7 Ancient One

I didn't even get to ring the buzzer or knock when the door opened up. A tall, buffed, black dude walked out, wearing the same priest clothes like the bald woman.

[<Master of the New York Sanctum> Daniel Drumm Lvl. ??]

He was also bald. Maybe that's a requirement for learning Magic? Nah, I doubt it.

Unlike with the bald woman, I was able to see his name and title, not his level, though. In games, you usually have a limit to how high of a level you can see. I have to find out what's my limit.

"Welcome, Mr. Williamson. The Ancient One warned me of your arrival."

She didn't really look ancient, but to each his own. She was fascinated by the rotting flesh, so maybe I was onto something there.

"I'm Daniel Drumm, the Master of the New York Sanctum. Come."

Yeah, I already knew his name, thanks to my bullshit powers. I followed him inside and said.

"There is no need for the Mister. You call me just, William."

Daniel smirked at me and slightly bowed his head.

"As you wish, Just William."

"Very funny. You can call me William or Will."

Daniel continued walking ahead of me, and I couldn't resist asking.

"So, I'm going to be taught Magic here?"

The Sanctum looked empty. There was no one there besides Daniel. I was expecting to see a large group of people all practicing Magic.

"Here? No. At least not for now. You will be taught at Kamar-Taj."

"Kama-ta-what?" I've never heard of that place.

"Kamar-Taj, it's in Himalayas, Tibet."

I still had no idea where that was, except that it wasn't on American soil. Like, seriously, did Daniel expect me to know geography outside of America's?

He must've seen my questionable look as he continued.

"It's in Asia."

Ahh. Right, on the other side of the world. Gotcha.

"And how will we go there?"

"Through here." Daniel pointed at a large door.

A quick Observe told me it's a gateway leading to Kamar-Taj.

Daniel's hands started glowing. He reached out as if to grab a door and pulled back. The gateway leading to Kamar-Taj then opened up.

I stepped through eagerly, and the doors closed behind me. I hope I didn't step into a trap, but I don't think they had to plan something like this for me. I'm still a Level 5 Newbie, one of their spells could probably end me in a single shot.

Kamar-Taj was what I was expecting from the New York Sanctum. The place was bustling with people, all of them wearing priest robes and doing their own thing.

"Good to see you, Just William."

I heard the voice of the Ancient One next to me. There was a smile on the bald woman's face as if she was trying to rub in how much she knew about me.

"Come, let's have a talk over some tea."

I followed after her since the faster we have our talk, the sooner I get to be taught Magic. She led me to a room that had a table with a teapot on it.

A quick Observe made my eyes lit up.

[Herbel Tea: Herbal Tea with a little bit of honey made by ???. Drinking it will restore 100 HP and 100 MP.]

I have to coerce her to give me some of it. This thing will restore almost 50% of my current HP and MP! I need it!

"Let's have a talk about your ability before we get to discussing how you will be taught," The Ancient One said while sitting down.

"I spent some time researching video games and how they work."

It's just been a day since we met, how much could you've possibly learned?

Turns out, a lot. I've spent years playing games and studying them to get better at them. Yet, she knew just as much as me. How???

"Your ability is remarkable. Currently, you might be weak, but depending if there is a limit to it or not, you could potentially become one of the strongest beings out there."

In theory, that should be possible, but how long will it take me to get there?

"I also prepared something for you. One of the main Magics that we teach here is Eldritch Magic."

The Ancient One's hands glowed a fiery orange, and she spun them around, creating an energy construct of the same color.

"Eldritch Magic can also be called Conjuration. We use it to conjure energy constructs that range from all shapes and sizes."

The Ancient One swiped her and a small portal formed, out of it, a book dropped out.

"This is a book on Eldritch Magic that I wrote. Could you look into it?"

I couldn't stop myself from licking my lips when I used Observe on the book.

[Magic Book on Eldritch Magic: A Skill Book written by ???. When consumed, the user will learn the Mystical Art known as Eldritch Magic.]

Okay, my ability is bullshit, but you, Ancient One, are a cheater. How did you not only learn so much about video games in a day and also had the time to write a Skill Book for me?

I grabbed the Magic Book and tried consuming it, but I was blocked by an alert.

[You require 30 Intelligence to learn this skill.]

Well, it seems like it's time to use my stat points since I wanted to learn this right now.

At that moment, I also decided to use my stat points to increase my mental attributes while doing whatever physical exercise I could think of to increase my physical stats.

When it becomes nearly impossible to raise Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity the normal way, I will then start putting stats points into them.

With my decision made, I placed 9 points into Intelligence, raising it to 27. I wanted to see if the bonus points from Meditation count, but it turned out they didn't. I needed Intelligence to be a flat 30 for me to consume the Skill Book. At least I have that information for the future now.

I was pleasantly surprised when I not only learned Eldritch Magic, but I also got a title out of it.

[Apprentice Sorcerer: Grants 100 MP, 10% MP Regen, and increased XP gain by 10% for all Magic related skills.]

I equipped it without a second thought.

[Eldritch Magic(Active) Lvl. 1/100: The Mystical Art of Conjuration. Requires 50 MP to cast and 10 MP per minute to sustain an energy construct. At higher levels, the user can create a larger number of constructs that are stronger and more durable. Currently, the user can create 1 construct.]

I wasn't sure how to activate it since my other skills required me to say their name. So, I decided to channel my mana while thinking of the skill and what I wanted to conjure.

My hand glowed a light blue color and a shield of the same color formed. Awesome, that meant that I probably didn't need to verbally cast my other skills as well!

As I was marveling at my new gain, the Ancient One chuckled, and I looked up at her.

"Simply incredible. People spent months, years, to learn Magic, and you did in the blink of an eye."

Well, yeah, I'm The Gamer, after all.

"Now, it's time to put your new skill to practice."

The Ancient One hadn't even moved from her spot, but we were suddenly in the Mirror Dimension. Her hands glowed a fiery orange color, and she formed two shields in each hand before getting into a martial arts stance.

I had barely any time to react as she jumped at me. The Ancient One looks like a feeble woman, but she is scary! She broke my shield with a single attack and kicked me in the gut afterward. That dropped my HP by 50!

What followed was something that I do not wish to discuss, but my skills (Physical Endurance, Martial Arts, Meditation, and Eldritch Magic) raised exponentially. I even leveled up once, and my physical attributes increased by 1.

"Your progress is simply outstanding," The Ancient One said as we were both sipping on tea.

Yes, stroke my ego more.

"However, there is one more type of Magic that you need to learn before you can call yourself a Sorcerer."

That's not true. My ability already gave me the title of Apprentice Sorcerer, so take that!

Two small portals formed above the table. A weird ring and a book fell out of them. I used Observe on both items, which even increased the level of the skill.

[Sling Ring (Epic): Sling Rings are small two-finger rings imbued with the power to create and sustain portals between any two points in the universe. Masters of the Mystic Arts, and their apprentices, use them to create portal over long distances.]

[Magic Book on Portal Creation: A Skill Book written by ???. When consumed, the user will learn the Mystical Art known as Portal Creation.]

I reached out towards both, but the book fell down a portal and disappeared. Only the Sling Ring remained on the table. Noo, why did you the Skill Book away?

"I know you can learn a skill in an instant using a Skill Book, but I want to see how long it will take you to learn it on your own. Put the Sling Ring on your left hand," The Ancient One said and stood up.

"That's fair, I guess."

I wasn't very happy about it, but it was a good thing to know.

"Mimick my movements," The Ancient One said and started moving her right hand in a circular motion.

"Channel your energy and focus on the image of a specific location."

I did as told. I urged my mana to my right hand while thinking about my room. I didn't want to open a portal in a place where other people could see.

I don't know how long I kept moving my hand in a circular motion, but something finally happened. There was a small spark, and a portal formed before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

However, that was enough for my ability to trigger.

[A Skill has been created through a specific action, Portal Creation.]

[Portal Creation(Active) Lvl. 1/10: The user is able to create a portal to any location they can imagine. MP cost is depended on the distance. The user requires a Sling Ring to activate this Skill.]

"Not a bad attempt, but try again," The Ancient One said.

I resisted the urge to smirk as I mentally activated the skill and channeled my mana. Unlike the previous time, a portal with a light blue outliner formed in front of me, leading to my room.

"Most impressive," The Ancient One complimented me.

"Now, you can return home as it's already getting late in New York. Tomorrow, I expect you to return as there is much to learn about the Mystical Arts."

"Cya tomorrow!" I bid my goodbye as I entered the portal.

There was no way I wasn't returning. I learned two Magic Skills in a single day and increased the levels of a few I already knew. Kamar-ta-what was a gold mine for Skill XP.

I was feeling a bit tired, but I still had three Red Bulls. I quickly drank them all and exited my house. I raised my skills, but my level was still a bit low.

"Create ID: Zombies."

It was time to work on that. Three and a half hours later, I returned back to my room, satisfied with my progress for the day.

[Name: William Williamson

Mutant Power: The Gamer

Level: 10 Next Level: 37%

Title: Apprentice Sorcerer]

[HP: 332

MP: 560]

[Strength: 19 + 4.18

Vitality: 19 + 4.18

Dexterity: 19 + 4.18

Intelligence: 30 + 6

Wisdom: 20 + 4

Luck: 10]

[Stat Points: 33

Cash: 19.80$]

[Skills: Lying(Passive) Lvl. 13/50

Observe(Active) Lvl. 4/10

Physical Endurance(Passive) Lvl. 12/100

Martial Arts(Passive) Lvl. 11/100

Cooking(Passive) Lvl. 6/100

Meditation(Passive/Active) Lvl. 10/100

Create ID(Active) Lvl. 6/100

Exit ID(Active) Lvl. 6/100

Energy Blast(Active) Lvl. 7/10

Crafting(Active) Lvl. 1/100

Eldritch Magic (Active) Lvl. 8/100

Portal Creation(Active) Lvl. 1/10

Gamer's Body(Passive)

Gamer's Mind(Passive)]