Could He Really Be a Genius?

At high noon, a blue sedan drove along a suburban highway. The further they got from Londan, the worse the road became. Overall, however, it was much better than Wayne had anticipated, largely because the air was fresh—a hundred times better than the Londan city air. If only it weren't winter, it would have been even better. The car had been bought at a secondhand car market. Commissioned by Dr. Lainer to look into used car dealers, Wayne had uncovered plenty of shady dirt on this particular lot. After some intimidation paired with sweet talk, and out of respect for the portraits of the Queen on the cash Wayne offered, the dealer readily recommended this unregistered, black-market car in eighty percent new condition. The dealer didn't mention where it came from, nor did Wayne ask. He knew Veronica looked down on civilian cars, so it was destined to be a one-use purchase anyway. In the interest of doing everything with haste, Wayne had finalized the purchase in just half an hour. Wayne had no idea whose name the registration was under, nor did he have to shoulder any risk. The dealer had patted his chest and sworn on his life that everything was completely aboveboard. Compared to the civilian vehicles Wayne remembered from his previous life, this four-seat blue sedan was laughably stripped-down. Its features were so spartan that the dashboard held only a single instrument gauge—not even a radio. The bodywork still incorporated wooden framework, the rear featured double doors, and the trunk was remarkably spacious, capable of holding a vast amount of luggage. Spartan as it was, the dealer hadn't lied about it being eighty percent new. The headlights shone bright, the engine ran smoothly, the transmission was dependable, the interior carried no strange odors, and once started and revved, clean water condensed out of the exhaust. Wayne had leisurely driven the car out of the lot, purchasing a supply of provisions according to Veronica's instructions. In addition, he had stocked up on two canisters of gasoline, two crates of drinking water, and an assortment of canned rations, chocolate, and hardtack. Veronica's plan was to get in and out quickly: catch Bloody Mike, dispel the curse, and leave. They wouldn't linger long in the Town of Kafuno; if everything went smoothly, they could return to Londan that very night. Her reasoning made sense, which was precisely why Wayne had bought a mountain of supplies. Being thoroughly prepared was never a mistake. Veronica took the wheel. Because she had been spared the troubles of poverty from a tender age, her driving skills were remarkably proficient. By contrast, William, who sat in the passenger seat, possessed driving skills that could only be described as unspeakable. He did have a driver's license—his university made it a strict requirement without which one could not graduate—and after battling through wind and rain, it had taken him two full years to finally scrape by and get his hands on it. Wayne and the black cat, Monica, occupied the back seat. Veronica had initially wanted Wayne to drive, but because Master Monica needed to give a lecture, the young lady was relegated to being their chauffeur for the trip. "Don't rush. The magic seed cannot be fully realized in a single bound. It's more like guidance and transmission—unless you happen to be a genius..." Seeing that Wayne was somewhat impatient for results, Monica began to counsel him, explaining in detail the foundation of all transcendent power: magic. Magic was the lever that moved the extraordinary. Without magic, there was no starting point. For an ordinary person seeking to obtain magic and become an entry-level mage or magic apprentice, the gentler approach was meditation. If one had connections, a mentor could lead the way. The magic seed Monica had planted in Wayne was one such method of guidance. The aggressive route was to tread the path of divine faith, gaining potent magical power by pleasing a deity. The former progressed slowly, leaving many people stuck at the threshold for years on end. The latter, while advancing at breakneck speed, was far less gentle and secure. After all, in the eyes of any cult's believers, all other deities were heretical, evil, and deceitful, while their own patron was the sole embodiment of eternal, glorious righteousness. After centuries of embellishment and hearsay, ninety-nine percent of a deity's public persona was pure fiction. Ordinary people were completely in the dark, and choosing a faith was no different from buying a mystery box. With good luck, one joined a legitimate organization that took upholding justice and vanquishing evil as its mission—a bona fide heroic cause. With bad luck, one wound up worshipping some evil god who took pleasure in torturing believers. Burdened with monthly and annual sacrificial quotas, not only would you suffer endlessly, but you would also become a reviled pawn of an evil deity whom everyone hunted down. Digressions aside, they returned to the matter of the initial magic seed. The black cat Monica had shared its magic with Wayne—using water to draw forth water, using magic to awaken magic—sparing Wayne the grueling early stages of meditation. Later on, if Wayne wished to expand his pool of magic, he would still need to meditate persistently. But going from zero to one was always the hardest part; skipping this phase saved vast amounts of time and energy. Success was a fifty-fifty coin toss. Everyone possessed the potential to become a mage, but using water to draw water didn't succeed every time. "So, if it fails this time, there's no need to feel discouraged. Try a few more times, and you'll eventually succeed." Strictly speaking, there was no need for Monica to guide Wayne into becoming a mage. If this trip went well, the curse upon Wayne could be broken entirely. All Monica needed to do was temporarily replenish his magic in the short term to keep his soul from starving. The only reason it expended so much effort—planting a seed and delivering lectures—was because of Wayne himself. As a follower of the Goddess of Moonlight, Monica despised the Goddess of Death and the Goddess of Darkness. Intercepting Wayne, who had been marked by a Death Walker, would not only foil the other side's plans, but also add a fresh recruit to its own faction. Winning twice over—a total win-win! It was worth noting that while Monica's faith belonged to the Goddess of Moonlight, Veronica and William did not share it. The former was a devotee of the Goddess of Nature, while the latter had offered his devotion to the Goddess of the Sun. Nature, Sun, and Moonlight versus Death and Darkness—the conflict among the five goddesses could be traced back over a thousand years. Wayne kept his eyes closed throughout, listening quietly to the black cat teacher's lesson and using the subtle techniques it described to search for the presence of his own magic. His sleepless night had not gone to waste. Very quickly, he located the magic that belonged to him. As a novice, he couldn't describe magic using the academic terminology of the magical realm. Translating it into concepts he understood, magic was the product of the tight interplay between essence, energy, and spirit. And above all... Spirit held the dominant role. Spirit referred to the heart and mind—thought and mental power. Only this crystallization of intellect, born of the physical vessel yet poised between matter and energy, could mobilize magic and pry open a world bound by rules. Wayne perceived a great deal, and he also saw his own magic clearly. It was pure white, yet entirely distinct from Monica's magic seed; the disparity between the two whites was immense. One was an artificial, dyed white; the other was the pristine white of the primeval. The instant the magic inside Wayne's body was unearthed, the magic seed Monica had left behind shattered on the spot. The commotion drew the attention of both Veronica and William, leaving Monica utterly dumbfounded. [Shocked Cat Face.jpg] It hadn't held much hope, intending only to let Wayne familiarize himself with the magic seed on this first try. Once the curse was resolved, there would be plenty of opportunities. It had never imagined... For a moment, Monica's mind raced. It reflected on the sheer stroke of good fortune: a spur-of-the-moment interception had not only ruined the Death cultists' recruitment plans, but had also poached a believer of boundless potential for its own Goddess. If all went well, Wayne might even become one favored by the Goddess! In the passenger seat, William swallowed hard, stuffing a giant piece of chocolate into his mouth to calm his nerves. At the wheel, Veronica was hardly doing any better. Lost in thought, she failed to pay attention; the car drifted off the road, and a tire crashed hard into a massive pothole. With a loud thud, Monica was launched straight into the air from the back seat. Suspended midair, the black cat was still completely dazed. *So fast... Could he really be a genius?* "Ah! Veronica, look at the road! Watch the road!" William shrieked. Amid William's screams, Wayne reached out and caught the falling cat. While it was still disoriented, he gave it a couple of quick pets, then casually set it back down as if nothing had happened. *Feels great. Next time I'll have to see if I can flick its little bells.* Wayne looked down to sense the faint, fledgling magic within him, then met the gaze of the Book of Greed. The corners of his mouth slowly parted into an uncontrollable grin. Veronica offered a quiet apology, then glanced into the rearview mirror. What met her eyes was that diary-writing liar staring down at his crotch with a foolish grin. *Gross. To think I was actually taken in by a guy like that!* Veronica curled her lip and poured cold water on his mood. "Don't celebrate too early. Magic is dangerous. From beginner lessons to psychological counseling, from regular meals to daily pills, from academy halls to the graveyard, plenty of mages go mad every year. I only hope you won't be the next." Wayne: (—`´—) *Learning magic makes you go insane? What kind of logic is that?*