Waking up, Finney blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. The faint smell of antiseptic in the air quickly reminded him that he was in a hospital. Turning his head, he immediately saw Skye, asleep by his bedside.
"Skye!"
Finney gently shook her shoulder, and she woke up instantly, not having been in a deep sleep. The moment she saw him awake, relief washed over her face.
"What happened to you?"
But within seconds, Skye's expression shifted. Her brows furrowed in a mix of anger and concern as she stood up and demanded, "The doctor said you collapsed from exhaustion, that you even overstrained yourself to the point of harming your health! What have you been doing lately?"
Finney had been acting strangely for the past week due to his intense training, often disappearing without explanation. Skye, busy managing Stark's stocks, hadn't paid much attention at first, but now she was alarmed by the consequences.
"I was undergoing some intense training… I might have pushed myself a little too hard."
Finney gave a dry cough, omitting the fact that he had been deliberately pushing himself to the extreme.
"Training?!" Skye paused in surprise before her expression darkened further. "Finney, this isn't a joke! No amount of training should push you to the brink of harming yourself. If you keep this up, I'm going to find Master Ancient One and have her talk some sense into you!"
Having spent time at Kamar-Taj, Skye had gotten to know the Ancient One, and invoking her name certainly carried weight in her threat.
"It's over now, I promise. I won't do it again."
Finney raised his hands in surrender, assuring her. He knew he had succeeded in breaking through before he lost consciousness. He had finally unlocked the stealth ability of Evil Ghost Armor, achieving the goal of his grueling training.
And that wasn't the only surprise. In that near-death moment, not only had his physical limits been pushed, but his willpower had also undergone a breakthrough. In fact, it was probably his mental breakthrough that had driven his physical one.
The result was a minor evolution of Evil Ghost Armor. While the changes weren't drastic, they were exactly what Finney needed at the moment.
Cold resistance.
Having pushed himself to the edge of death in the snowy mountains, Evil Ghost Armor had adapted, gaining resistance to cold. If Finney were to return to Mount Everest now, the howling winds and biting snow wouldn't feel warm, but at least they wouldn't be unbearably freezing anymore.
The only regret was that despite unlocking these two new abilities, he still hadn't accumulated enough experience for his fourth skill draw. He was so close—perhaps just one more battle would do it.
After checking himself and making sure the Sling Ring was still securely on his hand, Finney signed the discharge papers. He hadn't been unconscious for long—maybe five or six hours.
As they stepped out of the hospital and into the bright, warm sunlight, Finney stretched luxuriously. For the first time, he truly appreciated the joy of being alive. Having come so close to death, he now fully understood the happiness of simply living.
"Are you sure you don't want the doctors to check you over again?"
Skye still looked worried. During the discharge process, the doctors had suggested that he stay for further observation, but Finney had firmly refused.
"Really, I'm fine. I was just a little overtired. Nothing serious." Finney tried to reassure her again, helplessly.
"Alright…"
Seeing that Finney really didn't seem sick, Skye finally relented. She knew about his special circumstances. If it weren't absolutely necessary, they wouldn't have even come to a hospital, worried that the tests might reveal something they didn't want exposed.
Back at home, Finney reflected on his breakthrough. He had planned to push himself, but what he had done in the end was reckless.
The feeling of slowly inching towards death still haunted him. While this time he had managed to succeed, he realized that it wouldn't always end in victory.
He understood now that to grow stronger, he needed to proceed steadily. Risky breakthroughs like this one should be rare, not his regular approach.
Looking at the experience bar, which was just a sliver away from being full, Finney was filled with anticipation. His fourth skill was almost within reach.
Considering the usefulness of the previous three skills, including the Golden Fried Chicken Roll, he couldn't help but wonder excitedly what the next one would be.
Unfortunately, his body still hadn't fully recovered from the side effects of the breakthrough. He needed a bit more rest before he could go out and finish gaining that last bit of experience. Luckily, Mordo was still around at Kamar-Taj, and Finney decided to turn to his old training partner to get that final push.
Somewhere in Kamar-Taj, Mordo suddenly sneezed!
"Still, should I ask the Ancient One to help me test something…?"
There was another matter that had been on Finney's mind. He wondered if, by using the Eye of Agamotto to peer into the future before his next skill draw, he could influence what skill he would get.
The future was constantly changing. Maybe the skill he'd pull each second would be different.
But two things made him hesitate. First, he wasn't sure if such a method would even work on the system. Second, how would he explain his request to the Ancient One?
The system was Finney's greatest secret, aside from his reincarnation, and he didn't want anyone to know about it.
Plus, manipulating time was no small matter. Even the Ancient One merely glimpsed the future without interfering. She never spoiled anything.
The biggest problem, though, was that Finney had no way to justify asking for her help.
He couldn't exactly go up to her and say, "Master, I'm about to awaken a new ability. Could you use the Eye of Agamotto to check what it is and see if it's any good? If not, I'll hold off on awakening it for a while."
He was sure that if he said that, the Ancient One wouldn't even bother responding.
As for secretly stealing the Eye of Agamotto… well, that was just asking for trouble.
Only the Ancient One could wield the Eye, and the spell to glimpse the future was a tightly guarded secret.
So yeah, Doctor Strange's magical talent…
Finney couldn't think about it too much. Just the thought made his heart ache.
Ruffling his hair in frustration, Finney gave up on the idea. He would have to rely on luck. Besides, there was no guarantee the plan would even work.
After getting some much-needed rest, Finney returned to Kamar-Taj and found Mordo. A wide grin spread across his face as he approached.
"Come on, Mordo! Let's spar. I'll make as many Golden Fried Chicken Rolls as you want, but if you don't agree, I'm keeping them to myself!"
Right from the start, Finney wielded his reputation as the "Kamar-Taj Food Provider," and the temptation of food was enough to make Mordo reconsider his initial refusal.
"Fine, let's go."
In the end, Mordo gritted his teeth and gave in to the allure of the chicken rolls, following Finney to the training grounds.
"I might not be around as much soon; I've got some things to take care of."
As they walked, Finney casually chatted with Mordo. He was probably the freest of all the Kamar-Taj sorcerers. The Ancient One had never assigned him any tasks, nor did she enforce strict training schedules. He came and went as he pleased.
So, as they say, "There's no such thing as a bad nickname." Finney truly earned the title of "The Ancient One's Favorite Disciple."
"Is it school stuff?"
Mordo asked nonchalantly. Most of the sorcerers at Kamar-Taj knew that Finney was attending school in New York.
Finney smiled but didn't answer, changing the topic instead. "Oh, by the way, I should warn you—I just mastered a powerful new move. Don't be too surprised if you lose in one hit."
"Hmph! I know seventeen different spells that can beat you!" Mordo shot back with a smug expression, silently strategizing how to best defeat Finney in their upcoming match.
Seventeen ways to make you lose… and you think you can take me down in one move!?
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