Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Half a Year Later (AFK Studying) 

"Hey! Translate this faster! And you, where is that printer I told you to buy?!" 

Luke's voice echoed relentlessly through the usually serene, absolutely silent Kamar-Taj library. Several passing sorcerers shot him strange, bewildered looks. They weren't particularly annoyed by the noise—any sorcerer skilled enough to master portals and access the grand library was disciplined enough to ignore minor distractions. They were just deeply confused as to why Luke was aggressively bossing around three tiny alien robots. 

Luke noticed the stares and sighed heavily. He honestly couldn't understand how these sorcerers functioned. How did they memorize so many dead languages?! 

If he hadn't received a built-in translation module from his System upon transmigrating, he probably wouldn't even be able to speak fluent English! Yet these sorcerers were casually reading magical tomes written in millennia-old Sanskrit, Ancient Egyptian, and forgotten dialects of Latin! 

'Are all these sorcerers secretly tenured linguistic professors or something?!' 

Since Luke completely lacked the talent (and the patience) to learn ancient languages, he creatively delegated the task to his newly acquired subordinates. 

He assigned Frenzy to rapidly scan and digitally translate the ancient texts. Then, he forced Barricade and Blackout to act as glorified scribes, physically writing out the translated Chinese versions onto blank scrolls. 

Holding a stack of freshly translated Chinese spellbooks, Luke sat down and began studying. 

He had to admit, the Decepticons were incredibly intelligent. Their translations weren't just crude, robotic word-for-word conversions; they perfectly captured the nuanced, mystical context of the original texts, reading like authentic, flowing Chinese literature. 

Luke casually glanced to his side. Sitting at the table next to him, wearing an oversized, custom-tailored sorcerer's robe, was Megatron, intensely reading a massive magical tome. 

That's right. Megatron had actually become an official Kamar-Taj disciple! 

Relying entirely on his internal Spark core for energy, Megatron had successfully managed to cast several basic Eldritch spells, including a stable portal. Impressed by the alien robot's innate mystical aptitude, the Ancient One had officially accepted him as a disciple. Much to Luke's profound disappointment, this meant Megatron was no longer his personal 'action figure' hostage. 

However, since becoming an official disciple, Megatron hadn't tried to escape or cause trouble. Instead, he spent literally every waking hour buried in the library, obsessively reading everything he could get his metallic hands on. 

'Good lord. This guy is literally trying to use knowledge to change his destiny,' Luke shook his head in amusement. 

Luke opened his newly translated spellbook and began reading the magical theories and spell matrices. 

Thanks to his absolute, inherent mastery over dark energy, the moment Luke intellectually understood the fundamental theory and intended effect of a spell, he could successfully cast it. This made studying incredibly fast and easy for him. 

A normal sorcerer would need to study a single spellbook for days just to grasp the theory, and then spend weeks or months practicing to actually cast the spell. 

Luke's reading speed was basically identical to the speed at which his Decepticons could translate. However, translating complex magical concepts was difficult; even working at maximum efficiency, the three Decepticons could only finish about five or six books a day. 

Plus, Luke wasn't an absolute monster. He had to give his alien robot scribes at least a half-hour break every day. 

'Stephen Strange, you better thank me when you get here! Now you won't have to learn Sanskrit from scratch; you can just learn Chinese instead!' 

'Chinese is way easier than Sanskrit, right...?' 4

After a few hours of studying, Baron Mordo approached his table. "Luke, I have selected the final batch of high-ranking masters. They are waiting outside the library for you to finalize the energy contracts." 

Luke nodded, putting his book down and walking out. Megatron noticed him leaving and quietly followed behind him. 

Luke ignored the tiny Decepticon leader. He stood outside the library and formally signed energy contracts with the forty waiting senior masters. With this batch completed, he had officially contracted almost every single high-ranking sorcerer in Kamar-Taj. 

There were only a few notable exceptions left. For instance, Kaecilius—the master who had constantly doubted and questioned Luke since his arrival. For the record, Luke absolutely wasn't being petty or holding a grudge; Kaecilius just... happened to have terrible luck in the random lottery selection! Definitely just bad luck! 

Finished with the contracts, Luke turned to head back into the library, but Megatron stepped in front of him, blocking his path. 

Luke looked down at the one-meter-tall, dwarf-sized Megatron. "What do you want?" 

"I also wish to sign an energy contract. I require access to your dark energy," Megatron stated firmly, looking up at Luke. 

From this downward angle, Luke bizarrely thought the terrifying, genocidal warlord actually looked kind of... cute. 

"I thought your internal Spark core provided more than enough energy?" Luke asked, crossing his arms. 

Megatron shook his head. "The energy output of my core has an absolute physical limit. If I wish to delve deeper into these mystical arts, I require a vastly more powerful, external energy source." 

"And why should I sign a contract with you?" Luke asked, genuinely amused. He was incredibly curious to know how the immensely proud Decepticon leader had managed to swallow his ego enough to ask for a favor. 

"I desire to witness the true diversity of the multiverse. I desire to understand the true nature of existence. I desire to find a future for Cybertron," Megatron replied, his voice uncharacteristically soft and slightly lost. 

While reading an ancient Kamar-Taj text regarding the analysis of 'Destiny' and the cyclical nature of civilizations, Megatron had felt a sudden, profound sense of existential dread regarding Cybertron's fate. 

Despite spending millennia ruthlessly hunting Optimus Prime and slaughtering Autobots, Megatron was, at his core, a patriot. He genuinely cared about the survival of Cybertron. However, the endless civil war had utterly depleted their planet's resources. To save his race, Megatron had chosen the path of conquest, deciding to slaughter other species and harvest their planets to fuel Cybertron's survival. 

Optimus Prime, a former scientist and archivist, had chosen a radically different path. Optimus believed that through technological advancement, ethical diplomacy, and peaceful resource management, Cybertron could survive without endless war. 

These two diametrically opposed philosophies had sparked the civil war. Optimus found Megatron's methods barbaric and evil; Megatron found Optimus's methods naive and hopelessly idealistic. 

The result? They fought for millions of years, utterly devastating Cybertron and turning their home into a dead, metallic wasteland. The very war they fought to 'save' their planet had destroyed it. 

Now, having witnessed the sheer scale of the multiverse and the mind-bending reality of magic, Megatron wanted to absorb this new, infinite knowledge to find a different path to save his dying race. 

Luke stared at the tiny robot in silence for a long time. Just as Megatron assumed he was going to be rejected, Luke finally nodded. 

Luke crouched down to meet Megatron's optics. "I will sign the contract with you. But on one condition: You become my personal subordinate." 

"That is all?" Megatron asked, genuinely surprised. He had fully expected the human anomaly to demand grueling servitude, humiliating oaths, or the forfeiture of his Spark. Becoming a subordinate was essentially what he was already doing as a 'hostage.' 

"Yep. That's it," Luke confirmed. 

Luke honestly just wanted Megatron as a minion. He had planned to make Megatron his subordinate from the very beginning, so having the Decepticon willingly submit was a massive win. 

What else did Megatron really possess that Luke wanted? The Decepticon army? Luke's Shadowkhan were infinitely more efficient, strictly obedient, and didn't require massive fuel reserves. The Decepticon warships? They were massive and cumbersome; figuring out how to transport them across dimensions would be a logistical nightmare. 1

Having officially secured Megatron's allegiance, Luke looked out across the Kamar-Taj courtyard. 

Several thousand Shadow Ninjas had already begun massive demolition and excavation work, breaking ground for new foundations. 

Heh. Since the Ancient One 'ordered' me to rebuild Kamar-Taj, I'm going to do exactly that! 1

Luke had personally met with several top-tier architectural firms back in the modern world, giving them his exact specifications for the new Kamar-Taj. He had already ordered his smartphone company's logistics department to purchase hundreds of high-end gaming PCs, arcade cabinets, massive flat-screen TVs, and modern appliances. 

He even sent several squads of Shadow Ninjas to enroll in elite culinary schools back in China to master modern cooking techniques! 

He was going to build massive arcades, luxury lounges, and high-end barbecue restaurants right in the middle of the ancient monastery! He wanted to see if these ascetic, disciplined sorcerers could actually maintain their strict 'ascetic lifestyle' when surrounded by modern luxury and entertainment! 

'While they meditate and eat plain rice, I'll be sitting right next to them eating Michelin-star barbecue! And if the Ancient One wants a bite, she's going to have to pay me in ancient, priceless artifacts!' 

Luke smirked wickedly and turned back toward the library. 

However, standing in the shadows of an archway, Kaecilius watched Luke walk away. His face was pale with fury, his fingers digging deep gouges into the ancient brick wall. 

'He claims his energy reserves are limited, yet he signs a contract with a newly initiated alien machine?! And he still refuses to sign one with me?!' 

Kaecilius's anger and resentment finally boiled over. 

Luke had absolutely no idea what Kaecilius was thinking, and he didn't care. He just found the guy incredibly annoying and arrogant, so he intentionally excluded him. He wasn't the Vishanti; he wasn't obligated to indiscriminately grant power to every sorcerer who asked for it. 

Rather than waste time arguing with Kaecilius, Luke preferred to get back to studying. With Megatron officially joining the translation team, their reading speed was about to drastically increase. 

Furious, Kaecilius stormed off to the Ancient One's quarters to officially lodge a complaint against Luke's blatant favoritism. 

But to his absolute shock and dismay, the Ancient One simply dismissed his concerns, stating that Luke was an independent contractor and had the absolute right to choose who received his energy. 

This blatant dismissal fundamentally shattered Kaecilius's remaining faith in the Sorcerer Supreme. A dark, incredibly dangerous idea began to form in his mind. 

...The timeline naturally converges... 

For the next six months, Luke remained completely locked inside Kamar-Taj. 

He didn't mind. The Ancient One's advice was sound. By meticulously studying the vast library of spells, Luke's foundational understanding of magic grew exponentially. He learned countless new, refined, and highly efficient methods for manipulating his dark energy, elevating him far beyond a simple 'brute-force' brawler. 1

Finally, half a year later... 

Luke stumbled out of the grand library, looking incredibly pale and mentally exhausted. 

Nine thousand books! NINE THOUSAND BOOKS! 

He had actually finished them all! 

(Wait, didn't she say there were only six thousand? Where did the extra three thousand come from?!) 

Well, during his six months of studying, the Shadowkhan had continued casually conquering new dimensions, resulting in thousands of new magical tomes being added to the library! Fortunately, these new dimensions only yielded low-tier, basic elemental spells—nothing as complex as Kamar-Taj's reality-warping Eldritch magic. They were basically the magical equivalent of firecrackers. 

Followed by an equally exhausted-looking squad of Decepticons, Luke excitedly rushed to find the Ancient One. 

Over the past six months, Kamar-Taj had undergone a massive, complete transformation. The outdated, somewhat dilapidated stone huts and muddy courtyards were completely gone. In their place stood a sprawling, breathtakingly beautiful complex of traditional Chinese-style pavilions, elegant courtyards, and grand, multi-story manors, all seamlessly integrated with modern plumbing, electricity, and high-speed internet! 

The Sorcerer Supreme's private residence had been upgraded into a stunning, five-story pagoda. It featured a fully modernized tea room, luxury amenities, and a massive, magically climate-controlled underground vault specifically designed to safely house her priceless antiquities. 1

Perhaps influenced by the gorgeous new architecture, many of the sorcerers had even altered their standard, drab robes to incorporate traditional Chinese stylistic elements and embroidery. 

Running past a newly constructed, bustling 'food street' filled with sorcerers happily munching on modern snacks, Luke headed straight for the Ancient One's pagoda. 

It was worth noting that over the past six months, Luke had finally managed to fully excavate and assimilate every single coordinate listed in Odin's ancient grimoire. 

His total Shadow Ninja population had finally reached the critical milestone: 50,000! 

However, after reaching the 50,000 population cap, Luke only had roughly 30 million Energy Points left over—still 20 million short of the 50 million required to trigger the next [System Upgrade] and physical enhancement. 

To speed up the construction of the new Kamar-Taj, Luke had purchased enough Troll Ninjas to reach a total of 100. 

Hitting that minor milestone officially unlocked a brand new elite unit: The Nightbat Squadron! 2

Just like in the original Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon, the Nightbats were the only true, inherently flying corps within the Shadowkhan. They possessed massive, bat-like wings, granting them incredible aerial speed and agility. They could fire highly destructive, kinetic light-beams from their palms that could effortlessly pulverize solid bone and rock, and they could also manifest these beams into glowing, unbreakable energy lassos to capture targets. 

They possessed incredible speed, fantastic ranged attacks, and superb mobility, though their physical defense was relatively low compared to the Razor Claws or Trolls. 

More importantly, Luke had heavily modified their design. He granted the Nightbats biological echolocation—similar to actual bats. This allowed them to perfectly detect invisible or magically cloaked entities using sound waves! 

Remembering how Loki's illusions and the cloaked alien warships had annoyed him, Luke immediately purchased one Nightbat for 1,000 Energy Points to test it out. 

To his absolute delight, the Nightbat's echolocation could perfectly scan and detect anything within a massive 3,200-meter radius! 

Thrilled by their utility, Luke immediately purchased 100 Nightbats to act as his personal radar network. And then... he immediately ordered them to go carry bricks for the construction project. 

Surprisingly, unlocking the Nightbats didn't reveal a new silhouette in the System interface. 

Luke was slightly surprised, but he didn't really mind. His current army composition was incredibly well-rounded. He had basic infantry, elite melee assassins, heavy tank brawlers, and fast aerial ranged support. He didn't really have any glaring tactical weaknesses left. 

(Author's Note: The remaining Shadowkhan tribes from the cartoon are considered 'Advanced Tier' units and will be unlocked through specific methods later.) 

Currently, Luke's army was a terrifying, genuine military force: 

Shadow Ninjas: 50,000 

Razor Claws: 150 

Troll Ninjas: 100 

Nightbats: 100 

Passive Mining Rate: 210,400 Energy Points per minute. Personal Recovery Rate: 210,400 Energy Points per second. 

Over the past six months, Luke hadn't let a single drop of his massive energy regeneration go to waste. Whenever his internal reserves hit maximum capacity, he meticulously crafted Dark Energy Crystals. 

He didn't bother making the smaller ones anymore. He had stockpiled nearly a thousand "10-Million Point" crystals! 

However, his attempt to craft a "100-Million Point" crystal had ended in failure. He had tried to force the energy of ten smaller crystals into a single, massive shell, but the extreme density of the energy was too volatile; the runic containment shell shattered under the pressure, violently dissipating the energy. 

Unable to safely construct larger batteries, Luke settled for hoarding the 10-million point versions. With over a thousand of these crystals sitting in his inventory, Luke essentially possessed an external battery pack holding 10 BILLION Energy Points! 

With that much raw, accessible power, Luke was completely fearless. If he detonated a hundred of those crystals simultaneously, he could casually replicate a planet-shattering attack! 

'I am officially a cosmic heavyweight!' 

Walking through the beautiful courtyards, Luke smiled and waved back at the numerous sorcerers who greeted him warmly. 

These sorcerers weren't just being polite because he supplied their magical energy. They genuinely liked him because he had drastically improved their quality of life in Kamar-Taj! 

Since his Shadow Ninja population was absurdly high now, Luke had permanently assigned 10,000 ninjas to act as full-time chefs, janitors, maintenance workers, and administrative staff across Kamar-Taj. 

He essentially controlled the entire service industry of the magical monastery. While the sorcerers paid him in ancient texts and minor artifacts (which wasn't nearly as lucrative as his smartphone company), Luke was perfectly happy to accept their gratitude. 

Reaching the Ancient One's stunning new pagoda, Luke ran inside. 

"Ah. You've arrived. Have you finished reading the archives?" 

The Ancient One was sitting comfortably by a massive window, reading an ancient, crumbling biographical text. Given the sheer decay of the parchment, Luke guessed it was probably another priceless, lost historical artifact that belonged in a national museum. 

Speaking of the pagoda, Luke was still slightly annoyed. He had originally planned to build her a beautiful three-story house, but the Ancient One had explicitly demanded two additional floors solely to store her massive, ever-growing collection of historical antiques! 

"I've read every single book! The entire facility has been completely renovated and upgraded! Can I please leave Kamar-Taj now?!" Luke pleaded. 1

The Ancient One didn't even look up from her book. "Very well. Your tasks are complete. You may depart." 

She casually took a sip of her tea. Instantly, a Shadow Ninja standing nearby flawlessly refilled her cup with perfect precision. 

Luke stared in utter disbelief. 'You've gotten better at utilizing my ninjas than I am!' 

After a brief chat to confirm everything was in order, Luke eagerly drew a Sling Ring portal and practically dove through it. 

He had been locked in Kamar-Taj for six months! He had literally talked to everyone about everything. There was absolutely nothing left to do there but stare at ancient brick walls. 

Finally returning to his luxurious apartment in Los Angeles, Luke dismissed the Shadow Ninja who had been keeping the place clean and immediately logged onto his blog. 

He changed his status from [In Deep Seclusion / Studying] back to [Eating, Drinking, and Having Fun!] 

Less than thirty seconds after updating his status, his phone buzzed. Tony Stark had sent him a message. 

[Tony: You finally crawled out of whatever magical cave you've been hiding in?]