The Path of Sorcery (V) (CH - 190) - Harry Potter : Bloodraven

After weighing the pros and cons of the Sling Ring, Maverick finally made up his mind. There was no more room for hesitation. He decided to replicate its Extraordinary Characteristic right then and there.

At first, the system prompted him with the usual message—it needed to convert the ability into an integratable Characteristic. Maverick had seen it enough times by now, so it didn't catch him off guard. He accepted without much thought, and the system got to work.

By the end of the process, the only noticeable change was in the name. What was once called Cosmic Conduit had now become Cosmic Voidgate Conduit.

Doesn't matter, he figured. As long as the effect remained the same or got better, he wasn't going to complain. With that, he went ahead and initiated the fusion.

Then, aside from a slight tingling sensation in both arms, the system worked its magic swiftly and without any fuss. Within just a few minutes, the fusion was complete.

The new ability appeared under his list of Extraordinary Characteristics, and when Maverick checked the system notes, it confirmed exactly what he had hoped.

He could now replicate the Sling Ring's function without needing to actually wear one himself.

It might not seem like a big deal at first, but Maverick couldn't help thinking back to that scene in the latest Doctor Strange movie—when America Chavez grabbed Strange and snatched his Sling Ring during their very first meeting. That single moment had left him convinced. This was absolutely worth investing in.

Finally, he took a proper look at the changes in his system.

[ Name: Maverick Caesar ]

[ Class: Wizard ]

[ Rank: Arch-Magus ]

[ Magical Energy: 22,751+ ]

[ Points: 6732 ]

[ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]

[ Extraordinary Characteristics: ]

[ Excellent grade: Spellcasting, Independent Expanded Dimension, Flight, Vitality, True Concealment, Cosmic Voidgate Conduit ]

[ Talents: ]

[ Magical Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]

[ Magical Sense (Master +) ]

[ Spacial Rift (Advanced +) ]

[ Dominant Spirit (Advanced +) ]

[ Nature Energy Manipulation (Advanced +) ]

[ Transfiguration (Advanced +) ]

[ Alchemy (Advanced +) ]

[ Potions (Intermediate +) ]

[ Eldritch Meditation (Advanced +) ]

[ Spells: ]

[ Aquired Master Proficiency: ]

[ Fiendfyre + | Apparition + | Illusio Lunam Lectorem + ]

[ Aquired Advanced Proficiency: ]

[ ... ]

For starters, it had been fifteen whole months since he last invested any points. Well, aside from the 110 points he spent upgrading Eldritch Meditation to the Advanced level, he hadn't used a single point to improve his Magical-Energy, any talents, or any skills during that entire time.

There was, however, one additional spell that stood out—Apparition. The system now listed him as having Master-level proficiency in it. It likely had something to do with his promotion to Archmage, and the spatial affinity that naturally came with the rank.

Meanwhile, his usable points had grown from a little over 2,000 to nearly 7,000 now—more than enough to raise any spell to Master proficiency or push any talent to Advanced. But as for which talent or spell to upgrade, he still hadn't made up his mind.

Then there was his Magical-Energy. It had been around 21,000 over a year ago, and now, thanks to his body and soul's own cultivation, it had increased by almost 1,700 units, bringing the total close to 22,800.

It might not seem like much, but considering his Magical-Energy had only increased by about 400 units during his time as a Magus and around 900 units at the Greatmage rank—without using any system points—this was actually a pretty solid improvement. He wasn't sure if the growth rate matched that of other Archmages, or how much their Magical-Energy increased through cultivation alone, but he was confident it wouldn't be any worse than theirs.

Next, he had to decide which talent or spell to invest his accumulated points in, but for now, he planned to call it a day. With that in mind, he retrieved the Sling Ring back into his storage ring and went to sleep.

---

Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, half a month was gone. For the past fourteen days, Maverick hadn't left the Sanctum. He spent his time training with the two masters, learning the ways of the mystic arts. Every day, he practiced the sorcerers' martial arts for half a day, then spent the rest studying books and spells.

And just as he expected, the system picked up the Sorcerers' magical spells as well, as soon as he understood the basics, letting him spend points to increase proficiency whenever he wanted. The martial arts, however special, unfortunately did not register as something extraordinary to the system.

But still, since he was already trained in close combat skills like Tae Kwon Do, Kyokushin Karate, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, getting familiar with the Sorcerers' special martial arts wasn't difficult at all. Aside from a few differences—mainly how the martial arts integrated with mystic spells—it was basically just coordinated kicks and punches, like any other combat style.

As for spells, it's safe to say his arsenal of offensive and defensive options had grown considerably. That included Eldritch Whips, Crimson Bands, Flames of the Faltine, Bolts of Balthakk, Shield of the Vishanti, and Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.

And then there was the Mirror Dimension, the Sling Ring Portal, and Astral Projection. Being able to learn all these spells within just two weeks was largely thanks to his Advanced-level proficiency in Eldritch Meditation. After all, it was the most fundamental step in mystic arts. The more experienced someone was in refining cosmic energy, the easier it became to grasp spells that manipulated that energy.

Moreover, he only needed to understand the most basic, primitive workings of the spell for the system to register it. After that, it was just a matter of spending points to increase his proficiency.

Needless to say, the two masters were left speechless, unable to praise such genius (cheat). Even the Supreme Sorcerer went so far as to call him a monster among monsters.

And now, even without relying on his wizarding system of magic, he could face Masters Hayes and Tenebris in single combat using only mystic arts spells. Of course, that was largely thanks to his passive Magical-Sense, which granted him enhanced perception and heightened awareness in battle.

As for the Ancient One… well, even if he used both magic systems, all of his Extraordinary Characteristics, and every hidden card he had, he might be able to last a few moves. But defeating her was out of the question.

She was, after all, a being on the same tier as Merlin in this universe—two full ranks above Maverick. An All-Father-level existence. One of the strongest sorcerers to ever walk reality. The MCU nerfed her hard, no question. In truth, her threat level was easily Planetary, if not higher. If she ever went all out without holding back, she could very well rewrite the shape of Earth itself.

That did not mean the gap was unreachable. Time was all he needed. Who needed Infinity Stones when he possessed the ultimate cheat—the system itself?

He was certain—by the time Tony Stark donned his first suit of armor, he would stand as an equal to All-Father-tier beings, if not surpass them.

---

"For me?"

Maverick raised an eyebrow as he sat inside the study room, eyeing the official robes of the Mystic Arts being presented to him.

Across from him sat the Sorcerer Supreme, flanked by the two masters of the Sanctum. The one offering the robes was none other than the Ancient One herself.

Today marked the final day of his practice here, and they already knew he wouldn't be staying long. But before his departure, the Sorcerer Supreme had summoned him for a brief meeting, and this, as it turned out, was the reason why.

"Consider yourself an official Sorcerer, Mage Caesar. Or perhaps I should say Master Caesar now. As long as you remain our ally, we shall stand as your allies in return. Should you face any trouble in the future, do not hesitate to call upon us. Our aid will be yours."

Hearing her words, Maverick accepted the offer without hesitation. Though he still harbored doubts about why the Sorcerer Supreme had taken such special interest in him—guiding him personally and probably even bending some of the very rules she herself had made—he trusted that she bore no ill intent.

If anything, it seemed she had recognized his potential and made an early investment in his future. And if that was the case, he was more than willing to accept. Though it felt a bit self-serving on her part, in the end, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

"Thank you, Sorcerer Supreme." Maverick accepted the robes respectfully with both hands and gave a courteous bow. Then, a thought crossed his mind. He retrieved three items from his storage ring and handed one to each of the masters.

"These aren't anything special," he explained casually. "Just communication devices—I call them mobile phones. If you know today's brick-sized cell phones, think of these as smaller, more portable versions. They have color displays and a much more user-friendly interface."

"We know what a cellphone is, Mage Caesar. We sorcerers are not strangers to technology," Master Hayes said, taking the rectangular device—almost two fingers long—in his hand. The screen lit up with simple icons, much like the earliest color-display phones from Maverick's previous life.

Maverick let out a light chuckle and continued, "My company will be releasing these to the world this November. But unlike the public versions, these are alchemically enchanted for extra power and durability. I know it's not much, but you can use these to contact me for anything casual. And…"

Saying that, he pulled out three more items—this time, three rings—but didn't hand them out just yet.

"This," he said, holding up the rings, "you can use if there's an emergency. I'll upgrade them to sync with the magical system of Sorcerers and have them ready in a few days. By channeling energy in a special rhythm, you can alert me instantly—even from the other side of the world—and I'll come to your aid right away."

He tucked the rings away again, saving them for later delivery.

The Ancient One nodded. "A thoughtful gesture. We accept."

Maverick smiled warmly and thanked all three of them once more. This wasn't a goodbye forever, just a pause—for now, he had important matters to attend to before summer came to an end.

With a final nod, he vanished from the Sanctum in a flash of Apparition, reappearing near his home in London.

---