Chapter 83: Magician

Chapter Eighty-Three
Magician

Taking two steps forward and crossing past the coffee table, Klein moved his body, shook his wrists, and found no further abnormalities.

He looked out through the bow window at the gas streetlamps illuminating the gloom and haze beyond, and murmured thoughtfully to himself:

“My hands are more dexterous, and my movements have become more agile. Even without Beyonder abilities, if I studied seriously, I could become a top-class magician.”

This was his first impression of the changes in himself.

And just as recorded in the Nighthawks’ internal files, if a potion provided certain spell abilities, after consuming it, the Beyonder would sense them personally and grasp exactly what they were. It was as though corresponding knowledge had been poured into the mind through mysterious means and imprinted upon the spirit.

“It nearly burst my head open just now…” Klein smiled and shook his head, carefully recalling the sensation from before and the corresponding spells.

It had to be said: Magician truly deserved to be called a powerful Sequence 7. It possessed quite a few magical abilities, all of which could be cast quickly.

Among them, Klein valued and liked three the most.

The first was Damage Transfer!

As long as he did not die instantly, as long as both his hands could still move, he could shift a wound from a vital area to somewhere less important, such as his arm, turning a fatal injury into a light one. This was an extremely useful supernatural ability for survival in real combat.

The only problem was that at Sequence 7, wounds could only be transferred within his own body, and only once. Perhaps as his Sequence rose, he might be able to transfer injuries onto objects, or even onto other people… It really does have the feeling of magic…

Klein allowed himself to imagine the future for a moment.

The second spell was Flame Jump. Within a thirty-meter range, he could blink between flames, whether fire he had left behind or flames that already existed. It was close to teleportation, and seemed to make use of the spirit world in some special way.

Mm. It can be used very nicely for magic performances…

Klein mocked himself with great satisfaction.

More importantly, as he digested the potion and raised his Sequence, the range of Flame Jump would also clearly increase.

The third spell-like Beyonder ability was Air Bullet, which Klein had once seen the Secret Order’s tuxedo-clad Clown use.

A Magician could produce bullets of air through snapping his fingers, imitating sounds, and similar methods. Their power and speed were not much worse than bullets fired from a specially made revolver. Moreover, their effects would likewise grow with the potion’s digestion progress and his own Sequence. Klein even suspected that by Sequence 5, or perhaps Sequence 4, he might be able to knead cannon shells by hand.

“In that case, I won’t need to buy another handgun and bullets. No—better buy another one anyway. There are many things where there’s no need to expose that I have Beyonder abilities. Problems that can be solved with a gun don’t count as problems.”

Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, then turned to examine the other spells and spell-like abilities.

The fourth was Paper Figurine Substitute. At critical moments, a Magician could briefly transform a paper figurine he carried into himself, then switch places with it. It was a comparatively simple substitute spell. Apart from blocking a fatal blow, it could also effectively weaken curse damage.

So that was the function of the paper figurines Marionettist Rosago carried… He must have been very regretful, because he was contaminated by the True Creator and had no way, no chance at all, to use a substitute… The biggest problem with this spell is that the materials must be prepared beforehand, meaning paper figurines cut with some delicacy. In the earlier years of the Fifth Epoch, a Beyonder carrying such things would undoubtedly be regarded as a black wizard. Even now, if discovered, they would probably arouse suspicion…

Klein carefully considered the use and limitations of Paper Figurine Substitute.

The fifth was a spell-like ability called Flame Control. As its name implied, through a simple motion, he could manipulate flames within thirty meters around him. He could also directly ignite certain objects within that range. Once the potion was fully digested or his Sequence rose, he would even be able to “summon” streams of fire out of thin air.

The sixth was Illusion Creation. By influencing his surroundings, he could create near-real illusions with colors, sounds, and smells, achieving the effect of passing the false off as true and deceiving enemies.

This counts as the Magician’s signature trick…

Klein chuckled softly and walked to the bow window, feeling ambitious as he admired the night scene outside.

The seventh was false Underwater Breathing. Its principle was to create an invisible, unseen, narrow tube of air that allowed the Magician beneath the water to breathe freely through it, making it appear as though he had turned into some kind of Fishman.

Its problem was that the air tube had a length limit. At Klein’s current stage, he could only maintain it at roughly five meters. In other words, if the water was deeper than five meters, he could still drown.

Of course, both potion digestion and Sequence advancement would substantially increase the length of the air tube.

The eighth was the spell-like ability Bone Softening. This could help a Magician escape handcuffs, ropes, and boxes.

Another signature skill!

Klein thought in a very good mood.

The ninth was an evolution of the Clown’s ability to turn paper into flying knives. It was called Draw Paper as Weapon. Not only could it transform paper into sharp objects, it could also briefly turn paper into weapons such as rods and bricks.

These were the Magician’s nine main spells or spell-like abilities. Although none were especially powerful in either attack or defense, and they lacked enough truly bizarre effects, they excelled in magic and variety, raising Klein’s strength by more than one level in an instant. When it came to saving his life and escaping, he was especially proficient now.

Moreover, Magician possessed rapid-casting techniques. Beyonders of this Sequence did not need to chant incantations, nor inject spirituality. With only a simple motion, they could cast the corresponding spell or spell-like ability.

Apart from that, the potion also gave Klein a few minor tricks, though none of them had much practical value.

“I can barely count as a fairly decent Beyonder now…”

Klein sighed soundlessly.

Just as he was planning to go out for a walk and, in passing, visit Bravehearts Bar to replenish his revolver and bullets, the crimson moonlight outside the bow window, dyed by the gas lamps’ glow, suddenly deepened and thickened.

Klein lifted his head in astonishment and discovered that the clouds and thin fog had already scattered. The red moon, now more than half full, clearly revealed itself in the sky.

Its outline rapidly grew round. In only a second or two, it became a full moon—a full moon as red as blood.

And only a little more than two weeks had passed since the last full moon.

According to the normal calendar, according to astronomical laws, the next full moon should still be around ten days away!

“A Blood Moon?”

Klein’s lips moved slightly as he murmured in dawning understanding.

In this world, the moon’s changes were regular, yet also irregular.

Most of the time, they were exactly the same as what Klein had experienced in his previous life. But every year, there would always be several occasions when the moon suddenly became full, crimson like blood. Such phenomena had no logic. Sometimes they occurred only once a year; sometimes they occurred four or five times.

Neither astronomers nor mysticism experts could explain the phenomenon, nor summarize any rules. They could only temporarily set the issue aside as one of many mysteries, joking that perhaps the Goddess had simply fallen into a bad mood—and without question, the emotional changes of women followed no law at all.

Of course, not knowing the reason and not understanding the essence did not mean there were no summaries of corresponding phenomena. In mysticism, this situation was called a Blood Moon. It was believed to cause negative emotions to climb and erupt, strengthen the powers of the Netherworld and the spirit world, and possibly allow the dead to crawl out of their graves even if they had not been awakened.

“This is the second time this year, right?”

Klein stood by the bow window, admiring the clear, clean sky and the full moon shaped like a disc, crimson as though dripping blood. He felt that his current state was excellent.

…

Inside a certain house in Cherwood Borough.

Fors Wall, who had attended a gathering tonight and had no time to return to the two-bedroom apartment in Saint George Borough, was sitting cross-legged on the living room sofa. Her hair was loose and messy as she gnawed at a new-style bread roll stuffed with meat and vegetables, while thinking about the plot of her next novel.

Suddenly, she frowned and dropped both the food and the fountain pen in her hands.

The moonlight shining in through the window grew thicker and redder, while Fors’s expression became more and more pained.

Every time the full moon arrived, she would hear those maddening ravings!

Thud!

She fell from the sofa, her body twisting as she struggled on the floor.

After some time, she clawed down a large clump of hair. Yet this pain did not alleviate the feeling that her head was about to explode, nor did it calm her agitation—the impulse to end her own life with a knife.

“It’s happening again…”

Fors whispered painfully. Her legs twitched and went taut.

With extreme difficulty, she recited the honorific name of the deity she believed in, hoping to obtain salvation:

“Great God of Steam and Machinery…”

“You are the embodiment of essence…”

“You are the protector of artisans…”

“You are the radiance of technology, radiance…”

As she recited again and again, Fors’s pain did not weaken at all. Instead, it grew increasingly intense.

Bang!

During her violent rolling, she accidentally knocked over the coffee table, causing the books on top to scatter across the floor.

No longer able to endure, Fors began madly scratching the wooden leg of the coffee table with her fingernails. She carved one deep mark after another, producing a screeching sound that made one’s teeth ache.

Snap!

Her fingernails broke by force.

Her hair was growing longer in an eerie fashion.

At that very moment, Fors felt that she would lose control tonight, that she would turn into a monster. She had already recited the honorific names of several deities, but none had saved her.

“I’m going to die… I’m going to die…”

As she twisted and rolled, Fors suddenly saw a sheet of paper written with ancient Hermes words.

That was the mysterious incantation Xio had discovered in A History of the Nobility of the Loen Kingdom!

Even silently reciting it had attracted an entity suspected of being an evil spirit.

Even if it is an evil spirit… as long as it can… help me… I am willing… to accept…

That thought flashed through Fors’s increasingly muddled mind.

She struggled to look over. Using every bit of strength in her body, she whispered:

“The Fool that does not belong to this era…”

“The mysterious ruler above the gray fog…”

“The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…”

“Save me. Save me…”