Chapter 9: Next Time for Sure

Finney couldn't help but smile bitterly inside. He had always believed his most invincible and powerful skill was the Golden Great Evolution Technique—his secret weapon against any threat in the future. But now, that belief had been shattered by the Ancient One.

However, as he thought it over, he realized he was overthinking things.

At seven years old, how much strength could he have had back then? The upper limit of what the Golden Great Evolution Technique could do was still beyond his imagination. Comparing his current abilities to someone who had lived for nearly a thousand years and wielded an Infinity Stone wasn't a fair match.

So, the Golden Great Evolution Technique was still invincible—it was just that he wasn't strong enough yet.

With that realization, Finney corrected his thinking, and his confidence in becoming unbeatable returned. Looking at the Ancient One, he gave a calm nod and said, "Thank you, Master Ancient One, for your help back then."

The Ancient One didn't seem to notice how much had just gone through Finney's mind. She smiled humbly and replied, "It was my decision. Luckily, it didn't disrupt anything for you."

With that, the conversation lulled into silence.

After the Ancient One brought up her involvement, Finney hesitated to mention his desire to learn magic. He was worried she might ask for the Golden Great Evolution Technique in exchange.

Although the Ancient One didn't seem like that kind of person, Finney didn't know her well enough to be sure.

The Golden Great Evolution Technique was, according to the system's description, a type of magic. Claiming it was some sort of superpower in front of a master of magic wouldn't fly, especially since she had already helped him use it once.

Most importantly, this power had come from the system's skill draw. If the Ancient One asked him to teach it, he wouldn't be able to, even if he wanted to.

The Purple Chicken Wrap could be taught—there was a recipe for that, after all. With the right ingredients and following the steps, anyone could make it, though it might not taste exactly the same.

While Finney was lost in thought, the Ancient One stood up and dusted off her robe. With a casual wave, she conjured a fiery, sparking magic circle in the air. Beyond it, Finney could glimpse a room decorated in a traditional, old-world style.

A portal!

Finney's eyes lit up. This was one of the two spells he wanted to learn most.

To be honest, he wasn't particularly impressed by Marvel's hand-to-hand combat magic, but two spells had always fascinated him. One was the portal spell, which had the potential to travel across galaxies, and the other was the Mirror Dimension, which didn't affect the physical world.

With the portal spell, he could escape from fights he couldn't win, and with the Mirror Dimension, he could trap enemies who couldn't run from him.

"It was a pleasure meeting you today, Mr. Haleseth."

Just as Finney was admiring the portal, the Ancient One approached him and said her farewell, seemingly ready to leave.

Finney blinked, surprised. Seeing that she was about to step into the portal, he quickly snapped out of his daze and called out, "Wait!"

But the Ancient One didn't stop. She continued toward the portal, prompting Finney to shout even louder, "Master! I want to learn magic from you!"

It was only then that the Ancient One turned her head slightly, giving him a mysterious smile before stepping through the portal and disappearing.

Standing in the dilapidated factory, Finney frowned, still unsure of why the Ancient One had come to see him or what her words had meant.

"Could it have something to do with the Demonic Armor?" If anything unusual had happened today, it had to be that. He had just deactivated the skill when the Ancient One appeared. Calling it a coincidence would be absurd.

The Ancient One's dictionary doesn't have the word 'coincidence' in it.

"Maybe she thinks I have the potential to go rogue in the future? So she came to give me a warning?" Finney's thoughts ran wild. With the lack of information, there were too many possibilities. And trying to get information from a Sorcerer Supreme was like trying to get blood from a stone. It was easier to just guess.

Also, what was with that smile at the end? Did she want to teach him magic or not?

Finney's head started to ache. The Ancient One's sudden appearance had disrupted his otherwise peaceful life, especially since he couldn't figure out her true intentions. Now, he didn't know what his next step should be.

"Forget it. I'll just go find her and ask directly."

Finney clenched his teeth and made a decision.

If she could come find him, why couldn't he go looking for her? Sure, Kamar-Taj was far away, but New York had a shortcut. After all, the New York Sanctum could take him straight there.

With his mind made up, Finney didn't linger in the secret base. Once he recovered his energy, he returned home.

As soon as he walked through the door, Skye spotted him. Seeing his dirty clothes and exhausted face, she panicked, rushing over and asking anxiously, "What happened? Did those two tell someone? Should we run? How are we going to explain this to Mom and Dad? I know some people online who can make fake IDs. Maybe we can use them. I have friends in the Netherlands—we could hide there…"

Listening to Skye spiral into panic, Finney couldn't help but laugh. He reached out with his dusty hand and gently pinched her cheek to snap her out of it. Once he had her attention, he reassured her with a smile, "Relax. I just fell off my bike. No one found out. You don't need to freak out. Even if they did, I've got ways to handle it."

Before today, if S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered him, Finney wouldn't have had many good options. His best bet would have been to join them to buy some time. But now, things were different.

When in doubt, go find the Ancient One!

After all, he had called her "Master" before she left, and she hadn't outright rejected him. That meant he was already part of the "organization," which gave him the confidence to seek her out again.

Seeing the sincere expression on Finney's face, Skye finally calmed down, but then her eyes narrowed. "Where did you really go today? There's no way you just fell."

"I'm going to take a shower first!"

Now that Skye was back to normal, Finney grinned and quickly dodged her question, making a beeline for the bathroom, leaving her standing there, fuming.

When Finney came out, freshly showered, Skye was still sulking. Knowing that her attitude came from concern, and given his future plans, he decided to sit down beside her.

"Honestly, I wasn't doing anything crazy. Just a little training, that's all."

Finney kept his explanation vague, trusting that Skye would understand.

After yesterday's bizarre events, Skye didn't assume he meant regular exercise. Instead, she became even more worried. "How are you training? Aren't you afraid of getting caught? Why didn't you let me come along? I could have at least kept watch!"

"Next time for sure, next time for sure."

With a solemn expression, Finney resorted to his favorite tactic: delay.

In truth, Finney was a little stressed when it came to Skye. When she first came into their family, he hadn't thought much of it. But as she grew older and refused to change her name, the name "Skye" started to sound more and more familiar to him. It wasn't long before he remembered that there was a character with the same name in a Marvel spin-off show.

At first, he wondered if it was just a coincidence. But as Skye grew more obsessed with finding her parents, he became almost certain that she was the girl with alien DNA.

He vaguely remembered that her parents weren't in great shape in the show, and that she later gained some vibration-based powers because of something called the "Obelisk."

Beyond that, his memory was hazy—he hadn't finished the show because it was too long.

[A/N: About the Ancient One, personally, I think she's incredibly strong. Like many others, I believe that in the movie, she didn't lose because she wasn't powerful enough—she just chose to die.]

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