Out in the training field, Mordo stood confidently, waiting for Finney to equip Haunted by Demons. He hadn't noticed the subtle changes in the armor. In fact, if you didn't look closely, it was hard to tell. The once bright silver armor now had a slightly darker tone, with faint, icy cyan crystal-like patterns appearing and vanishing across its surface—subtle enough to escape casual notice.
"Are you ready?" Mordo asked, having already thought of a strategy to beat Finney.
"Come on!" Finney replied, feeling the power of the armor surge through him.
As soon as Mordo signaled the start, Finney's body shimmered and vanished—becoming completely transparent, like melting into the air. He disappeared in an instant.
Mordo, who had been ready to go on the offensive, froze for a moment. A stealth spell like this wasn't unheard of in Kamar-Taj's magical system, but it was rare and difficult to counter immediately.
Luckily, Mordo's rich combat experience kicked in. He quickly shifted from offense to defense, standing alert and listening for the faintest movement around him.
Seeing this, Finney couldn't help but mentally praise him. Mordo handled that perfectly.
Finney had just acquired this stealth ability, and he wasn't very skilled at using it yet. A sharp observer could still detect small clues, and the technique drained his stamina rapidly—it couldn't be sustained for long.
"Looks like it's not going to be a one-hit KO."
Finney felt a little disappointed that he couldn't end the match instantly. But he didn't dwell on it. Stealthily and carefully, he continued to approach.
Mordo, meanwhile, was highly tense. As someone who valued his pride, he'd just talked big before the fight. If he lost in one blow—and it became a running joke around Kamar-Taj—it would haunt him forever.
"Here!"
Suddenly, Mordo reacted. His combat instincts paid off—he sensed Finney's general location. Without hesitation, the magic in his hands transformed into an energy whip, sweeping wide with an extended attack range.
Finney was forced to leap away. As soon as he landed, Mordo locked on to his position again and launched another attack.
After a long series of exchanges, Finney still failed to defeat Mordo. Once his stealth drained his stamina, he made a small mistake—and that was enough. Mordo took advantage of the opening and won.
Even in defeat, Finney was thrilled. If it weren't for the high energy cost of stealth, the outcome might've been different. This proved his progress was real—and significant.
Most exciting of all: his experience bar was full.
It was finally time to draw his fourth skill!
As for Mordo, he was secretly relieved. He'd managed to save face. But he couldn't ignore Finney's growth either—he felt both reassured and a little uneasy.
Finney had only been training in Kamar-Taj for a year, and yet he had come dangerously close to beating him in a fair duel. Even though Finney didn't use complex spells, his raw combat ability was catching up.
"Even if I don't have armor, I can't lose when it comes to spell cultivation."
Unaware of the truth behind Finney's abilities, Mordo assumed he wasn't favored by the Ancient One and resolved to train even harder. He silently vowed not to let Finney surpass him in spellcraft.
"Here."
As the duel ended and Haunted by Demons was dismissed, Finney walked up to the brooding Mordo, casually summoned two Sumire Fried Chicken Nugget Rolls, handed one over, and asked, "Haven't seen the teacher around lately?"
Taking the chicken nugget roll, Mordo snapped out of his thoughts. At Finney's question, he replied, "The Ancient One's likely gone to investigate the whereabouts of a magical artifact."
The mention of magical equipment made Finney think of the cloak on the second floor of the New York Sanctum. He clearly remembered the Ancient One saying it was special—but it completely ignored him! He was way more handsome than Doctor Strange, after all!
With the Ancient One away, Finney abandoned the idea of asking her for help. Besides, he didn't really have a reasonable excuse.
After treating Mordo to a full meal of fried chicken nuggets, Finney opened a portal and returned home. He bathed, washed his hands thoroughly—just like last time—and sat on the bed to pray:
"Please let it be a good skill!"
During his last draw, Finney had tried to cheat using the power of the Golden Great Evolution Technique, hoping to influence what type of skill he'd get. But it didn't work.
After a year of cultivation and a better understanding of mage power, the Golden Great Evolution Technique had progressed significantly. He was starting to grasp that while it couldn't directly affect the system's skill extraction, it might influence himself—and that could be the key.
"In the next three seconds, my luck will be greatly improved."
Luck was an abstract concept—hard to define or manifest. Good luck could mean many things: finding money, winning the lottery, meeting beautiful women. Those were easy to imagine.
But "getting lucky enough to draw a powerful skill" through the system? That wasn't something he could control directly. So instead, his concept had to remain purely abstract—just the idea of "great luck," without attaching it to any specific event.
Fortunately, after a year of training, Finney now had enough understanding of magecraft to attempt it. This would be the first time he used his mastery to guide the Golden Great Evolution Technique consciously.
As he recited the command, he channeled mage energy into the technique.
Instantly, a strange and wonderful feeling swept over his body. There was no time to dwell on it—he was pulled into the system, and the skill was drawn in the next moment. A second later, the result appeared.
Exhaustion hit him like a wave, but Finney was thrilled. The mental strain of using that command was heavier than a full day of portal training—but the skill he drew made it all worth it.
The fourth skill came from an anime world he knew very well.
"Sky Dance"
Origin: Dragon Ball
Description: One of the martial arts of the Crane School.
Dragon Ball was an anime where characters casually destroyed entire universes by the end. Sure, he didn't get a god-tier technique like Ultra Instinct, but Sky Dance was still something to celebrate.
Humans had always dreamed of flying—and Finney was no exception.
The Sky Dance Technique might be a basic skill in the Dragon Ball universe, but it was essential. Just like the Kamehameha, nearly every strong fighter had it. Anyone without it was basically a background extra with a power level of five.
Staring at the skill in his system, Finney couldn't stop smiling. He'd always worried about aerial combat, but now he'd finally overcome that shortcoming.
Excited to try it out, he didn't even bother leaving the house. Since the technique wasn't dangerous, he decided to test it immediately, despite his fatigue.
In his bedroom, Finney activated the skill. His body slowly began to rise into the air. No matter how he moved, he remained airborne—smooth and effortless.
The sensation was entirely new—and surprisingly easy to control. The Sky Dance Technique was far more efficient than he'd expected. It consumed almost no energy.
In Dragon Ball, the technique worked by using ki—a special energy. The Crane School's version allowed practitioners to manipulate ki to break free from gravity and move freely through the air.
Finney hadn't trained in ki, but thanks to the system, his skill didn't need it. Maybe it tapped into ambient energy around him—whatever the case, it didn't drain him at all.
This meant as long as he wasn't in a place completely devoid of energy, he could fly freely.
The only downside?
He could use this power only for flight. It didn't unlock the rest of the Crane School's abilities—or let him copy Goku's Kamehameha.
Still, floating quietly in his bedroom, Finney grinned wide.
Flying was now second nature.