Uncle

Jim was stunned. For a moment, he thought he had seen it wrong.

How could this man produce fire in the palm of his hand??

If he gave him a fish, could he fry it directly?

Had driving for too long made his eyes go blurry?

Jim rubbed his eyes hard, then looked at the rearview mirror again.

But the light inside the car had returned to its dim state. Sean was still nestled in the center among a pile of tent poles, sleeping with a hunting rifle in his arms, just as he had been a few minutes ago. He seemed to have heard Jim call him—or perhaps had been jolted awake by the less-than-gentle braking. He frowned slightly and opened his eyes, his expression drowsy, carrying a trace of displeasure at having his pleasant dream disturbed and the dazed confusion of someone who had just woken up.

"Are we there?" he asked.

Jim: "?"

Had that really been his hallucination just now?

Was Sean only waking up now?

"No, that's not right!"

Looking at Sean's sleepy, just-awakened appearance, Jim could find no trace of acting on his face. But the more that was the case, the more suspicious Jim became. His instincts told him that having no flaws was the biggest flaw of all.

This time, Sean was the one who asked, "What isn't right?"

"You're not a typist!" Jim stared at Sean.

Before their team had set out, everyone had chatted in the group and talked about their occupations. Sean had claimed to be an utterly ordinary typist. Tired of his monotonous nine-to-five life, he had taken some time off to go on an outdoor adventure and seek some excitement.

Aside from their professional guide, Gennardo, that was basically why everyone had gone to the Black Berry Rainforest.

But Sean was clearly lying.

He wasn't a typist—at least, not an ordinary one.

What kind of typist could conjure flames out of thin air in his palm?

"Is that so?" Sean neither confirmed nor denied it. He raised his eyelids and stared at Jim in return. "Then what am I?"

Someone more perceptive would have noticed by now that there was an unwelcome scent in the air.

It was killing intent.

But Jim remained completely oblivious. Perhaps he was too focused; all his attention was fixed on Sean himself. He examined Sean with the sharp gaze of an eagle, his eyes flashing with the insight to see through everything. Finally, he reached a conclusion and spoke with absolute confidence—

"I know! Your true identity!"

"Oh?"

"You're actually a magician, aren't you?"

Sean: "..."

What a magician!

Yes, yes, exactly!

The taut string in his heart immediately relaxed. At the same time, he gained a new understanding of his teammate Jim.

Jim was probably a good person.

Sean had made a mistake just now. He had been too impulsive and shouldn't have tried using magic power directly in the car. He hadn't expected that a simple dream, after drinking some cactus juice and eating a piece of cactus leaf, could actually grant him magic power.

And Jim had seen it.

He had no choice but to go along with his mistake, put on an act, and test Jim.

If things went wrong, he would strike first.

He hadn't gained much magic power—less than one Lak—and couldn't yet release the True Formula. But he could condense the most basic elemental energy. As long as he was fast enough, killing one person would be effortless. For example, he could attach flames to his hands and seize the other person's neck. No human throat could withstand such high temperatures. In just one second, they would be able to smell the aroma of roasted meat.

That was the worst-case scenario.

After all, Conina was in the car.

Gennardo and the others were outside as well. Killing Jim for no apparent reason would be difficult to deal with afterward.

Fortunately, Jim hadn't thought in that direction—or rather, this was the reaction a normal person should have. When faced with something unscientific, their first thought should be magic tricks and sleight of hand, not actual magic.

That was a good angle.

He had indeed been a typist before, but Jim said he wasn't, so he wasn't.

From now on, he was a magician.

"You saw through that? Looks like I still need to work on my acting." Sean put on an annoyed, dejected expression and said earnestly, "You should know that performing in accordance with the situation is also an indispensable part of a magic show. If you make the audience break character and start thinking rationally, the performance will suffer greatly."

After receiving confirmation, Jim burst out laughing. "You can't blame yourself for that. Honestly, your performance just now was already excellent. It was almost as good as a friend of mine who'd practiced for two and a half years... It's just that I used to be a woman, so my instincts are very accurate. That's why you couldn't fool me."

Sean: "?"

"A woman?"

"Mm-hmm... What are you two talking about? What magician?" Conina, in the passenger seat, seemed to have been awakened by Sean's mention of a woman. She rubbed her eyes, woke up, and asked with a groan as she stretched. Only after noticing the dim light inside the car did she become more alert. She stared blankly out the window. "It's dark already? Have we arrived?"

Jim nodded, picked up his hat and put it on, then opened the car door. "Let's get out first."

Conina pressed him, "So what exactly is this magician thing?"

"Sean." Jim answered with a grin. "He's not actually a typist. He's a magician."

Conina: "Huh?"

A magician?

Wasn't this guy a novelist?

Could he secretly have a side job she didn't know about?

She had heard that magicians were all very skilled with their hands. Wouldn't that mean they could play even more creatively?

Conina's beautiful eyes shimmered with excitement. She had discovered that this little man was always capable of surprising her. At first, she had thought Sean was merely handsome. Then, one time, Sean had opened the door for her wearing only a bathrobe, without fastening it, and she had learned that he also had an excellent figure. The more she got to know him, the more she discovered that he was exceptionally talented. Now he even had another profession. This was truly...

If only she didn't have a husband.

Sean couldn't even be bothered to respond to her.

The young couple who had gotten out of the car joined the conversation instead.

"Magic tricks won't do." Johnson chuckled. "You should learn real magic, then fool them into thinking it's just a magic trick. I guarantee no one will be able to expose you... Don't you agree, darling?"

Jenny: "Yes, dear."

Sean: "?"

Were the two of them serious?

A simple joke that sounded like casual teasing made Sean wary again.

He didn't know whether he was being too sensitive, but why did everyone look like an undercover agent sent by Quill?

Wilson picked up the thread and deliberately said, "You really think anyone can learn magic? It takes talent."

"You're saying that as if you can do it." Conina gave a disdainful "Tsk" and mocked him. "Why don't you perform something for everyone?"

"...I can't."

Conina looked disgusted. "Then keep your mouth shut."

Wilson was full of resentment. Why did Conina always defend Sean? Was it really necessary just because he was a little handsome?

Gennardo took several bottles of mineral water from the trunk and handed them out to everyone before interjecting, "We have two choices now."

"One: We go to a nearby town and rest for the night, then enter the Black Berry 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, with the Black Berry Rainforest just three kilometers away.

The bright moon hanging in the night sky cast down a thin veil of moonlight. From atop the car, they could already see the vast, continuous shadow and outline of the primeval forest ahead.

"Wait a moment, ladies and gentlemen. You don't actually think I was joking, do you?" Johnson asked everyone.

Gennardo was puzzled. "What joke?"

Johnson: "The magician thing!"

Sean glanced at him without revealing anything.

Johnson continued, "Didn't we talk about it in the group a few days ago? Deep in the Black Berry Rainforest, there's a mysterious woodland. Its scenery is strange and dreamlike, completely different from the outside world. All sorts of unbelievable things happen there—pointy-eared elves, glowing unicorns as white as snow, and birds with wings..."

"Wait, aren't birds supposed to have wings?" Wilson usually didn't pay much attention to the group. He only showed up when Conina spoke; he generally just skimmed the other messages and couldn't be bothered to read them closely. As a longtime club member and one of the group administrators, he was usually rather aloof.

Sean's smaller group had never discussed any of this. Clearly, Johnson was referring to the larger group.

"He left out a number. Those birds have three pairs of wings." Jenny added.

"Isn't it obviously just a gimmick the club uses to fool newcomers and stir everyone's curiosity so they'll join the outdoor trips?" Wilson looked at the young couple strangely.

Though the two of them looked young and were still university students, they had actually gone on several outdoor adventures and had been club members for quite a while. How had they still fallen for such a cheap trick?

He had also claimed that the bread machine at his house could bake bread by itself, but he hadn't seen anyone come to his house for an adventure, had he?

"I didn't believe it either at first, just like you. But one of my uncles told me that this woodland really does exist. Maybe it's not as exaggerated as the group makes it sound, but it's definitely beyond the scope of science."

"Apparently there's also a spring in the forest that was blessed by the gods. It's the key to opening a mysterious door. As long as you find it and drink from it, you'll be able to see the magnificent, dazzling true appearance of this world."

Johnson spoke with a serious expression. He seemed to really believe his uncle.

Conina leaned against the car in silence for a moment before speaking. "Excuse me for asking, but was your uncle high at the time?"

Johnson: "?"

Conina spread her hands. "From your description, it sounds a lot like some kind of hallucinogenic psychoactive drug."

"How could that be?" Johnson said unhappily. "If he were really a drug addict, would I believe what he said?"

"Then what does he do that makes you trust him so much?" Conina asked.

"He works for capital." Johnson said, "All of you are older than Jenny and me. You should understand better than we do that eighty percent of the world's wealth is in the hands of capital, and the same goes for secrets. To a certain extent, they can even manipulate governments."

"Then do you know who the greatest capitalist power in Holkodo—or even the entire West Raker State—is?"

"The Floris Family."

Johnson raised his chin proudly. "My uncle works for the Floris Family. Of course I believe him."

"So I suggest that we enter the forest tonight."

"Let's find the spring as soon as possible and unveil the mysterious veil covering this world!"