Chapter 001: Transcended

Li Lekang felt as if he had crossed into another world, yet not entirely. The earth remained the earth, and his name stayed the same, but his soul had transmigrated. The memories of his body’s previous owner told him that he was now in America, fresh out of school, facing a future shrouded in uncertainty.

Just a few hours earlier, he had been an ordinary young man in Tianfu, working diligently by day while slyly slacking off, and devoting his nights to video games and card games, never missing a round. Lately, he had become obsessed with an ARPG game, playing as a demonic sorcerer who danced between hell and the mortal world. He relished the ambiguous morality of his character and had sunk considerable time and money into the game.

That day, he was engrossed in monster farming when a series of thunderclaps rumbled outside his window. An uncanny sixth sense made his skin crawl. He looked up, barely had time to mutter an expletive, when a lightning bolt, thick as a bowl, crashed directly onto his forehead. All that remained was a strangled gasp; he didn’t even have time to erase the hundreds of gigabytes of “study materials” on his hard drive before the scene changed.

Upon awakening, he discovered he was physically intact—no missing limbs, and in fact, taller and more handsome than before. The sense of immersion was overwhelming.

Naturally, as a transmigrator, it was only to be expected that a game scroll spirit would reside in his mind. Others might bring along a wise old mentor or a system; he had a sentient demon scroll—the Scroll Spirit. In the game, it served as the protagonist’s magical pet and portable encyclopedia. Tasks, spell learning, and trading with hellish entities all went through it. Its continued presence meant his cheat was still active!

But moments after coming online, the Scroll Spirit delivered bad news: “Unknown world detected. Your level and attributes are reset to zero. Be cautious and keep a low profile.” Heedless bravado was out of the question—especially since, as a demon sorcerer, he’d be considered a heretic fit for vivisection in this world.

Thus, he cautiously spent a month waiting tables in a restaurant. But as his meager earnings failed to keep up with the mounting cost of living, he realized that hiding away wasn’t a long-term solution.

After all, he was a bona fide sorcerer from hell. His reality-bending powers—summoning storms, moving mountains—were gone, but over the past month, he’d relearned basic spells like fireball and ice arrow. His talent was considerable, and he mastered them quickly. But was he supposed to cast spells furtively in a corner forever? That was far too stifling!

So, he consulted his knowledgeable Scroll Spirit. “How can I use magic openly among a crowd of mundanes without being exposed?”

“Tell them it’s magic tricks.”

Li Lekang blinked. That actually made a lot of sense.

So, Li Lekang decided to change careers. It would be a disgrace if his old colleagues learned he was waiting tables. From today on, he would become a magician!

After a month of observation and lying low, he found the world was largely as he remembered. Michael Jackson was still the King of Pop, Justin Bieber was still widely disliked, and in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital, countless dreamers chased fame.

Here, capitalism glittered day and night. The rich drove Bentleys to shop on Rodeo Drive, while the poor survived in tents under bridges. In this place, even a dog could be a celebrity with enough money; commit a crime with wealth and lawyers would swarm to argue your innocence. Penniless Black youth dreamed of making it big as rappers, but most ended up with nothing, some meeting violent ends for petty theft.

Li Lekang had had enough of this vast gulf between rich and poor. He decided to risk everything for a shot at USD.

The Scroll Spirit’s advice rang true—being a magician was the perfect cover for inexplicable feats. After all, everyone needs a way to make a living. Alone in a foreign land, with no special skills, was he meant to wait tables for life?

Resolute, Li Lekang abandoned his former caution. From tomorrow, he would haunt the city’s bright venues as a magician, dazzling crowds with his craft.

Unlike conventional magic tricks, which required props and sleight of hand, his magic only needed an incantation. Claiming it was a trick, people would simply think him a genius.

The Scroll Spirit had no objections; it was busy analyzing the logic of this world, trying to blend in and exploit the rules. The specifics were beyond him, but it promised good things. When those good things would arrive, no one could say.

But Li Lekang had no time to wait. As he left the warmth of the restaurant, a chill wind cut through him, clearing his head. But now that the decision was made, there was no turning back.

Staying in his comfort zone any longer would only breed dependency and sap his courage. Now, he was venturing out, ready to chart a new course for his life.

He aspired to become a world-renowned magician, like David Copperfield. To achieve that, he began preparing his props.

For now, his earning potential lay in performing at restaurants, bars, or parties, with appearance fees ranging from a hundred to several hundred dollars. But finding gigs by pounding the pavement was inefficient. The internet was a goldmine—there were magicians’ associations that posted commercial jobs, but only accessible to members. Signing up required registration and a $200 fee. Once a member, he could officially launch his magician career.

So, at home, Li Lekang scoured the web for performance opportunities, while designing his routines to look more like traditional magic tricks. Since his feats were real magic, he needed to blend in, learning some sleight of hand, using smoke and mirrors to make people think he was just an especially skilled magician.

He was farsighted—he knew that as his fame grew and his stage expanded, people would scrutinize him. If he ever revealed too much, he would be exposed before he even realized it.

Therefore, he spent his nights watching magic reveal videos, studying techniques for misdirecting the audience—wearing magic rings, gloves, and other common tools of the trade.

Then, at just the right moment, he could use real magic: making objects vanish into thin air, turning an apple on the table into a banana in the fridge, or transforming a sheet of paper into cash in his pocket.

Many beginner spells were harmless tricks, mostly to entertain or distract. But today, they could be stunning magic acts, guaranteed to leave audiences in awe.

After making an apple vanish with magic, Li Lekang glanced at his screen.

“Blackjack Bar requires a warm-up magician, skilled in street and stage magic. Pay negotiable. Call 323-655-5576…”

He read aloud as he dialed the number. “Hello, I’m interested in applying as a magician for your bar. An in-person interview? Okay, four o’clock this afternoon. I’ll be on time…”

Waiting politely for the other party to hang up, Li Lekang rubbed his hands together with excitement. Opportunity had arrived! Mundane mortals, just wait and see how a true mage turns the impossible into reality!

P.S.: A new book takes flight—come and sign in!