"F*ck!"
Ronan spat out an American curse.
Although in his previous life, he had seen this part of the story, he didn't remember the exact date.
He only remembered that the last time he heard news about the Avengers was when Tony Stark was attacked at the racetrack.
That was over a year ago.
At that time, he was busy with the transition from middle school to high school, and he couldn't go witness Tony Stark getting beaten up.
"Well, what a weekend surprise."
Ronan sighed.
The police around the school were shouting for people to get to safety.
People were fleeing from the location of the black hole as if possessed, and the sound of sirens seemed to emphasize that it was time to take cover.
"Is this just a regular day in the Marvel Universe?"
Ronan silently quipped, quickly dodging the running crowd and turning into a quiet, empty alley.
He lightly lifted his foot, and a golden portal appeared out of thin air.
On the other side of the portal was the New York Sanctum.
As Ronan stepped into the portal, the golden sparks quickly disappeared.
At that moment, from behind a nearby trash can, a very familiar face popped up.
Peter Parker!
"...What the f*ck?"
...
New York Sanctum.
With one step, Ronan instantly arrived on the rooftop of the New York Sanctum.
At this moment, the Ancient One was standing on the rooftop, playing a "game" of "defeat the Chitauri soldiers."
With a casual throw of a Raggadorr's Ring, a Chitauri flying soldier would plummet.
Seems like she's having fun.
"Master."
Ronan dropped his backpack and joined in on the "game."
Because, in his eyes, these adorable Chitauri soldiers were all experience points!
You had to admit, these sorts of mini-games are truly a sorcerer's favorite.
After all, with the protection of the Sanctum's magical wards, these Chitauri couldn't even see them.
So basically, Ronan and the Ancient One were attacking them without any risk.
They just needed to be cautious of falling debris.
"Master, aren't you going to help them?"
While tossing a Raggadorr's Ring, Ronan glanced at his system.
[Experience +50]
[Experience +50]
Nice!
Ronan's face lit up with joy; it looked like he was sure to reach level 5 today!
According to the system, every time you hit level [5] or a multiple of [5], you'd be randomly rewarded with a skill from another world.
Ronan had been eagerly awaiting this new skill!
"No need. Whether we join the fight or not doesn't change the outcome."
"They can handle this disaster."
The Ancient One shook her head.
As the protector of Earth, Kamar-Taj's mission was to defend the planet from external threats.
But this time, the Ancient One chose to stand aside.
"Is this what they call fate?"
Ronan chuckled.
In a way, he was just like the Ancient One at this moment.
Both of them knew what was going to happen in the future, and how the fate of the superheroes would unfold.
However, the Ancient One shook her head again and stopped her actions.
"Someone's coming."
As she spoke, the Ancient One turned her gaze to the other side of the rooftop.
A green figure, over two meters tall, leaped down from the sky and landed on the roof.
Ronan could clearly feel the tremor from the impact.
Hulk?
No, to be precise, it was the newer version of the Hulk after he had fused with Bruce Banner.
Ronan's mouth dropped open. He had a hunch about what was happening.
Bruce Banner looked at the door leading downstairs and reached out to open it.
"Be careful if you go that way."
"After all, the floor was just waxed."
At this moment, the Ancient One interrupted Bruce Banner's movement.
Hearing her voice, Bruce looked over and saw the Ancient One and Ronan standing there.
He glanced at Ronan, a look of confusion crossing his face.
"I'm looking for Doctor Strange."
When Bruce Banner said this, Ronan couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Damn parallel universe theory.
No, that's not right.
To be more precise, this was about the present and the future.
At least, at this moment, you could still call it the present and the future.
Because not long from now, thanks to Tony Stark from the future losing the Space Stone — that is, the Tesseract — Loki would use it to escape.
In doing so, another parallel universe would be created.
In the original timeline, Loki would take the Space Stone when Asgard was destroyed and later be killed by Thanos when he tried to attack him with it.
In the new parallel universe, however, Loki would be captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA).
In other words, from the moment Loki took the Tesseract, Ronan would be stepping into a brand-new parallel universe.
"You're about five years early."
"And Doctor Strange is currently twenty blocks away, performing surgery."
The Ancient One glanced to her left and pointed in that direction.
Then, she looked back at Bruce Banner.
"What do you need him for?"
There wasn't the slightest surprise on the Ancient One's face.
Meanwhile, Ronan couldn't help but chuckle.
The Ancient One knew everything, but she wouldn't say a word.
"It's about that."
Bruce Banner pointed to the Eye of Agamotto hanging around the Ancient One's neck.
The Ancient One shook her head with a smile, saying, "I'm afraid that won't be possible."
After all, that was the Time Stone. Even though the Ancient One knew their intentions, she still had to follow certain rules.
At least, that's how it had to play out according to the timeline.
"Sorry, I wasn't planning on asking."
With that, Bruce Banner cracked his neck and took two steps forward.
But as he took his second step, a sudden sense of weightlessness caused him to fall through the air.
The next second, a portal opened in the sky.
Bruce Banner's figure plummeted from the sky, right into the portal on the ground.
And so on, repeatedly.
The Ancient One watched as Bruce Banner disappeared and reappeared, continuously falling and re-entering the portal, a small smile forming on her face.
She turned her head and looked at Ronan, who had an innocent, harmless expression.
"It seems you've become quite proficient with the Interdimensional Portal."
Her smile deepened, especially as she noticed Ronan's fingers were completely empty.
Being able to use the Interdimensional Portal without the Sling Ring or hand gestures — Ronan was the first in all of Kamar-Taj to achieve that.
"He was just being a bit too arrogant."
"After all, being that cocky on our turf isn't a good thing."
Ronan shrugged. He was consciously trying to change the future.
Since Bruce Banner and his companions' arrival would create a brand-new parallel universe, Ronan was curious if more changes would lead to different outcomes.
He was eager to find out.
"Alright, I understand his purpose."
"Let him out."
The Ancient One smiled and shook her head, as if she had seen through something.
Ronan pouted, and with a thud, Bruce Banner finally fell onto the rooftop.
The rooftop shook once more.
"Ahhh!"
"Damn it!"
Bruce Banner clutched his head, his stomach churning.
Even though he was the Hulk, this kind of experience was a first for him.
"Who is this kid?"
Bruce Banner looked at Ronan warily.
After all, this young man had just given him a brand-new, never-before-seen experience.
The Ancient One slowly walked forward, her smile widening.
"He is..."
"The next Sorcerer Supreme."