Trump Card

"Can't escape..."

"Then we won't."

Burg's appearance made Sean realize one thing: the people he had interacted with might never have represented "individuals." His social circle had always been narrow; besides working and writing, he ate and slept. Only when he felt like it would he go out for a workout. As long as the other party was willing, they could easily integrate into his social network, trapping him in the center without him even realizing it.

The enthusiastic female neighbor next door might also be working for them.

At this moment, Sean gained a more intuitive understanding of "them."

The force behind the Witch Hunt was terrifyingly powerful, possibly even "power" itself.

The thought that he was constantly under their watchful eyes, and that everyone familiar around him had two faces, sent a chill down Sean's spine. He even suspected that his desire to write novels might have been a subtle suggestion and influence from them.

The air became incredibly heavy again.

This feeling of being watched, of having his life forcibly manipulated, was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

But Sean became calm instead.

He could feel that they were already starting to pressure him.

Too bad he wasn't a fragile person.

Fragile people couldn't write novels.

Pressure wouldn't crush him. It would only lower his bottom line.

Sean never believed in the phrase "no way out."

He preferred the poet Mayakovsky's words—"When someone forces you into a corner, don't forget there's still a path behind you."

The young girl had warned him, "their" bottom line was "Magic."

Once he became a true Wizard, they would act against him immediately.

Perhaps through forced capture, like Chris.

Or perhaps they would kill him on the spot.

Low-level Wizards couldn't fight against the weapons they wielded. Becoming a Wizard while already being targeted was tantamount to seeking death.

But he was different.

He was the "author" of this bizarre and fantastical world. He understood many details and settings of the story, including "Basic Theory of Mysticism," "Rank Advancement Path," "Method of Magic Cultivation," and "Principle of Spell Operation," among others. These were things a writer had to clarify before officially creating.

Each of these settings had its own separate document, saved in a folder named "World Architecture."

Sean wasn't sure if Burg had cracked his computer password and copied the files, nor was he sure how many invisible cameras were installed in his home. To be safe, he didn't open the documents again. He remembered them all anyway.

Magic was the product of "Meditation"; its essence was energy.

To be more precise, it was energy converted from what people conventionally understood as mass.

It originated from the human body itself.

This process of converting the mass of internal cells into energy was called "Meditation."

The human body was active, constantly transferring energy. When the energy supporting the body's basic functions was insufficient, the body's cells would automatically generate energy to maintain the normal operation of the physiological system. This was called "autophagy" in Modern Biology. Meditation allowed one to capture this process, forming a concrete image in the mind.

The energy produced solely through autophagy was clearly insufficient to cast spells. One had to attempt active interference, using the brain to subtly control one's body, changing the way cells devoured each other, increasing the efficiency of mass-energy conversion. The portion that converted the same mass into more energy, exceeding the body's needs, could then be called "Magic."

This was why a Mystic in his book once said, "The human body is a natural Magic container; everyone has the potential to become a Mage."

Wizards weren't called Wizards back then; they were called "noble Mages."

It was a Scholar Era where knowledge was power.

Individual Archmages who mastered Forbidden Spells could even increase the mass-energy conversion rate to 100%, meaning their entire being would undergo a perfect annihilation reaction, producing destructive power capable of wiping out a nation.

Like the protagonist in his book, Karl Black.

Perhaps this was also the reason the Witch Hunt was launched.

They were afraid.

In Basic Mysticism, the unit of Magic measurement was named after the Mystic who first publicly proposed the concept of "everything can be annihilated." It was initially called "Dike," but later, due to an inelegant homophone, it was changed to "拉克" (Lāke). This served to classify Wizard ranks from a relatively macroscopic perspective.

Rank 1 Wizards were called "Newborns," controlling 1 mana point of Magic. Their energy intensity was comparable to a small hand grenade. Therefore, theoretically, a Rank 1 Wizard could already withstand ordinary bullets.

However, actual combat was always different from theory.

The firing speed of bullets far exceeded human limb reaction speed. By the time the enemy fired, it was too late to chant spells. If you were unfortunately hit by a bullet, your frail body would instantly lose mobility. The cavity effect would damage your flesh and numb your nerves, and blood would rush into your throat, making it impossible to speak even if you opened your mouth.

This resulted in the vast majority of Rank 1 Wizards being unable to even take a gun-wielding enemy down with them.

They couldn't even chant a single spell.

But.

There was one type of spell that didn't require chanting.

They existed based on the most fundamental operating rules and material laws of this world, deeply integrating mathematics and philosophy. Without any spell incantation to guide them, a mere thought could resonate and directly manifest Magic in a form others couldn't comprehend. They were distinct from other spells and had a special name—

True Formula.

This was something he had hidden for a very, very long time in his "previous life," and he had also hidden it for a very, very long time in this life. As a bestselling author, Sean naturally understood the importance of giving protagonists hidden trump cards to create plot twists.

In Sean's original storyline, after his earth-shattering romance with Oliya, a great battle would ensue.

This was because he had eloped with the Holy See's Saintess.

From the believers to the Pope, everyone in the Holy See opposed the marriage. He had no choice but to reason with them, and it was estimated that he would reveal his true strength in about ten chapters.

The True Formula was his trump card.

Now it had become his trump card.

Sean felt that he might end up using it sooner than his counterpart in the book.

He already had a plan in mind.

These guys liked to monitor him, didn't they?

Whether it was Floris Hospital, represented by Quill, the police station where Burg was located, or some other organization—as long as he left Holkodo, they would most likely send people to track him, preventing him from "fleeing from justice."

Sean narrowed his eyes.

He planned to prepare a surprise for these guys.

All he needed was a little Magic, just Tier 1.

All bullets fired at him would eventually become weapons for him to kill his enemies.

According to the Flame Crow Girl, his awakening level was insufficient, which prevented him from gaining Magic. Sean understood "insufficient awakening" to mean a lack of talent, meaning he couldn't automatically learn Meditation, which was why the girl believed he wasn't cut out to be a Wizard.

But it didn't matter; he could go find the "Spring of Enlightenment."

It was a natural spring that allowed people to comprehend the mystic arts, also known as the "Spring of Knowledge." In Sean's story, this crystal-clear, spotless spring had helped countless dullards enter a state of Meditation and become Wizards. It was even revered as holy water bestowed by the gods upon the empire until the "Spring of Abstinence," with its more wondrous effects, appeared and replaced its holy water status.

Sean had also compiled a dedicated table for important items like this for Wizards, making it easier to remember. The Spring of Enlightenment was ranked first. In his dream, he had initially come into contact with the mystic arts of this world through the Spring of Enlightenment, which allowed him to create the True Formula, a technique that surpassed spells of the same tier.

The path he took in his previous life was one he could also take in this one.

The only difficulty, perhaps, was finding the Spring of Enlightenment.

If it weren't for Chris, Sean might never have believed in the existence of the Spring of Enlightenment. It was Chris who reminded him—of the small woods Chris had once visited and witnessed all sorts of magical occurrences.

Once Sean calmed down, his thoughts were very clear.

Chris realized something was wrong with this world only after seeing what was depicted in his book. Therefore, he wasn't an Awakened One and couldn't learn Meditation out of thin air. Then, the Magic Chris had shown him, used to solidify milk, could only have come from the Spring of Enlightenment.

Thanks to Quill, his old friend could no longer speak and tell him the exact location.

But he could ask.

Chris always went on expeditions with a group; he was a member of a Wilderness Survival Club. Sean had even called the club to inquire about Chris's situation when he had been out of contact for a long time.

At that time, he only cared if Chris had returned and hung up after receiving an affirmative answer, without asking for their specific destination.

However, such expeditions were high-risk activities. They often planned their routes in advance and notified the club as a backup. This way, if anything went wrong, the club could promptly contact nearby rescue teams.

In other words, the club must know where Chris went two years ago.