Fleecing the Grand Mage! Wong Pulls Out His Ultimate Move!

"Hmm... barely passable."

"But your control over the energy at the edges still isn't perfect. Look closely where the third and fifth Rune Chains intersect. A trace of magic is leaking out."

Wong had spotted a tiny flaw and offered a casual pointer.

The moment he finished speaking—

[Ding!]

[Your Magic Shield has heard the teachings of a top Grand Mage and gained sudden enlightenment!]

[Magic Shield has broken through!]

[Congratulations, host! Magic Shield has reached level 4!]

Whoosh!

The Magic Shield in Raine's hand erupted with a visible ring of golden energy.

The tiny flaw vanished in an instant, and the runes flowing across the shield's surface grew deeper and more intricate.

Wong: "???"

Wong could practically hear his own heart breaking.

What the hell?

I only mentioned it in passing. I hadn't even started explaining the principle!

And you've already had an epiphany and leveled up?!

Do you have to be this ridiculous?

Wong felt as though his entire understanding of the world was being ground into the dirt.

But he had to stay composed.

He absolutely could not lose face as a Grand Mage in front of this little monster!

"Ahem... good comprehension."

Wong coughed dryly, his voice strained. "Show me something else."

The next fifteen minutes

were pure torture for Grand Mage Wong.

Weapon Construction, Portals, close-quarters combat...

Everything Raine demonstrated pushed Wong's definition of "genius" to a new extreme.

The kid had joined barely a week ago!

One week!

His overall combat strength had already surpassed that of ninety percent of Kamar-Taj's veteran sorcerers!

Apart from never having studied high-level forbidden spells or gained control of the Mirror Dimension,

Raine already had everything he needed to compete for a place as a Grand Mage candidate!

Wong watched Raine perform with all his might, his eyes shining with guileless eagerness.

Deep down, Wong let out a despairing groan.

For heaven's sake, what kind of freak has been reincarnated as this kid?

Raine smoothly finished demonstrating the various basic forms of magic.

Wong fell silent for a long time.

His expression remained impassive, but inside, his thoughts were in turmoil.

Judging by the aptitude and proficiency Raine had shown,

it would probably be only a few months

before Wong, a Grand Mage of Kamar-Taj, was thoroughly outclassed by an apprentice who had trained for less than half a year!

For once, the usually steady Wong felt a twinge of anxiety about his age.

Meanwhile,

Raine failed to notice Grand Mage Wong's complicated gaze.

He was too busy reveling in the rush of grinding proficiency.

Grand Mage Wong truly deserved his place at the pinnacle of Kamar-Taj. He knew an astonishing amount, and his eye for flaws was razor-sharp.

Whenever he pointed out a minor problem with Raine's movements or the flow of magic,

the system notifications rang through Raine's head like firecrackers at New Year.

[Ding!]

[Your Kamar-Taj Close-Quarters Combat has received an in-depth analysis from a Grand Mage. Everything has become clear, and proficiency has increased substantially!]

[Ding!]

[Your Basic Magic Weapon Construction Method has received guidance from a Grand Mage and is greatly encouraged!]

[Construction Method has broken through its bottleneck and reached level 4!]

Rows of golden system messages flooded Raine's vision.

He was delighted.

Just as I thought!

Working alone won't cut it.

Fleecing top-tier experts is so much faster!

Raine quietly resolved to treat Grand Mage Wong like a beloved uncle from now on and show up every day to grind experience.

Perhaps Wong sensed the hungry look in Raine's eyes.

Standing across from him, the Grand Mage suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

It was as if a ravenous Cosmic Behemoth had set its sights on him.

Wong frowned and grew wary.

He had complete control over this Mirror Dimension. How could an outsider sneak in and ambush him?

Guiding this kid must be wearing me out. I'm getting jumpy.

Wong shook his head, cast the thought aside, and turned back to Raine.

"Raine, you've thoroughly mastered the basics."

"It's time for you to learn some real high-level magic."

At the words "high-level magic,"

Raine's eyes lit up like floodlights.

Finally!

Ordinary spark shields and weapons were fine against street thugs, but they were no match for people with superpowers.

High-level magic was what allowed Kamar-Taj's sorcerers to survive in this dangerous universe!

Wong clasped his hands behind his back, his expression solemn.

"Raine."

"Do you know where the power of sorcerers truly comes from?"

Raine answered respectfully without hesitation. "The energy of the Multiverse."

"Correct."

Wong nodded slightly, his gaze seeming to pierce the barriers of the Mirror Dimension.

"But not just the ambient energy around us."

"The Multiverse is vast beyond measure and holds countless mysteries. We sorcerers are merely explorers feeling our way through the dark."

"Countless powerful predecessors have walked this long path."

"They mastered dimensions and gained unimaginable power, becoming gods in the eyes of ordinary people."

"And the essence of high-level magic

is borrowing the power of these Dimensional Entities through specific rituals and incantations!"

Raine's heart raced as he listened.

None of the Dimensional Entities in the Marvel Universe were to be trifled with.

The Scarlet Witch had been able to tear Thanos apart with Chaos Magic because she drew on the power of the Ancient God Chthon.

Spells cast with power borrowed from beings of that caliber could be devastating!

"Today, I'll teach you a defensive spell that originated with an ancient god."

"It's called the Rings of Raggadorr!"

As Wong spoke, he brought his hands sharply together before him.

Hum!

Two enormous dark-red Magic Arrays sprang to life around his forearms.

These were nothing like the flimsy yellow Magic Shield from before.

Intricate magical inscriptions flowed through the dark-red arrays, radiating a pulse of power that made Raine's heart pound.

Raine recognized the move!

In the future battle of Endgame, Doctor Strange had used the Rings of Raggadorr to withstand an energy blast from Thanos's Infinity Stones!

Its defensive power was among the greatest in all of Marvel!

In fact,

at Kamar-Taj, this was a forbidden spell reserved for a select few veteran sorcerers and Grand Mages.

By rights, Raine was nowhere near qualified to learn it.

But Wong had been driven to this.

Raine learned too quickly. If Wong kept teaching him basic magic, the kid would drain him dry in another two days at most.

To preserve his dignity as a teacher,

Wong had no choice but to bring out an extraordinarily difficult spell that demanded a great deal of time to understand.

He hoped it would slow Raine down and take the edge off his confidence.

"The Rings of Raggadorr is unlike any spell you've learned before."

Wong dismissed the arrays, his expression stern.

"It requires an enormous, steady output of magic."

"More importantly, you must use a specific incantation to gain the approval of a god's laws."

"Your early attempts to make contact will likely fail countless times. That's normal. Don't lose heart."

Wong began breaking down the essential techniques for casting it.

Raine listened intently.

[Ding!]

[Your Rings of Raggadorr has listened closely to the Grand Mage's instruction and entered a state of deep enlightenment!]

[Rings of Raggadorr proficiency is slowly increasing...]

Raine watched the progress bar crawl across the system panel.

He could not help sighing inwardly.

No wonder a god-tier spell that can withstand Thanos is so much harder than basic magic.

Even with Grand Mage Wong teaching me one-on-one, it'll take a full half hour to get the hang of it.

That's so slow!

Fortunately, Wong could not hear Raine's thoughts.

Otherwise, the Grand Mage of Kamar-Taj would have swung the Living Tribunal's Staff without hesitation and cracked Raine's skull open.

Half an hour is too slow?

Most sorcerers at Kamar-Taj could spend half their lives trying and never reach the threshold for communing with a god's laws!

Even the most gifted Grand Mage candidates

would delight the Ancient One if they managed to form the rudiments of an array within a month or two.

This was an ultimate defensive technique capable of withstanding a near-Skyfather-level powerhouse.

How could anyone expect to master it easily?