Enlightenment

Along with Dormammu's voice, a flaming phantom skull appeared out of thin air and flew toward Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang released ten Seraphim's Shields in succession, but none of them had any effect. The phantom seemed not to exist at all, passing through the shields and drilling straight into Zhang Yang's body.

"Mortal!"

Seeing that his curse had struck its target, Dormammu's fading phantom burst into laughter. "Sink into endless fear!"

"I'll wait for... What's going on?"

Dormammu's smug laughter abruptly caught in his throat. He stared wide-eyed at what was happening before him, the flames in his eyes surging wildly, revealing his shock.

Dormammu's curse had successfully struck Zhang Yang and slipped into the depths of his mind, preparing to hide itself when something unexpected happened.

Only a small ripple rose in the sea of magic within Zhang Yang. As if it had encountered something terrifying, the curse Dormammu had anchored with his true name shot out of Zhang Yang's body.

Before the curse could completely leave Zhang Yang's body, a hand formed from magic seized it and dragged it back inside.

That hand was supreme, exalted. Dormammu even felt the urge to prostrate himself.

It was fortunate that the hand vanished quickly. Otherwise, Dormammu believed he would have collapsed to the ground, trembling in fear!

"Mm..."

Zhang Yang noticed nothing unusual. He only felt a refreshing coolness in his mind, as though something were constantly nourishing it.

"Pfft!"

Zhang Yang felt wonderful, but Dormammu seemed to have suffered a Heavy Strike. His already dim phantom was now nearly transparent.

"You..."

Dormammu glanced at Zhang Yang. The flickering flames in his eyes rose and fell, reflecting the turmoil in his heart.

He opened his mouth, but before he could say a single word, he vanished.

The spatial wormhole linking the Dark Dimension to reality also began to close after losing its source of power.

When Zhang Yang opened his eyes, all he saw was a Mirror Dimension on the verge of collapse. There was no other living being left.

"Where's Dormammu?"

Zhang Yang scanned the surroundings with the mental power that had just been nourished and strengthened severalfold, but found nothing. He was somewhat puzzled.

Only when he saw that the spatial wormhole had closed did he belatedly realize, "It's over?"

"It's over!"

Daniel's voice came from the distance. Zhang Yang turned and saw a team composed entirely of Kamar-Taj's top combat forces.

At the front stood two direct disciples of the Sorcerer Supreme, The Ancient One—Kaecilius and Mordo.

Behind them were the Sanctum Masters stationed at the three Sanctums.

That lineup... was nothing short of extravagant!

They had already prepared for a vicious battle with Dormammu, yet the fight had somehow already ended?

Dormammu—the master of the Dark Dimension, the demon god who coveted Earth, the Sorcerer Supreme's nemesis, the ruler of the multiverse—had been defeated by a mage apprentice who had joined Kamar-Taj less than a week ago?

Even a novel wouldn't dare write something like that, would it?

He was a major boss, after all. What kind of boss appeared so early only to get instantly defeated?

"I never expected your strength to have reached this level already..."

Hamill came to Zhang Yang's side, his tone full of emotion. "Come to think of it, this assessment was rather unnecessary."

"You should have joined the special class from the beginning!"

No one present refuted Hamill's words. Even the proud Kaecilius remained silent.

He lowered his head, unwilling to let anyone see the emotion in his eyes.

That emotion was called jealousy.

Why does he deserve such incredible talent?

That talent... should be mine!

Mine!

After dealing with all the pleasantries, Zhang Yang returned to his dormitory. Only then did the system's voice ring out beside his ear. "Ding. Detected that the host defeated Dormammu within the time limit. Reward obtained: Instant Spellcasting!"

Then Zhang Yang felt a special power awaken within him.

With this power, he could cast spells freely without undergoing any casting process, such as chanting incantations or making spellcasting gestures.

"Portal!"

With a thought, Zhang Yang did not even need to wear a Sling Ring before a golden portal appeared in front of him.

On the other side of the portal was his little shop.

Nearly a week had passed. Without anyone to clean it, the shop looked somewhat rundown.

"Watoomb's Wind!"

A light breeze swept through, and every speck of dust vanished.

If any other Kamar-Taj mage saw this scene, their eyes would surely widen.

Who used such an advanced spell just to clean dust?

After cleaning up, Zhang Yang went into the kitchen and made himself a bowl of noodles, enjoying a satisfying meal.

He had been eating rich food at Kamar-Taj every day, and he felt like he had gained weight.

Noodles suited him better—delicious, nutritious, and not fattening.

He pulled up the rolling shutter and looked out at the world. Though it had only been less than a week, Zhang Yang felt as if he had not seen so many people in centuries.

"Zhang Yang, you're back?"

The sound of the shutter startled the owner of the Chen Supermarket next door. Mrs. Chen stood beside the store, delight in her voice. "When did you get back? Have you eaten?"

"I just made myself a bowl of noodles."

Zhang Yang smiled at Mrs. Chen. Ever since he had transmigrated into this dangerous world, it was with Mrs. Chen's help that he had managed to establish himself in Chinatown in such a short time.

He was not someone who failed to repay kindness. With a mere thought, he set up ten layers of Seraphim's Shield. With his current mental power, they were enough to ensure Mrs. Chen's safety. Even if Dormammu came, he would not be able to break through all ten layers in a short time.

Curses were an exception. Seraphim's Shield only defended against physical and magical attacks. Against something as intangible as a curse, no one could do much.

Zhang Yang chatted with Mrs. Chen about everyday matters until a man named Eddie arrived. Only then did Zhang Yang leave the supermarket and return to his little shop.

For some reason, Zhang Yang felt his brain constantly warming up. It was not an intense heat, but a comfortable sensation, like soaking in a hot spring.

Lying on the wooden bed, Zhang Yang slowly closed his eyes.

The next day.

Zhang Yang felt that he had not slept so comfortably in a long time. His entire state had undergone a dramatic transformation.

With his perfect control, Zhang Yang easily sensed the changes that had occurred within him.

His body's vitality had increased dramatically. Difficult movements once limited by his flexibility, range of motion, and other physical constraints could now be performed perfectly.

His mind had become more active. Originally, his mental strength had only been slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person, but after absorbing Dormammu's curse and undergoing yesterday's transformation, its strength had increased tenfold!

"So this is... enlightenment?"