Chapter 22: He's Back!

The successful mastery of the portal spell had Finney practically jumping for joy. However, the downside was that he could only open portals while wearing the Evil Ghost Armor. In his normal state, all he could manage were flickering sparks.

"Seriously, what kind of freakish talent does Doctor Strange have when it comes to sorcery?"

Finney sighed inwardly. He had spent an entire year focusing on this one spell without full success, yet in the future, it seemed like Doctor Strange mastered it after a brief trip to the Himalayas.

Still, learning the portal spell gave Finney a lot more confidence in facing the dangers ahead. If he couldn't win in a fight, at least he could always run. That alone was enough to deal with most threats.

His thoughts then turned to the system. His nearly full experience bar indicated that he was close to unlocking his fourth skill.

A skill a year—this was something Finney couldn't have imagined before. It had taken him seven years to unlock his second skill and eight years to unlock the third. Now, in just one year, he was about to unlock his fourth.

Of course, this rapid progress had come with some unintended side effects—like earning him strange nicknames at Kamar-Taj, such as the "Battle-Crazed Mage," the "Armored Sorcerer," or even the "Crazy Knight Who Can't Cast Spells."

He was grateful for Kamar-Taj. Without it, he wouldn't have found a place that was both safe and efficient for training. The only thing on Finney's mind now was unlocking his next skill before Tony Stark made his big return. If the system could grant him another powerful ability, that would be ideal.

"Portal!"

As he gazed at the flaming ring-shaped portal in front of him, Finney felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Finally, he could open his own portals without having to go through the Sanctum or ask someone else for help.

"Though, having to rely on the Sling Ring is kind of annoying."

Returning to Kamar-Taj, Finney thought about the inconvenience. While it seemed like everyone had a Sling Ring during training, the truth was that it was a valuable artifact, and its use was strictly monitored.

But Finney had a solution. Just like when he used the Golden Amplification Technique to enhance the compass, he could now create a similar ring with the Sling Ring's abilities.

However, the Sling Ring wasn't as simple as the compass. It had a profound impact on reality, and creating one wouldn't be an easy task. He also worried it might fail unexpectedly during use.

Luckily, he didn't need to rush. He had already requested long-term use of a Sling Ring from the Ancient One for his training, so there was no immediate need to return it.

Putting aside thoughts of the Sling Ring for now, Finney turned his attention to unlocking his fourth skill. If he followed his usual training routine, it might take another month or two to gather enough experience.

Though the timeline seemed manageable, Finney felt it was safer to expedite the process.

"Looks like I'll have to push myself a little harder," he decided with a determined look.

The best way to earn experience quickly was, of course, to spar with the Ancient One herself. However, the problem was that she was just too strong. Every time he tried, he was defeated within a few moves, and the experience he gained was even less than what he got from sparring with Mordo.

Mordo, at least, held back, allowing him to fight longer and gain more experience.

If the Ancient One ever decided to go easy on him, he might be able to rack up some decent experience. But she wasn't one to waste her time.

Another way to gain experience was through skill breakthroughs. After nearly a year of training, his Evil Ghost Armor had grown much stronger than when he first acquired it.

While it hadn't evolved to a new level yet, Finney had reached a point where he was close to unlocking one of its additional abilities—a skill many people dreamed of having.

Invisibility.

Recently, when equipping the Evil Ghost Armor, Finney could feel that he was just one step away from unlocking this ability. He just needed a bit more effort.

To ensure he unlocked his next skill soon, Finney decided to double his training efforts for the upcoming week. If that didn't work, he would have to spar more frequently with Mordo, his elite "experience farm," or even with Wong, his regular "experience farm."

Unfortunately, plans often get interrupted by unexpected events. The very next day, two pieces of news rocked the world, sending shockwaves through the media and the government alike. Finney's training plans were instantly thrown off course.

Tony Stark had returned!

And he had announced the permanent closure of the weapons division at Stark Industries!

Watching Tony Stark—disheveled, scarred, and slouched beside the podium as he declared his exit from the weapons business—everyone knew that he had changed. He was no longer the arrogant genius and playboy of the past.

Few people, aside from Finney, could grasp the true significance of this change. Of course, for Obadiah Stane, this news was undoubtedly bad.

"What happened to him?" Skye asked as she watched the news, unable to resist turning to Finney for an explanation. She knew he had a way of knowing things that others didn't.

"He realized that by making weapons, he wasn't protecting the world like he thought. So, he's decided to change his approach."

Finney's answer was met with skepticism. Skye wasn't buying it. After all, Stark Industries was built on weapons manufacturing. Shutting down that division was akin to cutting off an arm or a leg.

To simply give up a billion-dollar business because of a change of heart? No one would believe that.

"Alright, stop gawking and help me with something."

Seeing Skye standing there in disbelief, Finney said, "I need you to help me buy as much Stark Industries stock as possible. Buy everything we can get our hands on!"

"Are you sure?" Skye hesitated, her tone filled with doubt.

"Trust me. He's a genius. Do you think he'd give up the weapons division so decisively if he didn't have something else up his sleeve? This is your chance to become rich. You might even become a little tycoon after this!"

Finney grinned, trying to reassure her.

This stock sell-off was different from the one triggered by Obadiah's kidnapping plan. That had been calculated. This time, no one had seen it coming. Tony's reputation at the time, coupled with some manipulative statements from rival companies, had led many to believe that Stark Industries was finished, prompting them to sell off shares.

Watching the financial drama unfold, Finney couldn't help but marvel at the cutthroat nature of business. The constant scheming and competition were exhausting.

That was the main reason he had never been interested in starting his own company. The bigger the profits, the more complex the relationships, the more enemies, and even internal power struggles. It was just too much of a headache.

If Stark Industries hadn't had Obadiah running things initially and Pepper Potts later on, Tony would never have had the free time to tinker with his inventions.

People might think Tony's fortune kept him safe from government pressure once he created the Iron Man suit, but it wasn't just about the money or the size of his company. Tony's family connections mattered too—his father had been one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Combined with Tony's own genius and the many weapons he had developed that the military needed, the government had no choice but to tread carefully. If it were just about money, he wouldn't have had that kind of leverage.

Of course, beyond all that, there were two more critical reasons Finney didn't want to start a company: he wasn't a genius like Tony, and Skye, his only reliable confidante, didn't have Pepper Potts' talent for management.

If anything, Skye was well on her way to becoming a total couch potato.

Looking at Skye's gradually softening figure, Finney sighed inwardly.

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