Thank You, Captain Jack Sparrow

June, blazing sun overhead.

Nearly a month had passed since meeting the Ancient One, and Finis only had a few credits left before he could apply for graduation.

Though universities placed more weight on internship experience and recommendations, Finis's grades were good enough for admission, so he had nothing to worry about.

Worth mentioning, Carson had returned to school a few weeks ago and hadn't come looking for trouble, which surprised Finis at first—he thought the guy was plotting something in secret. Only when he found an opportunity under the guise of reconciliation and used the Golden Great Deduction Technique to check did he understand.

It turned out Carson had indeed planned to cause trouble again during his leave, but then he accidentally discovered that Finis's parents were both well-known lawyers, which made him hesitate.

In this country, lawyers were a special profession—no one wanted to offend a powerful one. Carson might be reckless, but he wasn't truly stupid.

After weighing the consequences of crossing Finis, he decided to swallow the loss. Of course, the main reason was that he also had graduation coming up soon and didn't want to stir up too much trouble at this time.

After learning the situation, Finis found it a bit ridiculous, but the outcome was fine. He used the Golden Great Deduction Technique to reinforce Carson's reluctance to cause trouble and then let the matter go.

What mattered most to Finis now was finishing his credits, graduating, and then finding the New York Sanctum to have a proper talk with the Ancient One.

Lately, he'd been pondering the purpose of the Ancient One's visit that day. With incomplete information, he ultimately felt it was most likely related to Possessed by Evil Spirit.

So during this time, he only tested the effects of Possessed by Evil Spirit a few times on weekends and never used it otherwise.

Becoming a Superhero, debuting before Iron Man—he hadn't even thought about it.

If he could lie low until he was invincible before emerging, that would be ideal, but with his current rate of growth, that clearly wasn't possible.

For Finis, Kamar-Taj was extremely important. Even if he couldn't learn magic from the Ancient One, this place could still help him rapidly improve his strength.

The Experience Bar grew through combat with skills. Aside from S.H.I.E.L.D. and some untraceable organizations, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were among the most capable people, and he wouldn't have to worry about hiding things.

Daily sparring with them would definitely be much faster than selling fried chicken rolls in the shop—especially now that he had Possessed by Evil Spirit, which meant he might not be weaker than an average sorcerer.

"Congratulations, you've graduated."

As the diploma was handed over, Finis finally breathed a sigh of relief, and even the sweltering weather felt a bit cooler. With the start of university still far off, he finally had some free time.

At the graduation ceremony, surrounded by the bustling crowd and his happy parents and Skye, Finis felt a calm peace. He'd once wondered if, in a world that would soon fall into chaos in just a few years, he was being too relaxed by still attending school leisurely.

He'd also hesitated about whether to drop out entirely and travel the world searching for ways to improve his strength. This world hid many things, and if he really searched carefully, he was sure to find something.

But every time he saw his parents' slightly aged faces, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He asked himself seriously what he truly wanted in this world.

Going back to his previous world—he'd thought about it right after being reborn, but as he grew accustomed to this life, that thought gradually faded.

In this world, he had parents who doted on him, a cute but not exactly well-behaved sister, and a set of special abilities. Though there was some danger around, his overall life was better than before.

Besides, if he kept growing, he still had a chance to become invincible.

After thinking for a long time, Finis felt that what he really wanted was simply to live freely—to have a sense of urgency when danger came, but not to be controlled by it.

He could enjoy life comfortably and leisurely, but he couldn't forget that danger might come. So in the end, he didn't choose to pursue power by any means necessary, but instead advanced step by step according to his own plan.

Looking at everything before him now, Finis felt he hadn't made the wrong choice. Some moments in life, once missed, couldn't be turned back even with the Time Stone.

That evening, Finis's family was still discussing the graduation. His parents didn't mind his choice of Ancient Languages as a major.

They were already a high-income group, and even Finis himself had made a large sum of money from Sell Fried Chicken Rolls over the past two years, so he didn't need to pick a major just for a job.

The next morning, Finis woke up early and suddenly realized he didn't have to go to class anymore—it felt a bit strange. But soon, he felt happy about having free time to arrange as he pleased.

At breakfast, though, Skye looked listless, which struck him as odd. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"

Skye shook her head, propping her delicate face on her hand and said weakly, "Now that you're not going to the shop anymore, I suddenly don't know what to do."

"You could find a job!" Finis glanced at the lazy Skye and said in a helpless tone, "Speaking of which, you've been graduated for two years too, and you haven't really had a proper job."

This made Skye's face flush red, and she retorted fiercely, "Who says I haven't? I make money writing software for people online."

"That's great. Next time you upgrade your equipment, don't come borrowing money from me!"

Finis raised his chin, looking like he dared her to agree.

Skye opened her mouth in hesitation, wanting to stubbornly say she wouldn't borrow, but her honest self told her that if she didn't, she really wouldn't be able to afford a new computer.

"Hmph!"

In the end, she could only glare angrily at Finis, skip breakfast, grab her bag, and leave the house.

Having completed his daily routine of bullying his sister, Finis finished breakfast in a good mood. But thinking about the task ahead, his mood began to waver.

New York was a huge city spanning over 1,200 square kilometers. Finding an inconspicuous, even hidden, house here was no easy task.

Finis had thought about it for a month, trying online map searches, wandering around randomly, and other methods, before finally coming up with an idea.

Before leaving, he took out a worn-out compass he'd spent a long time hunting for at an old market. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind, recalled carefully, and commanded in a deep voice:

"Grant this compass special power, to guide its owner to the place they most wish to go!"

As the words fell, the compass needle, which had been still, suddenly began to move erratically. It wobbled and spun a few times before stopping, pointing in one direction.

"It worked!"

Feeling a bit dizzy, Finis suppressed his excitement. Fortunately, he had something in his mind to reference, which made using the Golden Great Deduction Technique much more successful, and focusing his mind made things clearer.

Of course, the main reason was that this item, though special, had a very simple function and didn't involve factors that could directly destroy the world, so it succeeded.

Thank you, Captain Jack Sparrow!

Finis gripped the compass and offered a silent praise, then immediately set off in the direction the compass pointed. The power infused by the Golden Great Deduction Technique wasn't permanent, so the compass might fail at any time.

The Golden Great Deduction Technique was strong, but the protagonist was still weak right now—there was only so much he could do. This ability had a baseline, a high ceiling, and wouldn't easily break the power balance. How nice.