Library.
Guanhe wore a cold sneer as he waited for Karl to make a move.
Today, he refused to believe it.
Could something this absurd really exist in the world?
A Probationary Sorcerer—no matter how much of a genius—was still a Probationary Sorcerer. There were limits.
It was impossible for him to unleash an attack that powerful!
"Ahem. Karl-kun, don't be nervous," Duoze said at the side, waggling his eyebrows. "Go all out. You won't have to bear any consequences."
"Let us see what power you can produce at full strength."
Karl rolled his eyes, sighed, and spoke.
"Yes."
As he spoke, he began to manipulate the magic in his hands.
A formidable force surfaced.
Golden runes and sparks continuously scattered off the Eldritch Whip in his grasp.
It was natural energy that kept assembling and dispersing.
Seeing Karl use it like this, Guanhe was unimpressed.
"They hyped it up like it's something incredible, but the power doesn't look like much," he thought to himself. "How could it possibly cause that kind of destructive force? No way."
He felt like he'd already seen through the truth.
Duoze, that bastard, was bullying a young sorcerer.
A disgrace to sorcerers.
Just as Guanhe was thinking that—
Pa!!
A thunderous explosion sounded.
Right before his eyes, the Eldritch Whip in Karl's hand—originally only half a meter long—suddenly thickened and stretched.
In an instant, it became an enormous Eldritch Whip dozens of meters long, as thick as a water barrel.
The runes carved along it were clearly visible.
The powerful energy it radiated made Guanhe's heart pound in fear.
Whoooosh—!
Szzzt—!
The sounds of stone breaking rang out, followed by the sound of melted rock cooling.
"Holy shit!"
"Holy shit!"
"F**k!"
Three curses burst out in succession.
Guanhe's eyes widened abruptly.
He stared at the sky now exposed above them, completely dazed.
What… just happened?
Then he remembered.
Karl—this guy—had used one Eldritch Whip strike to straight-up vaporize the library roof.
Was that even reasonable?
Reasonable my ass!
How long had it even been?!
He'd become a Probationary Sorcerer only three short hours ago.
And the spell he used could destroy one of Kamar-Taj's most durable buildings?!
"..."
Guanhe instantly didn't know what to say.
Seeing Guanhe's expression, Duoze felt downright delighted.
Serves this bastard right for not believing him—now he's getting his payback!
Still… this kid really was a bit monstrous.
This is supposed to be a Probationary Sorcerer?
Duoze shot Karl a look without changing his expression, then couldn't help rolling his eyes before speaking.
"It's not like there's no good news."
"At least we don't need to repair the library roof anymore."
Duoze spoke with a grin.
"Good news," Guanhe said numbly.
"It really is good news."
But inside, he was screaming.
Good news, my ass!
The original roof could've been patched up.
Now it needed a complete rebuild!
This kid was a freak!
He'd just started learning magic and already pushed it to this kind of power—if that's not monstrous, what is?
Only now did Guanhe truly understand the saying: if you listen to advice, you won't go hungry.
Was he out of his mind? Why did he insist on watching Karl demonstrate?
Wouldn't it have been fine to just believe Duoze, that bastard?
And that bastard really was a bastard!
He clearly knew—yet he didn't warn him at all!
Guanhe would remember this grudge.
Rubbing his stiff, numb face, Guanhe forced out a smile.
"Karl-kun, not bad. You're very, very good."
"The power of this magic has already reached the standard of a full-fledged sorcerer."
"I believe that after a few more years of training, you'll become a full-fledged sorcerer."
"And when the time comes, you'll absolutely become the youngest full-fledged sorcerer in Kamar-Taj."
Guanhe spoke with a smiling face.
Even though the loss of property afterward made his heart ache, Kamar-Taj gaining a genius still filled him with joy.
Passing the torch—this was exactly what it meant.
"Thank you for the encouragement, Guanhe-san. I'll definitely work hard," Karl said calmly.
In truth, inside his heart, he didn't think much of it.
Not that he looked down on Guanhe—rather, he felt that Guanhe had underestimated his talent.
Doctor Strange had studied in Kamar-Taj for only one year and could already trade blows with Kaecilius after his betrayal.
Why couldn't he?
He was going to become the strongest in this world.
If he couldn't even surpass Doctor Strange, what "strongest" was he talking about?
But Karl also understood one thing.
At this moment, he was extremely clear-headed: he had crossed into Kamar-Taj.
This place was one of the few pure lands in the Marvel world.
With the Ancient One around, in hundreds of years there had only been one rebel—Kaecilius.
There was no need at all to worry about his talent being exposed.
If this were somewhere else, it would be a disaster.
In the Marvel world, there were plenty of insane scientists.
If his talent were exposed, they wouldn't sit down and "talk nicely" with him.
So toward Guanhe and the others, he was genuinely grateful.
Karl's thoughts were naturally unknown to Guanhe and the others.
As he looked at the sunlight pouring down from the sky, Guanhe felt a faint sadness.
The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj weren't wealthy.
They might be Earth's guardians, but their income was extremely limited.
They couldn't reveal their power in front of outsiders, and earning money was very troublesome.
Fortunately, they could use local materials.
He never should've doubted it.
Karl really was a freak.
Still…
If they cultivated him properly, maybe he could become the next Great Sorcerer.
Guanhe felt that Karl's training level should be upgraded—give him more resources.
Only then could a genius develop better.
After pondering for a moment, Guanhe spoke.
"Aldrich, for the next while, put aside your teaching work and let the other sorcerers take over."
"For this period, you will focus on teaching Karl-kun."
"This is exactly the time to lay the foundation. Your guidance is extremely important."
"Yes. That is only right," Aldrich said.
Guanhe nodded in satisfaction.
Then he looked to Karl.
"Karl-kun, if there's anything you don't understand, ask Aldrich."
"There may be a lot of knowledge written in books, but it's not specific enough."
"What you gain from paper will always feel shallow."
"If there's anything you don't understand, you still have to ask Aldrich."
"He's one of the best foundational sorcerers in Kamar-Taj."
"Even Great Sorcerers might not understand the fundamentals as deeply as he does. You must learn properly from Aldrich."
"I'm hoping that in a few years, Kamar-Taj will have one more Great Sorcerer."
Guanhe spoke earnestly.
"Yes, I understand, Guanhe-san," Karl replied in a very low-key manner. "Aldrich-sensei, please guide me from now on."
"Good, good, good!" Aldrich's mouth curled upward uncontrollably.
He was going to have one more Great Sorcerer disciple under his name!
He could laugh himself awake even in his dreams!
(End of Chapter)
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