Rune Stone

The Ancient One!

Chen Ji!

They walked one in front of the other through the storeroom.

Everywhere he looked, pristine glass display cases filled his vision.

Inside the cases

were magical tools of all kinds, mysterious objects, and ancient relics.

These were the mysterious artifacts Kamar-Taj had amassed through the hard-fought battles of countless generations of Sorcerer Supremes and Guardian Mages.

The first thing that caught his eye was a bright red cloak floating within a glass display case.

Chen Ji's heart stirred, and he immediately stepped forward.

Yet he failed to draw any reaction from the Cloak of Levitation.

"Could it be..."

"Has it been waiting for Strange all along?"

"I was even planning to snatch the Cloak of Levitation ahead of time!"

Chen Ji sighed inwardly.

It seemed his fantasy had been shattered.

"Chen."

"This is the Cloak of Levitation. Its origins are unknown, and it possesses immense spiritual intelligence."

"Not even I have made it acknowledge me as its master."

"You mustn't be discouraged."

"There are several other artifacts that I think would suit you very well."

The Ancient One comforted him softly.

Then, she walked toward another display cabinet.

Inside lay a sharp longsword, broad and keen, with a faint golden gleam flowing across its blade.

"This is Dragonfang Sword."

"It was made from the tooth of a Dimensional Dragon."

"Mage Kagida forged it."

"It has the power to break magic."

"It is especially lethal against spiritual beings."

Like a sales clerk, the Ancient One gave a thorough introduction.

The Guardian Mages nearby were dumbfounded by the sight.

What was going on?

The Ancient One was showing Chen Ji such blatant favoritism!

"Chen..."

"Doesn't have any background or patron?"

"No wonder."

"Even Bartender Jack gave him a gift!"

"So the Ancient One is his patron!"

Sally Valence's beautiful eyes widened.

She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

Was the scene before her really not an illusion?

Thinking of all her past overreactions and behavior,

Sally Valence felt her scalp tingle, her emotions becoming incomparably complicated.

The powerful backer had been right beside her all along!

And she had known nothing about it!

Could she still make amends...

Was it too late?

"Ancient One."

"Don't only Mystic Arts Masters have the right to choose artifacts?"

"Could it be..."

"Has Chen already reached the level of a Mystic Arts Master?"

A sharp light flashed through the eyes of Doren Gale, Eva Feynman, and David Simmons, and they could not help but feel shaken.

Mystic Arts Master!

The youngest Mystic Arts Master in Kamar-Taj's history!

Was it real or not?

He had only arrived at the New York Sanctum for one day!

Everyone looked conflicted. Their puzzled, doubtful gazes scrutinized the young man before them as though trying to see through him completely.

"I only awakened a Mutant ability by accident."

"I haven't reached the level of a Mystic Arts Master yet."

Chen Ji wore an honest, simple expression.

He intended to keep a low profile to the very end!

After all, he had already become a Guardian Mage of the New York Sanctum. Since he would be spending every day with the other Guardian Mages, there was no need to stir up competitive feelings.

Take a step back, and the sea and sky opened wide.

As a lowly workhorse at the bottom of the workplace ladder, he naturally understood that principle well!

"A Mutant ability...?"

"What ability?"

Sally Valence blurted out.

In the Hidden World,

people did not view Mutants as pathologically and extremely as the Federal Government did.

Quite the opposite.

The X-Factor within Mutants, also known as the Celestial Factor, possessed the mysterious power of limitless mutation.

A tiny number of Mutants were born as gods!

How could Sally Valence not be consumed by envy, jealousy, and resentment?

"Energy Absorption."

"Though I can only activate it voluntarily."

Chen Ji told the truth.

Hiss.

Sally Valence, Daniel Drumm, Eva Feynman, Doren Gale, David Simmons...

could not help drawing in cold breaths.

As masters and experts in the Mystic Arts, they all understood exactly what the talent of "Energy Absorption" meant!

It meant Chen Ji was destined to become a Mystic Arts Master.

Perhaps even in the near future, he might possess magic power on the level of the Sorcerer Supreme!

"Dragonfang Sword still doesn't interest you?"

"Chen."

"This is the Axe of Angarrumus."

"It was found in a witch's cave."

"It also has the power to break magic."

"The axe contains a trace amount of Uru Metal."

"Its material is indestructible."

The Ancient One moved to another display cabinet and introduced it thoughtfully.

The Axe of Angarrumus.

It was silver all over.

A cold metallic sheen flowed across its surface.

At the words Uru Metal, Chen Ji's brows twitched.

He had read about the origins of Uru Metal in A Brief History of the Nine Realms!

It was a planetary fragment created by the Big Bang.

Nearly all remaining Uru Metal was concentrated in the legendary Asgard and the Dwarven kingdom of Nidavellir.

However...

Chen Ji gave it a glance and immediately shook his head.

He had already mastered Mystic Arts Weapons and Mystic Firearms. There was no need to switch paths. What he wanted was to master more mysterious knowledge and the mysteries of the universe.

Martial arts?

A brief taste was enough!

After all, he was a Mystic Arts Mage, not a berserker from Norse Mythology.

Sally Valence was completely numb at the sight!

The Ancient One is being this enthusiastic.

And this brat isn't giving her even a shred of face!

If it had been her, Sally would have been swept away already and picked up Dragonfang Sword!

This showed that

Chen

truly possessed unique awareness and insight.

Faced with so many ancient artifacts, he could still restrain his desire.

It seemed he truly had no intention of getting close to her...

Sally Valence's nose stung.

Her heart felt empty.

It was as if she had missed an opportunity to rewrite her fate.

"Chen!"

"This is the Black Knight's Helmet."

"Put on this helmet, and you will gain the power of the Black Knight!"

"Are you really not tempted at all?"

The bearded mage Doran hurriedly began his introduction.

Anyone able to serve as a Guardian Mage of the New York Sanctum for so long was undoubtedly shrewd beyond measure!

Catering to someone's preferences was bound to bring rich rewards!

"I think..."

"This Star Staff suits him better."

"It is said to be a magical tool crafted by the wizard Merlin."

David Simmons pointed toward a display cabinet.

Inside the cabinet,

a gnarled wooden staff came into view.

Even through the glass case, they could sense immense magic power surging from it!

"Merlin?"

Chen Ji's eyes flickered.

Merlin.

His status in the Marvel Universe seemed to surpass even that of the Sorcerer Supreme!

"This Dragon-Scale Amulet."

"It comes from the legendary Ta Lo Secret Realm."

"It has miraculous powers to ward off evil and break magic."

Eva Feynman pointed toward another display cabinet.

A blood-red metal amulet lay quietly inside. It had a crystalline texture, and beautiful patterns were engraved across its surface.

"Ta Lo...?"

Chen Ji's heart stirred.

Yet he still chose none of the ancient artifacts.

Because none of them had given him that feeling of being drawn to them.

That meant they were not meant for him!

"Chen."

"Would you like to take a look at this Rune Stone?"

Master Daniel Drumm smiled.

He vaguely understood what Chen Ji was thinking.

After all, Master Murphyson had mentioned that Chen Ji loved reading the Book of Arcane Arts and had already begun studying nearly every kind of arcane book.

Chen Ji was clearly planning to become a master of the entire Mystic Arts field!

Then this Rune Stone, which recorded knowledge of Rune,

was exactly the choice he desired!

"Rune Stone?"

"Rune Magic?"

Chen Ji's eyes lit up.

As he looked at the Rune Stone, it too began to emit a faint glow.

He was overjoyed!

A new author asking for votes~