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HP: Bloodraven Chapter 189 - The Path of Sorcery (IV)
🕑 Added 2025-06-20 23:27:19 +0000 UTCMaverick scratched the back of his head a bit sheepishly. He understood why she was surprised. After all, the knowledge and experience granted to him by the system were the result of what should have taken years—if not decades—of effort. All of it compressed into him in an instant.
“Alright,” the Sorcerer Supreme said, standing to her feet. “Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals, I’ll show you the next basic steps. Though… I have a feeling it won’t be much trouble for you.”
Having said that, and without any further explanations, she waved her hand. The table and futons vanished, leaving the room empty except for the bookshelves lining the walls as she prepared to begin tutoring him.
“Watch,” she said.
A swirl of orange sparks danced across her fingers as she began to move her hands in a precise, practiced pattern.
“These are the simplest constructs we teach the disciples of the Sanctum once they’ve learned to refine cosmic energy.”
With one hand, she conjured a radiant shield of orange light, its surface inscribed with ancient sigils and flowing geometric designs that pulsed with arcane power. In the other, she shaped a gleaming energy blade—just as elegant as it looked deadly—etched with the same mystic patterns.
“The shield, as you’d expect, is for defense. It may turn aside blades, bolts, and spells alike... regardless of the origin or system of magic.”
She then pointed the sword at the wooden floor and let it drop.
Woosh!
It pierced halfway into the floorboards before vanishing in a ripple of sparks. A neat gouge remained in the wood.
"Its purpose, as you can see, is quite obvious. But the weapon... it need not always be a sword.”
She conjured it again—only this time, the blade twisted and reshaped itself into a long whip of magical light.
With a sharp crack, she lashed it to the side. The tip curled around a book on the top shelf, stuck to it, and with a tug, the whip yanked the book toward her, and then caught it effortlessly.
"Your imagination is the only limit. These are merely the basics. For more powerful and complex magic, you will, of course, need to learn spells."
She raised her hand again, and a portal opened above her palm. Five thick books dropped from the swirling gateway, which she guided toward Maverick.
He caught them mid-air with his own magic and brought them to his hands. A quick glance at the covers told him they were spellbooks and general mystic arts theory texts.
“Study them. Normally, I’d assign you to a master to teach and guide you... but in your case, I think you can grasp the concepts just by reading.”
Maverick nodded. “Do I need to return them before I leave? After two weeks...”
The Sorcerer Supreme considered for a moment, then shook her head. “If you’re not finished, take them with you. But return them once you’re done. These books may seem like general knowledge, but we don’t spread them beyond the Sanctums. You’re an exception.”
“Understood. Thank you, Ancient One.” Maverick didn’t bother asking why she was making so many exceptions for him. He had a feeling she’d just brush it off with something like, “I can’t tell you now,” so it was better to just follow her script.
He stored the books into his ring and gave a nod of appreciation.
“I’ll try to finish them before the end of next week.”
“Good.”
She then opened another portal, this one leading outside to the main courtyard.
“Come,” she said, motioning for him to follow. “While you’re here, spend half a day every day practicing martial arts with Master Hayes.”
“Our martial arts is also special, just like our meditation technique, and practicing them is a discipline in itself. Moreover, for combat using Eldritch magic, there are no better movement exercises.“
“After finishing martial arts practice, you may use the rest of the time to practice sorcery and study the spell books. If you have questions, you can always come to me.”
They stepped outside to the courtyard, where a group of acolytes practiced under the watchful eyes of two instructors—Masters Hayes and Tenebris. As soon as they saw the Sorcerer Supreme arrive with Maverick, the two paused their instruction and approached.
“Master Ancient One,” they said together with a respectful bow. “Mr. Caesar.”
Maverick and the Sorcerer Supreme returned the gesture.
“Include Mage Caesar in the martial arts training,” she instructed. “In fact, I want one of you to work with him directly—one-on-one. Focus on martial arts and basic constructs. No spells... and also…”
She went on to explain how to tailor his instruction—from martial arts to complex use of constructs and opening portals—clearly taking into account that he was no ordinary acolyte. The two masters understood this too, but nodded nonetheless, accepting her orders without question or need for explanation.
“Oh, and one more thing…”
She opened a small portal, reached inside, and retrieved a modest wooden box. Lifting the lid, she paused for a moment before carefully pulling out a peculiar item.
It was a ring—no, two rings—bronze in color and designed to fit across two fingers. Two connected bands formed its shape, adorned with subtle, intricate engravings. Simple, yet elegant.
Maverick immediately recognized it for what it was: the Sling Ring, a powerful item used to open portals across dimensions.
“This is a Sling Ring,” she explained. “A tool we use to focus cosmic energy and open spatial gateways. Like so—”
She slipped on her own ring and traced a circular motion through the air. Instantly, a full-body-sized portal shimmered into existence beside her.
“Some magic, no matter how well you understand it, cannot be performed without the proper medium. That is one major difference between your system and ours, Mage Caesar.”
Having said that, she handed him the box and stepped into the portal. Before closing it behind her, she turned and offered a small smile. “Good luck.”
And then she was gone.
Maverick then turned to the two Sanctum masters and gave each a respectful nod while holding the box in his hand. “Please take care of me, Masters.”
---
The day passed in a blur.
Master Tenebris took the first session, guiding Maverick through martial arts forms and drills. He mentioned that Master Hayes would take over the next day, and that they would alternate daily.
Maverick had no complaints. Learning from both would give him broader insight.
He didn’t practice magic or how to use the Sling Ring to open portals today, and focused solely on martial arts. While he already had a solid foundation from his MI6 training, he quickly realized that the techniques taught here were different. Nothing supernatural—but somehow more refined, structured, and deeply effective.
That night, after dinner and inside his room, he finally opened the box containing the Sling Ring. Sure enough, the moment his fingers brushed the bronze surface, a familiar chime echoed in the back of his mind—and a system notification quietly appeared in the corner of his subconscious.
[ Detected an item of Extraordinary Characteristic ]
[ Item: Sling Ring ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic: Cosmic Conduit ]
[ Grade: Excellent ]
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, slightly hunched over and hugging a pillow, Maverick stared at the ring resting atop his palm. His eyes lingered on the bronze surface, mind turning over the decision he was about to make.
Conduit... like a medium? That meant... without it, using cosmic energy to open portals shouldn’t be possible.
From what he remembered of the MCU movies and his limited understanding of the Marvel universe from the comics, the Sling Ring served as exactly that: a conduit, or focus, for channeling cosmic energy. Sorcerers used it to anchor their intent into reality, allowing them to tear open portals through space-time with precision.
Even the best—Stephen Strange, Wong, Mordo—needed it. The MCU had never shown a sorcerer open a portal without one... unless they had some entirely different source of power, like America Chavez with her multiversal gift, or ancient beings like Dormammu.
Then again, he thought, this isn’t the Marvel universe.
For wizards, Apparition—jumping through space—wasn’t that big of a deal. It was a basic travel method, commonplace among magical folk. But it had its limits. No matter how cool it looked, every jump took a toll. It drained stamina. And unfortunately, stamina was finite.
Even for an Archmage like him, jumping halfway around the world left a strain. Not a lot, but still—any strain, at his level, was telling.
The Sling Ring, though... it was different.
From what he understood—again, through the films and comics—a sorcerer with enough cosmic awareness, magical control, and a clear mental image of the destination could use it to open portals not just around the world, but between planets. Possibly even between planetary systems, spanning distances between stars.
In Infinity War, Doctor Strange used portals on Titan, a planet lightyears away. Earlier, he’d portaled people across Earth’s vast distances without a second thought. When Strange, Iron Man, and Spider-Man were stranded on Titan, there was no new artifact or trick for the return trip—just the Sling Ring.
So yeah, Maverick thought while brushing his chin. Even if I already have teleportation magic as a wizard, this is still worth it.
It was a matter of efficiency. Apparition drained stamina and was limited to short distances. The Sling Ring—if mastered properly—had none of those drawbacks.
After a long pause and a deep exhale, Maverick finally made his decision.
[ Do you want to use one Extraordinary Characteristic Point to replicate it? ]
[ Yes ]
Comments
Nyx
why not the space stone?
Nicklas Fischer
Thanks for chapter
