Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

Mian needs to strengthen its combat capabilities.

His own fighting force.

He didn't have many options in this regard. He could either search in this vast freedom for a holy sword that might have already been burned as firewood, or try to learn the power that truly belonged to this world.

Mian looked at the strangely textured magic book on the inn's table, her heart filled with boundless curiosity.

This spellbook was obtained from Org of the Steel Skull Cult in the Kingford Building. According to him, it contains the spells of the "Fisherman" and "Moth" paths. The terrifying monster described by the cheat code as an enraged elemental spirit was also summoned through the spells recorded in this book.

If one could master such power, it would undoubtedly be an excellent supplement to combat strength.

Undoubtedly, studying this mysteriously unknown magic book is quite dangerous, so Mian summoned Leo—whose learning ability has greatly improved since being appointed as a servant. With Ain too young and Sherry having other things to do, he is undoubtedly the best assistant for studying the magic book.

With the coffee and late-night snacks she bought, Mian was prepared to battle this magic book all night.

"Then I'll begin."

Mian reached for the spellbook. Leo nodded nervously.

"Yes, sir. If you have been corrupted in any way while studying these heretical books, I will do everything in my power to help you get out of this predicament."

"...It's not to the point of being heretical."

This trophy magic book was about the size of a palm, and only a few dozen pages thick. Mian carefully turned the cover, which looked like it was made of human skin, and the words in the magic book entered his eyes for the first time.

However, the anticipated torrent of knowledge did not materialize. Instead, a set of symbols unlike anything seen before came into view.

These were not any scripts that Mian knew. The strokes were sharp and the structure was complex, like the cuneiform script of some ancient civilization, yet they also carried an indescribable sense of distortion, as if they might leap off the paper at any moment and pierce his eyes.

He couldn't understand a single word.

Worse still, as he tried to concentrate on deciphering the symbols, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. Before him were no longer just words, but countless fragmented, bizarre illusions.

Sometimes he saw a huge, tentacled shadow writhing in the darkness of the deep sea; sometimes a burning city, the sky dyed an eerie purple; sometimes a blurry face, silently shrieking at him…

These illusions were chaotic and illogical, and their existence seemed to serve only one purpose—to prevent him from continuing to read.

"Well……"

Mian groaned, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead. He tried to fight it with his willpower, but the hallucinations clung to him like maggots, growing stronger the more he resisted. A severe headache began to spread, as if countless red-hot iron rods were churning his brain.

He slammed the magic book shut, and all the illusions vanished instantly. The world returned to peace, leaving only a lingering throbbing pain in his temples.

He leaned back in his chair, panting heavily, a flicker of resentment and contemplation in his eyes. The pain he had just experienced was so real, it had almost torn his reason apart.

But he had a vague feeling that this pain was not insurmountable. Like a bowstring stretched to its limit, if shared by two people, it might not break easily.

A bold idea took shape in his mind.

He turned to look at Leo, who also looked worried. "Leo, come here."

"grown ups?"

"Do me a favor."

Mian's gaze returned to the spellbook.

"Come sit next to me, let's watch it together."

Although Leo didn't understand, he never questioned Mian's orders. He sat down as instructed and moved closer to the book that exuded an ominous aura.

Mian turned the pages again. This time, he didn't bear it alone. Almost at the same moment, Leo's expression changed. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his body trembled slightly, clearly feeling the impact of the illusion as well.

A miraculous thing happened. As the pain was shared, Mian felt that her share of the suffering seemed to lessen considerably.

Although his head was still throbbing, it was no longer at a level that could destroy his mind. More importantly, in that chaotic storm of illusions, the cuneiform characters he saw seemed to come alive.

They were no longer static symbols, but danced gracefully in a dark, deep sea. Every turn of the stroke, every reorganization of the structure, was like a meticulously choreographed dance. And within that strange dance, fragments of vague information began to seep into his consciousness.

He couldn't read the words, but he could "feel" their meaning. It was a cold law, full of predation and exchange.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; sacrifice yourself to receive in return."

A whispered phrase, like an incantation, escaped Mian's lips uncontrollably. It didn't come from his memory, but rather surfaced directly in his mind, resonating with the words of the dance.

Just then, Leo, who was standing nearby, let out a muffled groan of pain that he couldn't suppress. His body convulsed violently, and he collapsed to the ground, falling into a coma.

Mian was startled and immediately stopped reading. The impact of the hallucination weakened and eventually dissipated. He then realized that his nasal cavity was moist and warm, and a warm liquid was flowing out. He grabbed a tissue from the table and covered his nose until the bleeding stopped.

He looked up at his phone on the corner of the table. The time displayed on the screen made him gasp—three whole hours had passed without him realizing it.

However, Mian felt no fatigue whatsoever; instead, he was filled with an unprecedented sense of excitement. The insights he had just gained were clearly imprinted in his mind. It seemed to be the guiding principle of the entire magic book—a cold yet powerful law of exchange.

In addition, he also "saw" a specific record, the prototype of a spell. According to that incomplete description, this spell could help the user understand and master the mysterious words in the book.

The only problem is that casting this spell has extremely strict conditions. It requires the blood of a monster that dwells in the shallow sea as a sacrifice.

Mian had no idea what the "shallow sea" was, but the "outer wall"... Mian was familiar with that term. It was the abode of the gods that Org had mentioned, and the source of all extraordinary power.

According to Org, one must visit that place at least once to officially begin the path to ascension. However, this is where the problem lies. Mian himself is a newcomer without any guidance, nor is he a so-called prophet; all his abilities come from a cheat code.

He didn't even know how to enter the outer wall, so naturally he couldn't obtain the materials that only existed within the outer wall.

Fortunately, the incantation seems to have taken this into account, providing a lower-level alternative that can be found in the mortal world.

This alternative is—

"A living person who is about to realize their dream."