Sorcerer Supreme? Not Even a Dog Would Take the Job (Please Read On)

Ancient One: You will become the Sorcerer Supreme.

When Ben heard Ancient One say that, a strange expression immediately appeared on his face, as though someone had asked him to take out Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

"You must be joking, Ancient One. I don't know magic."

But he quickly shook his head and refused.

What was so great about being the Sorcerer Supreme?

Not even a dog would take that job!

Becoming the Sorcerer Supreme only sounded impressive. In reality, he would have to guard the Sanctum and fend off Dimensional Demon Gods, without getting any benefits whatsoever. As for the Time Stone on Ancient One, Ben was not interested in that either.

Setting aside the Clock King in the Little Broken Watch, who was already related to time, there was also Alien X, who transcended time and space. As for the Time Stone alone, it was merely an item that only worked within this universe.

Once he left this universe, the Time Stone would be nothing more than a slightly prettier rock.

Most importantly, Ben could not possibly sit in the Sanctum and invite trouble for himself.

"You possess extraordinarily powerful magical potential. I can say that if you are willing to remain in Kamar-Taj, you will become the finest among us—and the finest in history," Ancient One said seriously.

What?

I'm the finest?

A strange expression appeared on Ben's face. For a moment, he did not know whether Ancient One was trying to amuse him, or whether literally anyone could be considered the finest.

That raised a question: who was the truly finest one?

Ned: Anyway, it wasn't Stephen Strange.

"I thought Steve Strange was supposed to be the finest..." Ben said.

"He once would have been." Ancient One nodded. She was not surprised that Ben knew about Strange, and she slowly said, "But then you appeared."

She stood and circled Ben once before continuing, "There is tremendous potential within your body. It is magic, but it is more than magic. You call it—Energy of the Universe."

Energy of the Universe?

Ben froze for a moment.

"Could it be that I have Anodite blood?"

Both Ben Tennyson and Gwen Tennyson in the cartoons possessed Anodite blood. Anodites were powerful Energy of the Universe beings who could instinctively wield the Energy of the Universe.

It was exceedingly difficult for impure Anodite hybrids to awaken Superpowers. Even the fathers of Ben Tennyson and Gwen Tennyson, both of whom possessed half Anodite blood, had failed to awaken Superpowers.

Ancient One shook her head. "No, your bloodline should be purely human. However, according to your own theory, every living thing possesses Energy of the Universe."

Ben nodded at that.

The facts were exactly as Ancient One had said. For instance, Charmcaster and Ghostfreak were not Energy of the Universe beings, yet they could still use Energy of the Universe to cast magic.

However, Ghostfreak could only cast spells through magical artifacts, making him far less gifted than Charmcaster.

"But in this dimension, Energy of the Universe does not exist. You are the only person who possesses it, Parker," Ancient One said, looking at Ben.

A burning eagerness was hidden beneath her calm gaze.

Perhaps Ben only regarded Energy of the Universe as a type of Superpowers, but to Ancient One, it was like a seed that could take root and sprout in this world.

For the mages of this world to cast magic, most of them needed to obtain magical power from Dimensional Demon Gods before they could perform spells.

But for Ben, who possessed a talent for Energy of the Universe, he could completely explore the power within himself and even spread that energy outward.

He could change Earth's entire magical system.

Yet Ben still refused Ancient One's proposal.

Wielding the power of magic was fine, but being forced to shoulder responsibility after gaining that power was not!

"Perhaps I'll change my mind someday, but for now, I don't intend to waste my time on magic," he said, shaking his head.

With the Little Broken Watch, magic was merely the icing on the cake for Ben.

Ancient One said nothing more.

In truth, she had already guessed this would be the outcome. She simply could not let go without trying.

"I'll send you back."

She opened another portal and watched Ben leave Kamar-Taj.

A moment later, Baron Mordo slowly approached. There was a trace of gloom and jealousy in his eyes, but he still asked respectfully:

"Supreme Sorcerer, was what you said just now true?"

"I cannot see even the slightest magical talent in that person, yet you said he would be the finest..."

"It is normal that you cannot see it," Ancient One said without the slightest fluctuation in her tone. Yet her gaze remained fixed in the direction Ben had left, even though there was long since nothing there.

"It is not a matter of whether he is the finest or not. He is very special..." Ancient One thought for a moment, paused, then continued.

"Perhaps he can become a new Dimensional Demon God..."

Back in Queens.

Ancient One had not sent Ben back to Osborn Tower. Instead, she had sent him directly home.

Diamondhead's towering body had difficulty moving in the tiny room, but fortunately, the transformation time limit soon ended.

After putting away the serum, Ben began thinking about Osborn.

After tonight's battle, nearly all of Osborn Tower had been destroyed. It still appeared mostly intact from the outside, but the interior was already a complete mess.

"I wonder whether this will affect Norman," Ben thought worriedly.

If Osborn Enterprise never recovered from this, it might be a tremendous blow to Norman.

He had not cared much about such things before, but Norman had truly treated him well. Even if Norman had his own selfish motives, he had indeed provided Ben with hundreds of millions of dollars in support.

Ben did not care whether Norman was a good person or a bad one. He only knew that Norman had helped him.

"Once the equipment arrives and the laboratory is set up, I'll help Norman and Harry cure their genetic defects first. It'll count as a little repayment."

As he was thinking, Ben's scalp suddenly tingled, followed by a series of weak knocks against the window.

He turned to look and saw a completely exhausted Peter leaning miserably against the window. He was soaked from head to toe, his hair plastered to his cheeks, and he reeked.

"Did you go bathe in the sewers?"

Pinching his nose with a look of disgust, Ben still opened the window for Peter.

Peter felt weak in all four limbs, barely able to support even his own weight. The moment the window opened, he rolled inside and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

"I went swimming, and swallowed several mouthfuls too. Extremely high fecal content..."

He gave a bitter smile and raised a thumb.

"Ganges River flavor."

Ben really wanted to throw him back outside.

But the bloody wound on Peter's chest was horrifying.

There were countless bacteria in the sewers. If it was not disinfected quickly, the wound would soon become infected.

Still, Ben did not know whether Spider-Man's resistance might allow his immune cells to wipe out those germs soon enough.