Kamar-Taj

Seeing Gwen tilt her head curiously, Harry naturally couldn't tell her the truth and could only laugh it off.

"I learned martial arts before. These are techniques I picked up during training."

He flexed his arm in a show of strength. Beneath his clothes, his lean muscles were tough as steel wire, yet they showed no trace through the fabric, making him look frail.

"Bet you didn't expect that—I'm pretty strong too!"

Gwen covered her mouth and giggled. "Hahaha, all right, you're the strongest! Well, it's time to say goodbye. See you tomorrow!"

Watching Gwen leave, Harry turned around and suddenly noticed that his younger brother Peter seemed upset. He asked worriedly,

"What's wrong, Peter? Why do you look so down?"

Peter hesitated, seeming to want to say something but holding back. In the end, he asked,

"Harry, do I really not have any talent for magic?"

As Harry's closest family, Peter naturally knew that Harry's so-called part-time job was not about making money, but about studying magic at the sacred land of mages known as Kamar-Taj.

He had once hoped that he could study magic alongside Harry, but to his disappointment, the Supreme Mage had turned him down.

The Supreme Mage had told him that he lacked the talent to learn magic.

Given Harry's kind nature and habit of thinking of others, he naturally understood what was on his closest brother's mind. He patted Peter on the shoulder and comforted him.

"Don't worry, Peter. Even though you don't have the talent for magic, the Supreme Mage once said that you would have a destiny of your own.

"And your destiny is bound to be extraordinary!"

"But what could possibly be more wondrous than magic?" Peter asked, lacking confidence.

Although the Supreme Mage had told him that his future was destined to be extraordinary as well, Peter had always thought of himself as an ordinary person. He wasn't a superhero from DC Comics, nor did he possess any extraordinary abilities.

Even today, when he had wanted to help a classmate, he would have been badly beaten by Eugene if Harry had not stepped in!

Harry said seriously, "Believe me, Peter. I have a feeling that you'll become an amazing person someday. You possess qualities that most people don't have!"

Harry was not lying to Peter. He truly felt that Peter was destined for greatness; he merely lacked an opportunity.

In a situation like today's, even Harry could not guarantee that, if he had been in Peter's place, he would have had the courage to step forward and help a bullied classmate.

That alone put Peter far above most people!

Harry had always felt that Peter had the potential to become Superman. He merely lacked Superman's power!

At a street corner, Harry said goodbye to Peter and headed toward the New York Sanctum Sanctorum beneath his brother's envious gaze.

At 177A Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, central New York, stood an apparently ordinary building.

It was a three-story Victorian brownstone townhouse, designed in the French Baroque style with a mansard roof.

Other than the rather unusual circular skylight at the top of the building, everything about it carried a classical charm.

Yet most people did not know that this common classical stone building on a New York street was, in the world of magic, a connection point for the multiverse and supernatural phenomena, as well as a crucial hub of the Magic Shield protecting Earth.

Of course, it was also Harry's other home in this world, second in importance only to Uncle Ben's house.

Upon entering the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, the space suddenly opened up.

Because of the Sanctum's mysterious nature, its interior was far larger than it appeared from the outside.

Harry made his way upstairs with familiarity, greeting the mages along the way with practiced ease. Finally, he passed through a fixed portal and arrived in an instant at the Kamar-Taj Sanctum in the Himalayas.

Walking inward along the steps, he arrived at a spacious plaza. The mages there had long begun their daily training under the Supreme Mage's guidance. Rather than interrupt them rashly, Harry joined the formation and trained alongside them.

As he spread his hand forward, dazzling golden runes appeared out of thin air. They then intertwined and wove together, forming an even more intricate runic structure.

A close look would reveal an obvious difference between Harry and the others.

The other mages all wore dark-gold rings that had to be worn on two fingers in order to cast magic.

These rings were called Sling Rings. They were the primary tools for casting magic, making it easier for their wearers to communicate with other dimensions and borrow power from them.

Harry, however, wore no such ring, yet he could still cast magic.

This was not because Harry's mastery of magic far surpassed that of the other mages, but because he did not borrow magical power from other dimensions. Instead, he used the magic within his own body to activate spells!

That was also why the Supreme Mage had accepted him as a disciple. He was a natural spellcaster!

When the training ended, the mages greeted Harry one after another with smiles.

Just as Harry was popular at school, he was also the beloved favorite of the mages at Kamar-Taj.

"Humph!"

Suddenly, a gloomy-faced middle-aged man approached from ahead. Upon seeing Harry, he snorted coldly before striding away.

Harry's cheerful mood immediately soured. He truly did not understand why Kaecilius disliked him when he had never had any conflict with him.

That hateful Kaecilius reminded Harry of the detestable Uncle Dursley and his family.

They were all the same. Harry had clearly done nothing wrong, yet he was always subjected to their inexplicable malice.

However, when he saw the kindly faced, stout middle-aged man behind Kaecilius, Harry revealed a heartfelt smile.

Fortunately, most people in the world were kind and did not harbor malice toward him like Kaecilius did. The Supreme Mage and Wong were like that too!

If there was anyone at Kamar-Taj whom Harry was closest to besides the Supreme Mage, it was undoubtedly Wong.

When Harry had still been small, Wong had always patiently taught him and helped him improve his magic.

Most of Kamar-Taj's spells required the magical power of specific dimensions to be cast. If Harry wanted to use the magic in his own body to cast them, the corresponding runic structures had to be modified beforehand.

And as Kamar-Taj's librarian, Wong was a master at that.

Wong watched Kaecilius's departing figure with a somewhat solemn gaze. Then, with a gentle smile, he said to Harry,

"Don't take it to heart, Harry. Kaecilius lost his wife and daughter, so his temper has always been like this. Aside from the Supreme Mage, he is unfriendly toward everyone else."

Harry nodded, agreeing with Wong.

Wong then led the way.

"Come, Harry. The Supreme Mage is already waiting for you in the main hall. Today's lesson will be personally taught by the Supreme Mage."