Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

Evenson was smiling so broadly that...

No. Better not describe it.

If he hadn’t been thinking about his future with Clea, and the possibility that he’d eventually need this old man’s approval, he wouldn’t have bothered putting on such a humble act.

He hadn’t even treated the Sorcerer Supreme this well.

Without realizing it, Master Ollivon had received treatment that even the Sorcerer Supreme had never enjoyed.

Unfortunately, Ollivon didn’t appreciate it.

He yanked his hand away with an expression of disgust.

Evenson’s smile had been so insincere that he’d nearly gotten goosebumps.

"So you’re the dark mage operating in New York?"

"Heh. Guilty as charged."

Evenson kept smiling.

"Could you stop smiling like that?"

Ollivon felt another wave of revulsion.

Evenson immediately wiped the smile off his face.

Ollivon nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"When did you arrive in New York?"

This question had bothered Ollivon for a long time.

A dark mage had been living right under his nose, yet he’d remained completely oblivious.

He’d looked like an absolute fool.

The fact that Evenson’s presence hadn’t caused any catastrophic consequences didn’t make the matter much less humiliating.

Things had become even worse after the Sorcerer Supreme personally sought Evenson out.

When she returned to the Sanctum, she announced that the world was about to become far more dangerous.

As the leader of the New York Sanctum, Ollivon apparently wasn’t strong enough to handle the coming threats.

So she’d personally given him what she called "special intensive training."

To everyone else, receiving personal instruction from the Sorcerer Supreme sounded like an incredible honor.

People had even speculated that she intended to entrust Ollivon with greater responsibilities.

Only Ollivon knew the truth.

That so-called intensive training had been one-sided beatings.

Every morning, he’d entered the training chamber perfectly healthy.

Every afternoon, he’d been carried out with barely enough health left to qualify as alive.

It had lasted for an entire week.

Ollivon couldn’t say with certainty whether his magical abilities had improved.

But his ability to take a beating?

Unquestionably elite.

After that week, he was convinced he could face every hardship the world had to offer.

"I’ve always lived in New York."

Evenson shrugged.

"I was born there. I grew up there. My entire life was spent in that city. In fact, the first time I ever traveled outside New York was a trip to Washington."

He paused.

"That was only about a year ago."

Ollivon’s face darkened.

So he’d really deserved those beatings.

He’d assumed Evenson had mastered some advanced form of magic, secretly infiltrated New York, and somehow managed to avoid detection.

Instead, the man had simply been there the entire time.

"Regretting something?"

Evenson smiled.

This time, at least, it wasn’t the nauseating grin from before.

"Regretting that you failed to discover me sooner?"

"The one thing I regret," Ollivon said through clenched teeth, "is that I was stupid enough to leave Clea with you."

The Sorcerer Supreme had publicly explained that Clea, a senior administrator of the New York Sanctum, had volunteered to remain beside Evenson as a personal observer because of her dedication to the organization.

Ollivon knew better.

When Clea returned from her training, he’d immediately noticed that something about his beloved student had changed.

She was constantly distracted.

She’d sit motionless, staring into space as if lost in thought.

Even when playing games or watching anime, she couldn’t seem to concentrate.

Ollivon had quietly investigated.

After consulting enough books and records, he’d eventually reached a conclusion.

Clea was probably in love.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Mages were still human.

They had emotions, desires, and all the usual complications that came with being alive.

And Clea was a young woman.

Falling in love wasn’t exactly a shocking development.

Even if the person she’d fallen for was probably an ordinary man from the outside world.

Ollivon had believed time would eventually solve the problem.

Mages and ordinary people lived in different worlds. Their lives were parallel lines that rarely crossed.

Eventually, he thought, the feelings would fade and become nothing more than a pleasant memory from Clea’s youth.

He had been spectacularly wrong.

His student had fallen in love with a dark mage.

This dark mage.

"What exactly are you regretting?"

Evenson frowned.

"I’m doing pretty well for myself."

He silently counted his accomplishments.

Young.

Own home.

Own car.

Own business.

No mortgage.

What exactly was wrong with him?

"Clea had a brilliant future ahead of her."

Ollivon’s expression became pained.

"I raised her. I trained her. After I die, she was supposed to take my position and become the leader of the New York Sanctum."

His voice hardened.

"Now none of that is possible."

The fact that Clea had fallen in love with someone outside the magical world was already troublesome.

That she’d fallen for a dark mage made it worse.

Ollivon still didn’t understand why the Sorcerer Supreme had shown some degree of acceptance toward the relationship, but one thing was certain.

Clea could no longer simply inherit his position.

"And all of this happened because she fell in love with you!"

Ollivon glared at him.

"You! A man who can’t even afford a proper dowry!"

Evenson’s eye twitched.

Seriously?

Picking on the young guy?

Hadn’t anyone taught this old man not to judge someone before they’d made their fortune?

Just wait.

One day, the companies he’d invested in would become massive.

Then he’d bury this old man under enough money to make him choke on it.

"You call inheriting the Sanctum a brilliant future?"

Evenson shook his head.

"I call it a cage."

His expression grew serious.

"That place can only produce people who have no understanding of true power. They sit inside their little tower and convince themselves they’ve seen the entire world."

He gestured toward himself.

"It’s different with me."

"She’ll see genuine power. She’ll learn things your people haven’t even encountered."

"She’ll become stronger than you."

Evenson’s eyes narrowed.

"Isn’t that what actually matters?"

"For a spellcaster, authority and status are temporary. Knowledge and mystery are what matter. That’s the path worth pursuing."

"You listen to me, you bastard!"

Ollivon stepped forward, glaring directly into Evenson’s eyes.

"I will never allow Clea to learn your corrupted magic."

"She was raised by me. I know exactly what kind of person she is."

"She is innocent. Kind. Good."

His voice trembled with conviction.

"I will not stand by and watch her fall into darkness. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll stop you."

"Stop her from falling into darkness?"

Evenson nodded.

"On that point, we agree."

His voice was calm.

"I have no intention of making her fall."

"I intend to make her ascend."

"Could the two of you stop?"

Clea finally snapped.

She was probably the most uncomfortable person on the entire mountain.

On one side stood her adoptive father.

On the other stood her boyfriend.

"I am an adult."

She looked between them.

"I can decide what kind of path I want to follow."

"And the Sorcerer Supreme has already tacitly accepted the situation."

She folded her arms.

"With her wisdom, I’m sure she can judge where things are going."

That finally silenced both men.

Neither looked particularly happy about it.

Ollivon walked away and sulked.

Evenson went to the edge of the cliff and joined Melinda, watching the battle below.

"Finished?"

Melinda didn’t look back.

"I was beginning to think you’d punch the old man."

"Do I look stupid?"

Evenson rolled his eyes.

"A father worrying about his daughter’s future is understandable. Anyone who can’t recognize that deserves to spend his entire life alone."

"You did get pretty heated toward the end."

"I was respectful at first."

"Then you became increasingly aggressive."

"Because Clea is his daughter."

Evenson took a breath.

"She is my partner."

He looked down at the battlefield.

"Different perspectives naturally lead to different opinions. An argument was inevitable."

He nodded toward the ruins.

"How’s the battle going?"

"To be honest, the mages have some very unusual tricks."

Melinda hesitated.

"But their actual combat ability..."

She sighed.

"You know SHIELD uses you as our benchmark for supernatural combatants."

"Even I can tell they’re too weak."

Their surprise attack had certainly worked.

The sudden appearance of portals and attacks from blind spots had thrown the defenders into chaos and cost them a significant number of casualties.

But once the initial confusion passed, the soldiers had adapted.

They’d fallen back, established defensive positions, and brought their firearms and heavy weapons to bear.

The mages hadn’t suffered any serious casualties, thanks largely to their magical shields.

But they were advancing slowly.

"Special agents are ranked from one to ten," Evenson said.

"Mages aren’t all cut from the same cloth either. Some are stronger than others."

He shook his head.

He could only imagine how exhausting it must have been for the Ancient One to manage all of this for so many years.

"Mages have rankings too?"

Melinda glanced at him.

"Are they also ranked from one to ten?"

"No."

Evenson gave her a completely serious answer.

"They’re ranked from one to one hundred."

He looked down at the battlefield.

"Think of it as a level-one-hundred player leading around a bunch of people who haven’t even reached level ten."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!