Recasting the Glory of the Close Combat Mage

Aside from wanting to see who was crazier between himself and Thanos, Russell had another curiosity.

He wanted to find out whether Thanos, possessing the Eternal Titan physiology, was better at using the martial arts or if he, with his Kryptonian physiology, was more skilled at his own version of martial arts.

If they could truly engage in a bare-knuckle brawl, it would undoubtedly be a thrilling battle.

Russell was looking forward to this prospect.

Although he had some interest in combat before, it was nowhere near as strong as it was now. More importantly, in the past, if he had an urge to spar, he could always find Hulk for some practice.

However, now that he had become "The Marvelous Superman", even the Hulk's incredible durability couldn't withstand his brute strength.

Although he still appeared like an ordinary Earthling, he was, in reality, more monstrous than the Hulk.

He could lift even Godzilla, weighing over ninety thousand tons, with ease. And that was after just a few hours of sunbathing.

Since sunbathing had become his daily routine, he had accumulated over a hundred hours of sun exposure.

After lying on the sofa and basking in the sun for an hour, Russell stood up. He walked over to his desk, retrieved the book called "Universal Compendium" from his system space, and estimated its weight in his hand.

Suddenly, a joke about the close combat mage Gandalf came to his mind as he held the massive book.

"How does a mage allocate his stats? Online, urgent!!!"

"Put all your attribute points into stamina and health, skill points into one-handed swords, two-handed swords, blocking, critical hits, charging, whirlwind, beheading. Max out armor-piercing, and put a point into light magic."

"Thanks!"

In this world, there might not be a close combat mage like Gandalf, but holding this "Universal Compendium," Russell's mind involuntarily conjured an image of Gandalf charging into battle ahead of the army.

If Gandalf knew that there were other worlds beyond Middle-earth where a group of mages who loved close combat just like him existed, he would probably exclaim, "My path is not a solitary one!" Then, he would brandish his one-handed sword and staff to perform a battle dance.

However, on second thought, if Russell mastered magic, he would likely become a close combat mage crazier than Gandalf, the Ancient One, and others.

While Gandalf and the Ancient One were skilled in close combat, it was clear that their physiques couldn't compare to Russell's.

Recasting the glory of the close combat mage was an obligation he couldn't shirk!

Although his mind was filled with strange images of close combat mages, Russell still opened the outrageously thick "Universal Compendium."

Although he had never formally studied magic, the evolution reward of "The Marvelous Superman" had greatly assisted him.

While he might not have gained the superhuman intelligence of Superman, which allowed him to master knowledge from 28 galaxies through a brief conversation or read all published medical books in 5 minutes, he did possess remarkable learning abilities.

To be more precise, his learning ability was astonishing.

Superman could master a new language within seconds of conversation and read all published medical books in 5 minutes. Russell's current learning speed was just as incredible, even though it wasn't as terrifying as Superman's.

In just a few minutes, he had memorized every word of the thick "Universal Compendium."

While it was a rough memorization and didn't equate to full comprehension, he was satisfied with his current learning speed.

Understanding would come later; he just needed to get the content into his head. Complete comprehension would only be a matter of time.

After memorizing the "Universal Compendium," he took out the remaining books, "Visual Tome," "Supreme Codex," and "Key of Solomon."

Then, he began the process of rote memorization again.

From sitting down at his desk to memorizing the content of all four books, it took him about fifteen minutes in total, averaging around four minutes per book.

In the past, even if he had been given forty minutes, he might not have been able to achieve this, let alone memorize a thick book as heavy as a brick.

The more he utilized his current Kryptonian physiology, the more satisfied he was with the evolution reward of "The Marvelous Superman."

Indeed, the fusion of "Blessings of Wonder Woman" and "Kryptonian Heritage" was comfortable to use.

After storing the content of all four books back into his system space, he returned to the sofa in the reception area. Lying down again, he continued to bask in the sun while digesting the magical knowledge he had absorbed.

As the Ancient One had mentioned, these four magic books were just the basic curriculum for Kamar-Taj apprentices.

Although they contained content diametrically opposed to conventional scientific knowledge, understanding it wasn't difficult.

In simpler terms, breaking away from the scientific understanding of the material universe would make magic comprehension feel like second nature.

Even without the Ancient One's help, Russell knew what the Multiverse was all about.

When Stephen Strange met the Ancient One, he underwent an experience of the Multiverse, which successfully shattered his preconceptions.

Although they were both her students, it was clear that Russell wouldn't receive the same treatment as Stephen Strange.

However, that was fine. Even without the Ancient One's guidance, he already understood what the Multiverse was.

Lying on the sofa, soaking in the sun's nourishment, and slowly digesting the magical knowledge in his mind, Russell's mind drifted.

Just at that moment, his ambitious golden-haired secretary, Ellie, knocked on the office door.

"Come in!"

Russell didn't get up, nor did he open his eyes. He remained reclined on the sofa and responded.

With his permission, Ellie, his secretary, pushed open the office door, striding gracefully into the room. She wore a stylish black OL suit with a short skirt and black stockings, and her tempting red lips were slightly parted as she softly spoke.

"Sir, these documents require your approval and signature."

Russell slowly opened his eyes upon hearing Ellie's voice. Less than a meter away from him stood Ellie, dressed in a short skirt black OL suit and black stockings.