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Chapter 424 Special Operations Department

The Venerable Master died from a fall.

It's as absurd as an esports world champion going to an international competition, only to be disqualified and eliminated because they forgot their keyboard and mouse.

"Don't you think the previous Sorcerer Supreme died a shameful death?"

Du Mu saw through Strange's thoughts at a glance and explained seriously, "Then you are very wrong. The former Sorcerer Supreme had divine protection and was invulnerable to swords and spears. A mere concrete floor could not kill her at all."

"But on that particular day, her appendix suddenly became inflamed and was in excruciating pain. Her resolve wavered, and her protective divine power instantly dissipated, causing her to fall from a height and die. So please don't misunderstand."

Strange: "

'

Du Mu's explanation not only failed to salvage the image of the former Supreme Mage, but also made her death seem even more pathetic.

Nevertheless, Strange did not refuse to become the Ancient One's apprentice.

There's no other reason.

Mainly, he felt that the Ancient One seemed quite friendly, and even nodded and smiled at him, so he looked like a good teacher.

The problem is, it was a black and white photograph.

This is a bit scary!

Strand gazed at the portrait on the table, swallowed hard, and asked Du Mu, "Supreme Sorcerer, are you sure the former Supreme Sorcerer is truly gone?"

Du Mu nodded vigorously, his tone resolute: "Of course, she personally presided over the ceremony on the day of her cremation."

Strange: "???"

Finally, under the benevolent gaze of the Ancient One's portrait, Strange, holding an iced cola instead of tea, respectfully kowtowed and performed the apprenticeship ceremony, thus officially joining Kamar-Taj.

Du Mu patted Strange on the shoulder, his expression serious: "From now on, you are Kamar-Taj's apprentice. There are some things you should know about this world, the truth about it, and what kind of responsibility Kamar-Taj bears."

Next, Du Mu explained everything that needed to be explained.

The threat of dimensional demons, the duties of Kamar-Taj, and the concept of loan magic.

There's no need to hide these things; as long as you stay in Kamar-Taj, you'll find out sooner or later.

"Therefore, all magic comes at a price, and the more powerful the magic, the greater the price."

Upon hearing this, Strange's enthusiasm instantly faded somewhat.

Du Mu nodded: "Yes, so would you still be willing to learn magic?"

"willing."

Strange hesitated almost without hesitation.

He's not stupid. Although magic comes at a high price, whether or not to use it is one thing, but whether or not it works is another.

Moreover, if he were to give up this opportunity to step into another world, he would definitely regret it for the rest of his life.

Strange looked on expectantly: "So, can I officially start learning magic now?"

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

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

Upon hearing this, Strange's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

He's really good at this.

To become a nationally renowned neurosurgeon, he was an academic genius; for him, studying was as easy as breathing.

To everyone's surprise, Du Mu shook his head again: "No, I mean your physical condition is too poor. As a mage, how can you not have a strong physique?"

"Starting today, you will undergo special physical training, including but not limited to basic combat skills that are essential for mages, such as hand-to-hand combat, one-handed swordsmanship, and whirlwind slash."

Strange: "???"

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

Before he could voice his doubts, Du Mu suddenly beckoned, and a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner.

"Let me introduce you. This is Master Modu. He is the disciple of the former Supreme Master and your senior brother. He will be responsible for teaching you from now on."

Strange was astonished when he saw Mordo suddenly appear: "What amazing magic! He could stay hidden in the dark the whole time; I didn't even notice him standing there!"

Mordo:

"6

Magic my ass, he's just standing there.

He had initially felt some sympathy for Strange, but now he just wanted to punch him in the face.

Du Mu turned to Mordo and instructed, "Take him around Kamar-Taj first, let him familiarize himself with the environment, and also let him collect the newbie gift pack."

Mordo nodded, then looked at Strange and forced a friendly smile.

"Come with me."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Strange realized he might have said something wrong, so he obediently followed Mordo out of the room and down the corridor.

Upon learning that Mordo was a fellow disciple of his, Strange was determined to cultivate a good relationship with him.

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

As Mordo walked, he explained, "This is a special perk prepared by Master Du Mu for newly joined mages. Each person is limited to one: an enchanted apprentice robe plus a precious magical artifact, which can greatly increase a mage's strength."

Ritual implements.

The moment the word was uttered, Strange immediately pictured the magic wands held by sorcerers in movies, who could unleash magic with a mere flick of their wrists and a spell.

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

As Mordo led Strange around a corner and through an open area, a dull thud came from ahead.

Strange looked in the direction of the sound, and then froze.

On an open space not far away, two people dressed in Buddhist robes were practicing passionately.

They drew mysterious golden runes in front of them with their hands, and as the light flowed, it condensed into a large sword and a giant axe.

Immediately afterwards, the muscles of the two men bulged, their loose robes stretched into tight-fitting garments, and veins stood out on their necks and arms.

They brandished their weapons and slashed wildly at each other, their faces contorted with rage and madness, each collision causing the air to vibrate.

Strange stared in disbelief: "They...they are mages too?"

Mordo, however, seemed unsurprised and casually explained, "Those two are magic apprentices like you. They've been in Kamar-Taj for a while now and are still honing their physical skills."

"Spellcasting puts a great strain on the body, so spellcasters must have a strong enough physique, partly to withstand the backlash from magic, and partly to choose melee combat as much as possible to avoid excessive spellcasting."

"So that's how it is."

Strange reluctantly accepted this explanation, then cautiously asked, "Does that mean all mages fight with this style?"

Mordo shook his head: "Of course not. Close combat is a thing of the past. Now only a few mages specialize in melee combat out of personal preference. Most mages prefer ranged attacks."

"That's good."

Strange breathed a sigh of relief.

If a group of mages all charged forward with mageblades for hand-to-hand combat, the scene would be far too wild; it's almost unimaginable.

"How do the other monks usually cultivate?"

Strange's curiosity was piqued again.

Having just come into contact with magic, he was filled with a sense of novelty about everything and wanted to see everything.

Mordo pointed ahead: "That's it. They're training right now, you can watch."

Strange followed Mordo, and before they got close, they heard a familiar sound coming from the open space ahead.

Da da da da da da—!

The sound was incredibly dense, echoing wildly above the open space.

Strange stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded.

Ahead was a large, flat training ground, where a dozen or so mages in robes stood in a line, feet apart, bodies slightly leaning forward, hands outstretched.

They were all focused, their eyes fixed on the target ahead, holding their breath and concentrating, and then...

He pulled the trigger of his automatic rifle.

Flames spewed out, and spent cartridge cases flew everywhere.

The distant targets were riddled with sawdust, and the electronic screen above the targets was updating everyone's shooting scores in real time.

(°—)

Strange stared blankly, his mouth agape.

Mordo explained from the side, "That's the shooting range, a place for mages to practice their marksmanship."

Of course I know it's a shooting range.

The problem is, why would a shooting range be present in a training ground for a group of mages?

Strange was just imagining the mages practicing in his mind.

A group of mages drew magic circles, chanted spells, and wielded their staffs to gather magic, filling the screen with special effects.

However, the reality was that a group of mages were practicing target shooting with automatic rifles, and their shooting movements were even more precise than those of the special police.

Is this a holy land for mages or a training camp for mercenaries?!

Strange's eyelids twitched violently as he turned to Mordo: "Mage Mordo, is this what you call ranged damage?"

Mordo nodded, saying matter-of-factly, "Yeah, is there a problem?"

These are all problems!

Strange found it utterly absurd: "Aren't mages supposed to use magic? How come they'd use firearms?"

"Strange, you're still too narrow-minded."

Mordo shook his head and sighed, saying in a deep voice, "As the saying goes, all methods lead to one, and all paths originate from the same source. Gunmanship is also a method, and ballistics is also a path. In fact, firearms are essentially no different from magic."

Strange: "

""

I suspect you're lying to me, but I have no proof.

Before long, the two arrived at an ancient temple.

Strange followed Mordo inside, looked around, and found no one in sight.

He asked in confusion, "Master Modu, is this where I claim the newbie gift pack?"

'

"Not there yet."

Modu walked toward one of the stone statues, reached out and grabbed one of its front paws, and pulled it down forcefully.

Rumble—!

The ground beneath my feet suddenly shook, and a deep mechanical sound came from underground.

Before Strange could react, a feeling of weightlessness washed over him, and the platform beneath his feet was descending at a steady pace, seemingly leading to some deep underground place.

The platform sank for about ten seconds, and then suddenly the view became bright.

Strange squinted instinctively, and once his eyes adjusted to the light, he froze again.

Hidden underground was a huge space decorated in a modern minimalist style, with bright lights everywhere, a completely different style from the ancient temple buildings on the ground.

Within the space, there were mages dressed in robes everywhere, and the place was bustling with people, just like a marketplace.

"The mission to defeat the Black Mage is on Hard difficulty. We're currently one player short. We'd prefer an assault or sniper!"

"Monster clearing quest, easy difficulty, looking for a support role, preferably someone experienced."

"Blocking the invasion of dimensional monsters, extremely difficult level, Archmage Kaecilius personally leads the team, beginners need not disturb."

"Used MP7 submachine gun, with 'Penetrating' and 'Fireball' spells, slightly damaged quality, 50 points each, first come first served!"

'

'

'

Strange stood there, his expression shifting from shock to bewilderment, and then to blankness.

who am I?

What place is this?

Mordo explained, "This is the Special Operations Division, which has multiple departments, with the Mission Department at its core. You can take on missions of varying difficulty from the Mission Department, and you'll earn points for completing them."

"Points can be exchanged for various items in the trading department. Of course, you can also use points to trade freely with other mages."

Strange paused for two seconds, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter: "So it's the Secret Service! I thought it was something else, hahaha!"

Modu:

'

'

Has this guy gone mad?

They claim to be elite doctors from the city, but is this all the psychological resilience they have?

Strange laughed for a while before stopping, his expression returning to calm, even with a hint of relief in it.

"As a mage, I can totally accept the monster-hunting, questing, and gear-up stuff!"

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

Mordo sensed that Strange's mental state was unstable, so he didn't continue to provoke him and changed the subject, saying, "You can take a look at the trading department's stuff first; maybe there's something that interests you."

He led Strange to an electronic screen.

The camera on the screen automatically captured Mordo's face, a soft blue light swept across it, and then a synthesized voice sounded.

"Welcome back, esteemed Archmage Mordo, Level 5."

Strange watched this scene without changing his expression.

After a series of shocks, this was no longer enough to affect his mood.

Modu skillfully swiped across the screen, tapped a few times with his fingertips, and brought up an online store interface.

The interface is densely packed with various products, each column has a thumbnail and name, and the corresponding points price is marked below, making it look no different from a regular online shopping page.

Strange glanced around casually, but his eyes were immediately drawn to a product displayed at the very top.

[Item: Potion of Life]

[Effect: Heals a certain degree of life damage. Recovery is possible as long as the injured person has a breath left. Maintains vital signs. Cannot heal special injuries such as fractures or severed limbs, and cannot remove negative buffs such as curses.]

[Redeemable Points: 500]

Strange's breath hitched.

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

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a miracle drug!

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