Chapter 17: Mordo, the Experience Vault

The fact that the Evil Ghost Armor could be lent to others was undoubtedly good news. If there ever came a time when Finney didn't feel like fighting, he could simply lend the Evil Ghost Armor to someone else. And best of all, he didn't have to worry about them keeping it for themselves.

Take, for example, a certain green giant. With that guy's raw strength combined with the enhancements from the Evil Ghost Armor, the results would be terrifying.

"Remember my words: never let power control you."

As the Ancient One handed back the Evil Ghost Armor and turned to leave, Finney opened his mouth to speak but stopped short. He still didn't ask why the Ancient One had refused to fully equip the armor earlier.

...

"Senior Mordo! Come out for a duel!"

Early in the morning, Finney excitedly arrived at Mordo's door, looking eager and impatient.

Fighting earned him far more experience than Finney had ever anticipated. Over the past week, he had been using the Evil Ghost Armor to spar with Mordo nearly every day.

The first time Mordo saw the Evil Ghost Armor, he had been startled. He kept asking about it, but in the end, Finney, tired of explaining, brushed it off with, "It's a weapon the Ancient One specifically gave me."

This led Mordo to grumble in private, muttering things like, "That's not fair, I was here first," in frustration.

Back to the matter at hand—after a week of testing, Finney discovered that he had greatly underestimated how much experience he could gain from battle, especially from fighting stronger opponents.

In this one week of sparring with Mordo, he gained as much experience as he usually did in three months. The pace was terrifying. In one month, he could gain the equivalent of an entire year's worth of progress.

Finney also noticed that winning fights yielded much more experience than losing. He realized this after landing a surprise hit on Mordo when he was momentarily distracted.

Finney deeply regretted not realizing this sooner. If he had known, he would have sought out fights long ago, even at the risk of exposing himself. By now, he'd probably have far more than just three abilities.

But this regret didn't last long. He recalled the Ancient One's warning and, after further reflection, realized that even if he had started earlier, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

The key to gaining experience from battles lay in the strength of his opponent and his use of the Evil Ghost Armor. With just the Golden Amplification Technique and the Zinger Chicken Roll, there was no way he could defeat stronger enemies.

It was the Evil Ghost Armor that significantly boosted his power, and Mordo's own strength wasn't to be underestimated. That was what made such rapid growth possible.

After figuring this out, Finney stopped dwelling on the past and began focusing on the present. Every day, without fail, he sought out Mordo for a duel to farm experience.

"Have you lost your mind lately?" Mordo opened his door with a frown, complaining. He had, in fact, consulted the Ancient One about the Evil Ghost Armor, but although she denied giving it to Finney, she had reassured him that it wasn't something to worry about and to help where he could.

"Alright, alright, less talking, more fighting. Let's go!" Finney grabbed Mordo and dragged him to the training grounds. Along the way, several sorcerers noticed them and eagerly followed.

Kamar-Taj wasn't that big, so it didn't take long for everyone to learn about Finney and Mordo's daily duels. Sparring between sorcerers wasn't uncommon in their training.

But Mordo was, after all, one of the Ancient One's top disciples, and Finney, though new, had quickly gained attention. It was a rare sight for someone like Mordo to have a regular sparring partner.

Sorcery was not a safe profession. Their duty was to protect the world from threats, and training in magic was essentially preparing for battle. So, it was natural that every time the two sparred, many sorcerers would gather to watch.

"Go, Finney! Beat Mordo today!" one sorcerer cheered.

"Mordo, don't get distracted like last time and lose!" another called out.

Standing in the middle of the training grounds, Finney ignored the noise around him. He shot Mordo a challenging look and immediately summoned his sword.

"Evil Ghost Armor!"

In the blink of an eye, the gleaming silver armor enveloped his body. Even though he didn't wield a weapon, the armor alone made him look leagues more impressive than the plain and humble Mordo.

By now, the other sorcerers were used to the sight of Finney's Evil Ghost Armor. Though most of them had been shocked when they first saw it, they had since gotten used to the spectacle.

Still, after learning where the armor supposedly came from, some had taken to grumbling, "The Ancient One is so biased," or "I wish I had armor like that," earning Finney a few light-hearted scoldings from his master.

Once Finney was ready, Mordo, not daring to be careless, quickly activated his enchanted boots, the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr. With a magic shield, the Rings of Raggadorr, at the ready, he stood on guard.

Most of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers were close-quarters fighters. While there were long-range spells, they were either too powerful for the average sorcerer to control or too difficult for most to master.

Finney wasn't sure if Mordo knew any long-range spells, but this was just a sparring session. Neither of them was going to go all out, and besides, with the Ancient One around, even if something went wrong, the Time Stone could always reverse the damage.

With little to worry about, Finney fought without hesitation. And thanks to the armor's defense, he boldly rushed forward.

Mordo, however, remained calm. Timing Finney's approach, he activated the enchantment on his boots, leaping into the air, accelerating, and landing behind Finney to launch an attack.

But the moment Mordo leapt, Finney sensed his movement. Slowing down, he quickly spun around, raising his arm to block Mordo's strike.

"Finney, you're a sorcerer. Don't rely too much on your armor," Mordo called out, retreating and offering advice—not out of jealousy, but in the hope that Finney wouldn't neglect his magical training by leaning too heavily on the Evil Ghost Armor.

Finney took the advice to heart. With the armor's boosts, even his weak magical abilities had improved, allowing him to conjure a dim but functional Rings of Raggadorr shield.

With a flickering shield in his right hand, Finney charged at Mordo once again.

The two exchanged blows, their fight eliciting gasps of awe from the spectators. After about half an hour, the duel ended with Finney's defeat, his stamina depleted.

Once he dismissed the Evil Ghost Armor, Finney collapsed onto the ground, completely drained. Beside him, though Mordo was breathing heavily, he was in far better shape.

"You could at least go easy on me once in a while, Senior Mordo," Finney grumbled, though he knew full well that Mordo had been holding back. If he hadn't, the fight wouldn't have lasted nearly as long. Throughout the duel, Mordo had been correcting Finney's mistakes, helping him improve.

That's why, even though the custom at Kamar-Taj was to address each other as 'sorcerer,' Finney still affectionately called Mordo "Senior Brother."

"A real enemy won't go easy on you," Mordo said seriously, before asking with concern, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Come on, Senior Mordo, let's be real. I may have lost, but it's not easy for you to break through my armor either," Finney replied with a grin.

Hearing that, Mordo couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Internally, he couldn't stop thinking: I was here first. Why does the master favor you so much?

Though he sparred with other sorcerers from time to time, Finney found that he gained the most experience from dueling Mordo. For this reason, Finney secretly gave Mordo a nickname.

Experience Vault Mordo!

Days passed, and another month flew by. But then, one phone call disrupted Finney's training routine.

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