Chapter 135: Let's Meet at the Summit

Chapter 135: Let's Meet at the Summit

"Master Luk, you need to learn."

On his second day at the New York Sanctum, the Ancient One took him to the library of Kamar-Taj.

"No one will follow a leader who doesn't understand magic. To be a good Supreme Sorcerer, you need to have a deep mastery of the arcane arts."

"Wait a minute!" Luk's face darkened.

"Aren't I just supposed to be the head of the New York Sanctum?"

The Ancient One looked at him as if he were an idiot, "I thought you'd already know that the title of Supreme Sorcerer is as unreliable as a man saying, 'I'm just rubbing, I won't go in.'"

After finally tricking someone capable into taking over, he wasn’t about to let them sit in a ceremonial role.

Currently, Kamar-Taj was a situation where a level 100 elite boss led a bunch of level 10 and 20 grunts. Without him, even a moderately strong Crawling Mage could reduce them to ashes.

These weaklings couldn't handle the responsibility, and he couldn’t even pass the buck.

This was also related to the magic system in the Marvel Universe. All white magic users on Earth derive their power from the trinity of Osh-Tar, Hoggoth, and Agamotto, collectively known as the Vishanti.

White magic itself isn’t suited for offensive purposes, and using magic comes at a cost. Earth's mages have the Vishanti to bear the burden of white magic, while the magic created by dimensional deities is more like a lease than a mastery.

Similarly, learning and using magic is a long process. Not every mage is a genius like Doctor Strange.

When there was no one to fill the top role, even a mage who had escaped through a portal could become the Supreme Sorcerer, diminishing the prestige of the title.

The Ancient One, on the other hand, was a special case. He stole power from other dimensional deities without returning it. The higher-ups couldn’t move against him, and those who could win the battles couldn’t get to him, and those who could get to him couldn’t win. It was impossible to force them to collect debts.

The white-bearded version of the Ancient One was clearly more formidable than the bald female version, as evidenced by the fact that he could produce tea leaves infused with the essence of dimensional deities, showing that he was no simpleton.

"Before you take over, you need to hone your skills and build some credentials. Otherwise, you won't have the respect of others."

"Have you considered the possibility that I might not want to be the Supreme Sorcerer?"

The Ancient One gently persuaded, "Think about it, what’s so bad about being the Supreme Sorcerer? Many mages strive for this goal."

"You should tell me what’s good about it!"

Luk had never heard someone pitch a job in such a way.

The Ancient One lowered his head in deep thought. Even the most passionate career can lose its luster when it becomes a job. He had once been a champion of justice, but after fighting demons and monsters for so long, he was truly tired.

The position of Supreme Sorcerer offered no salary, as it was the highest leadership role with no contributions from below. To prevent disorder, protecting the world had to be done covertly, offering no fame, fortune, or material benefits.

Not to mention, defending against dimensional deities and other malevolent visitors from other realms was a thankless and exhausting task.

"At least the title of Supreme Sorcerer sounds pretty cool!"

After a long pause, the Ancient One finally came up with this.

"Empty promises," Luk sighed, his expression conveying, "You're making this difficult for me."

"How about this, you let me keep the Eye of Agamotto for a while. It’ll help me get familiar with the job. What do you think?"

He held out his hand to the ever-stingy Ancient One.

The Ancient One irritably pushed his hand away, the beads of his abacus nearly flying into his face.

"Master Luk, your shamelessness reminds me of someone I used to know. The Eye of Agamotto is not something I can give you now. If you want something, I can show you a book."

Nice!

Luk's lips curled into a smile. He knew people always liked a middle ground.

The two walked into the library, which, despite looking small from the outside, was an enormous space, like an alternate dimension. Row upon row of bookshelves filled the vast room, each packed with countless books.

This place contained almost all the magic books on Earth, and even some from other planets and dimensions, which were the Ancient One's spoils of war.

In the seemingly endless sea of books, the Ancient One waved his hand, and the air rippled. A pristine, white book appeared in his hand, its appearance alone exuding a sense of profound power.

"The Book of the Vishanti."

The Ancient One glanced at the book before passing it to Luk.

"This book contains the most powerful known white magic. The spells recorded here can never be used offensively, only defensively."

Luk wiped the drool from his mouth, cleared his throat, and feigned disinterest.

"Is that all?"

The shrewd Ancient One ignored Luk's provocation and pulled out a few more books, placing them beside him.

"If you find the spells in the Book of the Vishanti too complex, you can start with these."

After giving these instructions, the Ancient One patted Luk's shoulder with a serious expression.

"Master Luk, you may not understand my feelings, but I have high hopes for you."

At this, his expression changed, "Oh no, I sense a dimensional deity trying to invade Earth. I need to go and defend against the invaders. Stay here and study, and don't move around."

With that, the Ancient One vanished on the spot.

"Ugh!"

Luk gave the finger to the direction where the Ancient One had left.

You better be truly fighting the dimensional demon, old lady, and not just slacking off!

He glanced at the books the Ancient One had picked for him: Maxims and Quotes, Principles of Magic Usage, Spell Analysis, Witchcraft Guide, Nova Cosmology, and Solomon's Classics.

Most of them were introductory texts explaining the principles of magic, rather than powerful spells focused on sheer force and range. They were indeed suitable for his current stage, showing that the Ancient One had put some thought into it.

Actually, I don’t necessarily have to learn everything myself.

Luk pondered for a moment, then formed the hand seals. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A dozen Luk clones appeared, their faces filled with reluctance. They knew exactly what they were here for.

"Master, I don’t want to study."

"Neither do I. Why don’t you just dispel the jutsu?"

"Plus one, I’d rather clean the place than study!"

"Shadow Clones are for parties, not for studying. Really, no thanks."

...

The chorus of objections filled the air, and Luk’s expression turned stern.

"Silence! We are all Leks, and we should love and support each other."

"You will study for my share, and I will share the joy of learning with you. We all have a bright future ahead!"

The Shadow Clones: "..."

Looking at himself from another perspective, it was hard to bear. How could he say such shameless things so easily!

Under his strict command, the Shadow Clones reluctantly transformed into diligent learners, each picking up a book and starting to read.

Luk nodded in satisfaction at the intense study atmosphere.

"That’s more like it. Once you’ve finished these books, you can rest. Absorb the knowledge, and when the time comes, we’ll meet at the peak!"

After encouraging the Shadow Clones, Luk waved goodbye and activated a spatial technique, disappearing on the spot.

Once Luk was gone, the Shadow Clones’ efficiency plummeted. While they had to obey their master, the lack of a clear directive meant they could decide their own pace.

They began to chatter among themselves.

"I think the Ancient One had a good reason for choosing the master as the Supreme Sorcerer."

"At this rate, the title of Supreme Sorcerer might become a derogatory term like ‘Wolong Phoenix’."

"I suddenly feel really guilty. I need to repent."

One Luk clone blinked and suggested, "What if we all go out with a bang together?"

This idea piqued the interest of the other Shadow Clones, who all turned to listen.

The Luk clone cleared his throat. "We’ll study like crazy from now on. The Ancient One’s selection of books isn’t enough. We’ll start from the basics and work our way up, reading everything!"

"Then, we’ll use our jutsu simultaneously to drain our chakra and automatically dispel ourselves, giving the master a taste of being overwhelmed by knowledge!"

"That makes sense!"

"Wow, I’m a genius!"

"Let the master know that Shadow Clones have rights too!"

The Shadow Clones’ eyes lit up, and they all bent their heads to study seriously. Although studying was a bit uncomfortable, the thought of the master’s suffering gave them the motivation they needed.

They were determined to fill the master with knowledge!

The Shadow Clones’ efficiency skyrocketed. Thanks to the genius enhancement technique, Luk had already become a genius, and the Shadow Clones naturally inherited his sharp mind, remembering everything they read effortlessly.

Before long, the Shadow Clones had finished their assigned books and started picking new ones from the shelves.

Whenever a Shadow Clone felt tired and wanted to rest, they saw the others still studying and gritted their teeth to keep going.

Time passed, and the Shadow Clones began to engage in internal competition.

"This Mystic Symbolism is mine first!"

"What’s yours and mine? We’re all Leks, so why should you get it just because you saw it first!"

"Who has the second volume of Celestial Rites? My copy is missing the continuation."

"Damn, did you sneak a peek while I was resting?"

"Stop competing, what are you doing now?"

"Haha, you were already holding a book when the master didn’t force you. What were you thinking?"

"Scumbag, your eyes are red, go rest!"

"Ha, nice try, I’ll just use a healing jutsu!"

"Brothers, try not to waste chakra. It’s not good to disappear early. If we don’t dispel together, the master can handle it!"

In the midst of this internal competition, the Shadow Clone who first suggested the plan quietly stepped back and hid behind a large bookshelf.

"You’ve completed your task. I can dispel you now."

"Sure, I deserve it. Time to rest."

Luk punched the Shadow Clone, causing it to burst. He watched the memories of the other Shadow Clones, their faces flushed and eyes red from intense reading, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Just a bunch of Shadow Clones trying to rebel against their master. How naive, so naive."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end