A few days later, all the mages in Kamar-Taj received a novice weapon distributed by Darian.
An AK automatic rifle.
The mages held the firearms in their hands, completely stunned.
It was one thing that they had joined Kamar-Taj for so long and only now received novice weapons.
But the problem was, why was their novice weapon an automatic rifle as mages?
Does that even make sense?
However, once they actually tried them out, they immediately fell in love.
No need to chant, no need to weave hand signs, and no need to make loan deals with any Dimensional Demon God. Just pull the trigger, and you could directly unleash effects like magic.
And it was the fully automatic kind, too.
For mages who usually had to weigh the cost of using even a single spell, this feeling was indescribable.
Awesome!
It was so damn awesome!
Many mages couldn't sit still on the spot; they grabbed their newly acquired novice weapons and ran off to find magical creatures for live combat.
In the past, when dealing with these things, they would rush up with magical artifacts shaped like various melee weapons, fight in close quarters, and at most, conjure a magic shield to block damage.
Unless they were in danger or forced into a corner, they rarely used other magic.
But now it was different.
They stood dozens of meters away and raised their gun barrels.
Da da da da da da!
Bullets imbued with magical effects were poured into the bodies of the magical creatures at a terrifying rate of ten rounds per second.
Enemies that used to take a lot of effort to kill were now riddled with holes in a single encounter.
In the blink of an eye, only a pile of slag was left on the ground.
A mage looked at the magical creature that had been killed in seconds, then looked at the gun in his hand, unable to help but exclaim.
"This thing is much easier to use than magical artifacts!"
Unfortunately, these Enchantment AKs had durability, and they would crumble on their own after emptying a few magazines.
This was hard for the mages to accept.
It is easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but difficult to go from extravagant to frugal.
After experiencing the thrill of the Enchantment AK, who would want to go back to the days of squeezing every drop of mana?
Darian took the opportunity to tell them that magical artifacts like the Enchantment AK could be exchanged using points.
As long as they expelled or repelled threats from other dimensions, they could earn points.
The stronger the monsters and the greater their numbers, the higher the points.
When an event was nearing its end, they could open a portal for him to come over and make a judgment, and the rewards would be settled.
These points could be used to exchange for various items on the exclusive Kamar-Taj platform provided by Darian.
The platform not only had novice weapons like the Enchantment AK, but also various enchanted firearms, from pistols to sniper rifles, from shotguns to grenade launchers, everything one could need; those who didn't know might think it was some dark web arms trade.
Besides weapons, there were other enchanted equipment to exchange on the platform.
For example, armor imbued with defensive magic had extremely strong defense and various resistances, protecting the mage's body in all aspects.
For example, boots imbued with lightness magic allowed one to walk as if flying, and even doing a double jump in the air was no problem.
For example, accessories imbued with buff magic could provide mages with various long-term buffs.
Such enchanted equipment was too numerous to count on the platform.
For Darian, making these enchanted items was basically not difficult; it only required consuming some mana and time to create them through skills.
Except for some enchanted equipment with exceptional effects, other enchanted equipment could be mass-produced.
There was also an item section, which didn't need introduction; it was the same as the exchange mall on the side of X-Squad, Sokovia, and HYDRA. Once this exchange mall appeared, the mages' eyes went wide, and they were almost drooling.
Want, want!
But they didn't have a single point on them right now, and couldn't even afford the cheapest enchanted equipment.
Since there were no points, they had to earn them.
Consequently, the style of Kamar-Taj gradually became strange.
In the past, whenever they discovered monsters from other dimensions, the mages would look as if they were going to the battlefield, their faces heavy.
Now, as soon as they found traces of monsters, the mages were like hungry wolves seeing sheep, scrambling to open portals and rushing in with guns, afraid that someone else would snatch the monsters if they were late.
Often, as soon as a monster appeared, it would see a circle of mages surrounding it with kind smiles and a dozen pitch-black gun barrels pointed right at it.
Mages: ( ) V ' ) = one "
Monster: ( A ° three " A ° ) ! ?
With the support of enchanted equipment, the combat power of the mages skyrocketed, and ordinary monsters were no match at all.
There was no monster that couldn't be solved with a burst of fire.
If there was, then two bursts.
In the past, to ensure safety, mages would act in groups, often outnumbering their enemies and launching righteous group beatings against monsters.
Now, with the support of enchanted equipment, one mage could handle several monsters at once, and those with better marksmanship could even solo a dozen monsters.
For this reason, a new area was built next to the training grounds: a shooting range!
It was filled with ordinary un-enchanted firearms; spending a few points allowed two hours of use, with plenty of ammo.
As soon as this shooting range opened, it was immediately packed.
Before dawn, the sound of da da da gunfire could be heard in the shooting range.
Darian stood in the distance listening, unable to help but sigh.
What a diligent group of mages!
With the enthusiasm of the Kamar-Taj mages for grinding monsters day and night, Darian's efficiency in completing daily tasks increased several times over.
Experience points rose steadily, and before long, the experience bar was filled.
[Congratulations to the player, you have successfully leveled up!]
[Player: Darian]
[Level: 26 (100 / 83000)]
[Attributes: Strength 100, Agility 53, Constitution 60, Spirit 60]
[Available Free Attribute Points: 5]
Darian glanced at the panel and allocated all the newly acquired free attribute points to Agility.
[Attributes: Strength 100, Agility 58, Constitution 60, Spirit 60]
Only two more points of agility, and his strength-based bucket mage build would be complete.
A few days later, the system's voice suddenly rang in Darian's mind.
[Player, please be aware, a new instance has officially opened]
[Yes / No, enter the instance immediately]
"Another new instance."
Darian put down the magic tome he had just finished flipping through, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.
He had been holed up in Kamar-Taj these days, either crafting enchanted equipment or gnawing on magic books, and he had even watched Emma's CG hundreds of times; he had long been bored to the point of growing mold.
The new instance came at just the right time.
Darian didn't hesitate at all and confirmed entry directly.
[About to start teleporting to the instance, please be prepared. . . ]
Darian opened his eyes again, and what came into view was an open woodland, with a few teenagers walking around not far away.
Before he could see the surrounding environment clearly, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Who... who are you?"
Darian turned around and saw a young girl sitting under a big tree, looking at him with surprise.
Clearly, the other party had witnessed the scene of him appearing out of thin air.
[NPC: Jean Grey]
[Codename: Phoenix]
[Favorability: 10]
[Evaluation: Human vessel of the Phoenix, the first sword of awakening slays one's own people; no matter how strong the power, it must bow down to Wolverine's jeans.]
The moment Darian saw Jean, he immediately realized that this was another X-Men Universe.
Judging from the surrounding scenery, this should be the Xavier Mansion, which was the X-Academy.
However, he didn't know if this Jean in front of him was an early version or a variant from a parallel Universe; she looked much younger than the one he had met before, a head shorter, and looked quite a bit rounder...
Darian said cheerfully: "Isn't that obvious? Of course, I'm a Mutant."
Hearing this, Jean wasn't surprised by the answer, but looked at Darian vigilantly: "But I have never seen you before, you don't seem to be a student or teacher here, right?"
A strange man suddenly appeared in this place; perhaps he had ulterior motives and ill intentions.
"Hmm, in terms of status, I should be considered a school board member." Darian rubbed his chin.
Jean didn't understand, and quietly released a wisp of spiritual energy, wanting to use Telepathy on Darian to see what this person was really up to. The next second, her spiritual energy hit a wall and was bounced back firmly.
Darian narrowed his eyes: "Did your principal not teach you that it is very impolite to probe other people's brains casually?"
Although Charles wasn't qualified to say that either.
When it came to secretly peeking into people's brains, he was the one who used it most happily in the entire academy.
A look of surprise flashed across Jean's face.
Except for Principal Charles and board member Emma, this was the first time someone had been able to block her Telepathy.
Just as Jean was preparing to take the next step, a figure suddenly walked over.
"Oh my god, Darian, is that you?"
Darian raised an eyebrow and saw that the person coming was none other than Mystique, who was currently disguised as a blonde, blue-eyed human.
Among the several Mystiques he had encountered, only this one used this face.
Plus, Raven was Magneto's famous number one henchman, able to appear in this place so openly.
Then there was only one possibility.
Darian grinned: "Long time no see, Raven."
That's right, this was the exact instance he had experienced for the first time.
Unexpectedly, after going around a few instances, he had actually returned to this familiar place.
A look of surprise appeared on Raven's face: "It really is you, Darian! You finally came back, where have you been all this time?"
"Went on a long trip."
Darian casually brushed it off, then asked: "By the way, what is the timeline now? I mean, how long has it been since I left?"
Raven was a bit confused by the question, but still answered honestly: "It's been over a year."
"So long?"
Darian was a bit surprised; the time span of this instance was much larger than he had imagined.
Raven nodded, her tone carrying the sentiment of someone who had been through it: "Yeah, a lot of changes have happened in the academy during this time. I think you'll be surprised when you see them."
Darian chuckled.
Let alone a year, he had seen changes decades into the future.
At this time, Jean looked at Raven curiously: "Minister, who is this...?"
"Minister?"
Darian raised his eyebrows and looked at Raven.
Raven smiled triumphantly, hands on her hips, chest puffed out: "Jean is a member of our Sisterhood Gate, of course she has to call me Minister."
Darian: "..."
Good guy, Raven had really made a name for herself; she had actually become the leader of Phoenix.
Raven turned to Jean and said: "Let me introduce you, this is Darian, the founder of the Brotherhood, and also the largest shareholder of our academy."
Jean was surprised: "You are Darian?"
Darian raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Have you heard my stories?"
Jean nodded: "Yeah, the Minister often mentioned you, saying you are insidious, cunning, petty, and especially shameless..."
Darian: "..."
Raven's expression changed abruptly; she rushed up and covered Jean's mouth, laughing dryly to brush it off: "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! How could I have said such things? Someone must be imitating me, trying to frame me!"
Who else could imitate you better than yourself?
Darian was expressionless and said to Jean: "You did well; from today on, you are the new Minister of the Sisterhood Gate."
Jean was a bit embarrassed: "That's not very good, is it?"
"You don't want to?"
"Minister of the Sisterhood Gate, Jean, reporting to you!"
Are you kidding? Who doesn't know that the internal benefits of the Brotherhood are ridiculously high?
The higher the position, the richer the benefits.
Like the level of Sisterhood Gate Minister, one could receive new products from various companies under the Hellfire Club every month, including beauty products, jewelry pendants, limited edition bags, big-name clothing...
Those things were worth tens of thousands, something a student like Jean wouldn't even dare to think about usually.
Now that the opportunity was delivered to her door, only a fool would push it away.
"No—!"
Raven mourned on the spot, as if the sky had collapsed.
My jewelry! My bags! My clothes!
Now they were all gone!
Darian ignored the gray-background Raven, signaled for Jean to follow, and strode toward the Villa.
Before they reached the front door, several robots suddenly descended from the sky and landed right in front of Darian.
"Unregistered personnel detected, please state your purpose."
A cold electronic voice sounded from the robots simultaneously.
Darian glanced at them and recognized that these were robot soldiers built by Hank based on the Whiplash armor.
Compared to the initial version, the robot soldiers in front of him had clearly been significantly upgraded, with a sleeker appearance and a strong sense of high technology, not inferior to that pile of smart robots of Tony's.
Truly worthy of being the smartest existence among Mutants.
Before Darian could speak, Jean, who had turned into a sycophant, immediately stepped forward: "This is Darian, the founder of the Brotherhood, definitely a good guy!"
The robot soldiers' mechanical eyes flashed red a few times, quickly scanning Darian from head to toe.
"Identity verification passed, welcome back, respected Mr. Darian."
Several robots immediately opened a passage, and one of them said: "We are Whiplash Robots. According to the instructions preset by Mr. Hank, we have granted you highest authority. You can issue any command to all Whiplash Robots at any time."
"Hank is still the thoughtful one." Darian nodded with satisfaction.
Surrounded by several Whiplash Robots, he walked into the Villa with a swagger.
"Charles, I'm back!"