The sensation was somewhat mystical, making Qin Xiaoxia feel an uncontrollable urge to grasp it more clearly.

The surrounding wind and the stench from the river seemed to amplify the sensation, making it even clearer.

It was as if a new layer of information, with a different color, angle, and style, was gradually materializing in his mind, parallel to his normal vision.

Doudou was currently holding Qin Xiaoxia’s hand, standing at a distance and staring at the river channel. To him, the large workboat with its mechanical arms looked like some kind of monster.

Suddenly, a startling pulse of energy emanated from beside him, causing Doudou to jump back several steps and stare at Qin Xiaoxia in shock.

As Doudou watched, a blurry, transparent distortion, like a heat shimmer on a summer day, enveloped Qin Xiaoxia, its intensity gradually increasing.

’Magic Power! A type I’ve never seen before!’

In all the time since he had arrived on this world, this was the first time Doudou had witnessed true "Magic Power" in one of Earth’s native creatures.

He had come to believe that the creatures of this world possessed no Magic Talent.

Qin Xiaoxia’s current state felt completely alien to Doudou. Not knowing what kind of force this Magic Power was, he didn’t dare approach.

Qin Xiaoxia didn’t notice Doudou’s condition. He was completely immersed in that strange Perception, which gave him the illusion of being able to control everything around him.

The image was like his Visual Sense, yet different. The surrounding wind and water seemed to be helping him, allowing him to "see" that patch of black filth, which covered an area the size of a small field.

Amidst this sensation, his consciousness enveloped the short stretch of river where the Nightmare Swamp resided, precisely locking onto its location.

’It’s right here! Next to the Minghua Printing and Dyeing Factory!’

After reaching this conclusion, he suddenly felt his legs go weak, and he nearly fell over.

"Am I that out of it?"

Qin Xiaoxia was about to attribute the feeling to the physical toll from the fright he’d gotten while making the Wish. Then he suddenly noticed Doudou, standing several meters away, looking him up and down as if he were a complete stranger.

"What are you doing?"

Only when he saw that the fluctuation of Magic Power around Qin Xiaoxia had vanished did Doudou cautiously take a few steps closer.

"B-Big Cousin, when did you awaken your Magic Power? What type is it?"

If Doudou had previously been obedient only because Qin Xiaoxia had intimidated him into fearing the outside world on Earth, now he was beginning to feel a genuine sense of awe toward Qin Xiaoxia himself.

Although their bond had grown much closer over this period, it was no match for the dread that Qin Xiaoxia’s Magic Power had just instilled in him.

This was absolutely nothing like his own innate Wish Power, a type of "harmless Magic Power."

Doudou’s question stunned him.

’Magic Power? Was that what that feeling was?’

Qin Xiaoxia quickly put two and two together. The sensory experience had been bizarre, but the feeling—as if "everything" in his surroundings was under his control and willing to help him—was utterly captivating.

"Come on, let’s talk about this when we get back."

He needed to get a proper explanation from Doudou about what exactly Magic Power was.

On the way back, all of Qin Xiaoxia’s muscles ached. It felt like waking up the morning after running a 1500-meter race.

...

Qin Xiaoxia was clearly desperate to know what was going on with him. As soon as they got home, he shut the door and dragged Doudou into the living room.

"First question: what is Magic Power! Is it like the magic and mana you see online?"

He’d been living with Doudou for some time, but their conversations had never ventured into this territory.

Doudou frowned, choosing his words carefully.

"How should I put this... The effects you see in movies are certainly achievable, but that’s a very superficial view. Magic Power is not so simple."

"Magic Power is the mark of an awakening for Magical Creatures. The power it contains affects both the soul and the body. Likewise, it is generated by and stored within the soul and body, and is inextricably linked to Life Force. There are also many different types of Magic Power. Mine, for example, is Wish Power."

Qin Xiaoxia nodded along; he was already quite familiar with Doudou’s Ability.

Doudou crossed his arms and, with the comical air of a stuffy old scholar, walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"But I can also turn invisible—that’s another Ability my Magic Power gives me. It probably seems a lot like what you’d call Magic. But you have to understand, when I’ve overused my Magic Power, I’m so drained I can barely walk. By the same token, when my body is brimming with Magic Power, I’m also much stronger!"

At this, Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t help but eye Doudou up and down with skepticism.

"Much stronger?"

Doudou’s face flushed.

"Well, since I’m not very strong to begin with, the difference between my regular strength and twice my regular strength might not seem that significant to you...

"Besides, the nature of Wish Power is the unique magical talent of a Saroba Elf. A category of Magic Power with such a well-defined purpose naturally comes at the cost of its other properties."

"Ohhh!"

Qin Xiaoxia grinned and nodded, settling into a comfortable spot on the sofa as well and motioning for Doudou to continue.

"Just now, by the river, I felt a terrifying pulse of energy suddenly emanate from you. I couldn’t identify the type, but it was definitely Magic Power."

"Any being that awakens Magic Power, whether in Magson or any other world, is classified as a Magical Creature."

Qin Xiaoxia felt as if he’d just been classified as a zoo exhibit...

"So what’s next? What can my Magic Power do?"

Doudou looked at him, his own expression full of curiosity.

"I was about to ask you. What did you just do with your Magic Power?"

’What did I do?’

Qin Xiaoxia thought for a moment. "I seem to have found the location of the Nightmare Swamp. Doesn’t feel very useful, though, since we already knew it was in the river..."

Doudou’s face fell with disappointment when he heard that.

"Don’t tell me it’s just a perception-type Magic Power? And here I thought I was about to witness a new, unique form of it."

He didn’t forget to offer a bit of consolation.

"Even if the main trait of your type isn’t very strong, Magic Power has other benefits. If you went to work construction now, you could probably haul several times more bricks than anyone else!"

Qin Xiaoxia grimaced. What kind of nonsense had this kid been watching online? This attempt at consolation just made him want to smack the little guy.

’Merely... perception?’

Qin Xiaoxia rested his chin on his hand, his eyes narrowed as he recalled the sensation.

"Alright, next on the agenda! How do we deal with the Nightmare Swamp? Do your memories have any definitive records of a Nightmare Swamp being destroyed?"

The question actually made Doudou recall a legend.

It was the legend of the Son of Flame Star, who fell from the sky and struck a mysterious, man-eating Nightmare Swamp deep within the Black Feather Forest, turning the entire forest to scorched earth and ashes.

As far as Doudou was concerned, the legend was basically useless. A Son of Flame Star wasn’t just going to conveniently fall out of the sky. And even if one did, this little town of Qingzhen would surely be annihilated in the process.

But Qin Xiaoxia immediately grasped the key.

Fire!

’Son of Flame Star? It was most likely a meteorite.’

’Looks like a fire-based attack is effective against the Nightmare Swamp.’

’That makes sense. If you burn something wet and sticky until it’s dry, cracked, and turned to ash, there’s no way it can survive!’

"Damn it! We still can’t pull this off. How are we supposed to burn it? It’s not like it’s just going to catch fire easily..."

’Wait a minute... Is it really that hard to ignite, though...?’

PS: Thank you to reader Xuezu Yedao for the 1,000-coin tip, and to readers Qianfang You Keng Qing Shen Ru and Mimang Wutian for their 100-coin tips! ~~^_^