The pale lavender illusion fog flooded the entire hallway like a rising tide. Ryan's vision blurred completely, his ears filled with sharp, piercing screams and eerie whispers, as if countless invisible spirits were pulling at his limbs. Straining his mind, he looked up and saw Suna crouched in the corner, eyes wide with terror, frantically waving her arms at empty air, screaming "Don't come closer!" Clearly, she had fallen deeper into the illusion trap.
"I have to break this illusion, now!" Ryan gritted his teeth, forcing the last reserves of his magical energy to surge as he activated True Sight. Through the faint gold-tinted vision, he could clearly see that all the illusion energy in the hallway originated from the young man. The silver bracelet on his wrist, shattered earlier, was radiating core energy that sustained the entire illusion field. Crucially, the illusion energy, while violent, was crude—rough and unrefined, clearly the work of a novice, with obvious weak points at its core.
If I can destroy the core of the low-level illusion, the whole illusion should collapse! Ryan recalled the note from the basic magic manual. He was about to focus energy to strike the bracelet shards when fatigue hit him—the repeated use of magic, including the small fireball earlier, had left his arms trembling, almost out of energy.
"System! Exchange for a Dispel Talisman!" In desperation, Ryan commanded the Shadow Pawn System. Though he had only 3 Shadow Points left, the system allowed him to pre-spend points to exchange for basic items.
Consume 10 Shadow Points to pre-exchange for a Dispel Talisman (Beginner).
Instantly, a yellowed talisman appeared in his hand. Golden dispelling runes glowed faintly, radiating gentle divine energy.
"Break it!" Ryan shouted. He channeled his remaining magic into the talisman as instructed by the manual. The runes flared to life, and Ryan hurled it into the thick purple fog. The talisman exploded in a shower of golden sparks, scattering like a meteor rain. Wherever the sparks touched, the lavender illusion melted away like snow under sunlight.
"Ah—!" The young man screamed, staggering backward. The eerie smile froze on his face, and the purple glow in his pupils quickly faded, replaced by sheer pain. The screams and whispers disappeared, and the fog evaporated. Sunlight poured through the hallway windows, washing away the oppressive terror.
Ryan panted and approached Suna, gently patting her shoulder. "It's over, Suna. The illusion has been removed. You're safe now."
Suna shivered, gradually regaining her senses. Seeing the familiar hallway around her, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "It was so terrifying… I saw so many ghostly faces chasing me…"
"It's alright now, it's all over," Ryan comforted her. He then turned to the young man. His earlier malicious and frenzied expression was gone, replaced by pale, clammy skin. He clutched his chest, coughing, the backlash from overextending his magical abilities leaving him in pain.
Ryan stepped up to him, eyes cold. "Now you can explain why you released that illusion. And what about the trace of dark magic on you?" He emphasized the words dark magic, watching the man's reaction carefully.
The young man froze and avoided his gaze, stammering, unable to form a coherent reply. Ryan took out the illusion detector. Its screen returned to green, though it still flickered, pointing at the shards of the bracelet in the man's hand. "The symbol on your bracelet matches the illusion energy you released and contains a faint dark aura. You're not a mere beginner—tell me the truth."
Finally, under Ryan's pressure, the man broke down, crouching on the floor and covering his head. His voice quivered with tears. "I didn't mean to attack you… I'm just a novice learning illusions. I bought the bracelet from a mysterious person. He said wearing it would enhance my magical power…"
His name was Li Mo, a recent college graduate obsessed with supernatural forces. Through a secret online forum, he had purchased the rune-engraved silver bracelet with his entire savings. Wearing it did increase his illusion abilities, but also made him increasingly volatile. A week ago, Snowball, Suna's cat, had been noisy every night, disturbing his training. In a moment of anger, he tried to release a low-level illusion to 'teach the cat a lesson,' not realizing the energy would leak and create chaos.
"You mean you deliberately released illusions to affect Snowball?" Ryan frowned, tone serious. "Do you understand the mental harm low-level illusions can do to animals? If we hadn't intervened, Snowball could have suffered permanent trauma—or worse! And the illusion you released just now harmed Suna as well. This violates the Balance Council's rules."
At the mention of the Balance Council, Li Mo froze again, fear flashing across his face. "I know… the forum said not to use supernatural powers to harm ordinary people… I didn't mean it. I just got angry, and you disturbed my training…"
Suna, now recovering, stepped forward cautiously. "It was my fault Snowball was noisy at night. I can apologize or find a way to keep it calm, but you can't retaliate like this! It's just a cat!"
Seeing Li Mo's remorse and fear, Ryan realized he was indeed a novice—not malicious, but reckless due to lack of control over his powers. He exhaled and softened his tone. "Since this is your first offense and no lasting harm was done, I won't report you. But you must immediately stop using the bracelet and help me remove the remaining illusion from Snowball."
"I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate!" Li Mo nodded fervently, dabbing sweat from his face. "Just don't report me to the Balance Council. I'll do whatever you ask!"
Ryan returned with Li Mo and Suna to her bedroom. Snowball still curled on the bay window, eyes slightly dazed, faint traces of lavender energy lingering. Ryan prepared a new dispel talisman—one he had pre-exchanged using the pending reward from the mission.
He placed the talisman beside Snowball, gently channeling magical energy. The golden runes glowed, wrapping the cat in a warm aura. Through True Sight, the lingering purple energy peeled away bit by bit. A few minutes later, Snowball opened its eyes, lively again. Seeing Suna, it meowed softly and jumped down to nuzzle her legs—fully recovered.
Suna cried tears of joy, hugging Snowball tightly. Li Mo looked on, guilt-stricken. "I'm sorry, Suna, Detective Ryan… I apologize for my actions."
Ryan pocketed the talisman, turning to Li Mo. "No need to apologize further. Remember this lesson: supernatural powers are not for revenge or show—they are for protection. You cannot use that bracelet again. Its dark aura will slowly corrode your mind, making you volatile and uncontrollable."
He held out his hand. "Give me the shards. I'll dispose of them to prevent further harm. Also, stop relying on secret forums and never trust strangers selling supernatural items. If you want to learn illusions, find certified experts through the Balance Council."
Li Mo handed over the bracelet shards without hesitation. "Thank you, Detective Ryan. I'll never touch anything like this again. I'll focus on a real job and stay away from supernatural obsession."
Ryan examined the shards with True Sight. The dark energy was faint but stubborn, different from the dark magic he had encountered with Dr. Kallen—more like an ancient, malevolent force. He decided to give them to Old Gray for proper disposal.
With everything resolved, Li Mo returned to his room after apologizing again. Suna held Snowball, gratitude overflowing. "Detective Ryan, thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done without you. Please accept this as a token of my thanks." She handed over a wad of cash.
Ryan waved her off. "No need. It's my job. Just keep an eye on Snowball, and call me if anything unusual happens. And try communicating with Li Mo—avoid conflicts like this in the future."
As he left the apartment, the system pinged in his mind:
Side Quest "Resolve the Illusion-Afflicted Pet Case" Completed!Rating: GoodReward Granted: 50 Shadow Points, Beginner Illusion Analysis Manual
A refreshing energy surged through him, fatigue melting away. The knowledge from the beginner illusion manual flowed into his mind.
Ryan's first solo trainee mission was complete. He had gained experience, earned rewards, and helped someone in need. He pulled out his phone to report to Old Gray.
Suddenly, the bracelet shards in his pocket heated up. True Sight triggered instinctively, revealing that the dark energy was resonating with a faint energy in the air, streaming rapidly toward a corner of the neighborhood.
At the street corner, a figure in a black cloak flashed by, revealing a symbol similar to that on the shards. Ryan dashed after them, but when he reached the corner, the figure was gone, leaving only a faint trace of dark energy.
Could this be the mysterious person who sold the bracelet to Li Mo? Ryan clenched the shards, heart racing. Why was this person here? What was their intention? The dark energy, while different from Dr. Kallen's, still radiated a malevolent aura.
He realized that although his trainee mission was complete, a new mystery had quietly presented itself…