Jim was stunned. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things.
’How can this guy create fire in the palm of his hand??’
’If I gave him a fish, could he just fry it right up?’
’Have I been driving for so long that my eyes are playing tricks on me?’
Jim rubbed his eyes hard and looked at the rearview mirror again.
The inside of the car was dim again. Sean was just as he had been a few minutes ago, nestled in the middle of a pile of tent poles, sleeping with a shotgun in his arms. He seemed to have heard Jim call his name, or perhaps he was jolted awake by the less-than-gentle braking. He frowned slightly and opened his eyes, his expression drowsy, mixed with the annoyance of a good dream interrupted and the blankness of just waking up.
"Are we here?" he asked.
Jim: "?"
’Was that really a hallucination just now?’
’Is Sean only just waking up?’
"N-No, that’s not right!"
Looking at Sean’s just-woken-up appearance, Jim couldn’t find any trace of acting on his face. But the more it seemed real, the more he felt something was wrong. His intuition told him that the lack of a flaw was the biggest flaw of all.
This time, it was Sean’s turn to ask, "What’s not right?"
"You’re not a typist!" Jim said, staring at Sean.
Before their group set off, everyone had been chatting in the group chat about their jobs. Sean had claimed to be a perfectly ordinary typist who, tired of the monotonous, day-in-day-out life of a wage worker, had taken time off to seek some excitement in the great outdoors.
Except for the professional team leader, Genduo, that was basically the reason everyone was going to the Black Fruit Rainforest.
But Sean was obviously lying.
He wasn’t a typist—at least not an ordinary one.
What kind of typist could conjure flames in the palm of their hand?
"Is that so?" Sean was noncommittal. He lifted his eyelids and stared at Jim, asking, "Then what am I?"
A more perceptive person would have already detected an unnatural feeling in the air.
It was killing intent.
But Jim remained completely oblivious. Perhaps he was too focused. His attention was entirely on Sean himself, sizing him up with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, a glint of supposed all-seeing insight in them. Finally, he reached a conclusion and spoke with complete confidence—
"I know! I know your true identity!"
"Oh?"
"You’re actually a Magician, aren’t you?"
Sean: "..."
’A Magician, huh!’
’Right, right, right!’
The tension that had been wound tight in his heart instantly loosened. At the same time, he gained a new understanding of his teammate, Jim.
’Jim must be a good person.’
Sean had just made a mistake. He had been too impulsive; he shouldn’t have tried to use his Magic Power right there in the car. Mostly, he hadn’t expected that a simple dream, just from drinking a little cactus juice and eating a piece of cactus leaf, could actually grant him Magic Power.
And Jim had seen him.
He had no choice but to play along, put on an act, and test Jim’s reaction.
If things went south, he would strike first.
He hadn’t gained much Magic Power, less than 1 Lak, and couldn’t yet cast a Truth Technique. But he could condense the most basic Elemental Energy, and as long as he was fast enough, killing someone would be a piece of cake. For example, he could coat his hands in fire and grab the other person by the neck. No one’s neck could withstand such high temperatures. In just one second, you would be able to smell roasting meat.
That was the worst-case scenario.
After all, Konina was in the car.
Genduo and the others were outside, too. Killing Jim for no apparent reason would have consequences that wouldn’t be easy to handle.
Fortunately, Jim’s thoughts didn’t go in that direction—or rather, this was the reaction of a normal person. When faced with something unscientific, the first thought is of stage magic and sleight of hand, not actual Magic.
This was a good angle.
He really had been a typist, but if Jim said he wasn’t, then he wasn’t anymore.
From now on, he was a Magician.
"You saw right through me. Looks like I need to work on my acting." Sean put on a frustrated and deflated look, saying seriously, "You know, creating a suitable scenario is an indispensable part of a magic performance. If you let the audience break character and think rationally, the effect of the show is greatly diminished."
Getting his confirmation, Jim couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "It’s not your fault. Honestly, your performance just now was great, on par with a friend of mine who’s been practicing for two and a half years... But, you see, I used to be a woman, and my intuition is really sharp. That’s why you couldn’t fool me."
Sean: "?"
"A woman?"
"Mmm-hmm... What are you guys talking about? What Magician?" As if summoned by Sean’s utterance of "a woman," Konina, in the passenger seat, also woke up, rubbing her eyes. She stretched with a groan and asked. Noticing the dim light in the car, she became a bit more awake and stared out the window in a slight daze. "It’s already dark? Are we here?"
Jim nodded, picked up his hat, put it on, and opened the car door. "Let’s get out first."
Konina pressed, "So what’s this about a Magician?"
"It’s Sean," Jim replied with a smile. "He’s not actually a typist, he’s a Magician."
Konina: "Huh?"
’A Magician?’
’Doesn’t this guy write novels?’
’Could he have a secret side hustle she doesn’t know about?’
’I hear Magicians have great sleight of hand. Doesn’t that mean things could get even more... interesting?’
Konina’s beautiful eyes sparkled. She was discovering that this young man was full of surprises. At first, she thought Sean was just handsome. Then one time, he answered the door for her in a bathrobe with the buttons undone, and she realized he had a great body too. As she got to know him better, she discovered his outstanding talent, and now he had a side gig on top of it all. This was truly...
’If only I didn’t have a husband.’
Sean couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.
However, the young couple getting out of the car joined the conversation.
"Stage magic is no good," Johnson said with a sly grin. "You should learn real Magic, then tell people it’s just a trick. I guarantee no one would be able to figure it out... Right, honey?"
Jenny: "That’s right."
Sean: "?"
’Are you two serious?’
That simple sentence, which sounded like a playful joke, put Sean on guard again.
He didn’t know if he was being too paranoid, but everyone was starting to look like a mole sent by Quill.
Wilson jumped in, saying pointedly, "You really think just anyone can learn Magic? It takes Talent."
"You say that like you know how," Konina scoffed with a "Tch." She sneered, "Why don’t you perform something for everyone to see?"
"...I can’t."
Konina looked at him with disgust. "Then shut up."
’Why does Konina always stick up for Sean? Is it just because he’s a little handsome? Is that really all it takes?’ Wilson was full of resentment.
Genduo took a few bottles of mineral water from the trunk, handed them out to the group, and interjected, "We have two options right now."
"One, we go to a nearby town to rest for the night and enter the Black Fruit Rainforest tomorrow morning."
"Two, we go in tonight. We can hunt some game, have a barbecue, and camp on the outskirts of the rainforest."
It was eight o’clock at night. They were at a fork in the road, three kilometers from the Black Fruit Rainforest.
The bright moon in the night sky cast down a soft glow. Standing on the roof of the vehicle and looking forward, one could already see the immense, sprawling shadow and outline of the primeval forest.
"Wait a minute, ladies and gentlemen, you don’t think I was joking, do you?" Johnson asked the group.
Genduo was confused. "What joke?"
Johnson: "About the Mage!"
Sean glanced at him without a change in expression.
Johnson continued, "Didn’t we talk about this in the group chat a few days ago? Deep in the Black Fruit Rainforest, there’s a mysterious forest. The scenery is strange and dreamlike, completely different from the outside world. A lot of incredible things happen there, like pointy-eared Elves, Unicorns as white as snow that glow, and birds with wings..."
"Hold on, aren’t birds supposed to have wings?" Wilson didn’t usually pay much attention to the group chat; he would only pop up when Konina said something. He’d typically just glance at other messages and move on, not bothering to read them closely. As a veteran club member and a group admin, he was actually quite aloof most of the time.
They hadn’t discussed any of this in Sean’s smaller group chat, so Johnson was clearly referring to the main group.
"He missed a number. The bird has three pairs of wings," Jenny added.
"Isn’t that obviously just a gimmick the club uses to trick newbies and pique everyone’s curiosity so they’ll sign up for tours?" Wilson gave the young couple a strange look.
Even though the two of them looked young, and were college students, they actually had several outdoor expeditions under their belts and hadn’t been in the club for a short time. How could they still be fooled by such a simple trick?
’He might as well say his toaster makes toast automatically. It’s not like anyone’s coming to his house for an expedition, is it?’
"Originally, I was just as skeptical as you, but an uncle of mine told me that this forest really exists. Maybe it’s not as exaggerated as the stories in the group chat, but it’s definitely beyond the scope of Science."
"They say there’s also a spring in the forest blessed by the Gods. It’s the key to opening a mysterious gate. If you can find it and drink from it, you’ll be able to see the true, magnificent, and colorful face of this world."
Johnson said this with a completely serious expression. He seemed to have great faith in this uncle of his.
Konina, leaning against the car, was silent for a moment before speaking up. "Pardon me for asking, but was your uncle on drugs at the time?"
Johnson: "?"
Konina shrugged. "From your description, it sounds a lot like some kind of hallucinogenic psychoactive drug."
"How is that possible?" Johnson said, annoyed. "If he were really a junkie, would I believe him?"
"Then what does he do that makes you trust him so much?" Konina asked.
"He works for capitalists," Johnson said. "You’re all older than Jenny and me, so you should know better than we do that 80% of the world’s wealth is in the hands of capitalists. The same goes for its secrets. To some extent, they can even manipulate the government."
"So, do you know who the biggest capitalist in Holkaydo—or even in all of Siracle State—is?"
"The Florist Family."
Johnson lifted his chin and said proudly, "My uncle works for the Florist Family, so of course I believe him."
"So I suggest we go into the forest tonight."
"Let’s find that spring early and lift the mysterious veil of this world!"
...