One must never stop progressing.
One must maintain a sense of awe.
This was the conclusion Morin drew from yesterday's events.
In truth, even before yesterday, Morin had never believed himself invincible. There were always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens. On that point, he had always been clear.
But knowing something in your head wasn't the same as truly understanding it.
No matter how often you reminded yourself, if you had never personally seen-or come into close contact with-a being stronger than yourself, that reminder would gradually lose its effect.
It was like studying.
Everyone knew it was important. Everyone knew getting into a good university mattered.
But until you personally experienced the gap between institutions, most people would still rather play than study.
All things considered, meeting Russell this time wasn't just about gaining a physical life-saving trump card.
It was a shift in mindset.
After witnessing such an overwhelming existence, Morin's heart-slightly restless after not encountering an unbeatable opponent for a long time-finally settled.
He felt this change was something like an "enlightenment" in cultivation.
Not the kind where one suddenly broke through realms like a protagonist.
But the benefits were real.
With this mindset, Morin became unusually interested in observing everyone around him.
Spells in the Marvel Universe were essentially borrowed power.
Every sorcerer paid a price.
Some aged rapidly. Others carried an indescribable sense of disharmony.
Take Doctor Strange, for example.
When he first inherited the title years later, he looked to be in his thirties.
Not long after, gray crept into his temples.
That was the cost of repeatedly using powerful spells in major battles-parts of his lifespan were burned away.
"Now that I think about it..." Morin mused. "The Ancient One was probably in too much of a hurry to leave. She didn't even finish teaching enough spells. Strictly speaking, the Sorcerer Supreme has other ways to avoid this."
He paused.
"So I was deceived."
"A massive pit."
"The reason she didn't squeeze me dry was probably because my starting strength was clearly higher than Strange's, and she was worried I'd cause trouble."
Fortunately, Morin's mindset had already adjusted.
The contract was signed. It couldn't be undone.
The fact that he'd been scammed was irreversible.
But he had already sold the Ancient One's social-death video to her enemy.
What was that called?
Timely damage control.
...Why did that sound so petty?
Regardless, since the losses had been mitigated, Morin was in a very good mood.
He could even return a calm smile when meeting Kaecilius's gloomy expression.
To Morin, the message was simple.
Don't cause trouble, and you're still a good boy.
Perform well until I finish the contract and step down, and maybe I'll even give you a chance to compete for Sorcerer Supreme.
In Kaecilius's eyes, that "kind" smile meant something entirely different.
Haha.
Didn't expect this, did you?
Even if you're the Ancient One's prized student.
Even if you learn fast.
Even if your talent is terrifying.
She still didn't choose you.
She chose me.
Why?
Because I'm more handsome.
Hahaha!
After successfully interpreting the smile this way, Kaecilius nearly had a cerebral hemorrhage.
He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
It was because of the words he'd overheard-accidentally or intentionally-between the Ancient One and Morin during the day.
And the notice she issued last night, calling everyone together today.
It was impossible not to connect the dots.
Was the Ancient One planning to announce the decision so soon?
Wasn't that pretty boy too young?
Did she really think his aptitude was better than mine?
That he studied harder?
With thoughts like that, sleep was impossible.
By morning, Kaecilius had dark circles under his eyes.
"Clearly," Morin evaluated, "not as cute as a giant panda."
As for the near-tangible negative emotions pouring off Kaecilius, Morin ignored them.
He knew the man wasn't thinking anything good.
And since Morin was in a great mood today, he decided to let it slide.
No chasing.
No deliberately pushing him toward crime just to perform a traditional public face-slapping routine.
However-
If Kaecilius was blind enough to actively cause trouble...
Morin wouldn't mind letting him experience yesterday's realization firsthand.
Not through words.
But the same way Morin experienced it himself.
Whether Kaecilius could figure it out afterward-
Morin sincerely hoped he could.
Probably.
Maybe.
Perhaps.
As Morin walked forward, he drew the most attention.
Not because he was handsome-
Though he felt that was definitely a factor.
The real reason was simpler.
Everyone else wore sorcerer robes.
Morin alone wore a T-shirt and shorts.
To this, Morin maintained it absolutely wasn't his fault.
It was clearly summer.
And definitely not because he had momentarily forgotten, then realized it would look bad to admit he'd forgotten, so he just committed.
What?
This was the Himalayas?
Didn't know. Didn't care.
It was summer.
No problem.
Morin walked calmly through the crowd and stopped before the main platform.
His eyelid twitched violently.
I understand the logic.
But what the hell is this?
"What's wrong?" the Ancient One asked as she approached. "Is there a problem?"
"This..." Morin pointed at the platform and decorations, hesitating.
"I heard this was a custom among Chinese people," the Ancient One said. "So I found a Chinese person and arranged everything based on their explanation."
"The person you found must've been an official," Morin said flatly. "And a village official at that."
In simple terms, everything before him screamed that kind of scene.
A massive red platform.
A large red banner hanging overhead.
Yellow characters read:
[CELEBRATING THE XX-TH SESSION OF THE SORCERER SUPREME SUCCESSION ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY]
Everything looked brand new.
Probably made yesterday.
Ridiculous.
There were even colorful ribbons.
Should he grab a pair of golden scissors too?
Morin glanced at the Ancient One.
Did she find out?
Was this retaliation?
Given her experience, she shouldn't make jokes like this.
Which meant-
She was doing it on purpose.
Had the secret leaked?
Impossible.
That level of social-death video, showing her face, bought by someone like Russell-
There was no way it spread this fast.
Even if it did, this reaction made no sense.
Unless she possessed god-tier social confidence.
Unlikely.
Which meant the Ancient One didn't know about the video yet.
This was revenge.
For him seeing her social death before.
Petty.
Absolutely enjoys pitting people.
Morin sighed internally.
He'd already suspected this about her.
Seeing it confirmed again still made him sigh.
Who would've thought the Sorcerer Supreme was this kind of person?
Outwardly, Morin remained calm.
This wasn't a big deal.
Even if he lost face, only he would think so.
The others didn't understand.
They might even assume this was some special ritual.
"It's great. Really good. I like it a lot," Morin said immediately.
The Ancient One relaxed. "I was worried something was wrong."
Time was almost up.
The ceremony began.
The Ancient One gave a short speech.
Centuries of duty.
Protection of Earth.
Her time nearing its end.
Strength fading.
A young, sufficiently powerful successor found.
Then she called Morin on stage.
Morin: "..."
You really are vindictive.
Halfway through her speech, Morin sensed something off.
Other beings were watching.
How did he know?
The angel mark on his left arm began to burn faintly.
Through it, he locked onto an invisible Heaven's Gate hidden in the sky.
And then-
More.
Attention from multiple dimensions.
It made sense.
This was the Sorcerer Supreme's succession.
If a fake took the position, wouldn't invasion be considered?
If Morin were the enemy, he'd do the same.
Everything clicked.
The Ancient One wanted him to experience public social death.
In front of everyone.
Selling the video to someone like Dormammu?
No longer a question.
This person was not kind.
Calm down.
As the successor, he couldn't openly slap her face.
The impact would be bad.
Morin steadied himself and looked for a solution.
Then his gaze landed on Kaecilius.
That hateful stare.
The dark circles.
The pale face.
Salvation.
Whatever Morin had thought ten minutes ago-
That was the Morin from ten minutes ago.
What did it have to do with him now?
None.
Without hesitation, Morin subtly activated his telepathy.
Gently.
Carefully.
Stirring Kaecilius's emotions just a little.