In the training arena, Mordo stood confidently, waiting for Finney to equip his Evil Ghost Armor. He hadn't noticed the subtle changes in the armor.
To be fair, the differences weren't immediately obvious. The once bright silver of the armor had dimmed slightly, with streaks of icy blue, like frosted crystals, occasionally flickering across its surface. The changes were subtle, hard to spot unless you were paying close attention.
"Ready?" Mordo asked, already planning how to make Finney lose gracefully.
"Let's do this."
Feeling the power coursing through his armor, Finney gave a short nod in response.
The moment Mordo declared the start of the match, Finney's figure shimmered, becoming transparent as if he'd merged with the air itself, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Mordo, who had been preparing to launch an attack, froze for a moment. Invisibility was not unheard of in the magical systems of Kamar-Taj, but it was rare, and countering it wasn't straightforward. Still, his rich battle experience quickly kicked in. He immediately switched from offense to defense, sharpening his senses to pick up any sound or disturbance around him.
Watching this, Finney couldn't help but silently commend Mordo's reaction.
He had only just unlocked his invisibility ability, and it was still unfamiliar to him. If someone paid close attention, they could still detect faint traces of his presence. Moreover, maintaining invisibility drained a lot of energy, so it wasn't something he could use for long.
"Looks like I won't be able to finish this in one strike after all."
Slightly disappointed that he couldn't land a single, decisive blow, Finney wasn't too bothered. He crept forward cautiously, making full use of his invisibility.
At the same time, Mordo's senses were on high alert. He wasn't someone who could afford to lose face easily—especially after boasting earlier. If he got taken down in one hit and the incident became a running joke, it would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"There!"
Focused and attentive, Mordo's experience paid off. He sensed Finney's approximate location and conjured a long, energy-infused whip, sweeping it across a wide area to increase his attack range.
Finney had no choice but to leap into the air to avoid the blow. As he landed, Mordo quickly honed in on his new position, his next strike following swiftly.
After several exchanges, Finney ultimately couldn't defeat Mordo. The heavy energy consumption from staying invisible left him with a momentary lapse, and he lost by a narrow margin.
Despite the defeat, Finney was pleased. Had he managed his energy a bit better, the outcome could have been different. This match had shown him just how much he had improved.
Most importantly, his experience bar was now full, which meant it was time for his fourth skill!
Mordo, on the other hand, let out a subtle sigh of relief. His pride remained intact. Still, Finney's progress didn't go unnoticed, and while Mordo was happy for him, there was a touch of concern too.
In just a year of training, Finney was already close to beating him in sparring matches. Even if it wasn't through conventional spellwork, Finney's combat power was nearly on par with his own.
"I might not have his armor, but I can't let him surpass me in spellcasting."
Not knowing the full story, Mordo felt that he hadn't been favored like Finney and silently vowed to work harder. He couldn't let Finney outpace him in magical mastery.
"Here you go."
After the match, Finney deactivated Evil Ghost Armor and approached the still-pondering Mordo. He casually summoned two Golden Fried Chicken Rolls, handing one to Mordo as he asked, "By the way, I haven't seen the Master around recently. Where is she?"
Mordo snapped out of his thoughts as he accepted the food. "Master Ancient One is off investigating the whereabouts of a magical artifact."
The mention of magical artifacts reminded Finney of the cloak in the second-floor display at the New York Sanctum.
The Ancient One had once mentioned that the cloak was rather picky, but why hadn't it taken any interest in him? He was definitely better-looking than Doctor Strange, right?
With the Ancient One away, Finney decided to drop the idea of asking for her help—especially since he didn't have a solid excuse to ask in the first place.
After treating Mordo to a feast of chicken rolls, Finney opened a portal and returned home. Like before, he cleaned up, took a bath, washed his hands thoroughly, and then sat cross-legged on his bed, whispering a quiet prayer.
"Please, let it be a good skill!"
When he'd drawn his third skill, Finney had tried to cheat the system by using Golden Amplification Technique to influence the outcome. He'd wanted to command the next skill to be something powerful, but it hadn't worked.
However, after a year of training and a deeper understanding of magical energy, his Golden Amplification Technique had grown considerably. He realized that while it couldn't directly affect the system, he might still be able to influence his own luck.
Like this.
"For the next three seconds, my luck will increase significantly."
Luck was an abstract concept, both good and bad. Achieving something so vague was incredibly difficult, especially since Finney needed the spell to remain purely conceptual.
If he tried to materialize it, like finding money on the street, winning the lottery, or having a beautiful woman approach him, that would be easy. But commanding, "Let my next skill draw be a powerful one" wasn't possible due to the system's limitations.
So, the intention had to remain as simple as "increase my luck" without involving specific events.
Luckily, after a year of deepening his understanding of magical energy, Finney could now channel his power to guide Golden Amplification Technique this way.
As he spoke the command, he channeled mystical energy into the Golden Amplification Technique.
Instantly, a strange, indescribable sensation washed over him. Not wasting a second, he entered the system, made the draw, and within the next second, waited for the result.
Exhaustion hit him like a wave, but Finney's heart raced with excitement. The amount of energy the spell had consumed was enough to leave him as tired as a full day of casting portals, but it was all worth it when he saw what skill he had drawn.
His fourth skill came from a world he was very familiar with.
"Flight Technique"
"Origin: Dragon Ball"
"Description: A martial art technique from the Crane School"
Dragon Ball! A series where, in the later stages, characters destroyed entire universes with ease. While it was a bit disappointing not to have drawn something like Ultra Instinct, the Flight Technique was still a fantastic skill to have.
After all, the human desire to fly is powerful, and Finney was no exception.
Besides, the Flight Technique might seem like just another martial art from the Crane School, but it was a fundamental ability for any strong fighter in Dragon Ball, just like energy blasts. Without it, you were essentially a weakling with a power level of five.
Looking at the newly acquired Flight Technique in the system, Finney couldn't help but smile. He had been fretting about his limited air combat capabilities, but now that problem was solved.
Though exhausted from using the Golden Amplification Technique, Finney couldn't resist testing his new ability immediately. The Flight Technique wasn't a dangerous skill, so even though he was worn out, he couldn't wait to try it out.
Without even leaving his room, Finney activated the skill.
Slowly, his body began to lift off the ground, hovering effortlessly. He found that no matter what movements he made, his balance wasn't affected.
The sensation was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, and what surprised him most was how little energy the technique required.
In Dragon Ball, the Flight Technique was based on controlling one's internal energy, or ki, to defy gravity and fly freely. While Finney didn't practice ki, the system seemed to have adapted the technique, allowing him to tap into the ambient energy around him—energy he could manipulate without any significant cost.
This meant that as long as he wasn't in a place completely devoid of energy, he could fly freely with minimal effort.
The only downside was that he couldn't harness the same energy to unleash powerful attacks like Goku's Kamehameha. But flying was good enough for now.