Chapter 40: Leveling Up While Lying Down
"The trick is in your willpower, the most minute control over every muscle in your body."
Orin Vale was on his way back to the store, carrying shopping bags stuffed to the brim from the supermarket, while patiently instructing Kara beside him.
"Only listen to what you want to hear, and block out all other unnecessary sounds. Let your attention focus completely on a single object," Orin Vale said.
Kara walked beside him, a device that looked like a pair of over-ear headphones on her small, golden-haired head.
That was a sound blocker Orin Vale had custom-made for her overnight, capable of helping her block out all external sounds. If a normal person wore this thing, they'd basically be deaf; they wouldn't even hear someone clapping with all their might right next to their ear. But for Kara, it only reduced her hearing to a certain extent, filtering out some of the more distant sounds.
That's right, the little Kryptonian's body had started developing again. This time, the problem was her ears.
In fact, her super-hearing had already begun to awaken before, but it was intermittent. At its farthest range, she could only hear an old lady yelling down the street.
But this week, the situation seemed to have worsened. The sound sources she heard were getting farther and farther away, as if the sounds of the entire city were a vast ocean, frantically pouring into her ears.
It nearly overloaded the Kryptonian girl's nerves in an instant. At its worst, she almost rolled her eyes back and fainted on the spot.
An ordinary person who has never experienced it could never imagine what kind of suffering it was. It was as if the entire world had turned into a giant engine, roaring incessantly in her ears.
Orin Vale also had super-hearing, though of course, it was nowhere near as exaggerated as a Kryptonian's planet-wide coverage. Moreover, he had never experienced such sensory overload from hearing problems because, ever since his senses began to develop, he had received systematic training and guidance from professional teachers in the Land of Light. He had been able to control his senses freely from a young age.
Because of this, he was quite knowledgeable about sensory control.
"Let's start with the basics. First, concentrate on listening to specific things. Put all your attention on the object you want to hear, and exclude everything else."
Orin Vale explained patiently.
Helping Kara train also helped him review the fundamentals of various subjects. Besides, watching a Kryptonian girl transform from a delicate beauty into a god-on-earth capable of tearing warships apart with her bare hands gave him a strange sense of satisfaction, like in a nurturing game.
"For example, over there." Orin Vale casually pointed to a man and woman whispering to each other on a distant street corner. "Listen to what they're saying."
Kara took off her headphones, closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth against the noise flooding in from all directions, doing her best to filter out the extraneous sounds and focus her attention.
"I think... I hear it."
A joyful expression appeared on her face.
"It's really working. The man is saying... he said, 'I brought tools to clear the pipes, want me to clear yours for you?' The woman said, 'Okay, but you'd better remember to bring lubricant, mine's been very dry these past couple of days...'"
Kara looked at Orin Vale with a dazed and innocent expression. "What does that mean? Did I mishear something? Why don't I seem to understand?"
Orin Vale coughed and quickly put the sound-blocking headphones back on her.
"You didn't mishear. It just means the man is here to fix the water pipes."
Kara seemed to only half-understand, a flicker of doubt still in her heart, but she nodded to show she accepted his explanation.
The Old Wizard walking beside them, holding a newly bought oven box, spat on the ground and muttered, "The world is going to the dogs, truly! Kids these days..."
He shook his head as he spoke.
That night.
The Old Wizard held a transparent magic array made of blue light in his hand. In front of him was a projection constructed from magic energy.
It was an island.
The detailed undulations and curves were so vivid, one could even clearly see the outlines of the mountain range, hills, canyon, and river through the light and shadow of the magic. Even the waves constantly lapping against the shore were vividly rendered.
"Pal, did you record the coordinates?" Orin Vale asked.
"The location has been marked and named 'Paradise Island'," Pal said. "Currently planning the flight path to 'Paradise Island'."
Orin Vale was very satisfied and expressed his admiration at the appropriate time, "Impressive, truly impressive. To actually find this island, shielded by the Gods, in such a short amount of time..."
"It's nothing worth mentioning. A truly great wizard is never complacent with his own achievements." The Old Wizard stroked his great beard, striking a tactical pose. "Take me, for instance. I've guarded the Mortal World for nine thousand years, suppressed countless demon lords, and am 'that Wizard' who guards the magic of the Current Reality. Have I ever mentioned this?"
*Only about three thousand times a week,* Orin Vale thought to himself.
Orin Vale said, "By the way, about that trial we talked about last time..."
"Ha, of course, no problem." The Old Wizard stroked his beard, an expression on his face like he was looking at a promising student. "It's rare to see an enterprising young man like you these days. A pity. If you were human, you would absolutely be the best successor for my divine power..."
The DC Magic Side had always made Orin Vale uneasy, mainly because he didn't really understand its principles. If he had the chance, he hoped to practice and enhance his own magic resistance, or perhaps explore its operating principles and methods.
The Ultraman Race had a huge advantage that many superpower systems couldn't compare to: their abilities not only came from racial talent but also from systematic study and a scientific framework. Based on their knowledge system, even when encountering abilities and phenomena they had never seen before, they could explore and understand them with their existing perspective.
And right now, there was a top-tier Mage from DC Comics right in front of him—although his strength was no longer at its peak, his theoretical knowledge was still top-notch. Orin Vale naturally wouldn't let go of the opportunity to ask for guidance.
"Then let's start with a simple illusion technique," the Old Wizard said with a smile. "This is also a common and highly deceptive control method, and it can even use the dark side of the opponent's heart to enhance its effects. Let's see how you fare against this type first."
"Alright." Orin Vale took a deep breath, preparing himself.
And so, the Old Wizard began to cast the spell.
A string of words in a language Orin Vale had never heard before, chanted like a sutra, was accompanied by rapidly changing hand gestures.
A pale blue light path wove a complex magic array between his palms. Then, the Old Wizard's eyes went wide as he gently slapped the array. The magic array instantly transformed into thousands of butterflies that fluttered toward Orin Vale before quickly dissipating.
Then, the Old Wizard and he stared at each other, big eyes meeting small, for a long time.
After a while, Orin Vale couldn't help but ask, "Has it... started yet?"
The Old Wizard maintained his posture with his palms held out. The atmosphere stiffened for a moment.
He then retracted his hands and said sullenly, "It's already over."
Orin Vale: "?"
He looked around, confirming that he was still sitting on the chair in the kitchen.
But it seemed like nothing had changed at all.
The Old Wizard was also a bit bewildered by this reaction.
*That shouldn't be possible.*
Even when facing a stronger demon or wizard, who might have powerful means and rich techniques to easily dispel his spell, they shouldn't have felt absolutely nothing like this, right?
Could it be that this foreigner's mental power was really that heaven-defyingly strong?
"Ahem." The Old Wizard cleared his throat twice to ease the awkwardness. "It seems you've had some mental training. This kind of child's play magic won't work on you. It seems I'll have to get a little more serious."
Then he said with a solemn expression.
"This spell is rather dangerous. If you notice anything wrong, blink your eyes frantically. I will immediately cancel the spell to avoid any lasting negative effects."
Orin Vale nodded. "Okay."
So, the Old Wizard began to cast a spell again.
It was another chant of an unknown spell, with a string of plain language mixed in at the end.
"...Supreme Deity, Demon God of Fear, accept my summoning and become a tide of fear!"
He shouted, and the pale blue magic array between his palms spun rapidly. An immense terror swept over, as if to blot out the sky and cover the earth!
A few seconds after the magic was cast, Orin Vale's pupils contracted, his expression shifted...
The Old Wizard's eyes lit up.
Ha, he knew it!
To be honest, when the last spell hit for "0 Health Points," he had actually been a little nervous.
He was the great and mighty Wizard, Shazam! Although his magic power was at the end of its rope, having someone sit still and let him attack, only for all his skills to 'MISS'—where was he supposed to put his old face?
Thank goodness, thank goodness, it wasn't too embarrassing... Oh, right, I have to cancel the spell quickly. He really liked this young foreigner; it wouldn't be good if he really suffered mental damage...
But before he could make his next move, he saw Orin Vale suddenly stand up.
"Please wait a moment, let's pause."
Then, Orin Vale strode across the kitchen.
"Kara? I just used my X-ray Vision and saw green peppers in the trash can outside. Did you throw them away?"
The little girl, who was memorizing vocabulary, jumped in fright, her eyes darting about. "N-no."
Orin Vale raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then repeat after me, 'The House of El never lies.'"
"The House of El never... okay, okay, I threw them away."
Kara put down her textbook with a mournful look on her face.
"But they taste so bad! Why did humans have to invent something so disgusting..."
"You can't be a picky eater."
Orin Vale said earnestly, then paused and muttered.
"Besides, they're so delicious..."
"I was wrong, I won't do it again," Kara admitted obediently.
Having obtained a confession, Orin Vale nodded in satisfaction, returned to the kitchen, and sat back down on his chair.
"Ah, sorry, I got distracted. Let's continue... Huh? What's wrong?"
He turned his head and saw that the Old Wizard's face had turned beet red.
"Hmph."
The Old Wizard snorted heavily and flung his hands.
"The Wizard quits."
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed away.
Orin Vale: "?"
(end of chapter)
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