Mythos Reboot

Chapter 9

At noon, a blue family car cruised along a suburban highway.

The farther from Lundan, the worse the roads became—though overall, they were much better than Wayne had expected. The fresh air alone was a hundred times better than Lundan's city center.

If only it weren't winter, it'd be perfect.

The sedan was purchased from a used car market. Commissioned by Dr. Lanner to investigate the second-hand car trade, Wayne uncovered numerous shady practices at this dealership. After some intimidation mixed with inducements, the dealer, out of respect for the Queen, readily recommended this 80% new unregistered vehicle.

The owner didn’t disclose its origins, and Wayne didn’t ask. Knowing Veronica would disdain civilian vehicles—destined to be disposable—he adhered to the principle of expediency, completing the purchase in just half an hour.

The car was registered under someone else’s name, absolving Wayne of any risk. The owner confidently assured him everything was perfectly legal.

Compared to the civilian vehicles Wayne had seen in his "past life," this four-seat blue sedan was rudimentary—so basic that the dashboard housed only a speedometer, without even a radio.

The body still retained some wooden elements, and the rear featured double doors with a spacious trunk capable of holding plenty.

Crude as it was, the "80% new" claim held true—the headlights shone bright, the engine ran smoothly, the transmission was reliable, and the interior was odor-free. After warming up, it produced water when given fuel.

Wayne drove the car leisurely out of the dealership. Following Veronica’s instructions, he stocked up on supplies, including two barrels of gasoline, two crates of drinking water, and assorted canned goods, chocolates, and compressed biscuits.

Veronica meant to go quickly and return promptly—catch Bloody Mac, lift the curse, and leave without staying long in Carfano Town. If all went well, they could return to Lundon that very night.

Her reasoning made perfect sense, so Wayne stocked up on ample supplies. Being cautious never hurt.

Veronica was the one behind the wheel. Having been freed from the troubles of poverty at a young age, the female driver was remarkably skilled.

In contrast, William in the passenger seat was indescribably terrible at driving. He had a license—a university requirement where graduation was impossible without one—but it had taken him two years of rain or shine to finally earn it.

In the back seat were Wayne and the black cat, Monica. Originally, Veronica had wanted Wayne to drive, but since Professor Monica had lessons to teach, the young lady became the designated driver for the trip.

“Don’t rush it. The seed of magic isn’t something achieved overnight. It’s more about guidance and inheritance—unless you’re a genius…”

Noticing Wayne’s impatience, Monica began to mentor him, explaining in detail the foundation of all supernatural powers—magic.

Magic is the lever that moves the extraordinary. Without it, nothing else is possible.

For ordinary people seeking to acquire magic power and become novice mages or magic apprentices, meditation is the relatively gentler approach.

If one has connections, they can seek guidance from a mentor—for instance, the magic seed Monica planted for Wayne represents one such form of initiation.

The radical alternative is pursuing divine transcendence, pleasing deities to obtain formidable magical power.

The former progresses slowly, with many getting stuck at this stage for extended periods, while the latter, though much faster, lacks the former's tranquility and safety.

After all, in the eyes of devotees, all other gods are heretical, evil, and false—only their own deity embodies eternal righteousness.

After being embellished and circulated among believers, ninety-nine percent of a deity's persona becomes fictional, leaving ordinary people completely in the dark—choosing a faith becomes like opening a blind box.

With good fortune, one might join a legitimate sect dedicated to upholding justice and combating evil, becoming a model upright individual;

With bad luck, one might worship a malevolent deity that delights in tormenting followers, facing monthly sacrificial quotas—not only suffering personally but also becoming universally despised minions of evil.

But we digress—let’s return to the initial topic of the magic seed.

Black cat Monica shared her magic power with Wayne, using water to draw water, awakening magic with magic, allowing Wayne to directly skip the arduous initial meditation phase.

In the future, Wayne will still need persistent meditation to strengthen his magic power, but going from 0 to 1 is the hardest part—skipping this stage saves considerable time and effort.

The success rate is fifty-fifty; everyone has the potential to become a mage, but not every attempt at drawing water with water will succeed.

“So if you fail this time, don't be discouraged. Trying a few more times will eventually lead to success.”

Logically speaking, Monica didn't need to guide Wayne to become a mage. If this trip went smoothly, the curse on Wayne could be completely lifted, and she only needed to replenish his magic temporarily to prevent his soul from starving.

The reason she went to such lengths—planting seeds, giving lectures—was purely because of Wayne himself.

As a follower of the Moon Goddess, Monica harbors hostility toward the Goddess of Death and the Goddess of Darkness. Snatching Wayne, who was targeted by Death Walkers, not only foils their plans but also adds fresh strength to her own side.

Winning twice—it's a double victory!

It should be noted that Monica's faith lies with the Moonlight Goddess, while Veronica and William follow different deities—the former being a devotee of the Nature Goddess, and the latter having pledged his faith to the Sun Goddess.

Nature, Sun, Moonlight VS Death, Darkness—the conflict among these five goddesses traces back a thousand years.

Wayne remained silent throughout, keeping his eyes closed as he listened to Professor Black Cat's lecture, following the small techniques taught to explore the presence of his own magical energy.

The all-nighter wasn't wasted - he quickly discovered his own magical energy. As a beginner, he couldn't describe this mana using professional terminology from the magical realm. In terms he could understand, mana was the product of the tight interconnection between essence, energy, and spirit. And…

Spirit played the dominant role.

Here, "spirit" referred to the heart, thoughts, and mental power. Only this form of wisdom born from the flesh, existing between matter and energy, could activate magical power and thus move the world bound by rules.

Wayne sensed many things and clearly saw his own magic power - pure white, yet vastly different from Monica's magic seed. The two whites were worlds apart.

One was a tinted white, the other was the original white.

The moment magic power was unearthed within Wayne, the magic seed left by Monica was shattered on the spot. This scene caught the attention of Veronica and William, and left Monica utterly dumbfounded.

Shocked cat.JPG

It hadn't held much hope—this first attempt was merely to familiarize Wayne with the magic seed. After resolving the curse, there would have been plenty of opportunities. Never in its wildest dreams did it expect…

For a moment, Monica's thoughts raced. It pondered many things, feeling fortunate to have stumbled upon such incredible luck. A spur-of-the-moment interception not only thwarted the Death Cultists' recruitment plan but also secured an immensely promising devotee for its goddess.

If possible, Wayne might even become a Chosen One!

In the passenger seat, William gulped and stuffed his mouth with chocolate to steady his nerves.

Veronica, at the wheel, wasn't faring much better. Distracted, she failed to notice the car veering off the road until the tires hit a deep pothole.

With a loud *thud*, Monica in the backseat was sent flying into the air.

Mid-air, the black cat remained utterly bewildered.

So fast… Could he truly be a genius？

“Ah, Veronica—watch the road! Watch the road!”

Amid William's screams, Wayne raised his hand to catch the falling Monica, secretly petting her twice while the cat wasn't looking, then pretending nothing happened as he returned her to her spot.

The feel was incredible - next time I'll try flicking that little bell.

Wayne lowered his head to sense his still-feeble magic power, locking eyes with the Book of Avarice as the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward uncontrollably.

Veronica whispered an apology, glanced at the rearview mirror, and saw the big liar who wrote diaries staring at his crotch with a silly grin.

Eww, I actually got fooled by this kind of guy!

Veronica curled her lips and poured cold water: "Don’t celebrate too soon. Magic is dangerous—from beginner’s lessons to psychological counseling, from eating meals to taking meds, from school to the graveyard. Every year, plenty of mages lose their minds. Hope you’re not the next one."

Going mad from learning magic？ What kind of logic is that？