The others couldn't laugh at all as they looked at a buff man holding a shovel with a flat head staring at them, seemingly wanting to tear them apart. Making them so breathless that they want to immediately stand up and run away, but they can't.
Juan, who was laughing, followed with, "Alright, uncle, quit the joking." His friends looked at him with admiration, as only Juan can act like nothing happened at all in front of this fierce uncle in their village.
"Well, I'm not joking. Here are your freebies." At the same time, the uncle showed the flat shovel heads that another pizza was still sizzling hot. The others move to the side to give way. Afraid for a sudden "Oh, sorry, my mistake.' from their uncle.
Who knew if he was telling the truth or not? Soon, the uncle left, but Juan was still laughing. "Hahahahahah, man! Uncle was just joking with you. Don't misunderstand his fierce face, as uncle was a very straightforward and kind person."
You must be joking with us! That big body, and you call him kind? Who knew how many rumors that uncle had in the village? How many people did he punch with a broken face awake? There was even a saying that he had already killed someone before.
Art and the others rolled their eyes at him, but still. They felt much more relaxed after seeing the big bear disappear from their sight. "Alright, come on. Let's start the snacks!" And while everyone started chatting merrily and laughing happily,
Juan took out his phone and started playing the music to his max volume— Hall of Fame by The Script. Everyone cheered, accompanied by the sounds of music. This caused the already merry mood to reach its peak.
"Nice one, bro. Hmm. You can move the mountain. You can break rocks." Soon, followed by one, Draw also followed the mood and sang along. Art and the others naturally won't be missing.
And their singing and laughter naturally attracted the neighbors and children playing near the crowd. Another young man joined in while children shared and were given some pizza after Juan ordered more.
"No more freebies!"
"Hahahahha." This time, everyone finally laughed in face of the uncle's fierce appearance. At the same time, the music turns nostalgic—"Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur."
"Just say you won't let go, oh...."
Art's eyes lit up as he suddenly remembered something in his mind as he patted Juan, who was enjoying the pizza and his drink. "Hey, Juan. You seem to have changed somehow."
"Hmm? Change? Me? How so?" Juan was suddenly curious what part of him had changed. At the same time, this could be a good chance to fix those flaws.
"Well, you seem to have become confident, and nothing fazes you anymore these days." Juan immediately thought of his illusion clone. With that illusionary personality, how could he act like a real human being?
"Ah, that might have been brought on by my job?" Juan can only give a failed but successful reply. "After all, having money feels like having power."
"That's right! That's right! Your right, Juan's right." The other friends naturally agree after all. Who hasn't tried that haughty feeling one can experience when holding the money one works hard for?
No matter who it was, they would all succumb to money! Art and Draw looked at each other and said, "Ah, so it's the power of money?" Juan asked, sensing that there seemed to be more to it. "Why else?"
At this time, it was Draw who said, "I thought you already had a girlfriend. Looks like we got you wronged, bro." Juan's eyes widened and he pointed at himself. "Me? Have a girlfriend? Have you forgotten?"
Then one of the young men suddenly said, "How could you Draw? Don't forget our brother Juan's luck with women is just too unsightly to discuss." Laughter soon filled the table.
Art and Draw lifted up a cup of cola and downed it like drunkards. "Sorry, bro. Hahahaha." Juan rolled his eyes as he laughed too at their jokes. Soon, the truck arrived.
Draw noticed it and immediately said, "Juan, the materials are here."
...
The next day, Juan woke up and used his last illusion magic. Because his clone has work to do. Juan sighed; it would be him working every day with the only rest being dinner and sleep. In the end, he might have stayed at work and slept there too, like a senior.
[Magic Ritual: 3]
[Current Magic: Healing Magic x4, Illusion Magic x0, Wish Magic x5]
He naturally broke the illusion back then to see Draw and have some fun with the neighbors' friends. Then the truck with loads of material he needed arrived. Juan then left to help the serviceman unload the goods.
Just like that, I felt the preparations were complete. Juan once again left home incognito in his rockstar disguise to replenish his wish magic. When everything was done, he returned home and started playing games on his phone.
As for the healing and illusion magic, He can just do it after a while, lest he anger those mysterious beings again. Who knows what bad luck they would give him?
Just like that, a week passed.
[Magic Ritual: 24]
[Current Magic: Healing Magic x4, Illusion Magic x0, Wish Magic x8]
...
Monday.
"Nothing unusual happens during this week. It seems like I was too praning back then. They must have already forgotten about me. But I still have to be cautious and must complete the process."
Even if that mysterious organization had already forgotten him, it didn't mean that he was safe. To actually teleport me without him knowing or having a way to resist just showed how wide and powerful a behemoth his enemies were.
Yes, Juan had long treated them as enemies. The whole organization was the same in his mind and heart. Such an overbearing way of talking to someone—even their ways were all tyrannical. Even directly calling him a convict when he did nothing out of line.
Not to mention, he almost died were it not for his magic back then. That wasn't just paralysis back then; it was damage to the nervous system. Thankfully, he still had his healing magic, which saved his life.
"I'm a narrow-minded person. What can you do to me? You dare to kill me like you would an ant. But I'm merciful and have principles, so I can only imprison you by law." Juan sneered.
Early in the morning, Juan left the house and entered the forest, where people seldom passed by. Amidst the shrubbery and sharp leaves that would slice through one's skin silently. Juan's only worry would be hoping no snakes in existence appeared near him.
"I'm afraid of snakes, so Mr. and Mrs. Snakes, please respect my privacy and avoid me like the plague." Juan murmured as well as prayed in his heart. Who knew if his prayers had been heard or not, for he didn't meet any snakes at all in his way amidst the dense shrubbery?
As he observed his surroundings carefully, he saw that no one, nor any living above or below, could be seen or heard. So one by one, Juan took out the materials he had stored yesterday night into his sling bag and threw them to the ground.
Before he neatly arranged them according to the ritual he had deduced on hand long ago. The whispering wind and the first steps of the ritual are the time and place. The materials he had on hand were a large piece of wood arranged in a strange manner and embedded on a flat board.
It was so big, but his sling bag has a shrinking function, so it wasn't difficult to move it away, even with its weight. Now, the only function of this big object was to produce sounds when a breeze flew by. Although he can just wish for it, Juan still wants it to be safe.
What if an eerie wind appeared, bringing with it howling sounds and ghostly figures flying towards him? Then wouldn't he be dead from fear? He didn't want that to happen. As for adding more details to his wish,
It was just a waste to use it. So why not make the effort and use items instead of the supernatural? The next are the tribal materials, such as tribal wooden staffs and amulets. Candles and leaves, as well as all kinds of tribal-patterned objects, were arranged to form an altar.
In summary, Juan wanted to do two rituals at the same time. To create magic for future sight and a magical wind that can erase memories about him from other people's minds. A while later, all the preparations were complete.
"I wish for a breeze to pass by for a few seconds in that object for sounds to be produced." Seeing the leaves around him move and the touches of his skin. He slowly heard the sounds coming out of the strange wooden sound-producing object.
[Magic Ritual: 24]
[Current Magic: Healing Magic x4, Illusion Magic x0, Wish Magic x7]
After making sure that no one was around, neither above nor below the trees, Juan took a deep breath and clasped his hands. It was neither praying nor submission, but just a normal gesture for requesting something.
"Oh Babaylan, the healer, shaman, or spiritual leader of a country; the acting bridge between the spiritual and physical realms; revered as spiritual guides, keepers of traditional knowledge, and mediators between the community and the spirits or deities; please grant me the magic to see the endless future!"
At the same time, Juan followed on the other side, as he said. "Oh, the Whispering Wind, the wind that carries messages from hidden entities of the spirit world. Please grant me the magic that can erase my existence from someone's or something's memories."
Juan bowed after that, and then after he cleaned up the site. He immediately left, afraid that he might summon something he didn't want to see. Running away, along the shrubbery. He had just walked out of the forest and stepped into the backyard when he saw something from the corner of his vision on the side of the palm tree.
Damn it, a snake! It doesn't matter if it's deadly or not. For them to appear in the village means danger for everybody. No matter how mild you are. As a snake, I'm sorry, but your race has already been labeled as one that must be killed in our genes.
Don't blame me; blame your ancestor for what he did. Without a thought, Juan made a wish: "I wish for all the snakes in or out of the village to be teleported very far away with no people."
Soon, multiple transparent magic circles appeared in various parts of the village before vanishing. The snake on the palm tree also disappeared along with the phenomenon just now. Juan felt relieved soon after.
He just can't stand snakes. Shaking his head, he returned home stealthily. The door is open because his parents are at home. When he stepped inside the room, he immediately locked it.
Soon the familiar text box appeared, but he laid down first and found a comfortable position before focusing on what was above.
[Ritual Successful. Created Divination Magic x12.]
[Ritual Successful. Created Forgetful Wind Magic x12.
[Magic Ritual: 0]
[Current Magic: Healing Magic x4, Illusion Magic x0, Wish Magic x6, Divination Magic x12, Forgetful Wind Magic x12]
At the same time, the methods to cast this magic appeared in his mind like always. "Divination Magic came from the Babaylan folklore. It uses the magic to bypass communication with the spirit world. Instead, it uses the magic circles as the eyes in the spirit world to see the future."
"The Forgetful Wind Magic came from the Whispering Wind folklore of another country. It uses magic to redirect the wind that carries messages of many mysterious existences in the spirit world to reality."
"For those who will hear it or have the wind pass them, they will immediately forget about something or their memories of a specific existence. Even machines weren't an exception."
Juan's eyes lit up; this is indeed the kind of magic that he wants. Just the right thing for achieving great things unknown and unhindered. "Hehehe, just you wait, old man, and your lousy organization. Let's see how you will become senile more and more until I find you tonight."
With the illusion of magic cast upon his place and himself. Juan was determined to use this time and place to secure his future! "Let me divine the place of your organization first."
Divination Magic.
With a wave of a hand, a golden word, 'Divination," slowly appeared in front of him, who was lying sideways in the bed. With a spark, the word turned into countless minitexts that formed and gathered into complicated golden magic circles.
Within seconds, the golden magic circle spun before shrinking and entering his eyes. In the next few seconds before he could react. His vision changed from the sight of his bed room to the clouds high in the sky.
Oh my vegetables, sardines, gardenia, chuppapi, monyayo, tender, juicy hotdog!
Such a shocking scene to behold. Who can handle this scene with calmness? Boundless vast expanse of empty sky, the ethereal yet ever-present white clouds. Not to mention the feeling that overwhelmed his very being.
What does he feel? Could this be what those in power want to feel? The feeling of being above others as they manipulate everything on their whim arrogance and indifference to those beneath their feet.
Juan could feel such emotions and ambition slowly corroding his cautious yet peaceful heart. This feeling—he just can't get enough of it. He was getting addicted, even though it was only a vision.
Juan suddenly understood why those in power would build their homes or headquarters on high places. Being above, one will have the feeling that they can move everything with their very hand.
However, such a feeling that overwhelmed him may seem long. But it was actually just a few seconds for him to see what's below as an overview. A land, more like an island situation near the Pacific Ocean.
As everyone knows, almost all kinds of storms and typhoons that were formed came from the Pacific Ocean. So this island is quite large and contains many mountain ranges and even cloud-piercing peaks.
A few seconds later, Juan's view slowly came down towards the island. At the center are the tallest peaks that pierce through the stormy clouds. He saw a tall, huge tower that seemed to contain a stadium on every floor.
So this is where your headquarters have been hiding, huh? To use the natural geographic location to hide from the satellite's surveillance. As expected of them, but nobody knows or Juan has any information if they were behind every nation.
This location might just be a special place. For them to build their headquarters, there must be a reason, right? However, since their island is not recorded on a map, how could they just let it be seen like this?
Not even some kind of barrier or formation around. Juan felt like there might be no need for it, as it would just be a waste of resources for them. After all, in the middle of nowhere, where the surrounding area was churning with high waves and tsunamis,
The hidden swirling whirlpools and tornadoes around the sea and the rocky spur that would sometimes appear when the waves lowered Not to mention the heavy rain and fierce wind that slap the face with a few cuts if no protection is worn.
Juan felt like he could try to have this place as his headquarters from now on. After he destroys this senile place to ruins, he can then build a house for himself to enjoy during boredom. Just looking at the storm, who can resist not sleeping inside the room in such weather?
After looking around a little more, his vision further zoomed inside the tower, and then what he saw dazzled his eyes to the extreme. Just what did he see? Huh? A futuristic yet ancient-looking gateway!
Damn, are my eyes seeing real things? Oh my, oh my, oh my. So there is a secret here, huh? This is so darn cool! Juan, however, felt like this giant, ancient-looking yet futuristic gateway didn't seem right.
It was as though it was old already and had just been modified. At the same time, there are many people with all kinds of advanced technologies connected to the gateway. It seems like he was correct; it indeed hadn't yet activated.
However, based on the way they had transported him back then, It might not be long before they can use this gigantic thing. This world hides too many secrets for Juan's little mind to bear! He had just had his fantasy encounter, and he was already having this kind of secret revelation.
Though it might be the case that all of this felt surreal to him, Juan wasn't the one to stay stunned, silly, and daydream since he stepped upon this path. Slowly, the fantasy he could only imagine and read in novels overlapped with his reality.
Now he can surely say that, no matter how outrageous the things or events were. He won't be shocked or turn silly in disbelief anymore. Instead of that, he would be more open to surprises and accepting of many things.
Looking at the uniformed people around, he can see that most of them seem to have a bulky build. Even women weren't spared; somehow he toured the whole place around, and an hour later. He chanced upon the control room in the center of the tower.
At the same time, he got the name of this place along the way. What really matters, though, isn't the other floors, which house many unbelievable scenes, but the information Juan has found out. He saw the quantum computer in this place.
Naturally, seeing such a thing, how can he not have some desire to have it for himself? After waiting for a while, he saw that what he needed the most had been found. He instantly ended the divination magic.