Thinking back to the embarrassing days when he had just crossed into the Marvel world, Blaine remembered how even earning tens of thousands of dollars in bounties could make him happy for a long time. He still recalled his very first order—it had been worth fifty. Now, if it wasn't at least five hundred million, he wouldn't even look at it.
From a "workplace rookie" to his current status, he had become almost a qualified and successful bounty hunter. At least on Earth, there was no immediate danger to his life.
But safety was never guaranteed. Just because danger wasn't present now didn't mean it wouldn't come later. Strength needed to be improved as soon as possible. One day, if beings like a "purple sweet potato" Titan or even the planet-devouring Galactus appeared, this already turbulent Marvel world would become even more perilous—especially because of Blaine's very existence. By then, it would be too late to scramble for power.
Thinking of this, Blaine hardened his resolve and added another 15 points to his physique through the system.
The system responded immediately—when it came to money, it was always efficient.
"Damn, it's too expensive. After hitting 300, one single point costs 150 million? That's daylight robbery. The money I worked so hard to earn isn't even enough to improve my physique," Blaine thought, feeling like vomiting blood.
Why did Thor and Loki come with god-level bodies from birth, and why did that Titan have his monstrous physiology for free? At this price, reaching a level where he wouldn't fear the vacuum of space would take trillions.
"Twenty-five points of constitution, 115 million each. With the 20% discount for B-rank hunters, that's still nearly two billion… Grandma's, fine—do it!"
Blaine gritted his teeth. "The body is the capital of revolution. I'm afraid of death, I admit it. If you can, try breaking through my defenses!"
Host's current physique: 325 (God-Level Physique 1/8).
Originally, he had considered upgrading other skills, but lately, some of them felt a little outdated, even if still useful on Earth. Then something new caught his attention—an unfamiliar tag under his stats.
"God-level physique? Wait… I'm turning into a god?"
Notably, when the system deducted 3.9 billion, his body tingled with a numb sensation he'd never felt before. Looking at his skin, faint golden veins flickered before fading away.
"God-level physique 1/8… meaning 500 points would be the full threshold, and 400 would make me half-godlike."
"Spider-Man, in his late stage, could punch with tens or even hundreds of tons of force. Stronger than me now, or at least not weaker."
"So even Spider-Man's late-stage strength counts as a demigod physique? Terrifying…"
"But there's still a gap between a demigod and a true god. Otherwise, why can Thor survive in open space and withstand cosmic forces, while Spider-Man needs armor just to breathe out there? A demigod can't survive in the void. In the end, it's still a false god."
Despite his complaints, Blaine couldn't deny reality. His savings, painstakingly earned, were gone in an instant. It hurt.
"A demigod is still a god… reaching the threshold should make me happy, but why don't I feel happy?"
Still, after nearly four billion spent, he closed the attribute panel and the mall, forcing himself to resist the urge to spend more. That money had originally been set aside for emergencies. Now, guilt tugged at him for blowing it all at once.
Not that it was surprising. As a traveler, Blaine knew what was coming. Since the Chitauri invasion, the timeline pointed toward another great conflict. Ultron would be a nightmare to deal with. Unlike flesh-and-blood enemies, he was essentially lines of code—artificial intelligence couldn't be destroyed with brute force alone.
That only deepened Blaine's sense of crisis. If Ultron was on the horizon, could the battle for the Infinity Stones be far behind?
The most important thing was strengthening his body. If Thanos really snapped his fingers, and he happened to be unlucky enough to vanish, all his hard-earned wealth would be meaningless.
"I don't even know how many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have already died in the field… but I can't help expecting the worst."
His fortune, once 4.8 billion, now stood at just 942.5 million. Counting the one billion still pending from Tony as thanks for saving Happy, he had basically returned to square one overnight. No wonder he felt desperate for money again.
"It seems that with cash, I should start learning some tech of my own…"
The thought wasn't unfounded. Ultron's very existence was born from Stark's advanced technology, and today's terrorists had already managed to hijack national TV broadcasts. It was a warning sign Blaine couldn't ignore. For now, he tried to calm himself, stop thinking, and get some sleep.
For the first time, he understood why people enjoyed shopping—the strange satisfaction of watching numbers disappear was truly indescribable.
But while Blaine could sleep, others were not so fortunate. Tonight was destined to be extraordinary.
The world still believed Iron Man was gone.
But in truth, Tony had already uncovered the truth. The Mark 42 armor was being repaired and recharged, though the massive energy required meant it would take time. Tony, however, was restless. Angry and impatient, he threw himself into building makeshift weapons and gadgets with whatever materials he could find.
By dawn, he planned to storm the Mandarin's supposed base in Rose Hill, Tennessee, alone. Pepper, meanwhile, was in danger—though she didn't yet know Aldrich Killian had her captive.
On the other side, Killian's ambition was being laid bare.
Across the news, a terrorist leader calling himself the Mandarin threatened the President live on air. But the truth was clear—this Mandarin was nothing but a front, an actor hired by Killian as a scapegoat.
"Mr. President, this is not a joke. Do you think I'm kidding? No… you like hide-and-seek? Fine, come here."
"Look at this man. Do you know him? Guess who he is. Ahaha… how about your good politician? Surprised? I am amazing…"
*************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is Lord_Immortal_0170