"King of Hearts???"
William Jiang was dumbfounded, staring at Leon Chen in disbelief.
How could such an unbelievable thing happen...?
It wasn't just him; the students and teachers present were equally shocked. No one had seen any flaw in the trick.
William wasn't the only one stunned; Jason He, who prided himself on his shrewdness, was also at a loss. He had always looked down on magic tricks, considering them mere deceptions relying on props and sleight of hand. To him, "politics" was filled with far more intricacies than magic. But today, Leon had made him feel utterly ignorant.
From the start to the end of Leon's performance, Jason couldn't figure out how it was done.
"You're in the Magic Club, right? What the hell just happened?" Jason asked the student who had earlier mentioned the Berglas Effect.
"F***, if I knew, I'd have already won the FISM championship. Damn," the student cursed out of sheer shock and excitement. "This is insane. How did he do it? I need to tell the president!"
Jason, feeling annoyed, frowned deeply, as if he had been played.
At this moment, the auditorium erupted into thunderous applause, with every person clapping while wearing expressions of disbelief.
Leon gestured slightly to acknowledge the applause. The students who participated in the trick were even more astonished, continually wondering how it was done. However, William was different from the others. Despite his astonishment, he was calculating every possible method behind the trick.
He correctly guessed that Leon had done something when he handled the cards last, but he couldn't figure out how Leon had known it would be the King of Hearts.
William suspected the assistants were planted or the cards had some trick, but he couldn't find any evidence. The assistants were recommended by the audience, and the cards seemed normal.
Damn, how did he do it!
William would never guess that Leon used actual mind reading to determine their chosen cards.
"Do it again! I'll expose your trick," William demanded, unable to accept defeat, his expression tight with tension.
Leon scoffed at his request.
"Eat the cards! Eat the cards!!"
Leon's dorm mates were the first to start chanting.
The other students quickly joined in, urging William to eat the cards. Even Jason He felt pity for William, wondering why he had bet against a magician.
Amidst the laughter and jeering, William fled the auditorium, humiliated. The derisive laughter echoing behind him marked the most humiliating moment of his life. Damn you, Leon Chen. Just you wait!!!
With the applause and flowers, Leon completed his first hosting experience. Only the Student Council Secretary, Yvonne Shi, and a few others knew just how perfect Leon's debut had been.
This freshman welcome party was initially supposed to have several focal points, but in the end, it all centered around discussions of Leon's "Berglas Effect." Everyone was curious about how the unbelievable magic trick was accomplished. Those who interacted with Leon during the trick were bombarded with questions, a scene unprecedented.
Leon felt a bit embarrassed when bidding farewell to Emma Su and Yvonne Shi. Their thoughts were full of blush-inducing praise, making him feel light-headed; if not for the cost of a hot kiss, Leon would have immediately canceled the mind reading ability.
However, there were also hidden, deceitful characters like the Entertainment Minister, Bob Chao.
"Leon, Leon!!"
After leaving the backstage area, Leon saw Lily Lin and her roommates waving at him.
Walking over, he noticed Lily leaning weakly against Celia Qing. Seeing Leon, her face was flushed with shyness, embodying a delicate charm.
"Lily suddenly felt weak," Celia explained, sticking out her tongue.
"I'm sorry, Leon. I suddenly felt very tired."
"Rest well," Leon said, knowing it was due to the cost of the "Steel Will" ability. Lily's usage had been brief, and her weakness wouldn't last long.
"Leon, how did you do that magic trick?" Wendy asked curiously.
"One of the principles of magic: a magician never reveals his secrets," Leon replied with a smile.
Wendy looked disappointed.
"My dorm mates are still waiting for me, so I'll be off," Leon said, bidding them farewell.
Instead of heading directly to his dorm, Leon took a small path to the school pavilion. He didn't want to overhear his friends' private thoughts.
Leon licked his dry lips and took a deep breath.
The cost of mind reading was a hot kiss, and with no one around, he shouldn't be able to fulfill this cost. Leon had long wanted to test the consequences of not fulfilling the cost. He knew that a brain-imposed mental compulsion was not something he could control, so he came up with a small plan.
"Cancel mind reading!" The ability could be used three times a day, with a limited duration but could be canceled at any time to avoid inconveniencing the user.
As soon as he issued the cancellation command, Leon bit his own arm hard.
The pain was excruciating, nearly driving him mad with a strong desire.
"Activate Iron Will, to forcibly suppress this cost!"
Leon used his third ability of the day.
Steel Will ensured that any decision made would be executed to perfection, mobilizing the body's functions to the utmost, even if the task exceeded normal capabilities. It truly embodied the essence of "iron."
Using one ability to counteract another's compulsion—only Leon could think of this.
To outsiders, Leon looked like a grim statue sitting on the stone bench. But only he knew the intense mental battle he was enduring.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Leon finally won the struggle, collapsing onto the table with a sigh.
Iron Will successfully suppressed the forced cost of the mind reading ability. However, it left Leon feeling utterly drained.
Before he could savor his victory, Lina contacted him.
"Leon, what are you doing?"
Lina's first question sounded extremely puzzled.
"Are you spying on me from a corner..." Leon said weakly.
"I monitor ability usage for safety reasons," Lina replied seriously. "To ensure the user's safety."
"Thank you for your concern," Leon said with a forced smile.
"Concern, my foot..." Lina realized she had misspoken, coughed, and continued formally, "The cost of abilities is a law of energy balance. Using another ability to bypass the cost will have severe consequences."
"Please don't do this again. Failing to pay the cost could break the ability's inherent rules, potentially causing the module in the watch to collapse. I trust you don't want to lose the ability."
"Understood."
Leon was speechless. Who designed this thing to be so strict?
"To gain something, you must pay the corresponding price. Remember this, my dear Leon..." Lina's voice had a teasing tone.
Hearing the "my dear Leon," Leon, too weak to argue, could only smile wryly.