"Stable? Why do I feel like he's going to die? "
Rocket stared at the projected picture on the screen. Strange fell to his knees and supported himself with both hands, showing a painful expression on his face.
The ferocious insects that came in waves seemed to be stimulated.
They threw away the brightly lit magical furnace and went crazy trying to squeeze it into his brain.
Mind Maggots weren't entities but creatures exclusive to the Dream Dimension.
They swarmed into Strange's soul in groups.
Intending to eat the other's active thinking and melt his firm will.
Any master, faced with such a dangerous situation, would have no other way but throw in the towel and leave the arena.
After all, surrendering could still save their lives.
But if they kept going, their whole soul would be eaten by Mind Maggots.
"What are you worried about? Strange is an idiot now."
Luke shrugged his shoulders and lightly said so.
Rocket Raccoon was taken aback for a moment and then reacted after a while.
Strange used himself as bait to attract those Mind Maggots.
He had long imposed Cytorrak's spell on himself, shutting down his own mind.
Those swarming maggots couldn't eat anything, but they were trapped in the head of the human master.
"I didn't see that this mustache master was quite capable. But what would he do next?"
Rocket was impressed by Strange's bravery. So many disgusting maggots crowded in his brain, twittering and screeching; others may not be able to stand it.
What's more, they were dangerous creatures like Mind Maggots.
If he wasn't careful, the possibility of being turned over was extremely high.
"For a former neurosurgeon, this is a small thing."
Luke leaned against the chair. He was ready for the stage, but he didn't expect the other party to come up with another trick.
"They could cut a patient's head for surgery, and at the same time, they could discuss what to eat for dinner and what music they like to listen to."
Rocket scratched his head. He didn't know much about a doctor's profession.
Pilots, pirates, space pirates, raiders, jailbreakers ... These were the areas of expertise that he was good at.
"Little rabbit, did you know that there's an Earth joke; someone's computer was infected with a virus, and he planned to starve it to death by shutting it down for a long time."
Luke withdrew his eyes from the screen and answered Rocket Raccoon's last question.
If he was right, Strange was probably planning to use this ridiculous-sounding solution to the Mind Maggots in his head.
In fact, it was feasible.
Because those disgusting maggots could only eat active thoughts.
They had no interest in any nerve cells, brain, spinal cord and couldn't hurt the corresponding organs and tissues.
And without food for a long time, they would soon starve to death.
They turn into a cloud of nothingness and merge into the soul.
Most of the creatures in the Dream Dimension were like this.
"Is there such a thing?"
Rocket Raccoon's eyes widened, indicating an increase in bizarre knowledge.
He refocused his attention on the big screen and found that many eye-like spots and sores grew on Strange's face, which looked extremely frightening.
"What's going on here?"
Rocket got a fright, and all his fur stood up.
Strange's appearance, without makeup, could be a villain in a horror movie.
The suffering face was full of eyeballs, which seemed to scream with anger and wanted to break free.
"Don't make a fuss. It's an aftereffect of the Mind Maggot infesting the soul, and it will heal in a few days."
As Kamar Taj's fastest graduating high-ranking master in history, Luke had a little knowledge of magic and could see Strange's situation at a glance.
"Compared with this, Stephen should be more worried about the heavy price caused by excessive casting."
Those maggots were desperately biting, trying to escape from the human soul that had become a cage.
But Strange was indifferent, digesting them while generating out a dazzling light.
Those remnants of Mind Maggots were attached to his soul and turned into scary spots and sores.
But this wasn't the worst. Later, when he returned, it was the bills incurred now that would cause headaches.
In addition to the contracted Vishanti, Strange also summoned Valtorr -- a demon god of vapor, in the form of a gray serpent clad in scaly armor.
Ikthalon -- the demon of stagnation, often appearing in the image of an ice giant.
And Cyttorak, Lord of Oblivion whom the Masters of the Mystic Arts often borrowed powers from.
Considering that most of them were white magic, the problem shouldn't be too big.
At most, it was a gastric ulcer, gastric perforation, nervous tinnitus, long-term insomnia, and other diseases, which weren't life-threatening.
"Fortunately, I believe in science. Being a master is terrible."
When Rocket saw the horror on Strange, he couldn't help shrinking his neck and continued reading the forum.
"That's why so many people want to become Sorcerer Supreme."
Luke spread out his hand.
"Those dimensional demons are like different banks, with different interest rates, repayment schedules, and collection methods."
"Low-rank, middle-rank and high-rank masters are the lowest levels of exploitation because they have no choice but to pay the price with their lives, limbs, and souls."
"After becoming a legendary mage, you would have certain bargaining power. You can sign a contract with a dimensional demon with more suitable and lesser conditions."
"For example, being an envoy, developing a down line to bring in more people, and so on -- it may sound like some kind of large-scale illegal sales promotion, but that's essentially what it is, no difference."
"However, to be a legendary mage doesn't mean that you can rest easy and spend freely."
"They still run the risk of being fired or of being cut down like grass."
"Moreover, because the contract is too deep, once facing bankruptcy, the legendary master's body, together with their soul, and all their assets would be taken away by the dimensional demon bank."
"After all, in their eyes, legendary masters always appear every few decades and hundreds of years, which could be regarded as high-quality customers at most, rather than rare resources."
"In this way, only when you become the Sorcerer Supreme, get the protection of the Vishanti, and take the corresponding responsibility can you become the father of the beloved client of each bank."
"For example, the Ancient One has accumulated so many loan invoices from the dimensional demon gods that the interest rates have been snowballing, and it's hard to count."
"But he is living very well. That's because his background is strong enough. They are Hoggoth, Oshtur, and Agamotto."
"The banks could only continue to lend money and cut other people's grass with tears at the same time -- because in the face of the Sorcerer Supreme, violent collection and enforcement are useless."
Rocket didn't understand. When he looked at the master in the Bar With No Doors, he only felt that they were like green grass.
"With 3 hours left, Strange should have passed the test."
According to Luke's judgment, while attracting Mind Maggots, the other party drained the potential in his body. He had no problem holding on for another 3 hours.
On Loki's side, Thor, who generated electricity for love and his fighting spirit, turned into Asgard's number one macho man as if he had taken a Hercules pill and easily swept away the swarms of maggots.
Obviously, a tower defense game couldn't be played without double mowing.
This made Loki, who was originally ranked in the middle, rise all the way, especially in terms of popularity. All the values floated up like the stock market before the economic bubble.
This Asgard sibling duo was a dark horse that rose to prominence.
Directly to the top three, squeezing out the mediocre performance from Doctor Voodoo.
"I think I'd be more comfortable betting on the evil woman; she and Thor are already popular contestants."
Rocket was a little distressed. Strange's popularity was so low that he couldn't even be considered a seeded player.
This wave of seeded players might really make him go bankrupt and have to drown himself to pay his debts.
"Don't worry. It's a sure-fire deal that won't lose money."
Luke was full of confidence. With him playing in the second qualifying round, he would definitely make it through.