[ Name: Maverick Caesar ]
[ Class: Wizard / Sorcerer ]
[ Rank: Warlock / Demigod ]
[ Magical Energy: 66,931 ]
[ Points: 7,816 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristics: ]
[ Excellent grade: Spellcasting, Independent Expanded Dimension, Flight, Vitality, True Concealment, Cosmic Voidgate Conduit ]
[ Talents: ]
[ Magical Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Magical Sense (Master +) ]
[ Spacial Rift (Master +) ]
[ Dominant Spirit (Master +) ]
[ Nature Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Transfiguration (Advanced +) ]
[ Alchemy (Advanced +) ]
[ Potions (Intermediate +) ]
[ Eldritch Meditation (Advanced +) ]
[ Spells: ]
[ ... ]
From a glance, there were more than a few changes he could see that he didn't initially expect. The surge in magical energy came as no surprise. It had happened before also during his previous breakthroughs. This time, however, it had risen by a full sixteen thousand units at once, firmly anchoring him in the rank of warlock.
In addition, there were nearly eight thousand units he could still draw on if he wished. However, while that would grant a small boost in power, it would be an inefficient use of it in the long run.
That aside, what truly caught him off guard were the few talents that had inexplicably risen by an entire tier in proficiency after the breakthrough, like spatial rift, dominant spirit, and nature energy manipulation.
Perhaps it was due to his overall, comprehensive growth, or perhaps not. At this moment, he couldn't tell. He made a note to ask Dumbledore if he also felt more at ease using some of those abilities. Tomorrow, then.
On that note, the aforementioned abilities did have something in common, and that was that those talents were all realized immediately after each of his previous breakthroughs.
Magical energy manipulation and magical sense were what he realized from achieving the rank of magus, spatial rift and dominant spirit were upon reaching the great magi rank, and nature energy manipulation was after reaching the archmagi rank.
What didn't show any changes were the talents he had acquired on his own, like transfiguration, eldritch energy manipulation, alchemy, and potions.
Was it because they weren't innate, so they showed no change? After all, when the system first registered them, it was because he had taken the initiative to learn their basics himself.
In any case, he wasn't disappointed. His cheat was already overpowered enough to handle ninety-nine problems and then some.
But the transfiguration talent... he felt that just Advanced was a bit behind now. Of course, Advanced Proficiency was by no means low. That was the level top-tier transfiguration masters stood at, people like Professor McGonagall.
Still, he was a dignified warlock now, and he didn't want to remain a master of transfiguration in name alone. He wanted to truly live up to it and raise the proficiency to Master as well.
For instance, if Professor McGonagall's transfiguration talent represented the standard of a "mediocre genius," then one with Master Proficiency must be the standard of a true genius. And he certainly had no intention of being, "mediocre."
---
Achoo!
Elsewhere, inside her private quarters, the professor of transfiguration suddenly woke up with a sneeze.
Hmm... Did I catch a cold?
No... what am I thinking? I'm not a muggle.
Poor Professor McGonagall. She had no idea the universe was trying to tip her off about a certain cheater's pretentiously shameless thoughts.
---
And back to the cheater...
Sigh. He let out a slow breath. Raising a talent to Master Proficiency would cost five thousand points, which was more than a year's worth of system accumulation.
A year's worth of accumulation, in exchange for becoming a true "master" of transfiguration?
People like Professor McGonagall, who were decades older than him, had only reached Advanced Level Proficiency through years of hard-earned experience, and he, with a single thought, could step beyond that.
The audacity to even pause while considering, and yet...
"Tsk, tsk... Difficult..." There wasn't even an ounce of shame on his face, though to most people, it would look extremely punchable.
"It's just one year and a few months," he told himself at last, his mind made up.
With a single thought, he poured more than two thirds of his system points into transfiguration, finally raising the talent to Master Level Proficiency.
In an instant, countless memories, knowledge, and muscle memory were instilled into him, as if he was just remembering things he himself experienced over a long period of time, thereby becoming part of him.
And perhaps it was because now his mental prowess as well as his overall self was countless times stronger, there was no sense of discomfort, nor a throb in his head this time like he used to get when vast amounts of knowledge and experience like this came to him in similar cases.
The whole process was completed in just a matter of seconds with his eyes closed, and when he opened them again, he felt many things were many times clearer to him.
Still lying on his side, he turned his gaze to the table lamp nearby. Hugging the pillow, his fingers gave the slightest twitch as magic stirred within him, flowing out through an unseen medium before taking hold of the lamp.
The transformation was flawless. Its shape melted and reformed, becoming a candle set upon an exquisite golden holder, the faint warmth of the flame brushing against his face.
Actually, it wasn't anything out of this world, just a basic transfiguration even recent graduates could perform. However, when he did it just now, he didn't need to chant, nor wave his hand, or in his case, his arm. A single thought was enough, and for execution, he only had to move his finger by barely half a centimeter, and the transfiguration worked perfectly.
Before, at the Advanced level, he would have had to gesture a bit more. Now, that need was greatly minimized, as if the entire talent had received a software update, and he could navigate it with far greater ease.
In other words, he felt like he could now perform the magic of transfiguration many, many times with less effort than he used to.
It was a simple, small experiment. Still, he felt the difference, though testing the new limits would be for another time.
[ Points: 2,816 ]
Sigh. He sighed again. Watching his points take such a sharp nosedive still made his heart ache a little, so with another thought, he dismissed the transparent windows from his sight, then turned onto his other side, as if that alone might bring him some comfort.
In fact, there really wasn't an urgent need for system points at the moment... but, as the saying goes, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Anyways, the next major step toward becoming stronger was clear to him, and that was acquiring the power of the space stone. And to do that, what he needed were the Extraordinary Characteristic Points... and time. Because unlike the standard system points, those extraordinary points were only granted once a year.
Moreover, just one or two wouldn't be enough this time. He would have to save them for an entire decade, gathering ten points in total before he could make it happen.
Of course, a decade wasn't long for a mage who could live far beyond the span of normal humans, but the wait would still be exhausting, at least for his patience.
Especially when he might come across something extraordinary in the future, something worth replicating. Resisting that temptation would not be easy.
He turned once more, lying on his back this time, facing the ceiling as his eyes slowly closed.
It was now May, 1995. At the earliest, he would only be able to copy the Space Stone's power in 2005.
If this world still followed the familiar Marvel timeline he remembered, then the main events would begin around 2008.
That, of course, was nothing more than a guess, with no real evidence, magical or otherwise, to support it.
He had already witnessed events unfolding at times that didn't match the Marvel timeline he remembered. For instance, the incident with Carol Danvers had happened a full year earlier than it did in the Captain Marvel movie. So who's to say Tony's fate wouldn't arrive earlier as well, or later, or perhaps not happen at all.
Sigh. In moments like this, he truly wished he actually had the prophetic ability he had been bragging about to so many people.
But alas... he wasn't Deadpool, able to peek beyond the fourth wall, nor was he someone like Grindelwald, said to be one of the best, if not the best, seers of the current age. Though he had a few screws loose thinking he could rule the world, many of his predictions had in fact come true, and no one could deny it.
That said... should I go and have a little "chat" with that old man? Ask him to tell my fortune? If anything, it'd be nice to meet the famous character. And... apparently, he's quite different in this universe compared to how JKR wrote him. If anything, it might prove a little interesting.
He gave it some thought, then shook his head.
Forget it. Actually, there was an even better option. He could go to the bald auntie and have her take a direct look using the Time Stone.
Or... better yet, instead of going for the Space Stone first, copy the Time Stone's trait, then do it himself.
He had no doubt that woman knew he was in possession of the Space Stone, even if she had never brought it up. The real question was... would she allow him to come into contact with the Time Stone as well, even if only for a moment?
"..."
Bah... what am I thinking? I'm not some powerless boy anymore. Let the future be the future. This is my life now, and if I knew where every leaf of this vast tree called the universe would fall, wouldn't living it become boring?
Like that saying... the past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift, that's why it's called the present...
He chuckled, still with his eyes closed.
Indeed. It was better to focus on the gift at hand, scamming old Voldy for now. Next month was when everything would fall into place, and now that he and Dumbledore had both broken through to the rank of warlock, the plan would proceed even smoother.
Until then, there was just one small matter he had to take care of, and that was to go with his father to Buckingham Palace and give that old woman a heads-up.
For the old man, who also happened to be the Prime Minister of this country, and to spare him a headache, he might as well include him. After all, what he was about to do wouldn't just change the magical world, but the entire world.
Hopefully, the Queen wouldn't try to convince him otherwise. In fact, from what he knew of her, she might even welcome it. The real challenge would be convincing her that London wouldn't be leveled in the process, but he was confident he could assure her that as well, and none of her subjects would be in any danger.
He opened his eyes one last time, just slightly. The sky was still dark, with only a faint hint of light on the horizon, signaling the coming dawn.
Time for a power nap. It had been an exhilarating day. Though he felt no real fatigue, a brief rest would help clear his head.
---
May, 1995
[ Name: Maverick Caesar ]
[ Class: Wizard / Sorcerer ]
[ Rank: Warlock / Demigod ]
[ Magical Energy: 66,931 ]
[ Points: 2,816 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristics: ]
[ Excellent grade: Spellcasting, Independent Expanded Dimension, Flight, Vitality, True Concealment, Cosmic Voidgate Conduit ]
[ Talents: ]
[ Magical Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Magical Sense (Master +) ]
[ Spacial Rift (Master +) ]
[ Dominant Spirit (Master +) ]
[ Nature Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Transfiguration (Master +) ]
[ Alchemy (Advanced +) ]
[ Potions (Intermediate +) ]
[ Eldritch Meditation (Advanced +) ]
[ Spells: ]
[ ... ]
____________
Author's Note:
This arc ended up longer than I initially planned, but for the sake of worldbuilding, it couldn't be helped.
Up next is the final arc of this academic year. It'll be exciting, fun, with a bit of mystery and some challenges for the MC's character growth.
Thank you all for your patience and for sticking with me. You're all amazing. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Have a wonderful day.
If you're enjoying the story and wish to support me, you can visit my P@tr3on, where you can read 25+ extra chapters ahead!
You can find this story on Webnovel, Fanfiction, and ScribbleHub, all under the same author name: RyanFic. Updates drop first on Webnovel!
PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic
Thank you so much for your support. It means the world! 💙😊