didn’t mind. He tilted his head back and stretched out his arms as if to embrace this mysterious new world.
"It’s so beautiful..." he marveled.
’Where else could you see such gorgeous crows?’
Jenny, Wilson, and Jim also woke up one after another. Jim opened his palm, and a ball of fire shot up from it—this was the Magic trick Sean had performed in the car earlier. Now, he could do it too!
"So this is what Power feels like," Johnson said, enchanted, as he conjured a flame of his own.
He had also learned to control fire.
This was a skill every Wizard instinctively learned the moment they obtained Magic Power.
Fire is the origin of all things and the cornerstone of civilization. After countless ages, it has been etched into the very bones and blood of humanity. For every newcomer to Mysticism, every new Wizard, the first thing they master is always the flame that symbolizes life.
"Jenny, how are you feeling?" Johnson didn’t forget to check on his girlfriend.
"I..." Jenny started to say she had awakened too, but she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance. In her peripheral vision, she vaguely saw many dark figures rapidly closing in from the dim shade of the trees. For some reason, Jenny remembered Sean’s warning, and a powerful sense of unease welled up in her heart. She stammered out a different answer: "I... I didn’t awaken."
Johnson froze for a moment, then comforted her, "It’s okay. Rest for a bit. You can try drinking some more spring water later. You’re so smart, you’ll definitely awaken."
"And if that doesn’t work, you still have me."
He thumped his chest and vowed, "I’ll protect you from now on. As long as I’m here, no one will lay a single finger on you!"
Before Jenny could reply, the sound of applause suddenly echoed from the woods.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.
"Such a moving pledge of undying love."
A man stepped out of the shadows, smiling and applauding the young couple’s beautiful romance.
He wore a dark brown leather jacket, a revolver tucked into his belt. His hair was a bit disheveled and his face unshaven, but on that unkempt face was a pair of eyes like a leopard’s. His entire being radiated a wild, dangerous aura.
He had killed before.
That was Sean’s first impression.
Wilson’s eyes showed vigilance, while Jim felt the man looked vaguely familiar.
"Who the hell are you?" Johnson asked, annoyed. His mind was so focused on his newfound Magic Power and his girlfriend, Jenny, that he hadn’t really noticed the approaching footsteps. Or perhaps he had and simply paid them no mind, but he certainly hadn’t expected this guy to be so rude.
He was just about to teach the man a lesson when he saw more people appearing with him.
Dozens of figures emerged from the woods one after another, forming a line behind the man in the leather jacket.
Their attire was highly distinctive, like followers of some church. They wore long robes, black on the outside and red on the inside. Their faces were obscured by the shadows of their hoods, impossible to see clearly, but one could distinctly feel the sharp, killing intent emanating from them.
Because they were holding guns.
The man in the leather jacket raised his hand, and everyone immediately lifted their guns, aiming them at the group.
The atmosphere instantly dropped to a freezing point.
Even the slowest person could see that their visitors had hostile intentions.
Stared down by dozens of dark gun barrels, even Johnson—normally fearless and currently puffed up with the confidence of his new Magic Power—couldn’t help but feel a chill. But with Jenny watching, love and pride can grant a man courage. He forced himself to speak, pulling the girl behind him. "Who the hell are you people? Why are you pointing your guns at us?"
The man noticed his action and his tone was appreciative. "You actually do what you say. Like a real man."
Johnson tried to sound tough. "Tell your men to put their guns down!"
"Sorry, can’t do that." The man shook his head with a smile. "Killing you is our duty."
"What kind of bullshit duty is that!" Johnson raged. "What are you, the world police? Making a house call in the middle of a primeval forest?"
"Because you drank something you shouldn’t have," the man said.
"You were spying on us?"
Johnson was genuinely furious. He couldn’t stand having his privacy invaded. But under the pressure of dozens of guns, his angry expression couldn’t help but look like he was all bark and no bite. "Since you know we’re Wizards, how dare you do this?"
The man was amused by his ignorance and bravery. "Why wouldn’t I dare?"
"Has no one ever told you that Wizards are exactly who we kill?"
"Before we get started, should we introduce ourselves? You first?"
"...Actually, never mind. Allow me."
"You’re Johnson, and your girlfriend is Jenny. You’re both students at Gasri University. This is Wilson, a fitness coach, and Jim, a former mercenary. The other one standing farther away is Sean, a novelist. Am I right?"
"You are all Wizards."
The man named them one by one, his smile full of meaning. "And I... am the Witch Hunter tasked with dealing with you."
Hearing the word "mercenary," Jim finally remembered where he had seen the man before—the battlefield!
They had been comrades-in-arms, fighting side-by-side on a mission during the Yage Bay campaign!
