True Formula

"Hahaha! I did it!"

An excited laugh echoed through the woods.

Having successfully completed his Meditation and awakened his Magic, Johnson was ecstatic. His uncle was right; after drinking the spring water, he could truly see different colors. Even the crows above his head had changed, becoming dreamlike and illusory, like a swirling, inverted rainbow.

"Huh, Sean?" Noticing Sean under a tree in the distance, Johnson called out, "You came over too?"

Sean leaned quietly against the tree trunk and nodded, not replying.

Immersed in his joy, Johnson didn't mind. He tilted his head back, spreading his arms as if to embrace this mysterious world.

"It's so beautiful..." he sighed.

Where else could one see such beautiful crows?

Jenny, Wilson, and Jim also woke up one after another. Jim spread his palm, and a ball of flame erupted from it—this was a magic trick Sean had performed in the car earlier, and now he could do it too!

"This is what power feels like," Johnson said, conjuring a flame of his own, speaking with rapture.

He had also learned to control fire.

This was a skill every Wizard instinctively mastered upon gaining Magic.

Fire was the origin of all things and the cornerstone of civilization's development. Over long ages, it had been deeply etched into humanity's very bones. For anyone beginning to learn about the occult and becoming a Wizard, the first thing they always mastered was the flame that symbolized life.

"Jenny, how are you feeling?" Johnson didn't forget to ask about his girlfriend.

"I..." Jenny was about to say she had also awakened, but suddenly she heard footsteps approaching from a distance. In her peripheral vision, she vaguely saw many dark figures rapidly closing in within the dim tree shade. For some reason, Jenny remembered Sean's warning, and a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart. She stammered a reply: "I... I didn't awaken."

Johnson blinked, then comforted her, "It's okay, you rest for a bit, and try drinking some more spring water later. You're so smart, you'll definitely awaken."

"And if all else fails, you still have me."

He patted his chest and vowed, "I'll protect you from now on. With me here, no one will dare touch a single hair on your head!"

Before Jenny could reply, a round of applause suddenly came from the woods.

"Clap, clap, clap."

"What a touching vow of eternal love."

A man emerged from the shadows, smiling as he applauded the beautiful love between the young couple.

He wore a brown and black leather jacket, with a revolver on his hip. His hair was a bit messy, and he hadn't shaved his beard, but despite his unkempt appearance, he had eyes like a leopard, and his entire being exuded a wild, dangerous aura.

He's killed people.

This was Sean's first thought.

Wilson looked wary, while Jim felt the man looked somewhat familiar.

"Who are you?" Johnson asked irritably. His mind was focused on the Magic he had just gained and his girlfriend Jenny, so he hadn't paid much attention to the approaching footsteps—or perhaps he had noticed but hadn't taken them seriously, certainly not expecting this guy to be so rude.

Just as he was about to lecture the man, he saw that there were more and more of them.

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, wearing robes black on the outside and red on the inside. Their faces were obscured by the shadows of their hoods, making them impossible to see clearly, but one could distinctly feel the sharp killing intent emanating from them.

Because they had guns in their hands.

"Swish!"

The man in the leather jacket raised a hand, and everyone immediately lifted their guns, aiming them at the group ahead.

The atmosphere instantly turned icy.

Even the slowest person would realize these people meant trouble.

With dozens of muzzles pointed at them, even Johnson, who was usually bold and now inflated with arrogance after gaining Magic, couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. But Jenny was watching, and love and pride could give one courage. He gritted his teeth and spoke, pulling the girl behind him, "Who exactly are you? Why are you pointing guns at us?"

The man noticed his action and said with a hint of admiration, "You really do as you say. Like a man."

Johnson tried to act tough, "Tell your men to put their guns down!"

"Sorry, I can't do that," the man said, shaking his head with a smile. "Killing you is our duty."

"What kind of bullshit duty is that!" Johnson retorted. "Are you some world police? You're responding to calls even in the middle of a primeval forest?"

"Because you drank something you shouldn't have," the man replied.

"You were spying on us?"

Johnson was truly angry. He hated having his privacy invaded the most. However, under the pressure of dozens of guns, his anger looked somewhat like a fierce facade: "Since you know we're Wizards, you still dare to do this?"

The man was amused by his ignorance and bravery. "Why wouldn't I dare?"

"Has no one ever told you that we kill Wizards?"

"Before we act, do you need introductions? You first?"

"...Never mind, I'll do it for you."

"Your name is Johnson, your little girlfriend is Jenny. You're both students at Gasli University. This is Wilson, a fitness coach, and Jim, a former mercenary. The one standing further 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 responsible for dealing with you."

Upon hearing the word "mercenary," Jim finally remembered where he had seen the other person before—the battlefield!

They had been comrades who undertook missions and fought side-by-side in the Battle of Ag Bay!

"You're... Winster?" Jim asked.

"You finally recognize me," the man sighed. "It's a shame we no longer have the chance to catch up."

Jim heard the regret in his words, a helplessness born of parting in life and death. He stared into Winster's eyes and walked towards him step by step, questioning their past friendship.

"You're going to kill me?"

"He wouldn't dare!"

Johnson tried to defend the sanctity of life with the law, shouting angrily, "I've never heard of any Witch Hunters. You're killing innocent people! You're committing a crime!"

Winster's reply was: "I have to kill you."

He ignored Johnson.

The closer the friend, the less they could be spared.

This was the rule; Witch Hunters needed to prove themselves.

"I'm sorry, my friend."

Seeing Jim getting closer and closer, and the hand hidden behind his back flashing with fire, Winster sighed softly and closed his eyes.

BANG!

A huge gunshot rang out.

A bullet shot out from the gun of a follower beside Winster, startling a large flock of birds.

The moment the gun fired, Jim instinctively raised his hand to block, but it was useless. The flame in his palm had already ignited into a raging inferno, condensing into a sphere, whether to block the bullet or attack Winster, he couldn't do either.

The bullet passed through the flames and struck him directly between the eyebrows.

In an instant, his head exploded like a watermelon, bursting into a spray of scarlet mist.

Winster skillfully raised his hand, just in time to block the splashing blood.

Jim's body fell to the ground. Only half of his face remained. His eyes were wide open, seemingly disbelieving until his last breath that his former close friend would actually shoot him.

Wilson was utterly horrified, sensing that something terrible had happened. The strong sense of danger, mixed with the smell of blood, drove him to turn and flee without hesitation.

He wanted to escape!

Escape and tell Conina to run quickly too!

But how could a wizard apprentice, who hadn't yet learned any escape spells, possibly outrun bullets when their speed was no different from that of an ordinary person?

"Did I allow you to leave?" Winster asked calmly.

BANG BANG BANG...!

Several more gunshots followed.

Splashes of bright red blood bloomed on Wilson's back. He stumbled and fell to the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably. He desperately tried to lift his head to keep running, but could only lift his neck slightly. He struggled with all his might for a few seconds before finally collapsing again. His unwillingly closed eyes were bloodshot, gazing in the direction he had come from.

What followed was a deathly silence.

Jenny's face turned pale. Looking at the tragic state of Jim and Wilson, she felt a strong discomfort rising from her stomach into her throat, making her want to vomit. Her hands, gripping Johnson's shoulder, trembled uncontrollably.

Johnson was also terrified by the scene. Only now, as two living people, who had been chatting happily with him just minutes ago, had their heads blown off and lay before his eyes, did he realize that Winster hadn't been joking... they really would kill people!

Their tragic deaths also made him realize a fact—

Even with Magic, they were utterly unable to withstand the opponent's weapons.

"Wh-why...?" Johnson's lips began to tremble.

Why hunt wizards?

"You don't need to know." Winster offered no explanation; there was no need. He casually wiped the blood off on his clothes and said, "You now have two options."

"One, try to resist or escape like them, as long as you can outrun my gun."

"Two, give up resisting, surrender, and come back with us obediently."

Winster added, "Although you probably won't escape death afterward, I personally suggest choosing the second option. At least you'll live a little longer. What do you think?"

The deaths of the two contrasted sharply with Winster's nonchalant, even faintly smiling tone. In Jenny's eyes, he was like a heartless devil. Jim was his friend! The suffocating pressure finally broke Jenny's inner defenses. She cried out in despair, "No! I'm not a wizard! You can't take me!"

Johnson forced his weak legs to stand, his voice trembling, "My girlfriend hasn't awakened. Let her go."

"Oh?" Winster looked at Jenny with a half-smile. "Have you really not awakened?"

Humans lie, but Smell Crows do not.

All the Smell Crows' feathers had changed color, proving that no one here was innocent.

Even the person with the lowest Magic among them had 1 Lac, reaching the standard for a wizard.

Jenny felt Winster's gaze piercing, as if it could bore through her. The fear of death brought tears to her eyes. She cried, "I'm really not a wizard... Please believe me, I'm really not, woo woo..."

"Don't cry, it's useless. I never believe women's tears, but..."

"Given your deep affection, which has allowed me to witness the beauty of love, I can make an exception and give you a chance."

"Johnson, didn't you want to protect her?"

Johnson clenched his fists. "Let her go, and I'll go with you!"

"No, I don't want you, I want her." The more cowardly a person, the easier they are to control. Winster had an interesting idea in mind. He looked at Jenny again, a playful smirk curling his lips, and said to the girl, "Take the gun from your waist and kill your boyfriend with it. Then I'll believe you don't have Magic."

As soon as he spoke, both of their faces changed drastically.

Killing with a single blow, it couldn't be more apt.

Tears streamed down Jenny's face. Johnson could no longer hold back, and his rage erupted. "You son of a bitch, don't push us!"

At worst, they'd go out in a blaze of glory with this group. Even if he and Jenny couldn't survive, they'd take a few of them down with them as a sacrifice!

His Magic gathered in his hands.

But just then, a cold, hard object pressed against his back.

Johnson instinctively turned his head.

He saw Jenny, who had already dissolved into tears. Her hands, which had embraced him countless times, were now holding a small, exquisite ladies' pistol.

It was a gift he had given Jenny for self-defense when they first joined the club and went on their first adventure.

"Jenny, you..."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Ah-Qiang... sob sob I don't want to die. Rather than both of us being killed, it's better for one to live. There's hope as long as one of us is alive... isn't there?" Jenny said, crying.

Her tears welled up, one by one, rolling down her cheeks and onto the grass.

Johnson felt a chill run through him, his face ashen. He never dreamed Jenny would make such a choice.

Did she not love him at all?

He opened his mouth, as if to ask something, but there was no chance.

Winster's voice was like a devil's whisper. "Little sister, my patience is limited."

"Bang!"

The trigger was pulled, accompanied by the girl's heart-wrenching cry.

That morning, Ah-Zhen killed Ah-Qiang.

"Well done, you have great potential. I'll do my best to get you a lighter sentence. If you perform well in the future, you might even be able to join us Witch Hunters." Winster said with a faint smile.

As for what constituted good performance, he believed Jenny knew even if he didn't say it.

She was a beautiful and intelligent girl.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..." Jenny looked at Johnson, who was staring at her, collapsed in a pool of blood. The pistol slipped from her hand, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Winster ignored Jenny and turned to Sean.

"Your turn, Mr. Writer."

He smiled. "You didn't think I'd forget about you just because you're not talking, did you?"

"You're someone Floris Hospital specifically requested. They even sent someone over for you."

After speaking, a follower beside him voluntarily lifted his hood, revealing a familiar face.

Sean had seen him before – at the front desk of the morgue, he was the orderly.

"We meet again, Mr. Sean."

"Dr. Quill sent you?" Sean asked.

The orderly smiled. "Yes, Dr. Quill really likes your novels."

Sean: "So?"

"Come back with me," he said. "You know the conditions at our hospital are better than anywhere else."

Sean looked at him. "What if I don't?"

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to deal with you," the man said, shrugging. "Whether you're alive or dead, I have to bring you back. It's my mission. I hope Mr. Sean can understand."

Sean sneered. "You want to kill me, yet you're acting polite and asking me to understand. Are you Witch Hunters always this hypocritical?"

"Actually, I'm also curious. Three companions have already died before your eyes, yet you can still maintain a calm demeanor and not be affected. Mr. Sean, are you always this calm?" the orderly asked.

"Because I'm preparing a surprise for you," Sean said, raising his hands. A faint golden light emanated from his palms.

This was a signal of no turning back.

"I'd really like to remind you, Mr. Sean, that bullets are faster than channeling spells. The Magic you currently possess cannot counter firearms. Jim is the best example."

"However, it looks like Mr. Sean has already made up his mind. In that case..."

"Then let's try," he said.

The man waved his hand and ordered, "Switch to armor-piercing rounds."

He hadn't forgotten that Sean had once asked someone to buy him a bulletproof vest.

If this was Sean's so-called surprise, and he intended to escape in the chaos, he was destined to be greatly disappointed.

However.

He had guessed wrong.

The bulletproof vest wasn't the surprise; it was merely a tool Sean had deliberately used to mislead them into increasing their firepower.

The real surprise was a spell they might never have even heard of—the True Formula.

However fierce the enemy's attack, his counterattack was equally fierce.

"Open fire."

"Bang bang bang...!"

At the orderly's command, dozens of gun muzzles simultaneously erupted in flames.

This was a merciless barrage, designed to ensure the man who dared to defy them and cross their bottom line would have nowhere to run and pay the most brutal price. Even now, they were still confident in the final outcome. As the Flame Crow Girl had