From a gifted surgeon famous throughout the U.S. to a penniless vagrant who couldn't even hold a razor steady, Strange's desire to learn was as immense as his fall from grace.
Without Lucas's urging, Strange, after a day of rest, proactively sought out Wong the next morning to begin his training as a sorcerer apprentice. He was eager to immerse himself in the ocean of magic knowledge.
However, to Strange's surprise, Wong did not teach him anything about magic. Instead, he took him to the outdoor training ground for morning exercises.
"Strange, the soul and body complement each other. In a sorcerer's training, a strong physique is essential."
Strange nodded, half-understanding.
He understood this, like morning runs before class in school. Moderate exercise can help the brain quickly awaken from sleep, improving attention and concentration.
However, Strange soon noticed something was off.
In his stereotype, sorcerers should have high offense and low defense. They possess powerful magic abilities and profound knowledge, but their physical fitness is relatively poor, and their fighting style mainly involves casting various wondrous magic spells from a distance, such as fireballs, large fireballs, and extra-large fireballs.
The style of Kamar-Taj's sorcerers was completely different.
These sorcerers looked ordinary in stature, yet each was incredibly strong, with astonishing physical capabilities, like the superheroes he saw on television, entirely superhuman beings.
"How... how is this done? Gene serum?" Strange asked, puzzled.
He watched the Kamar-Taj sorcerers, burdened with giant rocks, move swiftly through the mountains.
Wong glanced at Strange and explained, "It's not gene serum, it's training. Sorcerer Lucas has improved the training method, allowing the sorcerer's physical training to proceed in sync with the soul."
"This is... too crazy." Strange exclaimed, his eyes burning bright.
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. First, run around the sanctuary with me. That's something you can do right now."
Two hours later, the morning exercise ended.
Strange, almost exhausted, finally got to touch the magic knowledge he had been longing for.
Wong didn't lecture Strange with grand theories or precautions. Ever since Lucas became Sorcerer Supreme, Kamar-Taj's sorcerers no longer needed to worry about dark energy eroding their souls.
Psychological problems go to Ancient One, dark energy problems go to Lucas—this had already become a consensus in Kamar-Taj.
Leading Strange to the library, Wong casually took out a few hardcover introductory magic texts and handed them to Strange.
"These books are for you. It's fine if they get accidentally damaged, just come get new ones."
Strange took them and looked.
"Vedic Language: From Beginner to Master," "Analysis of Magic Theory," "Compendium of Spell Runes," "Guidelines and Taboos for Magic Use."
There wasn't a single spellbook for casting magic, they were all popular science and basic theory books.
But he didn't find them boring. Instead, he found them interesting.
These books, which were basic to the point of being elementary for a sorcerer, were just right for him, an outsider among outsiders.
Strange thanked him and hurried away with the books.
The door to a new world had officially opened, and Strange, who had already glimpsed a corner of its scenery, was eager to step inside.
For the next dozen days, Strange immersed himself in the ocean of magic knowledge. Apart from morning exercises and daily meals, he spent all his time on these books.
With an extremely proactive learning attitude and outstanding talent, Strange's learning speed was astonishing. He quickly mastered various basic magic theories and runic languages.
Furthermore, during his reading, he spontaneously realized the existence of mental power. Although his mental power was not yet fully activated and his control proficiency was low, insufficient to cast advanced magic, he could already effortlessly use some spells.
Most importantly, Strange unlocked the first layer of restriction on his Eye of Agamotto.
He held a chopstick vertically in his left hand, level with his line of sight, and placed his right index and middle fingers, spread apart, below it.
He released his left hand, and the chopstick fell straight down.
He brought his right fingers together, *snap*, and the chopstick fell to the ground.
Strange picked up the chopstick and repeated the action several times.
Each time he failed to catch the chopstick, but each time he managed to touch the same part of the chopstick. It was only because the nerves in both hands were still damaged and constantly trembling, and he couldn't exert enough force, that he failed to grasp it steadily.
"Strange, what are you doing?" Lucas asked, curious about Strange's strange behavior.
"I'm practicing the use of the Rye of Agamotto."
Strange came back to his senses, excitedly saying, "Teacher, I have awakened my mental power. Can I start formally learning magic now?"
"Of course, you can."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. Strange's speed in awakening mental power exceeded his expectations. He had originally thought that a scientific expert like Strange wouldn't accept magic so easily.
Therefore, he had first let Strange read magic texts, hoping to broaden his horizons and reshape his worldview.
"How about this: starting tomorrow, Wong will teach you conventional magic during the day, and I will teach you the use of the Eye of Agamotto at night."
With a flip of his hand, a radiant white light shimmered, and an ancient book emanating a faint white glow appeared out of thin air in Lucas's hand.
He handed the book to Strange. "You can read this book tonight."
Strange took it. The book's texture and feel were excellent, like parchment.
The cover was simple, with only a three-character title.
Lucas Divine Book.
Strange softly read the name, then looked at Lucas. "Teacher, did you compile this?"
"Yes." Lucas nodded. "I wrote this in my spare time recently."
"Thank you." Strange said solemnly.
Although his teacher was not very reliable, with a schedule almost opposite to that of other Kamar-Taj sorcerers, only visible between evening and early morning, he actually personally compiled a sorcerer's book for him.
Strange opened the first page, only to find it blank.
But soon, mysterious runes began to appear on the blank paper. These runes flowed continuously, as if about to leap from the paper and into Strange's mind.
Strange had never seen such runes. Even the books Wong gave him had never mentioned them.
But the moment he saw these runes, he understood their meaning.
Forbidden magic—Time!
This was the title and content of the first page of Lucas Divine Book.
At the same time, many pieces of information appeared in Strange's mind, including text descriptions, audio explanations, image introductions, and immersive experiences.
At this moment, Strange felt as if he had become a master of time management. The mysteries of Time were laid bare before his eyes. He could easily manipulate Time, whether to accelerate, decelerate, or stop it.
Crack!
Suddenly, the sound of a book closing roused Strange.
Strange looked down in the direction of the sound, only to see that Lucas Divine Book had already closed.
The sound just now was indeed the sound of the book in his hand closing.
"Hmm?"
Strange noticed something was wrong, the light intensity was off. The twilight sky shouldn't be completely dark.
Strange was stunned. He realized something and quickly raised his wrist to check his watch.
11:57.
Nearly four hours had quietly passed.
"This is..."
A look of shock flashed in Strange's eyes. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He got up and returned to his residence, only to find that he felt no fatigue after four hours of intense study. Instead, he was unusually energetic, and his physical condition was excellent, as if he had just woken up naturally after a good night's sleep.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Strange took out Lucas divine book again, wanting to read it once more.
However, this time when he opened it, he found it blank. As for the part he had already read, it was deeply imprinted in his mind, and he could recall it with a mere thought.
In a daze, Strange understood.
This book would only unlock corresponding content when he made progress.
The next day, Strange, who was a bit sluggish from a sleepless night, threw up during his morning run.
Wong was a bit puzzled.
If Strange had thrown up on the first day, it would have been understandable, but it had been fifteen days. Why was he still throwing up?