Drift Of The Multiverse

Merlin was surprised by how quickly Ethan made his decision and couldn't help but wonder why Ethan had chosen such a difficult path so easily.

"You said that as long as I stick to this path, I'll eventually reach a level of strength comparable to yours, right?" Ethan asked.

Merlin nodded. "That's correct. As long as you persevere and don't die from some unforeseen accident… Although this path is difficult, it doesn't have any significant bottlenecks."

Ethan had sensed this as well, but that wasn't the only reason behind his decision.

"So, if I were to follow the path of an ordinary mage, where could I realistically expect to end up?"

Merlin smiled knowingly. "Ah, young man, your thinking is very clear. This clarity will help you progress faster as a mage. I hope you can maintain that sharpness of mind."

Ethan's decision was simple: One path would undoubtedly lead him to the level of a top magician like Merlin. It might be full of obstacles, but at least the endpoint was visible. The other path, however, was shrouded in uncertainty, he didn't even know where it would lead or what the destination would look like. Taking unnecessary risks on such a path was pointless.

Although the path of an ordinary mage could allow him to become battle-ready more quickly, Ethan had never relied solely on magic. His methods of handling emergencies were not limited to the realm of magic.

For self-protection, if it came to it, he could always prepare some advanced technology or gear. That alone would be enough to help him through the early stages of his journey.

"As long as I can control space-time energy, I'll have a higher chance of returning to the Marvel Universe… Maybe I can even trick Tony Stark into helping me out with some equipment," Ethan thought to himself.

However, he recalled that Tony wasn't exactly the type to offer help for free. To gain anything from him, Ethan would need to offer something in return.

At worst, there were plenty of firearms in various movie worlds that could help him handle many dangers. So, Ethan didn't mind how difficult this path might be at the start. He had always trained his spiritual power consistently, and he would just keep pushing forward.

"Actually," Merlin interjected, "there's no need to worry too much. While the early stages are dull and monotonous, once you start generating magic power from within yourself, the process becomes smoother. As your spiritual power grows stronger, the magic you produce will increase in quality and quantity. At that point, it's not impossible to absorb external energy to enhance your magic power. You just need to be careful not to overdo it and contaminate your own magic."

Merlin's explanation was straightforward. "Think of it like the ocean," he continued. "If your magic power is vast like the sea, absorbing a small amount of external energy is akin to adding a few drops of ink, completely inconsequential. But if your magic power is still as small as a pot of water and you pour in half a bottle of ink…"

The analogy was clear, and Ethan couldn't argue with it. Still, that scenario was far off. For now, Merlin began explaining the cultivation method in detail. Even though he only outlined the major steps, it still took considerable time.

In short, the method was divided into several phases:

1. First, Ethan needed to strengthen his spiritual power while gaining precise control over it. This was an area where Ethan already held a natural advantage.

2. During this initial stage, external magical energy could not be absorbed not even a little. Any external energy would pollute his spiritual power.

3. At the same time, Ethan needed to expand his knowledge by studying various subjects related to magic. According to Merlin, the magic generated from one's spiritual power wasn't inherently balanced across all attributes. It was influenced by the mage's understanding of different types of energy.

For instance, a mage with deep knowledge of fire element energy would naturally produce magic with a strong affinity for fire. Even if they didn't actively absorb fire energy from the outside world, their magic would still lean heavily toward fire-based spells. Many mages used this principle to enhance their magical attributes, their cultivated magic would, in turn, influence the energy they produced.

If Ethan wanted his magic to be well-rounded, he would need to study an extensive range of magical knowledge. However, unlike most mages who could actively practice spells, Ethan couldn't even perform basic magic at this stage. He could only bury himself in theoretical learning. Just thinking about it made him feel frustrated.

"So, could I rely on magic circles or enchanted items instead?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, that's perfectly fine," Merlin replied.

Ethan nodded. It seemed like he would have to continue down the path of relying on props and external tools. Combined with his melee combat skills, Ethan wasn't so much a pure mage as he was an all-rounder, dabbling in many things but mastering none.

Still, once he got through this initial stage, things would improve.

When his spiritual power became strong enough and his knowledge base extensive enough, a unique transformation would occur during meditation. According to Merlin, this change would feel like a hidden spring welling up from the depths of his spiritual power. Once this happened, his magic would begin to flow out naturally, like water from a spring.

At this stage, Ethan would no longer need to rely on external objects to cast magic. He could harness his own magic power instead.

Of course, the "spring" would be small at first, and the magic it produced would be limited. During this time, his magic power would remain fragile and prone to contamination. Absorbing external energy would still be off the table.

However, over time, the spring would grow into a stream, then a small lake, a river, and eventually a vast ocean. By that point, Ethan's magic would be deep and boundless. He would be able to cast spells freely without worrying about contamination, and he could replenish or enhance his magic by absorbing external energy.

From Merlin's description, Ethan understood that achieving this "ocean" level of magic power required more than just time and effort. It demanded vast knowledge of magic and a deep understanding of various types of energy. Without this, it would be impossible to create magic capable of encompassing all attributes.

Unfortunately, Merlin couldn't give him a concrete answer on how to achieve this.

"Sadly, I don't know the exact details," Merlin admitted. "After all, no one has ever fully attempted this method."

Ethan suddenly became curious. How had Merlin started his journey? Did he, like most common mages, begin by choosing an energy he was most familiar with?

"Oh, that…" Merlin replied, suddenly flashing a smug smile. "I'm not a pure human being. I was born with immense magical power."

"Seriously? All talent?"

It was only then that Ethan recalled the legends about Merlin. The famed magician supposedly carried the blood of a fae, which gifted him with a natural affinity for magic. There was simply no comparison between an ordinary human like Ethan, who couldn't even qualify as an apprentice, and someone like Merlin.

Realizing he'd just been thoroughly outclassed, Ethan couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. However, this line of thought reminded him of something important: being a mage required talent, often a lot of it. From this perspective, the path Merlin had proposed might actually be the only viable option for him to achieve success.

If Ethan followed the standard approach most mages used, he'd likely hit an insurmountable wall eventually. At best, he might master a single attribute like water magic. But as his spiritual power became polluted with external elements, he'd find himself stuck, unable to advance any further. And with his late start and lack of natural talent, even his total magic reserves would be inferior to other mages at the same level.

Granted, Ethan did have the space-time orb, which might help him find alternative ways to overcome talent-based bottlenecks. But relying on that alone came with far too many unknowns.

Ethan didn't like uncertainty. So, when an opportunity presented itself, a path that might be grueling but promised concrete achievements—he seized it without hesitation.

Although this method Merlin proposed only detailed how to reach the "sea" level of magical power, Ethan couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

The sea, vast and seemingly limitless, might be impressive, but it wasn't truly the largest scale he could envision. A sea was, at best, part of a single planet. What if he could cultivate a "galaxy" of magic, one containing countless planets? Not only would the depth of his magic be unparalleled, but its density and scale would utterly dwarf anything else.

And why stop at a galaxy? What if countless galaxies could be forged into a colossal supercluster? Ethan even considered the idea of using magic to create an entire universe within himself, a self-contained realm of infinite possibilities.

"Wait… wouldn't that technically be a 'Micro Universe'?" Ethan mused, briefly veering into the territory of Saint Seiya. Realizing how absurdly far his thoughts had wandered, he shook his head to refocus. Dreaming so far ahead wasn't helpful. What mattered now was absorbing the knowledge Merlin provided, step by step, and putting in the effort required to make steady progress.

The time he had in this world was limited, just ten days. After confirming the direction Ethan should take in his studies, Merlin focused on teaching him how to control space-time energy, as that was the most urgent matter. As for the spiritual cultivation method, Merlin planned to organize the relevant information and leave it for Ethan to practice on his own later.

This, of course, meant Ethan was about to receive yet another stack of dense textbooks.

"Speaking of books, I actually have an idea," Ethan said, an idea suddenly forming in his mind. "Do you think it's something you could help me with?"

Ethan thought back to the piles of books already cluttering his ship. Now, with Merlin preparing to hand him even more, the thought of lugging around so many volumes was starting to feel overwhelming.

It was easy to foresee that as he continued to learn more about magic and its various attributes, the number of books he'd need to study would only increase. Was he supposed to bring along an entire ship just to store all this material?

This made creating a magical tool for storing books a top priority.

*****

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