Chapter 424 Special Operations Division

Chapter 424: Chapter 424 Special Operations Division

The Sorcerer Supreme died from an accidental fall.

It was as absurd as an e-sports World champion going to an international competition, only to be directly ruled as a forfeit and eliminated because they forgot to bring their keyboard and mouse when leaving the house.

"Do you think the previous Sorcerer Supreme died too shamefully?"

Darian saw through Strange’s thoughts at a glance and explained with a serious expression: "Then you are completely wrong. The former Sorcerer Supreme had divine skills protecting her body, making her invulnerable to blades and spears. A mere concrete ground couldn’t possibly kill her."

"Yet on that day, her appendix suddenly inflamed and hurt terribly, causing her faith to loosen. Her protective divine skill instantly dissipated, and that’s why she fell from a high place and was smashed to death. So you must not misunderstand."

Strange: "..."

After such an explanation by Darian, not only did it fail to redeem the image of the former Sorcerer Supreme, but it instead made her death method look even more pathetic.

Despite this, Strange still did not refuse to take Ancient One as his master.

There was no other reason.

Mainly because he felt that Ancient One looked quite friendly and even nodded and smiled at him, looking very much like a good teacher.

The problem was that it was a black-and-white photo.

This was a bit terrifying!

Strange looked at the funerary portrait placed on the table, swallowed his saliva, and asked Darian: "Sorcerer Supreme, are you sure the former Sorcerer Supreme has really passed away??"

Darian nodded vigorously, with a resolute tone: "Of course, on the day her remains were cremated, she personally presided over the ceremony."

Strange: "???"

Eventually, under the kind gaze of Ancient One’s funerary portrait, Strange held iced Coke as a substitute for tea and respectfully kowtowed to complete the master-student ceremony, officially joining Kamar-Taj.

Darian patted Strange on the shoulder with a serious expression: "From now on, you are an apprentice of Kamar-Taj. There are some things you should also know—about the truth of this World, and what kind of responsibilities Kamar-Taj ultimately bears."

Next, Darian explained everything that needed to be explained.

The threat of the Dimensional Demon God, the duties of Kamar-Taj, and the setting of loan magic.

There was no need to hide these matters; as long as one stayed in Kamar-Taj, they would find out sooner or later.

"Therefore, magic always has a price. The more powerful the magic, the greater the price."

After listening, the enthusiasm on Strange’s face instantly faded a bit.

Darian nodded: "Yes. Even so, are you still willing to learn magic?"

"I am willing."

Strange almost didn’t hesitate.

He was not a fool; although the price of magic was huge, whether to use it was one thing, and whether to know how to use it was another.

Besides, if he were to give up such an opportunity to step into another World just like that, he would definitely regret it for the rest of his life.

Strange asked with an expectant look: "So can I officially start learning magic now?"

Darian shook his head: "Not yet. Your foundation is too shallow. If you want to learn magic, you must build a solid foundation first."

"You mean I have to start learning from the most basic theoretical knowledge?"

Upon hearing this, the corners of Strange’s mouth lifted slightly, revealing a confident smile.

He was extremely good at this.

Being able to become a nationally renowned neurosurgeon in the U.S., he was already an academic god-level existence; devouring books was as simple as breathing to him.

Who would have thought that Darian would shake his head again: "No, I mean your physical fitness is too poor. As a mage, how can you not have a powerful physique?"

"Starting today, you will undergo special physical training. The training content includes, but is not limited to, combat techniques, one-handed swords, whirlwind slashes, and other basic combat skills essential for a mage."

Strange: "???"

Are you sure this is a mage and not a warrior?

Before he could voice his skeptical words, Darian suddenly waved his hand, and a figure walked out from the shadows in the corner.

"Let me introduce you. This is Master Mordo. He is the apprentice of the former Sorcerer Supreme and also your Master Brother. From now on, he will be responsible for teaching you."

Seeing Mordo pop out suddenly, Strange was shocked: "What a magical magic! To actually be able to hide in the darkness all along, I didn’t notice a person standing there at all!"

Mordo: "..."

magic my ass, he was just standing there.

Originally, he still had some sympathy for Strange, but now he just wanted to punch him right in the face.

Darian turned his head and instructed Mordo: "First take him around Kamar-Taj to get familiar with the environment, and by the way, collect the newbie gift pack."

Mordo nodded, then looked at Strange, trying to squeeze out an amiable smile.

"Follow me."

"Okay, sorry to trouble you."

Realizing he might have said the wrong thing, Strange obediently followed behind Mordo out of the room and walked forward along the corridor.

Hearing that Mordo was his fellow apprentice brother, Strange wanted to build a good relationship with him.

He took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "Um, Master Mordo, may I ask what the newbie gift pack you mentioned is?"

Mordo explained while walking: "This is a benefit specially prepared by Master Darian for newly joined mages, limited to one copy per person: an enchanted apprentice mage robe, plus a precious magical artifact, which can greatly increase a mage’s strength."

Magical artifact.

As soon as this word came out, Strange’s mind immediately conjured images from movies where mages held magic wands, chanted incantations, pointed casually, and could release magic.

Thinking of this, his heart was suddenly filled with anticipation.

Mordo led Strange around a corner, and when passing through an open area, a dull sound of impact came from ahead.

Strange looked over following the sound, and then froze entirely.

In the open space not far away, two people wearing mage robes were passionately sparring.

Their hands traced profound golden runes in front of them, and amidst flowing light, they condensed a large saber and a giant axe.

Immediately after, the muscles all over the two people’s bodies suddenly bulged, stretching their loose mage robes into tight garments, and blue veins popped out one by one on their necks and arms.

They waved their weapons and hacked crazily at each other, their facial expressions fierce and maniacal, every collision vibrating the air with a buzzing sound.

Strange watched dumbfounded: "They... they are also mages?"

Mordo looked unphased and explained casually: "Those two are magic apprentices just like you, having joined Kamar-Taj for some time now, currently still in the stage of tempering their physical bodies."

"Casting spells puts a huge burden on the body, so spellcasters must possess a sufficiently tough physique. On one hand, it is to withstand the backlash brought by magic, and on the other hand, it is to choose close combat as much as possible to avoid excessive spellcasting."

"So that’s how it is."

Strange reluctantly accepted this explanation, then asked cautiously: "It can’t be that all mages share this combat style, right?"

Mordo shook his head: "Of course not. Close-quarters hand-to-hand combat is already a thing of the past. Now only a few mages who do so out of personal hobby specialize in close combat; most mages lean towards ranged output."

"That’s good."

Strange breathed a sigh of relief.

If a group of mages were all carrying machetes and rushing up to brawl hand-to-hand, that scene would be simply too wild, completely unimaginable.

"Then how do other mages usually train?"

Strange’s curiosity flared up again.

Having just encountered magic, he was full of novelty towards everything and couldn’t wait to see everything.

Mordo raised his hand and pointed forward: "That’s over there. They’re training right now, you can observe for a bit."

Strange followed Mordo over, and before getting close, he heard a familiar sound coming from the open field ahead.

"Da da da da da da da——!"

That sound was extremely dense, echoing wildly above the spacious venue.

Strange’s steps paused, and he was dumbfounded on the spot.

Ahead was a large, flat training ground where a dozen or so mages in mage robes were lined up in a row, feet apart, bodies leaning slightly forward, hands held horizontally.

Each of them had a focused expression, eyes locked firmly on the targets ahead, holding their breath and concentrating, and then...

Pulled the triggers of the assault rifles in their hands.

Fire tongues spat, and bullet casings flew.

The distant targets were beaten into flying wood chips, and the electronic screens above the target positions refreshed everyone’s shooting scores in real time.

(°—°)

Strange opened his mouth blankly.

Mordo introduced from the side: "That’s the shooting range, a place for mages to practice marksmanship."

Of course I know it’s a shooting range.

But the problem is, why does a cultivation place for a group of mages have something like a shooting range!

Just moments ago, Strange was still outlining the scene of mages training in his mind.

A group of mages drawing magic circles, chanting incantations, wielding wands to condense magic, with special effects filling the screen.

However, the reality was a group of mages holding assault rifles shooting at targets, and their shooting movements were even more standard than SWAT officers.

Is this a mage sanctuary or a mercenary training camp!?

Strange’s eyelids twitched wildly as he turned to look at Mordo: "Master Mordo, is this what you call ranged output?"

Mordo nodded, saying with a matter-of-fact expression: "Yeah, is there a problem?"

This fucking is all problems, okay!

Strange only felt it was incomparably absurd: "Don’t mages use magic? How can they still use firearms?"

"Strange, you still view things too narrowly."

Mordo shook his head and sighed, saying in a deep voice: "As the saying goes, all methods return to one and all paths share the same source. Marksmanship is also magic, and trajectories are also the Dao. In fact, firearms are essentially no different from magic."

Strange: "..."

I suspect you’re fooling me, but I have no evidence.

Not long after, the two came before an ancient temple.

Strange followed Mordo inside, looked around, and found that there wasn’t a single figure inside.

He asked doubtfully: "Master Mordo, is the newbie gift pack collected here?"

"Not yet."

Mordo walked towards one of the stone statues, reached out to grab one of its front paws, and pulled it down hard.

Rumbly rumble——!

The ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled, and a low mechanical sound came from underground.

Before Strange could react, a sense of weightlessness surged over him. The platform beneath his feet was descending at a constant speed, seemingly leading to some deep underground.

The platform sank for about a dozen seconds, and before his eyes suddenly brightened.

Strange instinctively squinted his eyes, and after adapting to the light, he froze entirely once again.

Underground actually hid a huge space decorated in a modern minimalist style, with bright lights everywhere, completely different in style from those antique temple buildings on the surface.

And within the space, there were mages wearing mage robes everywhere, coming and going, bustling like a marketplace.

"Crusade against Black Mage mission, difficulty level: Hard. Currently three-short-of-four, Assault and Sniper roles prioritized!"

"Clear monsters mission, difficulty level: Easy. Looking for a Support role, experienced preferred."

"Block Dimensional Demon God invasion, difficulty level: Extremely Hard. Grand Master Kaecilius leads the team personally, no novices."

"Second-hand MP7 submachine gun, attached with ’Penetration’ and ’Flame Explosion’ magic, slightly damaged quality, fifty points each, first come, first served!"

Strange stood in place, the expression on his face changing from shock to bewilderment, and from bewilderment to blankness.

Who am I?

What kind of place is this?

Mordo explained: "This is the Secret Service, possessing multiple departments with the core being the Mission Department. You can accept missions of various difficulties in the Mission Department, and as long as you complete the missions, you can obtain corresponding points."

"Points can be exchanged for various things in the Trading Department. Of course, you can also freely trade with other mages using points."

Strange froze for two seconds, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly: "So it’s the Secret Service! I thought it was what, hahahaha!"

Mordo: "..."

Could this guy have gone crazy?

And he claimed to be an elite Doctor from the city; is his psychological endurance really just this little?

Strange laughed for a good while before stopping, the expression on his face returning to calm, even carrying a hint of a relieved smile.

"Mages, right? Fighting monsters, right? Doing missions, right? Changing gear, right? I can totally accept this!"

"Uh, as long as you can accept it."

Feeling that Strange’s mental state was somewhat unstable and not wanting to stimulate him further, Mordo changed the subject: "You can take a look at the things in the Trading Department first; there might be something you are interested in."

He led Strange to an electronic screen.

The camera on the screen automatically captured Mordo’s face. A soft blue light swept across, followed immediately by a mechanically synthesized prompt tone.

"Respected L5 Grand Master Mordo, welcome back."

Watching this scene, the expression on Strange’s face did not change.

Having experienced a series of shocks, this little thing was no longer enough to affect his emotions.

Mordo skillfully swiped on the screen, tapped his fingertips a few times, and brought up a mall interface.

Various commodities were densely arranged on the interface, with each column equipped with a thumbnail and name, and the corresponding point price marked below, looking no different from ordinary online shopping pages.

Strange glanced casually a few times, and his gaze was immediately attracted by a commodity pinned at the very top.

[Item: life potion]

[Effect: Treats a certain degree of life damage. As long as the injured person still has a breath left, they can recover, maintaining vital signs. It cannot recover special injuries like fractures and severed limbs, and cannot remove negative buffs such as curses.]

[Exchange Points: 500]

Strange’s breathing instantly stagnated.

As a former top surgeon, he knew better than anyone how powerful this life potion was.

Calling it a divine medicine was no exaggeration!

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