Witch

The theater's backstage turned into a medieval tower.

Electric lights became torches, curtains became stone walls, and the rising and falling steps became gear-driven mechanisms. The already deserted scene became deathly still.

Sophia transformed from the theater's artistic director into a coldly beautiful witch, with lovely, multicolored gems floating around her body, circling endlessly like stars.

She stared at Lin Rui with suspicion and indifference. "Demon hunter, state your purpose. Otherwise..."

Sparks flickered and danced on the witch's wand, ready to shoot out at any moment and deliver a fatal blow.

Lin Rui's mind raced as well. Recalling the scene when he had met the old priest Essen Borg in the Nightmare Space, he improvised a speech...

"Hello, Ms. Sophia. Evil is gathering, the evil spirits are immensely powerful, and the fallen are growing ever more numerous.

"And I am too weak to fight the ever-strengthening darkness. So... I am looking for help."

After saying this, Lin Rui even praised his own quick thinking. His lines had a touch of chivalrous spirit and fit the current setting perfectly.

Sophia frowned. "Demon hunter, there is nothing I can do to help you. God abandoned this fallen world long ago. No one can stand against this boundless darkness."

Ah... this witch's character was different from the old priest's.

Lin Rui wanted to back out, but he couldn't. He could only keep making things up. "Ma'am, you're being too absolute. There are still people holding fast to the light.

"At least I know that, besides your tower, there is still a sanctuary in the darkness that has not fallen. In fact, I came from there."

Sophia was visibly moved at once and asked skeptically, "A sanctuary? I have lived in this city for over a hundred years. All I have seen and heard is worship of the darkness. I have never heard of anyone still holding fast to the light."

Over a hundred years? You're clearly only in your thirties. Lin Rui silently snarked, then continued aloud, "That only means you haven't seen it, not that it doesn't exist.

"I'd be happy to prove it to you. Unfortunately, that sanctuary is a little far from your tower."

Sophia scoffed and lightly waved the wand in her hand, revealing a pitch-black image.

"Go on, tell me where this so-called 'sanctuary holding fast to the light' is." Sophia pointed at the image she had revealed.

The image was actually a moving map. Most of it was dark in tone, but the rough outlines of roads and terrain could still be faintly distinguished.

There was only one dim point of light at the center of the image. Enlarging it revealed a black tower-the location of Lin Rui and the coldly beautiful witch.

Lin Rui took two steps forward and used both hands to zoom in and out on the dark image as though operating a touchscreen. He moved from Manhattan north to the Bronx and soon found a small church in the 40th Precinct.

Perhaps because it was too far away, the church's details were indistinct, and the streetlights the old priest worked so hard to maintain around it were nowhere to be seen.

Everything was dim, with nothing visibly special about it.

Lin Rui felt disappointed. "It's right here. There should be lights. I added oil to those streetlights and maintained them not long ago. But now..."

"No, this is enough." Sophia cut Lin Rui off outright and rushed forward to stare fixedly at the area around the church.

"My magical map can only survey the area within a few kilometers. Beyond five kilometers, it only provides a rough view, making detailed information hard to obtain.

"But even a rough view is enough. The area you pointed out is filled with darkness. It should be shrouded in black clouds, with nothing visible.

"The fact that we can see the church now means someone must be holding their ground, fighting against the darkness."

Sophia turned around and asked, "Who is this steadfast defender? What is their name?"

"Essen Borg. He's a priest," Lin Rui said. "You're actually not that far apart. You could easily go over and get acquainted."

"I would be delighted to meet a saint who holds firm in the darkness, but I cannot." Sophia shook her head. "Apart from demon hunters, no one can travel freely through the darkness.

"Unless you can kill all the evil spirits, evil cultists, and blood demons controlling this area and bring the light back to this fallen paradise lost.

"But frankly, you are still too weak. You cannot even defeat a slightly stronger fallen one."

Sophia looked Lin Rui over carefully. "Still, as long as you tell Priest Borg, the guardian of that sanctuary, about me, I will give you a small reward."

Lin Rui had been waiting ages for this. A quest and a reward were exactly what he wanted. A notification sounded in his mind right on cue. "Quest: Same-City Vigil.

"Establish contact between Sophia Kaman, the witch of the magic tower, and Essen Borg, the priest of the sanctuary. Inform each of the other's existence and bolster their conviction to keep holding firm.

"Reward: One attribute point."

This quest was far too easy. He only needed to find time to visit the old priest and wait until midnight. Lin Rui accepted without hesitation, but he wasn't satisfied with just that.

"Ms. Sophia, I have a small question I'd like to ask." Lin Rui wanted to conduct an experiment: could he make use of the nightmare world's spells?

The old witch grew serious. "Ask."

"I have a friend. He's very tall and fat, but his brain doesn't seem to work very well. Or rather, he doesn't like studying.

"I want to help him. I want him to study and lose weight. But he's very resistant to it and unwilling to change.

"As a witch, do you have any special magic or potions that could improve someone's intelligence a little, or correct bad thoughts and habits?"

Sophia understood. "You want a fat, stupid fellow to be more diligent? He has committed the sins of 'gluttony' and 'sloth,' correct?"

"Yes." Lin Rui nodded. "Is there a simple way?"

He had previously witnessed the old priest's Flame Enchantment, which could greatly increase a sword wielder's combat power. But its effect only worked within the Nightmare Space.

If miraculous magic could work elsewhere too, its usefulness would increase greatly.

"There is," Sophia answered. "Since he is an idiot, use the Suggestion Technique.

"Demon hunter, your 'Spirit' is good, and your 'Charisma' is quite high. You are very well suited to using the Suggestion Technique to hypnotize a target.

"I can inscribe a temporary spell on your hand. You simply need to use it on the target, then tell him what you want him to do."

It sounded incredibly simple.

"I'll take that." Lin Rui held out his open palm.

Sophia waved her wand a few times with seemingly casual motions, and a symbol resembling an eye appeared on his palm.

"Done. You can get lost now. Come back when you've finished the task I gave you."

The slender wand pointed lightly at Lin Rui, and an irresistible force shoved him backward.

Before he could react, the scene before his eyes changed abruptly, and he was back among the scattered pieces of scenery backstage at the theater.

"Leon." Andrea's voice came from behind him. "Did you get lost? I've been looking for you forever. The theater manager's assistant has paid us. We can go now."

As he was pulled away, Lin Rui made sure to look around, confirming that he had unlocked a new landmark in the Nightmare Space.

After they left the Gershwin Theatre, the streets were still surging with people. New York's nightlife was dazzling and colorful, with all sorts of bars and clubs bustling.

The two walked to where the food truck was parked. Samantha, who handled the register, was putting away the folding tables and chairs, while Cynthia ran around excitedly. The moment she spotted Lin Rui, she shouted and threw herself toward him.

"Leon, guess how much we made tonight?"

"I'm guessing we sold out. About a thousand dollars?" Lin Rui answered.

"Yes, we sold everything. Tourists visiting New York are so rich. They're even willing to hand over a hundred-dollar bill as a tip just to get a piping-hot beef burger."

As Cynthia spoke, her face lit up and her arms and legs flailed.

It wasn't as though the girl had never heard how expensive Manhattan was, but the largest bill she could normally pull from her pocket was a twenty. Seeing a hundred-dollar bill had left her stunned.

When she said she couldn't make change, the customer, who came from who knew where, actually told her to keep the rest as a tip-it had to be said that among the tourists who could afford to enjoy New York's nightlife, a big spender or two would occasionally turn up.

"Where's Toby?" Lin Rui glanced around but didn't see the Black boy.

"He said he was hungry and went looking for a twenty-four-hour McDonald's. He even told us not to tell you, saying you'd scold him if you knew." Cynthia shrugged, casually selling out her own little brother.

Lin Rui sighed, knowing it was impossible to keep Toby in line with a few words. That guy simply couldn't resist the temptation of food.

Ten minutes or so later, Toby returned with grease all around his mouth. He shrank back upon seeing Lin Rui, looking just like a child who had done something wrong.

"Get in. We're going home." Lin Rui said nothing about it in front of everyone. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Toby now. Instead, he worried about how they would do business after daybreak, because they were out of stock again.

Running a food business really was exhausting. Even good business brought plenty of troubles. The Jones family, however, were all excited, with even more enthusiasm for making money than Lin Rui.

Even after arriving home, none of the family felt sleepy. Instead, they launched into a lively discussion-not about how to run the business well, but about how they would spend their money once they were rich.

Lin Rui stayed at the Jones home again. Having worked all day, he had long since grown sleepy and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. After he drifted into deep sleep, a wave of bitter cold surged through him, and, unsurprisingly, he entered the Nightmare Space again.

He got up with practiced ease, put on his clothes, and opened the door. Sure enough, a pitch-dark hallway lay outside, with the door to Toby's bedroom standing ajar at the far end.

Inside the room, Toby was still sitting in his chair. He looked guiltily at Lin Rui as he entered and stammered:

"Sorry, Leon. I was so hungry I couldn't stand it. I had to get something to eat, or I would've gone crazy."

"You don't need to apologize." Lin Rui opened his palm. The eye symbol the old witch had drawn emerged, opening at his mental command.

He aimed his palm at Toby and barked, "Look at my hand."

Toby met the eye on his palm and was instantly drawn in, his mind seeming to enter a deep passage.

"Toby, listen. You're someone who loves studying," Lin Rui said.

"I... I don't love studying. I hate everything related to studying." Toby clearly resisted this characterization.

"No, you love it. You're willing to devote all your time and energy to studying." Lin Rui raised his voice and made his tone more forceful.

Toby's bloated face began to twitch violently, and his body trembled along with it, as though he were in his death throes. Yet no matter how he shook, his eyes remained fixed on Lin Rui's palm without shifting a fraction.

Lin Rui continued, "Not only do you love studying, you also crave losing weight. From now on, you'll eat only three normal meals a day. No snacks, no late-night meals, and no extra meals."

"No, no, no..." Toby struggled even more fiercely, as though he were being stripped of his greatest pleasure in life. "I don't want to, I don't want to..."

Lin Rui had no intention of letting Toby off and continued, "You piece of trash. Without my salvation, sooner or later you'll become a lump of meat in the sewers.

"Repeat after me. I love studying. I will lose weight. I will abandon all my bad lifestyle habits. I will turn over a new leaf."

Toby's "Spirit" was only 7, far below Lin Rui's 12, and his mere 4 points of Charisma were utterly suppressed by 15.

His brawny strength proved completely useless, and he soon submitted under the effects of the Suggestion Technique. "I love studying. I will lose weight. I will abandon all my bad lifestyle habits. I will turn over a new leaf."