Crank it up to the max

Seeing how sincerely she spoke, Mercer did not rush to refuse. Instead, he carefully weighed the benefits and drawbacks.

As Mercer considered it, the Hero Card System's voice sounded in his mind again.

Quest issued! Learn any one spell within the Sanctum Sanctorum to receive Item Card ×1!

Hearing the voice suddenly ring out in his mind, Mercer raised an eyebrow. That certainly helped him make his choice.

Learn a spell from the Sanctum Sanctorum... that seems like a decent option. I've absorbed a few Asgardians and gained some magical talent, so I might as well give it a try.

He mentally assessed his chances of learning magic. If this quest had appeared before he absorbed the Asgardians, Mercer definitely would not have accepted it.

Learning English alone had been impossibly difficult for him. Learning magical scripts in languages he could not even identify would have been a pipe dream.

Now, though, he could give it a shot. After a moment's consideration, Mercer said, "I can agree, but I have one condition."

"What is it?" The Ancient One asked.

"I'd like you to let me browse the magical books here," Mercer stated his condition.

"Well..."

The Ancient One hesitated. That was no small request.

But her own request was no small matter either. Stopping a Sorcerer Supreme who had turned to darkness would hardly be easy.

The Ancient One also weighed whether Mercer's condition was feasible.

"If I learn the magic here, then if Strange loses control, I'll know how to counter his spells, won't I?"

Seeing that the Ancient One had not immediately rejected his request, Mercer pressed his advantage.

The Ancient One thought ruefully, Yes, you certainly could do that. But it also means our magic might become useless against you.

This was a gamble.

Even if Mercer agreed, it would only be a verbal promise. They could hardly draw up a contract for him to sign.

For people at their level, signing a contract would be laughable. There was another option, however: a magical pact.

That would not work either. Something so close to a binding seal would severely restrict the other person's freedom of action.

If Mercer and the Ancient One had been friends for years, they could have entered a pact without hesitation. But they had only just met, and the Ancient One was the one asking him for a favor.

Demanding that he enter a pact with her under these circumstances would be asking too much.

While the Ancient One deliberated, Mercer did not press her for an answer. He simply watched her quietly and waited.

After enough time for two or three cups of tea, the Ancient One made her decision. She looked earnestly at Mercer and said, "Very well. I agree. I only hope you won't go back on your word, Mr. Alex."

"Of course I won't. I have no reason to deceive you about something like this. Besides, if Strange loses control, I don't believe the Avengers will be able to handle him."

Both knew something of the future. In their eyes, the formation of the Avengers was already inevitable, so they spoke of the Avengers openly, even though the team had not yet been publicly announced.

"Then let's go try some magic."

Mercer looked a little excited. When he had watched Doctor Strange, the magic in it had looked impressive, but its actual performance had left something to be desired.

He was eager to see what he could do after learning it himself.

His excitement gave the Ancient One pause, reminding her that he was only a high school student.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two had settled these momentous matters.

"Come on. Let's take a look outside."

The Ancient One waved a hand, and a chorus of shouts suddenly sounded beyond the previously quiet door.

They pushed the door open and stepped outside, where a group of people were sparring with weapons that shimmered with golden light.

"So these are magical artifacts. They don't look all that powerful."

Although the artifacts glowed gold, Mercer did not think the glow added much to their power. They were nothing like his Dark Saber, with its extreme heat.

If the Dark Saber clashed with these weapons, it would slice through them with ease.

"An artifact's power depends on the strength of its wielder's magic. None of them have studied very deeply yet, so they haven't brought out much of their artifacts' power," The Ancient One said.

"Can I try?" Mercer asked.

"Of course."

The Ancient One waved toward a nearby weapon rack, and a short black rod flew into her hand.

The middle of the rod consisted of broad brass-colored rings, while each end had a palm-length black section that looked rather like a handle.

"This is the Living Tribunal Staff. Some magic is too powerful for ordinary sorcerers to master, so we imbue it into artifacts instead."

As she spoke, the Ancient One gripped the short staff with both hands and pulled sharply.

The brass-colored rings of the staff pulled apart, connected by glowing strands that resembled a golden mesh.

"Imbuing a weapon with magic allows it to take many forms. Of course, that depends on how its wielder uses it."

As she spoke, the Ancient One handed the Living Tribunal Staff to Mercer.

It felt heavy and substantial in his hand. He did not know what it had been forged from, but Mercer suspected it was certainly no ordinary metal.

The short staff looked ancient, too. It might have been several times Mercer's age. After so many years of being imbued with magic, ordinary metal would surely have cracked.

"What does... imbuing something with magic feel like?" Mercer asked.

He should have had magical power within him, but less than an hour had passed since he absorbed those Asgardian Warriors. He had not yet had time to learn how to use it.

With a master of magic right beside him, learning from her would be ideal.

"It's difficult to put into words. We generally give apprentices magical books and let them study on their own.

An ordinary person can sense the existence of magic after a month or so of study and learn how to store it. Once you can sense the magical power within your body, imbuing an artifact with it comes naturally."

As she spoke, she called over a muscular, dark-skinned man.

"This is Mordo. You can practice with him. I can sense magical power within you. You can learn to channel it into the artifact through actual combat."

Mordo stood just under six feet tall, with close-cropped hair and the Sanctum Sanctorum's training clothes. His exposed arms looked particularly lean and muscular.

Mordo silently nodded to Mercer in greeting.

After handing Mercer the short staff, the Ancient One stepped some distance away and watched them with a smile, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Please, let's begin with something simple. First, we'll..."

Mercer raised a hand, cutting him off.

"No need. Just crank it up to the max."