Ancient One 3

"Since your parents death was the first trigger which resulted due to your powerlessness, I gave you the resources and strength necessary to protect them."

I looked at her in disbelief, "You mean…?"

She smirked in amusement, "Well, did you really think it a coincidence that the curriculum of a Kamar-Taj trainee was laid out so nicely for you, and every book listed could also be found in the New York Sanctum?"

I laughed breathlessly, "You must have already seen that I would go to the New York Sanctum to learn the Mystic Arts, didn't you?"

"In almost all realities you would always visit the New York Sanctum before the age of 12. Sometimes in secret, like you did, other times openly and asking for mentorship, and sometimes even directly attacking to raid our library." She spoke, laughing at the last part like she was recalling a funny scene in a movie she had seen the night before.

"Attacking? With what, if not Magic?" I asked, curious how other versions of myself would have gone about seeking strength.

Her eyes shone in amusement, as though teasing while she kept her silence.

I clicked my tongue, "Fine. Keep your secrets."

"To prevent those timelines where you decided Kamar-Taj was your enemy, I decided to nip it in the bud and directly provide you with the knowledge that you would have acquired regardless. You may take it as a gesture of good faith."

"…Thanks, I guess." I muttered, having mixed feelings that my 'successful' heist of magical knowledge and subsequent power-up had been a gift given in good faith rather than something I earned with my own cunning. 

There was a brief moment of silence, before I spoke again.

"So, where does this leave us?"

"Like I mentioned, I will no longer interfere in your life unless it directly affects Kamar-Taj. Your… quest, here today… Whether you decide to kill everyone or let them go, I will not interfere."

Her use and even heavy emphasis on the word quest made my eyes widen.

"You… do you perhaps know what I am...?"

She stared at me for a moment, her expressions indecipherable and her thoughts inscrutable, before shaking her head.

"Frankly, I have no idea what you are. I have had theories, but all I know for certain are a particular set of vernacular that have been commonly used by the Lee Jae Sungs across the timelines - Quests, Stats, EXP, Skills… they mean nothing to me, but I am sure you know what they mean."

Wow, it seems that Lee Jae Sungs across time have quite a big mouth. Well, at least now I need to know I have to watch what I said in front of people.

The Ancient One turned away, "Now if there is nothing else, Lee Jae Sung, I shall take my leave."

"Wait."

"Yes?" She responded, turning back.

"There is one other thing I do not understand… If you do actually want me be good, to become a hero and save the world somehow, then shouldn't you take me under your wing? Guide me and teach me, keep me away from the dark side as it were."

The Ancient One seemed to have recalled something bitter as her expressions darkened.

"…That is because I am a failure of a mentor, Lee Jae Sung. In all possible futures in which you became my apprentice, the ones that I've witnessed at least, 9 times out of 10 you would eventually seek to destroy the universe. Not even to rule it, but to destroy, annihilate and extinguish all life."

My eyes widened upon hearing her words. "That's crazy… what about that 1 in 10 chance?"

"There was a 1 in 10 chance that you would inherit my mantle as the Sorcerer Supreme and lead Kamar-Taj to a glorious new age of unprecedented levels of greatness. Even extinguishing Dormammu with a single snap of your finger - now that was fun to watch to say the least."

She bitterly smiled and shook her head, "But to gamble on the fate of the universe on a 1 in 10 chance that it would be a jackpot, but 9 in 10 chance of the extinction of all sentient life? Those odds are too terrible for me to put my faith in. Between that and a 50-50 coin flip, isn't it obvious which I would choose?" 

I furrowed my brows, lost in thought.

The Ancient One gazed at my appearance for a moment before speaking, "I see I have given you a lot to think about. The books for the next stage of your magic education will be ready for you in the New York Sanctum. Farewell, Lee Jae Sung, let's not meet again so soon."

With that, she drew a circle in the air in a single swift motion, and a portal opened without much commotion. The Ancient One proceeded to step through the portal, and true to her words left without further intervention. Only a few lingering sparks were left as evidence of her arrival, and those fully vanished a moment later.

"Hahhh… Saying that you will no longer interfere but still preparing textbooks for me… or does she just want me to graduate as quickly as possible and not bother her anymore?"

A messiah ushering in a new age of peace and prosperity. A benevolent or tyrannical ruler of the universe. A demon lord hell bent on destroying everything. Three possible futures laid out in front of me by the all-knowing Ancient One.

It didn't even really make sense why she decided to tell me all of this right now. Unless telling me was what would guide me towards the 'Altruistic Messiah' path? Or perhaps not being honest and me eventually finding out her voyeuristic tendencies was what drove me towards the path of destruction?

"Whatever the case, what do I do with these assholes now?"

I surveyed the dilapidated building and saw that of the 1 hour afforded to me as a requirement for the Bonus objective in the [Street Cleaner] quest, I only had roughly 30 minutes left.

The time was a little tight for me to get up close and personal to differentiate between innocents and gang members, so should I just collapse the entire building? Since achieving the bonus objective would net me the skill… [Slaughter]… Goddamnit, her words were screwing with my head now.

Was this her plan all along? A psychological attack in order to disturb my mindset? Too bad it wouldn't work, since [Gamer's Mind] would impose calm rationality anyways… And she should have known that too, damn. Grr…What policy of non-intervention? Who did she think she was, the United Nations? And it's such bullshit anyway. If she truly decided to no longer interfere, why even bother telling me about it!?

Was this a test? She wanted to see what I would do in response to her declaration that she could see what I would do in the future. Would she try and nip a problem in the bud if I did not show 'mercy'? Or did she already predict that I might try to put on a show after knowing what she told me, so not acting like I was originally intending to would fail the true test?

Tsk, fuck it. I'm not going to let her words confuse me. There were an endless number of what ifs and I decided that it was a waste of time to ponder about this now. I came here for one reason, and one reason only – to deliver punishment. The Ancient One or not, it was irrelevant what she thought of me.

My eyes glowed as the Mana within me surged in response to my call.

"Haste, Mage Armor, Bull's Strength." I cast buffing spells consecutively, though those were the only three that I knew. They originally had longer, more complicated names like 'Blavatsky's Body of Swiftness', which I just shortened to 'Haste' and other more modern-sounding spell names.

Haste and Bull's Strength were Transmutation spells, which transformed the body in order to give them more strength and speed. They added a 50% boost to my DEX and STR stats, though the MP cost would also increase as my stats did.

Mage Armor was an Abjuration spell that layered a translucent suit of magic armor around my body. It was a more comprehensive protection than the Ward of Missile Defence I had cast previously on my father.

With my preparations complete, I flew over to the dilapidated building. Mission start.

My approach was simple, starting from the ground up, clear each level while remaining in concealment until there was no other enemy left in the building.

The quest did not share how many members of the Los Pollo Loco gang there was, and [Detection] was not OP enough to differentiate between who were enemies and who were not. So, I simply needed to make that judgement myself.

I approached the front door, which had two men standing in front of it. There was a strong acrid smell of marijuana emanating from them. Even as I walked towards them, I was not noticed, thanks to my max level [Concealment]. With my level of [Concealment], unless I deliberately showed myself like with The Ancient One, no one would be able to detect my presence.

As I got closer, I realized that the men had handguns tucked into their waist belt. They spoke loudly in Spanish while sharing a joint.

Enemies, I judged.