The Academic Heavyweight Came Bearing Buffs?

Knock, knock, knock!

The urgent knocking interrupted Raine's thoughts.

He drew in his magic and strode over to open the door.

Two people stood outside.

One was a familiar face: Grand Mage Wong.

The other was a thin old man with a goatee and a scholarly air. He looked more like a university professor than a battle mage.

"Raine, this is Master Hamir," Wong said gruffly.

"Master Hamir." Raine bowed at once.

In his few days at Kamar-Taj, he had heard of Hamir.

He was an academic heavyweight who spent every day in the Library. Even the Sorcerer Supreme treated him with great respect.

He might not shine in combat, but he undoubtedly knew his magic theory.

"No need for formalities. Come with us."

Hamir smiled kindly.

Light flashed, and the three of them stepped straight into the Mirror Dimension.

Wong stood to one side, his expression odd. "Master Hamir heard you learned the Rings of Raggadorr in half an hour. He couldn't believe it and insisted on seeing it for himself."

Wong had taken quite a blow yesterday. Seeing Hamir come looking for the same treatment today almost made him laugh.

"That's right. I want to see what a once-in-a-lifetime genius can do," Hamir added with a smile.

Until he saw it with his own eyes, he refused to believe anyone could learn at such an absurd pace.

"You flatter me, Master," Raine said modestly. "I only practiced a little. I'm no genius."

Wong rolled his eyes. "Enough. Too much modesty is just false modesty. Get started."

"All right!"

Raine took half a step back and swept both hands in front of him.

Hum!

A dark-red Magic Shield formed in an instant.

After a night of automatic practice and his own insights, the shield was far sturdier than it had been yesterday. Intricate red Runes flowed across its surface, giving it an imposing, unbreakable solidity.

The red glow lit the two men's faces.

Wong folded his arms, wearing an expression that said he had resigned himself to Raine getting even more monstrous.

Hamir's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He looked as though he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

"You're sure... you only learned it yesterday?"

Even the old man's voice wavered.

"Yes. I wouldn't lie to you, Master," Raine answered honestly.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Hamir cried.

The sight of his old friend falling apart lifted the gloom Wong had carried all day.

"Well? I told you," Wong said, unable to hide his satisfaction. "You can't judge this kid by common sense. He'd only just gotten the hang of it yesterday. At this level, plenty of veteran sorcerers can't match him."

Hamir drew a deep breath and steadied his racing heart.

Then he slashed his sole remaining hand through the air.

Hum!

A far larger, brighter dark-red shield, surging with energy, appeared before him.

Raine's eyes lit up.

Well, would you look at that!

According to the system's scan, Hamir's Rings of Raggadorr had reached at least level five, perhaps even higher!

He'd lost a hand and still mastered a divine spell to this degree. The old man really knew his stuff!

Seeing the gleam in Raine's eyes, Hamir mistook it for awe at his power.

His vanity swelled at once.

"You have remarkable talent, young man, but you still have a long way to go." Hamir lifted his chin proudly. "Want to learn something worthwhile?"

"Yes!" Raine nodded furiously.

Hamir shot Wong a challenging glance.

It was as if he were declaring: You may be good at fighting, but teaching students takes a scholar like me!

Then the old man launched into a detailed breakdown of the spell's structure.

Wong watched from the side. Rather than getting angry, he looked at Hamir with pity.

Go on. Keep talking.

You have no idea what kind of monster you've taken on.

Raine listened intently, giving Hamir his full attention.

[Ding!]

[Your Rings of Raggadorr has heard an academic authority's in-depth analysis and entered a state of ultimate enlightenment!]

[Proficiency has skyrocketed!]

[Ding!]

[The host has been exposed to an academic heavyweight's aura of knowledge. Learning speed for all branches of magic has passively increased!]

The notifications in his head set Raine's blood racing.

Forget being a man—

He's a walking gold mine!

He's not just handing out experience for one skill. He's buffing every skill I have!

Raine gazed at Hamir with growing fervor. He almost wanted to put the old man on a pedestal and bow to him three times a day.

Under Raine's wholehearted adoration, Hamir grew more enthusiastic by the minute. He felt positively giddy.

So what if he's a genius?

My knowledge still won him over, didn't it?

As he talked, Hamir kept raising his eyebrows smugly at Wong.

Wong watched without expression.

In his heart, he lit a candle for his old friend.

Go ahead and smile.

Smile while you still can.

As Hamir continued, his voice gradually faded until he stopped talking altogether.

Something's wrong!

Very wrong!

He stared at the dark-red shield before Raine.

As Hamir explained, the Runes on that shield were changing before his eyes!

Its once tangled, redundant energy circuits seemed to have been reorganized by invisible, deft hands. They grew simpler and more efficient, even hinting at depths he himself had yet to fully grasp.

He's putting the lesson into practice as he listens—and improving the spell on his own?!

By all rights,

a sorcerer who had heard an advanced theory lecture should have to shut himself away and puzzle over it for ten days or two weeks just to grasp the basics.

This kid's using it on the spot?

It's already muscle memory?!

Hamir felt his entire understanding of academic study crumbling.

This seemed to be beyond anything he could comprehend.

Grand Mage Wong stood nearby with his arms folded. His face remained blank, but excitement glinted in his eyes.

There it is!

That's the look!

First confusion, then disbelief, and finally a deep crisis about the meaning of life!

Wong howled with laughter inside.

Raine's outrageous talent had driven him to the brink in exactly the same way.

The pain of being knocked off his lofty pedestal as a teacher, of having his confidence ground into the dirt,

had stayed with him more vividly than facing Dormammu's death rays!

Now it was finally Hamir's turn—Hamir, that self-important bookworm.

Wong was almost grateful to him.

It wasn't easy to find a scapegoat willing to show up and draw some of the fire away!

"Ahem..."

Hamir coughed twice, trying to hide his embarrassment and shock.

He now looked at Raine as though the young man were a monster wearing human skin.

What in the world is that level of comprehension?!

Hamir had read enough books in his lifetime to fill several warehouses. He had always considered himself Kamar-Taj's foremost theoretical researcher.

And this kid heard my explanation once and understood all of it?

He even drew new insights from it?

If I keep talking, he'll drain every last bit of what I know about the Rings of Raggadorr in less than half an hour!