Chapter 18: The Wong Training Protocol
Location: Kamar-Taj Courtyard – March 11, 2007
Time: 5:01 AM
Mood: Sleep-Deprived and Slightly Regretful
Adam stumbled into the courtyard, eyes half-lidded, yawning so hard it felt like his jaw would detach.
"This is abuse," he muttered under his breath. "This is literal wizard hazing."
The only response he got was the crunch of someone biting into an apple.
Wong stood at the center of the training grounds, fully alert, fully dressed, and looking like he hadn't known sleep deprivation since the Cold War.
"You're late," Wong said.
Adam blinked. "By a minute."
"That's sixty whole seconds. In a magical emergency, that could be the difference between survival and being turned into a decorative candle."
Adam stared. "...Has that actually happened?, your just waisting more of valuable time now haha"
Wong didn't answer.
Which was somehow worse.
[System Notification: Emotional State Registered – Unease + Determination]
Reward:
Trait Fragment: Arcane Focus (4%)
Skill Fragment: Combat Reflexes (2%) → Doubled to 4% via Efficient Evolution
Wong gestured to a set of rings floating in the air, each glowing with a different color—red, blue, and green.
"Phase One: Spatial Reinforcement. Hold a portal stable while I throw things at you."
Adam blinked. "...What kind of magical boot camp is this?"
"An effective one."
A wooden staff slammed into his shoulder before he could protest.
"Ow! Did you just—was that enchanted?!"
"No," Wong said. "You're just slow."
Thirty Minutes Later
Adam was crouched, panting, holding a semi-stable portal open with shaking hands while simultaneously dodging flying objects.
His left knee ached. His right hand was numb. And one of the floating rings kept mocking him by buzzing every time he lost concentration.
"I swear this ring is sentient and it hates me.Once i can open portals without you i will crush to pieces you here me idiot ring"
Wong didn't comment.
Instead, he threw a book. A thick one.
Adam barely caught it in time.
[System Notification: Emotional Spike – Frustrated Resolve]
Reward:
+1 Stamina
Skill Fragment: Danger Perception (2%) → Doubled to 4%
Phase Two: Applied Theory
After a "brief" five-minute meditation session (which Adam used to contemplate faking a magical injury), Wong pulled out a training dummy and a wooden practice staff.
"Engage it with what you've learned."
"I don't know any offensive spells yet."
"Then improvise."
That was, apparently, Wong's answer to everything.
Adam activated his Spatial Anchor, reinforcing his feet, and lunged forward with surprising agility. He swiped low, ducked under a simulated spell, and pivoted behind the dummy.
One spin. One strike.
It wobbled.
And then punched him in the gut.
"MAGICAL DUMMIES FIGHT BACK?!"
Wong was already turning away. "Next lesson: always expect the unexpected."
Adam wheezed. "I expect you to be this unhelpful, so technically I'm ahead of the game."
[System Notification: Physical-Magical Coordination Detected – Successful Use of Passive Skill]
Skill Upgraded: Spatial Anchor → Lv. 2
New Passive Effect: 10% resistance to spatial distortion and knockback.
Skill Fragment Gained: Predictive Movement (2%) → Doubled to 4%
Later That Evening – Kamar-Taj Library
Adam sat slumped at a reading desk, sipping on his third cup of mint tea. His fingers were sore from training, but his mind buzzed from the System notifications pouring in like an endless Twitch stream of dopamine.
The book Wong gave him—Beginner's Spellbook, Vol. 2—was dense, but not unreadable. Every third page had something useful. Or terrifying.
Like the footnote about forgetting to close portals properly and accidentally inviting a micro-demon to your living room.
"...Okay, that explains the smell from the storage room," he muttered.
He closed his eyes and focused inward, opening his System dashboard.
[System Update – Day 11 Summary]
Stats:
Strength: 13
Intelligence: 22 (Progress: 0/2)
Stamina: 14
Charisma: 12
Luck: 1 (Progress: 0/10)
MP: 1080 (Tier 2 scaling active: INT + 40)
Skills:
Spatial Anchor Lv. 2 [Passive]
Phase Shift (Level 1)
Miniaturized Tech Design (Level 1)
Engineering (Level 1)
Skill Fragments: +12
Traits and Perks:
Fragment Synthesis Protocol (Perk)
Efficient Evolution (Perk)
ITEMS:
Beginner's Spellbook – Vol. 2
Okay. I'm banged up, sore, and possibly have permanent staff-related trauma. But I got skill growth, a full new level, and some spicy new fragments.
Still haven't died.
Still better than being stuck in a 9-to-5.
He looked at his open palms and smiled faintly.
"If I survive this training montage, I'm gonna get you for this wong ,not now ,not tomorrow but i will"
"Im starting to sound like real villain here"
PS. Im gonna publish one chapter everyday from now on.Random number of bonus chapters will be published when i get to 50 power stone.
After karmataj where do you want Adam to explore and make fun of I think iron man but the plot will start after few months i could paly with othrs until that time