I Might As Well Quit This Lousy Wizard Profession

Chapter 28: 028 Realm of Trance Chapter 28: 028 Realm of Trance Visual Illusion is a magical concept. It’s linked to the spiritual nature of the beholder, their current emotional state, and the meanings behind their gaze.

Especially complex.

When such complexity is interpreted by a complex old man, the resulting hallucination proves to be even more unique.

Lin An was only focused on the frog’s head skin.

It reflected a paradoxical feel of being acutely aware of ones aged weakness yet pulsing with a lively, vigorous heart—visually, it was a skin glossy with oil, seemingly full of tension.

Yet the skin also appeared loose and full of wrinkles.

Like a piece of hard leather that had been kneaded by invisible forces, the creases from kneading and the leather’s natural patterns interwove, possessing an intriguing simplicity and raggedness.

The green oily skin was covered with many patterns, unlike those of natural frogs, with gradients of dark green and black blocks, strikingly impactful.

Those patterns gave off an indescribable sensation, as if they carried the complexity of weathering through time, something Lin An’s experience did not allow him to analyze in depth.

But he didn’t need to analyze; he just needed to replicate it.

Unfortunately, the modular tools for modeling couldn’t perfectly present all these elements, the unique curves of the wrinkles, the amazing gradients of the patterns—most likely they required more exquisite craftsmanship to adjust.

Lin An was not very skilled at operating the options and data adjustment frames.

He didn’t even know what the purposes of many tools were.

His first encounter with this modeling software was after he returned from the cataract surgery, and he had created a rough model of the “Snake-tailed Cerberus” with it.

“No, not this green.”

“Wrong, this green is too bright.”

“Hey, is it this green, then adjust another brightness data?”

Time slowly passed, and the black cat sat crouched by his side, leaning curiously over his shoulder to watch the computer screen.

The little boss had gone off to some department and had now returned. He had planned to discuss with Lin An, but after one look at the computer screen, he was entirely captivated.

“Yes, exactly right!”

He muttered to himself, “It has to have this vigorous feel. Damn, if we bring out this shield now, which peer in the gaming industry could compare… ”

“Impressive stuff, wow, my insightful eye, truly recognized a gem.”

Seeing Lin An unsatisfied with his modeled shield, he grew even more pleased with him.

Ahahaha…

Awesome!

He must not let down Lin An’s magical craftsmanship; he had to create a game that would stun the world!

Wahahaha…

He tiptoed to the office’s glass wall, lightly pulling the blinds to block the view outside from peering in.

The strength of the Antler Game Software Development Company was still too insignificant, this secret weapon must not be revealed now!

After that, he opened the office door, stepped out, and pressed the button to lock the door from the outside.

He then called over a secretary who was passing by, “We’ll handle the interviews this afternoon ourselves. When we get back, make sure not to disturb Lin An’s creative process!”

The secretary was stunned, “An creating?”

That dazed programmer is creating something? What was this absurd feeling inside her heart about?

“What ‘An’?!” The little boss glared at her, “His name is Lin An! Lin An! Can’t you call him by his name? Coming up with nicknames for people, how disrespectful!”

“… ”

The secretary wanted to say that the nickname ‘An’ was given by Mr. Liu, who loved to give his subordinates nicknames, a way of establishing authority in front of his employees. And you call him that enthusiastically yourself! But she obediently nodded her head, “Lin An!”

“That’s more like it.” The little boss stroked his chin, “Let’s keep the special project team low-key for now. Since it mainly involves planning and art, there’s no need to split departments. Go tell the HR department that Lin An is officially the team leader of the special project group and to prepare a new contract for him.”

“Salary…”

The little boss looked back, “Double it.”

“Ah?” The secretary was envious, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the little boss. Eventually, she managed to say, “That much?”

“You don’t understand, he’s worth that price, and I’m afraid of not being able to keep him.”

The little boss waved her away to go quickly, then paced in front of the office.

After a while, he pulled out his phone and started a call, “Hello, mentor, hahaha, what a money-grubbing merchant, not at all, games are part of the cultural industry… ”

“Hey, hey, mentor, yes, that’s right, I have been studying. Actually, I’m currently reading ‘The Art of War by Sun Tzu.’

“Now that’s not fair, how can you say I’m going backwards by reading? Mentor, my insights in reading this book now are particularly… Fine, fine, I’m talking nonsense… ”

“It’s like this, can you introduce me to some seniors who have studied both Chinese and foreign historical cultures? I plan to have them help with game planning.”

“No, why would I be corrupting them? I’m also providing more opportunities for those of us in history. Besides, it’s a good thing, most gamers are young, and we can use this chance to spread our historical culture to the youth, how great that is.”

“Hehehe, I knew it, mentor, you treat me the best. Then it’s settled, ha.”

“…”

Outside the door, the young boss walked away with a beaming smile on his face while on the phone; inside, Lin An had already stopped adjusting the software.

He gently stroked the massive cat head resting on his knee, his eyes half-closed, channeling the dark gold spiritual blood of Suxin software company owner Chen Xinmi, striving to commit every detail of the black cat to memory as his brain became increasingly active.

He made a surprising discovery.

The black cat’s fur was not actually black.

Instead, it was a deep red taken to the extreme, a restless shade of red bordering on dark maroon.

This black cat was especially entertaining, restless like a child with ADHD, but the moment he stroked it gently, it would instantly quiet down.

It placidly let Lin An manipulate it into various positions, all the while purring with a distinctive vibrational sound from its belly and lowly humming from its mouth.

As his hand lightly slid over, scratching the belly of the black cat, Lin An’s gaze grew hazy.

With his brain influenced by the dark gold blood, he felt his head working faster and faster, his body temperature rapidly rising, and then a cool sensation descended from the crown of his head, bringing a coolness to his brain.

He was so entranced that he even forgot about his own existence.

All that remained was the black cat before him.

Every subtle movement of the cat, every detail of every corner.

When its ears twitched, its eyes would squint…

When his tail curled beside his head, he couldn’t help but open his mouth, wanting to bite it…

The color of its abdomen was lighter than its back, with a faint red glow under the light…

Whirr…

Whirr…

Whir…

Lin An suddenly shivered, awakening from this unique state, blinked, and to his astonishment found that the dark gold blood within him had almost dissipated!

“!!”

Could this stuff actually run out one day?

And so suddenly at that!

It was like when his phone battery was at 98%, thinking it wouldn’t run out since it seemed full, he played a game for just a little while, then suddenly a notification chimed, and upon looking, he saw, lo and behold, only 6% remained!

This unique shiver wasn’t a warning from the dark gold spiritual blood.

That seemed to be…

…a prompt from his own spirituality!

Lin An couldn’t help but recall that the first time he had consciously used Chen Xinmi’s dark gold spiritual energy, he saw many of his own spirits. (Chapter 16)

But apart from Ugly Head and the little deer in the flames, the other spirits left no traceable memory in his mind due to their uniqueness.

Just now, that jolt was clearly some kind of unseen spirit giving him a hint.

It seemed to be telling him—it’s better to leave a little, for it would be beneficial.

As to how it would be beneficial, Lin An didn’t know.

He closed his eyes, feeling the depths of his heart in the dark, and as he encountered more and more transcendent powers, more and more things started to emerge within him.

A small cluster of Chen Xinmi’s dark gold statue blood.

A drop of Zhou Xiaoxiao’s Visual Illusion leech slime-imbibed amber liquid.

A painting of a deer leaping from the rocks.

And a painting of a cat’s tail.

As he came out of that unique overclocked state, Lin An felt even more dazed, overwhelmed by a profound sense of fatigue.

He shook his head, frowned, and faintly heard many whispering voices.

It was as if countless people were shouting at him, trying to tell him something, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make out a thing.

Dark gold light surged, and he seemed to see towering figures reaching into the clouds or perhaps saw nothing at all.

Gasping for air, he pushed open the office door and looked toward his colleagues, immediately seeing countless monsters seated at their workstations where his colleagues should be.

With the opening of the door, all the illusions turned to look at him at once.

“…”

Pursing his lips and enduring the gaze of all the creatures, he tried his best not to show any strangeness in his movements, calmly making his way to the snack area in the corner of the office and downing a bottle of energy drink with a gulping sound.

Feeling somewhat feeble, he tossed the empty bottle into the trash can, walked down the corridor into the restroom, washed his face, and when he raised his head, the man in the mirror was terribly pale.

What was eerie was that countless wisps of black smoke were rising from his body; they looked like flames, clawing their way towards the sky.