Chapter 4: Magic Ritual

Sometimes, one must give to accumulate merit and good karma outside of oneself. It might do him miracles at some point in time. Juan believed that there's something in the world called fate that balances things out for people.

And karma plus merit are the deciding factors for luck and opportunity in the days to come. Everything is predestined as well as not. "Hahaha, what am I suddenly thinking so deeply?" Juan thought today was really a long day.

It seems like his luck took an abrupt turn yesterday. He got a job, and then today he got a fantasy-looking object inside the pit? Who can tell him if there's a mighty entity somewhere looking at him? Still, he had a job, so at least he can't make mistakes because of that.

Looking at the monitors with his eyes, his hands and mouth didn't dilly-dally. A piece of pizza immediately entered his mouth, satisfying his gluttonous stomach. With a cola in hand, the caffeine bubbles hit him on the spot, and he couldn't help but moan in pleasure.

What he did not know was that while he was closing his eyes and reminiscing about the moment, a hand abruptly took a piece of the pizza as well as a bottle of cola. Juan finally opened his eyes and saw that there seemed to be something missing. The sounds of munching and slurping on the coke rang behind him.

Juan was shocked as he turned around only to see his sleeping senior eating his pizza with a coke in hand. The senior laughed, seeing the look on his face that seemed to say he had been found out.

"Senior, I.." Juan didn't know what to say, as he was clearly seen at point blank range by what he was doing. The senior finally calmed down as he smiled at Juan with a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm like you too."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds. Then Juan relaxed as he smiled. It looks like his senior wasn't joking. He was actually a kindred spirit! "Senior, you can have the remaining pizza and coke."

The senior's eyes lit up. "Well, just in time; I'm currently hungry. Hahaha, good job, junior." Juan smiled at this result. At least he got on the senior's good books. Then this job will be official already.

After the senior finished his meals, he left the room to clean himself up before returning and starting to teach Juan the ways of this job. This took them until 5:00 PM, just for the minor ones.

"In the next few days, we will delve more into the hard task part. But for today, you can go home." The senior sat on the bed, playing some FPS online games, as he bid Juan farewell for today. At the same time, another man came in for the night shift.

He's the same as Juan, also a newbie. Juan bid goodbye for today before signing out of the office. Stepping out, he met Sami, who had just changed and was going to return home. "Good afternoon, Sami. How's the day?"

Sami turned around and was surprised; his tired face showed an apparent sweaty but smiling face. "Hahaha, so it's my friend Juan. It's tiring, but it's alright; I've gotten used to it already after years." He paused for a bit and then continued, "How about you, Juan? How's the job on your first day?"

Juan shook his head as they walked out of the gas station, following the parking lot not far away. "Ah, hah. Too tiring; all I did was sit there all day, eyes dazed on the monitors every single second."

"Although it's a job to be envious of," It's still too boring that you want to do something like make a meme out of all the fun things happening every second."

Sami nodded as he looked at Juan with an understanding expression. "Well, that's just how a job is supposed to be. Even when sitting, you will still feel exhausted after work."

"Actually, aside from that, I find joy in looking at everyone's reactions to unexpected events. Hahahahah, I won't mention it anymore. It's our joy as observers, after all." Juan grinned. 

Sami was speechless. "Wouldn't that mean I'm always on the screen? Bro, don't tell me you've seen me goofing around and doing that, right?" Sami suddenly shivered at those thoughts as he felt nervous.

Juan patted him on the shoulder as he said, "Just a whiff, right? No more, no less." Sami's eyes immediately turned teary. "Bro..." Juan patted him on the shoulder again as he comforted him at the side.

"Don't worry, I've got your back. Just...." Juan looked around him and saw no one watching or eavesdropping. Sami's eyes lit up at Juan as he immediately took out some cash from his pouch with heartache. However, as long as he had the job, he could always recoup his losses.

Though Juan denied it, the money passed to him. He looked at Sami as though he were looking at someone else. "Bro, what are you doing?" Sami replies, "Can't you see I'm bribing you?" He was speechless.

Juan shook his head as he pushed the money back. "What I want to say is, you can smoke, but not in that area. Do it at the back, near the comfort room." Sami immediately realized what Juan meant.

He coughed a bit to dispel the awkward atmosphere around them. Soon, Juan and Sami laugh at the same time. After some chitchat, the two separated on their own roads. Juan shook his head at what had just happened.

He found a meat store midway and bought some pork and beef for dinner. He did not forget to buy some seedless grapes and watermelons too for refreshments, knowing that they would always come in handy when it was near noon because it was too hot.

▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱ 55%

Looking at the progress of the bar at the side of his vision. Juan estimated that it would become full at some point in the morning. However, strangely, he was calmed at this moment. He thought that he might also be calmed at that moment when the progress became full.

"After all, this is reality. One moment is enough for excitement. Towards the end, it would be a good thing to be surprised. Perhaps I'm expecting this too much in my heart, mind, and soul. That it wasn't affecting my reality too much."

Who hasn't been a dreamer since they were kids? Even adults have dreams, unfortunately. Those dreams are all nothing but a product of what we thought were the best but couldn't achieve no matter how much effort we put in.

Dreams and goals are different, so make sure you don't mix the two of them. Dream of becoming something that is basically unreachable. While goals are what you want to become in the future, what do you want to be that you can achieve by all means?

Dreams died when people entered society. Here, money and social relations work like magic. That's why networking should become a mandatory course in college instead. I'm just joking; Juan wouldn't dare challenge them in a debate at all.

Who knew by the next day he would be used in propaganda or die shot in his sleep? Laughing, he shook his head as he opened up a can of orange-flavored carbonated drinks. "Gulp, gulp, gulp... uhhaaaa"

He wonders what kind of fantasy will arrive before him from tomorrow onward. "I hope there is no cliche scene like that of saving beauty." Because if given a choice, he would rather call the police anonymously than help personally.

Who am I? Superman, unafraid of any bullets? Sorry, you got the wrong MC heroine, lady. "That won't be happening." Just as he was passing by an empty street where shops had already closed down.

Juan saw a lady not far away standing near the street alley behind her back. She has a mouth-wateringly bountiful figure and is wearing tight-fitting office attire that clearly show of her assets as she seems to be waiting for someone while checking out the roads.

Baam! 

"Ugh—" Juan's two hands almost simultaneously took hold of his painful face as he couldn't help but let out some deep groans from his mouth.

He was so focused on staring at that figure that he didn't notice the pole in his way.

I'm feeling the pain still lingering and the shock just now. Juan bent down with his eyes closed, Fully immersed, grimacing at the side of the road.

What he didn't know was that a van had just stopped in front of the sexy lady in an office suit before a sack covered her face. Before she could react, she suddenly felt her body lost balanced and feel to the ground.

Four men then lift the sexy lady into the van without any hiccups along the way before disappearing along the road. Not even a sound of help or shouting was heard.

Juan felt that the pain had already subsided, so he slowly opened his eyes as he stood up, massaging his face with a line of red.

"Huh? Where's that sexy lady just now?" The lady on the other side of the road who caused this result has already disappeared. "Well, like I care. Pity, such a nice figure I seldomly see." He shook his head, reminiscing about that figure just now.

How nice would it be if that lady were to be his wife? Juan laughed at his imagination. Not knowing that the lady he was fantasizing about was just kidnapped.

Juan had already returned home when the night came nearingly cover the other side of the horizon. After having some rest and dinner, Juan called Art and Draw to the side of the road where a long, tattered sofa was situated to sightsee the passing vehicles.

Although the road was small, it wasn't quiet, as most people live in the area. Even rich people like it because of its nature and modern feel, which are somewhat mixed. There's no problem with lighting on the road either.

Sitting with the other two on the sofa, Juan finds some comfortable positions around before leaning down and looking at the wide open space above for them to look at the stars.

Art suddenly started the conversation: "Hey, did you see the group chat? Mylene just asked in the old group chat if we were willing to attend her wedding party next week." 

Draw asked curiously, "What group chat?" "It's the group chat called 'Grade 12-Meteor." Art replied. Juan and Draw nodded as they took out their phones and checked them out.

Juan immediately opened the network and connected to the internet. "Looks like my promo load hasn't expired yet." He immediately opened up the messaging app and looked at the archive. His eyes lit up as he indeed saw a group chat with the name Grade 12 Meteor and new messages.

He clicked it before reading all the recent messages online. Juan clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I can't back-read this all. They got so into reminiscing about the past that the conversation became so long."

Draw laughed as Art said, "There's no need for that. We can always go search for it." A while later, "How about it? Should we go?" Art asked, looking at the two. But Art's attention was more on Juan, as he knew Juan liked Mylene back then and even confessed to her.

That was one of the black histories, a shameful event Juan didn't want to mention at all, as he couldn't bear the shame. Juan thought for a bit. Since Mylene was inviting the whole class. Then it would be inappropriate if they were the only ones that were absent, which might cause some misunderstanding.

Juan nodded. "Alright, let's go." Draw also nodded, hearing that. "Naturally, I won't be absent in that event. Just what time will it be?" Art laughed as he replied, "Noon!"

The next day, Juan woke up early, like always, upon hearing the noise of his smartphone's alarm clock. However, before he left the bed, Juan's drowsy eyes checked the loading bar at the side of his sight.

▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 99%

Juan suddenly felt an impulse to laugh out loud from his heart. However, knowing the current situation he was in, he forcefully suppressed his laughter with his hands. It's neither a dream nor a hallucination. It's real! The fantasy-like panel is real!

"My reality can actually have this kind of fantasy thing? Just what in the world am I living at?" This is the first time Juan felt the world wasn't as simple as it seemed to be in both eyes and heart. There are things called superstition in his country that the elderly believe to be the work of many mysterious entities.

Maybe they are real; it's just that they are seldom seen because times have changed. Or maybe they can't be seen at all because they're far higher in existence than us. In any case, the loading bar was going to be full soon.

By that time, Juan was ready to embrace the door of fantasy in this real world. "Although it felt surreal, I promise to be rational in taking this opportunity." He took a deep breath to calm his restless body before switching on the lights in the room and leaving them off once again.

In the kitchen, he prepared breakfast with the same usual dish as yesterday. Half an hour later, he enjoyed the fruit of his labor. At the same time, he was constantly checking the loading bar. However, he was speechless.

"Almost an hour, but still 99%. Even you can't escape this rule too." Juan didn't know what to think anymore after seeing this scene. To think the fantasy panel loading bar would also have this sickness?

Juan rested for a while before he cleaned up the table, still leaving two portions of dishes for his sleeping parents. Then he goes to the bathroom to take a bath. A while later, he got out and changed into his corporate attire back in his room.

Sitting on the bed, folding his handkerchief, Juan was jolted by a sudden impulse that something had been completed at this moment. He lowered his head and looked at the side of his face. A smile appeared on his somewhat drowsy face.

 ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 100%

It's complete! Juan shook himself awake amidst his somewhat nervous body but calmed his mind. At this moment, the loading bar vanished. What appeared next, like a fade animation, was a small panel with words on it.

[Please ask what you wish for.]

Please ask what I wish for. Juan immediately fell into deep thought. This system-like panel was another of their unique ones, huh? Back to the topic: what wish should I ask for? Juan immediately tried to remember what he had wished for all this time, since he was a child.

However, there are just too many wishes he wants to be granted. He left the bed and took out a pen and a notebook. Flipping to an empty page, he wrote all the wishes he wanted.

Immortality— having a life the same as the universe. A body that is indestructible and a soul that is undying.

Time Manipulation Ability: able to rewind time, stop, or fast forward anything, including himself. Can also pause the concept of his lifespan so he won't age and die. He lived the same as long as time existed!

Teleportation: being able to travel everywhere, no matter the distance!

Magic: to manipulate the laws of the world and create all kinds of spells that can affect reality!

Reincarnated into the cultivation world— just as the name implies.

And many more that he wants to have. The only thing that hinders him from achieving them would be the rules of reality. There's no way fantasy exists; that's why people make a world using words and drawings on paper. However, this encounter has changed Juan's worldview a bit.

There are still things we humans can't see or find. Only by encountering them can one experience how vast the world's depths are. Now, then, what kind of wish should I choose? This might be a once-in-a-lifetime wish, so I better make the best choice.

[Please ask what you wish for.]

If I choose immortality, then I will surely gain life, but I will still be the same, a powerless immortal human that can be deceived and experimented upon by his kind in the future. So that's a no for now.

Plus, the curse of immortality is loneliness. That's a little problematic. As for time manipulation ability, it's a good choice, but I can also achieve that through magic. Reincarnating into the cultivation world? I don't want to leave this place at all.

So, it's decided. Juan took a deep breath to calm his restlessness. All of these wishes can be achieved through magic. So why not choose magic? "I wish to have magic that can achieve anything I want."

The words in the text box changed like a glitching screen before turning into another sentence.

[You wish for magic that can achieve anything you want.]

The words changed once again.

[Your wish has been granted.]

The words changed once again.

[From today on, you can now request any kind of magic through rituals.]

The words changed once again.

[Rituals are ways to communicate with many mysterious entities that have the type of magic you want.]

The words changed once again.

[Due to the specialness of the current world and your weak human body, this is the best answer to your wish.]

Then the whole panel and words vanished. What reappeared was another panel that was transparent with white borders.

[A day of embracing an encounter from the world. +1 Magic Ritual.]

Suddenly, in Juan's mind, a piece of information magically appeared, like he had long known it. "This is the shortcut to memorizing knowledge. If only some big shots could pass their knowledge to me like this, then how would I stay average?"