It was June, and the sun was blazing.
Nearly a month had passed since Feeney met The Ancient One, and he needed only a few more credits before he could apply to graduate.
Although universities cared more about students' internship experience and recommendations, Feeney's grades were good enough to get him accepted, so he had nothing to worry about.
One thing worth mentioning was that Carson had returned to school a few weeks ago. He hadn't come looking for trouble after he got back, which had surprised Feeney. He'd thought Carson was secretly plotting something, but after he found a chance to use the "Golden Great Deduction Technique" under the pretext of making peace, he finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that while he was on leave, Carson had indeed wanted to go after Feeney again. But after accidentally discovering that Feeney's parents were well-known lawyers, he'd started to hesitate.
In this country, lawyers were a very special profession. No one wanted to offend a powerful lawyer. Carson was reckless, but he wasn't truly stupid.
After considering the consequences of offending Feeney, he'd ultimately decided to swallow the insult and say nothing. Of course, the main reason was that he was due to graduate soon, and he didn't want to stir up too much trouble at such a time.
After learning the truth, Feeney was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Still, the outcome was pretty good. He used the "Golden Great Deduction Technique" to reinforce Carson's desire to avoid trouble, then stopped paying attention to the matter.
Right now, the most important thing for Feeney was to finish his credits and graduate as soon as possible, then find the New York Sanctum and have a proper talk with The Ancient One.
All this time, he'd been thinking about why The Ancient One had appeared that day. Given how little information he had, he still felt that "Possessed by Evil Spirit" was the likeliest reason.
So lately, aside from testing "Possessed by Evil Spirit" a few more times on weekends, he hadn't used it at all.
He'd never even considered becoming a Superhero or making his debut before Iron Man.
It would be ideal if he could lie low until he was invincible before making his appearance, but with how quickly his strength was growing now, that was clearly unlikely.
Kamar-Taj was very important to Feeney. Even if he couldn't learn magic from The Ancient One, the place could still help him increase his strength quickly.
The Experience Bar grew through fighting with skills. Apart from S.H.I.E.L.D. and a few organizations he couldn't find, Kamar-Taj's Sorcerers were among the most powerful people around. He wouldn't even have to worry about keeping his strength secret.
A bit of sparring with them in their day-to-day lives would help him improve far faster than selling fried chicken rolls at the shop. Especially now that he had "Possessed by Evil Spirit," he might not be weaker than an ordinary Sorcerer.
"Congratulations, you've graduated."
As he received his diploma, Feeney finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even the muggy weather seemed to cool down a little. The new school year wouldn't begin for a while, so at last he had some time to himself.
At the Graduation Ceremony, as he looked at the bustling crowd around him and his happy parents and Skye, Feeney felt calm and at peace. He'd wondered whether he was being a little too carefree by going to school so leisurely, when the world would fall into chaos in just a few years.
He'd also wavered over whether to drop out and search the world for ways to grow stronger. There were plenty of hidden things in this world, and if he really searched carefully, he would certainly find something.
But whenever he saw his parents' somewhat aged faces, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He seriously asked himself what he really wanted in this world.
He'd thought about going back to his previous world when he'd just been reborn, but as he gradually grew accustomed to this life, that thought had slowly faded away.
In this world, he had a pair of parents who doted on him, a cute but not particularly well-behaved older sister, and a unique ability of his own. The world around him was a little dangerous, but his life overall was better than before.
Besides, if he kept growing stronger, he still had a chance to become invincible.
After thinking it over for a long time, Feeney realized that what he wanted was simply to live freely. He could feel the pressure when danger approached, but he couldn't let that pressure control him.
He could enjoy a comfortable, peaceful life, as long as he didn't forget that danger might lie ahead. So in the end, he chose not to pursue strength at any cost, but to move forward step by step, according to his own wishes.
Looking at everything before him, Feeney felt he hadn't made the wrong choice. Some parts of life, once missed, couldn't necessarily be brought back even with the Time Stone.
That evening, Feeney's family was still talking about his graduation. His parents didn't care that he'd chosen to major in ancient languages.
They were already a high-income group, and Feeney himself had made a fortune from "Sumire's Fried Chicken Roll" over the past two years, so he didn't need to pick a major just to find a job.
The next morning, when Feeney woke up early, he suddenly realized he no longer had to go to class and found it a little hard to adjust. But he quickly felt happy at the thought of being able to arrange his time freely from now on.
At breakfast, Skye looked listless, which puzzled him. "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Skye shook her head, propped her delicate little face up with one hand, and said listlessly, "You won't be going to the shop anymore. I suddenly don't know what to do."
"You could go find a job!" Feeney glanced at the lazy-looking Skye and said helplessly, "Come to think of it, you graduated two years ago, right? You haven't really had a proper job."
Skye's face flushed at that, and she retorted indignantly, "Who says I haven't? I make money writing software for people online."
"That's great. Don't come asking me for money when you need to upgrade your equipment next time!"
Feeney raised his chin, looking as if he dared her to agree.
Skye parted her little lips, torn. She really wanted to boldly say, "Fine, I won't borrow any," but her honest self knew that without borrowing, she might not be able to afford a new computer.
"Hmph!"
In the end, all she could do was glare at Feeney angrily. She didn't even finish breakfast before grabbing her bag and leaving the house.
Having completed his daily routine of teasing his sister, Feeney finished breakfast in a pretty good mood. But at the thought of the task ahead, he began to feel uneasy again.
New York was a huge city covering more than 1,200 square kilometers. Finding a rather inconspicuous house there—one that was even hidden—was really no simple matter.
Feeney had spent a month thinking about it. After trying things like searching online maps and wandering around at random, he'd finally come up with an idea.
Before leaving, Feeney took out an old Compass he'd spent ages hunting for at a secondhand market. He took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and gave the order in a Deep Voice as he recalled what he wanted:
"Grant this Compass special power, so it will guide its owner to the place they most wish to go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Compass's needle, which had been still, suddenly began to move wildly. It wobbled around a few times, then stopped, pointing in one direction.
"It worked!"
A little dizzy, Feeney held back his excitement. Fortunately, he had something in mind to use as a reference, so the "Golden Great Deduction Technique" had a much higher success rate, and he could focus more clearly.
Of course, the main reason was that although this item was special, its function was very simple, and it couldn't directly destroy the world. That was probably why he'd succeeded.
Thank you, Captain Jack Sparrow!
Feeney gripped the Compass and offered his praise. Then he immediately set off in the direction it pointed. The power imbued by the "Golden Great Deduction Technique" wasn't permanent, so the Compass might stop working at any moment.
The Golden Great Deduction Technique was powerful, but the protagonist was still weak, so for now he couldn't do all that much. The ability had a low floor and a high ceiling, and it wouldn't make the power scaling go off the rails. What could be better?
Before you continue