Chapter Summaries

After dying from an electrical shock, Li Ming transmigrated into the body of Evenson Richter, an orphan in the United States, and recovered his memories at age fourteen. He discovered a personal storage space containing his old Sorcerer backpack and a note from the Philia Void Consortium, along with two largely useless Azeroth reference items.

• Li Ming died after accidentally knocking over a device on his desk and getting electrocuted.
• Li Ming's consciousness entered the body of a baby boy who had frozen to death outside an Orphanage, and a nun took the baby inside.
• At fourteen, Evenson Richter awakened his memories of Li Ming's past life and accepted his new name and identity.
• Evenson tried various methods to summon a transmigrator system but received no response until he discovered his personal storage space.
• Evenson opened the space and found a declaration from the Philia Void Consortium and his Sorcerer character's backpack, including 1,000 Gold Coins, an Azeroth map, and a compendium of notable items.

Evenson examined his three dangerous Sorcerer artifacts and learned that two of them could manipulate him, so he resolved to avoid them until he became a master. He turned to studying the Compendium of Warlock Spells, then left his room in the morning and was stunned by what awaited him.

• Evenson considered the destructive power of his three Sorcerer artifacts and decided he could not safely use them.
• He tried to activate the Compendium of Warlock Spells, and the Skull of the Damned and Usaless spoke to him from his inventory.
• Evenson shut the inventory before the artifacts could tempt him into accepting their instruction.
• He opened the spellbook, found its extensive study material daunting, and decided he would have to learn Magic through hard work.
• After fantasizing about the power he might gain, Evenson left his room at dawn and was dumbfounded by the new world outside.

Evenson realized that he had been reborn in the Marvel Universe after seeing a poster commemorating Captain America's death. Fearing S.H.I.E.L.D. and the dangers of the world, he decided to keep a low profile and abandon his dream of becoming a Long Aotian.

• Evenson saw a poster commemorating Captain America's death and recognized the man as Steve Rogers.
• Evenson searched his memories and realized that he had known the story of Captain America, but had not noticed that this world was the Marvel Universe.
• Evenson considered the power of S.H.I.E.L.D., the superheroes, and the risks facing someone without strength, status, or allies.
• Evenson decided to keep a low profile until he became as strong as Captain America and mourned his lost dream of living as Long Aotian.

Melinda May and Phil Coulson drove to investigate Richter's Curiosities, a seemingly ordinary shop that had received a Level Six S.H.I.E.L.D. file. Coulson revealed that the shopkeeper's unusual inheritance came from a distant relative S.H.I.E.L.D. could not locate.

• Coulson tried to comfort Melinda, who was still struggling with the effects of a past mission, and told her this would be her last field assignment before vacation.
• Melinda questioned why S.H.I.E.L.D. had assigned two senior agents to investigate a talisman shop, then read the shopkeeper's file.
• Melinda found the shopkeeper's records and police history unremarkable, while Coulson urged her to keep reading.
• Coulson pointed out that the shopkeeper had left his orphanage at fourteen after supposedly inheriting 800 Gold Coins from a distant relative.
• Coulson told Melinda that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been unable to find the relative who supposedly left the inheritance.

Melinda and Coulson investigated a Brooklyn shop owner whose unusual finances and lack of records had drawn S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention. After watching footage of him killing a gang member with a purple glow and Green Flame, they suspected he was a Mutant and decided they needed an action team.

• Melinda and Coulson found that the shop owner had no medical or police records despite living on Brooklyn’s crime-ridden Sixth Street.
• Melinda questioned Coulson about the Deadlock Gang, and he revealed that five groups sent to the shop had mysteriously disappeared.
• Coulson showed Melinda footage of the shop owner holding a gang member and drawing purple light from his head before Green Flame turned him to ashes.
• Melinda suspected the shop owner was a Mutant and urged Coulson to call in an action team because they might not be able to contain him safely.

Coulson and Melinda assessed Elson Richter as a likely harmless mutant and went to investigate his occult shop. The chapter revealed that Elson had used the many criminals who attacked him to improve his Warlock magic, and ended with Evenson confronting a line of people from tallest to shortest.

• Melinda urged Coulson to prepare for a dangerous encounter with a powerful fire-wielding mutant, but Coulson explained that headquarters considered him likely harmless.
• Coulson told Melinda they would register and monitor the target if their face-to-face investigation confirmed he was harmless.
• Coulson and Melinda learned that Richter's Curiosities sold fake occult goods and that even the Deadlock Gang avoided provoking the shop.
• The chapter revealed that Elson Richter had left the Orphanage at fourteen to open the store and had spent years fending off criminals who came to rob or attack him.
• Elson used the criminals' misfortunes to improve his Warlock magic, experiment with spells, trade for souls, and obtain a Demon Baby.
• Evenson looked at the people lined up before him and lamented that summoning the Demon Baby had brought him terrible retribution.

Evenson reflected on the demons he had summoned, who proved more burdensome than useful, and explained how he traded souls for Gold Coins to support them. When a man and a woman entered Richter's Curiosities, he eagerly prepared for his first sale of the day.

• Evenson described Tyler, a fierce Demon Guard who served as the shop's bodyguard, and Sarah, a succubus who handled housework and cashier duties.
• Evenson explained how Dumen, a lazy Voidwalker, Hubbs, a tracking hellhound, and Topsy, a fire-casting imp, contributed little to running the shop.
• Evenson said he traded souls for Gold Coins rather than asking demons for power or knowledge.
• A man and a woman entered Richter's Curiosities, and Evenson hoped they would make a purchase.

Agents Phil Coulson and Melinda May investigated Richter's Curiosities and confronted Evenson, who tried to sell them a fake Buddha. After realizing they were armed agents, Evenson closed the shop and questioned their identities.

• Coulson and May examined the shop's many religious objects and discovered that a jade Buddha was shedding its green coloring.
• Evenson claimed the Buddha had been consecrated by a master from the Wudang Mountain Office at Shaolin Temple, but May challenged his story in Mandarin.
• Evenson's hellhound alerted him through their soul link that Coulson and May each carried three guns.
• Evenson stopped his disguised demon pets from attacking, told Sarah to close the door, and said he wanted to talk with the agents.
• Coulson introduced himself as an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division and identified May as his fellow agent.

Evenson met S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Phil Coulson and Melinda May, who confronted him with footage of him killing members of the Deadlock Gang. He challenged their motives and revealed that he knew only the two agents were present.

• Evenson learned that the agency contacting him was called S.H.I.E.L.D. and recognized Phil Coulson and Melinda May.
• Coulson and Melinda questioned Evenson about footage of him draining a Deadlock Gang member's soul and the gang members' disappearance.
• Evenson joked about S.H.I.E.L.D. recruiting or eliminating him, then argued that bringing him into the agency would be dangerous because of his powers.
• Coulson asked if S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to eliminate him, and Evenson challenged the idea, noting that only two agents had arrived.
• Melinda demanded to know how Evenson knew there were only two of them, and he answered that he just knew.

Coulson and Melinda questioned Evenson Richter about his abilities and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s possible response to him. Evenson claimed he had complete control and revealed that he was a Sorcerer who used Magic.

• Coulson and Melinda realized Evenson had known there were only two agents and Coulson suspected he had an area-detection ability.
• Evenson joked that he wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D. for a part-time job, prompting Melinda to threaten him.
• Coulson warned Evenson that his answers would affect S.H.I.E.L.D.’s future attitude, including whether it would eliminate him.
• Coulson asked whether Evenson could control his power, and Evenson insisted it obeyed his will completely.
• Evenson rejected Coulson’s assumption that he was a mutant and said he was a Sorcerer who used Magic.

Evenson explained to Coulson and Melinda that magic was a learnable discipline, though only people with the right talent could study it. S.H.I.E.L.D. learned that magic might be teachable but had no clear way to identify suitable students.

• Coulson dismissed magic as unscientific, but Evenson argued that magic and science were different approaches to understanding truth.
• Melinda suggested calling Evenson a superpowered individual, and he corrected her, explaining that he was a Sorcerer who gained his abilities through study and training.
• Coulson realized others might learn magic and eagerly asked who qualified, but Evenson said not everyone had the necessary talent.
• Evenson described potential apprentices as needing strong Mental Power, firm will, and broad-mindedness, while admitting the standards were vague.
• Evenson recalled that the Compendium of Warlock Spells went unnoticed or was quickly forgotten by people with insufficient Mental Power, except for the headmistress, who could see it but not remember it.

Evenson explained Sorcerer initiation and the dangers of studying the Necronomicon, while privately admitting he had invented the tradition to give his Magic a convincing history. The conversation ended with Coulson asking where the deadly book was, and Evenson revealing it was on the table before them.

• Coulson questioned how Sorcerers identified suitable initiates, and Evenson said they relied on signs of health and intelligence, though success was rare.
• Evenson explained that initiation strengthened the body and mind but did not guarantee that a student could learn Sorcery, and Melinda compared the process to S.H.I.E.L.D. training.
• Evenson described how unsuitable students could fail to understand a Magic book, while Half-Buckets who read the Necronomicon could be skinned alive by its power.
• Evenson privately revealed that he had made up the history and lineage of Sorcery to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. from treating him as a Mutant and testing his blood.
• Coulson asked where the Necronomicon was, and Evenson tapped the black-covered book on the table.

Evenson showed Coulson and Melinda the Compendium of Warlock Spells, which they could not properly perceive or remember, then explained that people without the qualifications for Magic were unable to see it. Coulson realized Melinda could see the book, leaving her apparent ability to learn Magic as a new possibility.

• Coulson and Melinda stared blankly at the book Evenson produced until he snapped them out of it and put it away.
• Melinda remembered the book and drew her pistol on Evenson, while Coulson joined her; Evenson used Weakness to incapacitate them.
• Evenson released the spell, and Melinda slapped him after he made a suggestive remark.
• Coulson questioned Evenson about the blank space in his memory, and Evenson explained how people without the qualifications for Magic could not perceive or remember the book.
• Coulson looked at Melinda in shock when he realized she had been able to see the book.

Evenson explained that Melinda’s desire to learn Magic came from the Compendium of Warlock Spells influencing her, and that her lack of restraint made her unqualified to become a Sorcerer. The book’s test ended, leaving Melinda relieved and Coulson ready to ask his final question.

• Melinda considered opening the Compendium of Warlock Spells, but Coulson initially stopped her because she lacked the authority to pursue Magic.
• Coulson released Melinda when he realized S.H.I.E.L.D. might need agents with supernatural abilities, but Evenson said she was not qualified.
• Evenson explained that the book had stirred Melinda’s greed for power and that Sorcerers needed restraint to avoid being consumed by dangerous Magic.
• Evenson warned that opening the book would have trapped Melinda in a fruitless trance, but said its influence had ended after she failed its test.
• Melinda felt relieved that she would not see the book again, and Coulson moved to ask the final question.

Coulson and Melinda questioned Evenson about his powers and learned that he was a systematic student of Magic who avoided killing unless provoked. As the agents left with Evenson’s business cards, he revealed that a Deadlock Gang officer had claimed to be a pioneer whose organization would grow back after being cut down.

• Coulson asked Evenson why he did not use his abilities to improve his modest circumstances.
• Evenson explained that he was a Sorcerer whose power came from systematic study and said he avoided killing because it brought trouble, though he would defend himself.
• Coulson and Melinda ended their questioning and accepted Evenson’s business cards for his exorcism and fortune-telling services.
• Evenson told the agents that a Deadlock Gang officer had also sought him out because of his powers.
• Evenson quoted the dying officer’s claim that he was a pioneer and that two more heads would grow in place of each one cut off.

After telling Coulson and Melinda that Hydra might have returned, Evenson sent them away and assigned his demons covert missions against the Deadlock Gang and a counterfeit supplier.

• Evenson claimed a dying man had mentioned Hydra, prompting Coulson to plan to report the possibility to Director Fury while keeping it confidential.
• After Coulson and Melinda left, Evenson admitted to Sarah that he had no plans to teach S.H.I.E.L.D. Warlock magic for now.
• Evenson ordered Sarah to take Dumen and kill seven or eight low- to mid-ranking Deadlock Gang members without leaving evidence.
• Evenson sent Tyler to break the legs of the supplier who had sold him a counterfeit jade Buddha that faded.

Evenson discussed Sarah’s covert killing of several people before spotting news that Tony Stark had won the Apex Award. Recognizing that Stark would soon be kidnapped, Evenson ordered Sarah to sell their Stark Industries shares and buy stock in Justin Hammer, leaving his employees worried about their finances.

• Evenson asked Sarah whether she had left evidence after killing several people, and she said she had disposed of the bodies by feeding them to Dumen.
• Sarah asked why Evenson had struck first against the Deadlock Gang, and he claimed he was cracking down on crime to improve the shop’s business.
• Evenson read that Tony Stark had won the Apex Award and recalled that Stark would soon be kidnapped in the Middle East.
• Evenson told Sarah to sell all their Stark Industries stock and buy Justin Hammer shares, then began making the trades himself.
• Sarah and Tyler worried they would have to live on instant noodles and joked about stewing Hubbs.

Coulson and Melinda reported to Nick Fury that Evenson was a harmless Mutant who practiced dangerous Magic, prompting Fury to classify the matter as a top secret. They then revealed their suspicion that the Deadlock Gang was connected to Hydra.

• Evenson dismissed the idea of rescuing Tony Stark because he had no way to find him in the Middle East.
• Coulson and Melinda told Nick Fury that Evenson was cooperative, controlled his powers, and respected state authority.
• Melinda and Coulson explained to Fury that Evenson was a Sorcerer who could teach Magic, but learning it was dangerous and required rare talents.
• Fury ordered the mission records withheld and decided to handle the Magic report personally as a Level 10 secret.
• Coulson told Fury that the Deadlock Gang might be connected to Hydra.

S.H.I.E.L.D. raided the Deadlock Gang after Nick Fury concluded that the gang might be tied to a revived Hydra and was recruiting Inhumans. The gang members were arrested, while Evenson watched from inside and anticipated an even livelier reaction when people found his gift.

• Sarah told Evenson that the streets outside were lively, and Evenson predicted they would grow livelier when people discovered his gift.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers and vehicles sealed off Brooklyn streets and arrested members of the Deadlock Gang.
• Nick Fury learned that a dying gang member had shouted Hydra's motto, and Melinda argued that Hydra's hidden assets could still remain active.
• Melinda warned Nick Fury that the group had reached Evenson before S.H.I.E.L.D. and was gathering Inhumans.
• Nick Fury ordered Coulson to lead the raid, conceal its real objective from the operations team, and isolate the prisoners.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sweep of the Deadlock Gang turned deadly when Team 13 was ambushed by grenades, and Coulson suspected Hydra was behind it. The police chief died from poison just as Coulson arrived, leaving the name he shouted as a final clue.

• S.H.I.E.L.D.’s field teams arrested Deadlock Gang members, while Bechi’s Team 13 went to capture an enforcer at his apartment.
• Bechi heard a grenade snap as the team breached the door and shouted a warning, but the blast killed four agents and seriously injured one.
• Coulson sent Teams 5 and 9 to the scene, where Lorraine reported that grenades had been rigged behind the door and Jack said the target was missing.
• Coulson ordered the operation to continue and blamed Hydra for the ambush.
• The Brooklyn police chief realized his illness came from a stimulant given to him by a woman, then shouted her name as he died.
• Coulson entered the police chief’s office and reacted with alarm after hearing the chief’s final words.