Eating the cactus out of hunger was, in essence, a process of cellular autophagy. He should have eaten it raw, but he had chosen to cook it with sunshine. This unusual method of consumption generated extra energy in his body, which was why he possessed that half-Lak of Magic Power when he awoke.

The moment Sean understood this, the scene before him changed once more.

The yellow sand under his feet began to tremble and float, spiraling up into the sky as if weightless. Countless grains of sand converged from below in an overwhelming surge, accompanied by a gale that nearly forced Sean’s eyes shut. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes. Through the gaps between his fingers, he could vaguely see the sand gathering into a massive vortex. At its center was a void-like blackness. It started as a small dot, but as the vortex of yellow sand grew, the blackness expanded rapidly, as if tearing the sky apart. It unleashed a tremendous pull, sucking him in and sending him spinning.

Sean’s vision was swallowed by blackness. When the light returned, he saw a familiar young woman’s face.

He was on a long street with hazy contours, like a painting submerged in water. The lines were distorted and wavering, and the color palette was dark, giving it a very unreal, illusory feeling.

The young woman was walking down the street. Seeing the figure that had suddenly appeared, her eyes widened slightly in astonishment.

"Sean??"

Sean was stunned as well. "Miss Flame Crow?"

"You don’t even have Magic Power. How did you get into the Void Technique Space?" As the young woman spoke, she seemed to realize something, and her tone took a sharp downturn. "Don’t tell me you went to the Black Fruit Rainforest."

Sean fell silent for two seconds before answering, "I did. I’m in the Black Fruit Rainforest right now."

The young woman: "???"

"Do you have a death wish??"

"Have you forgotten how your friend died?"

"The Spring of Enlightenment in the Black Fruit Rainforest is a trap! Once you complete your awakening and gain Magic Power, they’ll kill you!"

"I know."

’Ever since he heard the name of the Florist Family from Johnson, Sean knew it was a setup. Thinking deeper, if an ordinary person like him could deduce the location of the Spring of Enlightenment from the trail Chris left behind, how could the powerful and influential Florist Family not know?’

"You knew, and you still went?!" The young woman was exasperated. "No one can save you this time!"

She was a world away from the Black Fruit Rainforest. Even if she set off to fly there immediately, she wouldn’t make it in time.

Sean, however, laughed. Running into the Flame Crow Maiden here had put him in a good mood. More importantly, her words—"You can’t enter the Void Technique Space without Magic Power"—told him something crucial. The "Magic Power" she mentioned must be the standard minimum unit in Mysticism: one Lak. This meant that his "enlightenment" from the Spring of Enlightenment was complete.

In other words, at this very moment, he had truly become a Tier One Wizard, possessing enough Magic Power to cast a Truth Technique.

So—

"You’ve misunderstood, Miss Flame Crow." Sean’s smile was relaxed, tinged with a sense of relief. "I’m not here to ask for help."

’And he didn’t need anyone to save him.’

The young woman thought Sean was just being stubborn. Normally, with her temper, she would have argued with him. But this was a matter of life and death, so she suppressed her frustration and said calmly, "Return to the real world right now. Run as fast as you can. Don’t waste any more time."

’Every extra second Sean spent in the Void Technique Space was one less second he had to escape. By the time those guys surrounded the woods, it would be too late to run.’

"Alright."

Sean didn’t argue with her; he needed to get back quickly anyway. Entering the Void Technique Space had been a complete accident, but a fruitful one. Not only had he met the Flame Crow Maiden, but he had also come to a realization: under the Witch Hunt Operation, every Wizard was in grave danger, facing extermination at any moment. But the Void Technique Space connected the Wizards. Perhaps they weren’t so alone.

After Sean left, an illusory female figure approached from the side. She looked at the spot where Sean had disappeared and asked the young woman curiously, "Your friend?"

"An idiot," the young woman said angrily.

She briefly recounted her meeting with Sean in Holkaydo. The woman’s expression changed slightly as she listened. "Then isn’t he doomed?"

"Serves him right! Who told him not to listen to advice?" the young woman fumed, grinding her teeth in frustration.

The woman asked, "Should we try to save him?"

"No. He said himself that he doesn’t need anyone to save him," the young woman refused.

But despite what she said, her actions were another matter.

"I have something to do. I’m heading back first."

With that, she returned to the real world, picked up the hotel phone, and called the mole she had planted within the Florist Family. Through gritted teeth, she ordered, "Find a reason to halt the Hunters’ operation in the Black Fruit Rainforest. At the very least, slow them from closing the net. Drag it out for as long as possible. Do it now."

"Yes."

...

「In the small woods.」

Sean had woken up.

During Meditation, a person’s muscles relax on their own. With his body losing its support, his posture had changed from squatting to lying down. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a funnel-shaped, spinning storm in the sky, kaleidoscopic and magnificent.

The crows had all turned colorful.

Sean heard the sound of numerous, heavy footsteps.

They were here.

...