[Chapter 196: Doctrine of Arcane Geometry]
Boom!
A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck Freddy.
Freddy barely had time to let out a scream before his soul scattered into nothingness.
Upon returning to reality, his essence was far too weak to resist.
[Ding! You have killed the special dream ghost Freddy. Reward: 50,000 merit points.]
[Ding! You have acquired Doctrine of Arcane Geometry technique.]
[Reminder: Currently the technique is at First Tier, upgrade available.]
The System prompt echoed in Daniel's mind, leaving him momentarily stunned.
All this from a mere Freddy -- a spirit only worth 50,000 merit points -- yet he was rewarded with the Doctrine of Arcane Geometry technique.
This was the secret behind various arrays, wards, formations etc.
With this discipline, Daniel could now construct powerful wards -- consecrated arrays capable of channeling and amplifying spiritual authority far beyond what a single exorcist could wield alone.
...
Jessica stared blankly at him.
The lightning that had appeared out of nowhere, the agonized scream of Freddy dissipating in an instant -- none of it fit within her understanding.
This wasn't slight of hand magic or special effects.
It was a real, supernatural force.
And the man wielding it casually retracted his hand, as if extinguishing a flame.
"Is... is it dead?" Jessica's voice was shaky.
"Soul scattered. Completely gone," Daniel confirmed. "From now on, you can sleep peacefully. The nightmare of Elm Street will no longer haunt you."
Jessica let out a long, exhausted breath, as if the tension that had shackled her for days was breaking.
She sank softly against the headboard, her body relaxing.
The fear and fatigue accumulated over many restless nights, mixed with relief -- and a lingering dread of survival -- rushed through her all at once.
Her eyes reddened instantly, tears spilling down uncontrollably.
"Th-thank you, Mr. Cross," she choked out. "I really... really thought I was going to die."
"Fear is only natural when facing such an entity. There's no need to blame yourself," Daniel said gently.
He stood, stretching his stiff neck as he glanced out the window. The first light of dawn was already breaking -- the night had passed just like that.
"The remaining payment," Daniel reminded her.
"Oh! Right!" Jessica hastily wiped her tears and got out of bed, still a bit wobbly.
She hurried to the desk, found her checkbook, quickly signed a check for $80,000, and handed it to Daniel with both hands.
"Mr. Cross, this is the rest of the payment. And... here's my personal business card. It has my direct number."
Along with the check, she offered a simple business card.
In her eyes burned a complex mixture of gratitude and something unspoken.
The moment their hands brushed in the dream, the shock of seeing him banish that demonic nightmare like a god -- surviving such a disaster left her heart pounding wildly.
This mysterious, powerful, and handsome man standing before her made an unforgettable impression.
Daniel took the check and card, gave them a glance, and nodded.
"Rest for a few days, catch up on your sleep. Eat plenty of nourishing food and soak up some sun. You were drained by dark energy, mentally exhausted -- you need time to recuperate."
"I will," she replied obediently, then saw him out.
Watching his steady form disappear into the morning mist, she leaned against the doorframe, rooted in place for a long moment.
...
Back at his villa, Daniel had barely settled into his study when his phone screen lit up.
The Succubus appeared mid-air.
"Master~ Welcome back~"
Chris's voice had a sweet lilt, tinted with a hint of elusive jealousy.
"That clown named Freddy -- he's taken care of, right?"
"Hmm, dealt with," Daniel replied, reclining in his chair and closing his eyes for a moment.
"Tch. A weakling who only hides in dreams to scare kids and women -- he doesn't even deserve the name Nightmare," Chris sneered with disdain. "If you let me inside the dream, I could weave illusions a hundred times more terrifying and ten times more seductive, enough to drag someone into endless pleasure and despair..."
"Alright, enough with the showboating," Daniel interrupted. "How's the contact with the Hancock director? Did Peter Berg reply?"
"He hasn't even read the email yet. Probably busy with other projects. Shall I 'remind' him?" Chris asked.
Daniel considered: "Yeah, but don't be too obvious. Go ahead and keep busy -- don't disturb me for now."
"Understood!"
The Succubus vanished, and he headed to his room.
...
Logging into the System, Daniel checked his merit points: 606,800.
He shook his head. Progress had been slow lately, but fortunately, he had harvested some valuable rewards this time.
His gaze fell on the newly acquired skill: [Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: First Tier.]
Without hesitation, Daniel clicked "Upgrade."
[Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: Second Tier.]
[Merit points: 606,700.]
"Continue."
[Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: Third Tier.]
[Merit points: 605,700.]
"Again."
[Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: Fourth Tier.]
[Merit points: 595,700.]
"Upgrade again!"
[Doctrine of Arcane Geometry: Fifth Tier.]
[Merit points: 495,700.]
A flood of complex, profound knowledge filled Daniel's mind. His body subtly adjusted, as if internal changes were unfolding in response.
He grinned.
Only now did Daniel truly appreciate the depth of the Doctrine of Arcane Geometry.
Legends claiming that a master could halt an entire army with nothing more than a handful of stones were surely embellished. But if those stones were properly prepared ward anchors...
Then such feats were no exaggeration at all. A sufficiently powerful ward array could hold back an army with ease.
The next discipline was the crafting of ward anchors.
They could be fashioned from many different materials, and on rare occasions, nature itself produced places where the geometry of the land aligned into a complete ward pattern.
Anyone wandering into such a natural array could become hopelessly disoriented, trapped in illusions, or suffer other supernatural effects.
Such places, however, were exceedingly rare.
Far more common were ward anchors crafted by skilled exorcists.
Any material capable of bearing arcane geometric inscriptions could serve as a ward anchor. Some materials, however, possessed only limited capacity and could not sustain complex geometric patterns, making them unsuitable for high-order ward arrays.
Crystal was the preferred medium.
The purer the crystal, the more intricate the geometric inscriptions it could contain, and the greater the power of the completed ward.
Daniel had some leftover crystals from when he made crystal bottles -- just enough to experiment.
He spent a whole day crafting ward anchors.
The crystals he had weren't the best quality.
He could only create ward anchors for basic wards.
"Looks like I need to find some time to get a batch of high-quality crystals," Daniel muttered.
He called out: "Chris, did Peter Berg reply?"
The Succubus's figure materialized instantly in Daniel's bedroom.
"He replied, Master."
"What did he say?"
"He said he's somewhat interested in the script. To discuss the details, we need to arrange a meeting."
"Then set up a meeting with him."
*****
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