Alaric, who had gained sharpened senses through the magical purification flow, heard Daniel's doubtful words. Instead of getting angry, he was even somewhat pleased.
Because Daniel had said he was young.
Alaric noticed that ever since he had opened his inner "small universe" and connected it to the infinite dimension of the Night World, not only his power and level of life had been changing, but even his appearance and physique were gradually shaping toward near perfection.
In other words, he was becoming more attractive day by day.
He no longer looked like a man of twenty-six or twenty-seven, but more like someone in his early twenties.
"Wong, be honest," said Daniel, glancing at Alaric with curiosity. "How strong is he really?"
"Well… honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself," replied Wong with a slight sigh.
Wong had never had the chance to fully assess Alaric's true strength.
Even the Ancient One had been vague about it.
Because neither of them had ever seen Alaric in a serious, real fight.
The only opportunity had been yesterday's clash with Mordo, and at that time Alaric had so easily defeated Mordo that the latter ended up looking broken and crushed.
Wong had spent the whole night afterward trying to calm and comfort Mordo.
Because of that, he could not give Daniel a clear answer now. Still, he knew one thing: Alaric was certainly very powerful.
Especially because of his incredible talent. As if he had been born for magic.
It was not an exaggeration to say that he seemed to carry within himself the spirit of the very god of magic.
"You don't know either?" Daniel looked surprised. "How long has he even been in Kamar-Taj?"
"Less than a month," Wong recalled.
"What?!" Daniel was truly shocked.
A sorcerer who had barely begun learning was now supposed to replace him on duty in the Sanctum?
Was this some kind of joke?
"What was the Ancient One even thinking, sending a rookie on such an important duty?" Daniel asked skeptically.
"Daniel, calm down and hear me out," Wong replied calmly, raising his hand to stop him.
"Although Alaric hasn't been with us for long, his talent is extraordinary. You don't know this, but Mordo once showed him how to open a portal, and Alaric immediately, from just that one example, mastered the technique. Not only could he open a portal without using a sling ring, but he soon mastered an even more advanced teleportation magic."
Daniel frowned when he heard that Alaric could open a portal without a sling ring.
Such an ability was rare even among more experienced sorcerers.
"Moreover," Wong continued, "the Ancient One allowed him free access to the entire library. He could study any book in it on his own. Now even I don't know how many different kinds of magic he has already mastered."
Wong sighed deeply.
At first, he could keep track of the young sorcerer's progress, judging it by the books he borrowed.
But very soon he gave up.
Alaric read frighteningly fast.
Moreover, the literature he studied became increasingly advanced and complex, to the point that even Wong himself could not fully understand some of the books.
Because of that, he now had to admit: he might not know exactly how far Alaric's strength went, but he was sure it was exceptional.
"There's also what happened yesterday," Wong continued. "Mordo tried to teach Alaric some ancient martial arts techniques, and he, based on that, created a new magic with which he defeated Mordo."
Wong sighed at that memory, and in his mind replayed once again the scene of Mordo's humiliation.
Fortunately, he thought, it hadn't been him.
Being just a humble guardian of the library had turned out to be a blessing; he didn't have to experience firsthand the shock that Mordo had suffered from Aron.
"Wait…" Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say created a new magic?"
"Yes," Wong replied calmly. "Didn't I already say he's extremely talented? Didn't you hear?"
"…"
Daniel fell silent for a moment.
He had heard. But what Wong called talent sounded like something that went beyond normal understanding.
Having good talent was one thing, but being able to create new magic on your own… that was something else entirely.
Is he joking with me? thought Daniel. Who would even believe such a thing?
"Are you serious?" he finally asked, hoping it might be a joke.
"Of course I'm serious," Wong replied, almost offended. "How could I joke about something as important as the protection of the Sanctum?"
"And then what happened?"
"Well…" Wong paused, as if at a loss for words. "It seems that's where the story ends."
He tilted his head, trying to recall more details, but soon gave up. Aside from what he had already said, he had no new information about Alaric.
As for what had happened between Alaric and the Ancient One in that unknown dimension, neither Wong nor Daniel knew anything. The Ancient One had never revealed to them the true reason why she trusted the young sorcerer so much.
"Why isn't the Ancient One here today?" Daniel asked.
"She left early this morning," Wong replied.
Daniel nodded, then lowered his voice, looking at Wong with a serious expression:
"In that case… Wong, I hope you won't mind if I test Alaric."
Although he deeply respected the Ancient One and her decisions, Daniel could not completely ignore his own judgment. Alaric looked too young, almost ordinary, and that made him suspicious.
His request did not come from malice but from responsibility.
As the guardian of the Sanctum, he had to know that the one to whom he was handing over the shift was capable of protecting this place.
If Alaric was not up to the task, Daniel was ready to immediately request to replace him or stay and continue guarding the Sanctum himself.
Only one thing mattered to him: the safety of the Sanctum and the Earth.
As long as Alaric passed his test, Daniel would, without any further hesitation, acknowledge and accept him as his successor on duty.
Because in this world, eloquence and reputation were not what mattered; the only thing that carried weight was real strength.
"Are you sure about that?" Wong asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Alaric's strength is not small."
"Precisely because everyone claims that, I want to see it with my own eyes," Daniel replied firmly.
Wong was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"All right. I'm curious too about how powerful he really is. Let's go talk to him."
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