Chapter 102: The Lowest-Grade Hardening Agent
The unfolding of the first Avengers story begins with the trickster god Loki, who feigned death at the end of "Thor," and his alliance with the Chitauri, who acted under Thanos's command. One sought to conquer Earth to prove his worth as an Asgardian prince; the other was sent by Thanos to seize the Tesseract.
At the end of "Captain America," after a fierce battle between Captain America and the Hydra leader, the Tesseract fell into the ocean. Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s father, led a team to retrieve it and handed it over to S.H.I.E.L.D., where it was now in Nick Fury’s possession.
This set the stage for Loki’s sudden assault on the S.H.I.E.L.D. underground facility, where, in front of Fury, he forcibly stole the Tesseract. Loki’s plan was to harness the Tesseract’s unparalleled spatial power to open a portal above Earth, allowing the Chitauri army to invade.
In response, Fury urgently assembled his long-planned team of troubled heroes: the playboy Tony Stark, the Hulk, the aging Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor, the god of thunder who came for Loki.
Thus, the Avengers were officially formed.
Their first mission was to capture Loki, and they succeeded in apprehending him. However, the cunning Loki only pretended to surrender. He managed to open the spatial portal over New York, allowing tens of thousands of alien soldiers to pour in. The Battle of New York had officially begun!
Of course, as the film concluded, victory was ultimately achieved. After an exhilarating battle, the heroes found a way to close the portal, cutting off the Chitauri reinforcements, shattering Loki’s ambitions to rule Earth, and thwarting Thanos’s plans to collect the Infinity Stones. The story ended with celebration.
Thanos suffered heavy losses in this battle, losing not only the Tesseract but also Loki’s scepter. One could only wonder what he was thinking.
As a result, of the six Infinity Stones of supreme power, three ended up scattered on Earth:
- The Space Stone: possessing the power of spatial teleportation and control, housed within the Tesseract.
- The Mind Stone: capable of controlling others’ thoughts and enhancing the bearer’s mental strength, contained within Loki’s scepter.
- The Time Stone: currently in the possession of the Ancient One.
“At the Battle of New York, two Infinity Stones will be exposed — a perfect opportunity to acquire one…” Luke eagerly anticipated obtaining an Infinity Stone. That would be fantastic! Not only could it disrupt the Sunset Snap ten years later, but it would also grant immense power. This would form the core of his plan.
“When the time comes, I’ll seize one amidst the chaos... Whether it’s the Space Stone or the Mind Stone, it will be a huge gain. My strength will skyrocket,” Luke mused, stroking his chin. “But no matter the scheme, without power, it’s all empty talk. First, I need the capital to play these tricks. Strength is never enough. Wait, this month I can still draw from the magic box, right? Hmm, Lotus isn’t around now, so that means…”
With that thought, Luke immediately checked the system in his mind.
Sure enough, Lotus was absent, and the magic boxes had not increased in price—still $500 each, with a monthly limit of 100 units. That seemed unchangeable.
“Damn, same as Spike’s stubbornness,” Luke muttered inwardly. Wasting no time, he quickly purchased the full 100 magic boxes. Delicious!
He finally exhaled, “Only spent $50,000, but that’s a huge gain. The system’s loss, not mine.”
Suddenly, a hundred sleek black magic boxes appeared neatly stacked before him.
“Time for the most exciting moment…” Luke rubbed his hands together, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Last time, his luck had been incredible—briefly passing as a European player, he received eight skill books in ten guaranteed draws! That was something to boast about back in his past life.
Now, how would his luck fare?
Standing facing east, Luke’s expression was devout as he performed the customary three bows: “Great Ma, grant me your power!”
He then warmed up with a set of calisthenics, followed by eye exercises.
Finally, he recharged the system with 80,000 credits.
A full ritual completed.
“System, now! Draw!”
[Data Chip ×1]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×21]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×8]
[Resurrection Coin ×2]
[Skill Book: Continuous Thrust]
[Magical Demon Stone ×2]
[Magical Demon Stone ×1]
[Seria’s Handmade Cake ×1]
[Data Chip ×4]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×12]
Luke stared blankly for about a minute.
“What on earth is Continuous Thrust? Seems like a common skill for Ghost Swordsmen?” he pondered uncertainly, unable to recall clearly.
He hadn’t played Dungeon Fighter Online for over a year and a half. Once, he ground dungeons daily, but now only memories remained. It was unlikely he’d ever reunite with his level-30 adventure guild—he was already in another world.
“Looks like this round was a dud,” Luke sighed regretfully.
In DFO, each class system had 4 to 5 diverse branches, each sharing some common minor skills. These skills were generally mediocre.
Continuous Thrust, a common skill for Ghost Swordsmen, manifested in reality as a plain series of forward thrusts with a sword.
After some study, Luke confirmed the skill had no valuable magical modifications.
“Don’t panic, stay calm,” he said, composed despite the first draw’s disappointment. “Try again.”
[Magical Demon Stone ×2]
[Data Chip ×2]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×13]
...
[Recipe: Lowest Grade Hardener]
“Huh? What’s this…”
Receiving the item, Luke paused in surprise.
Reading the description: “Technique for formulating the lowest grade hardener. Adding it to any material hardens it. Isn’t this a crafting material from the game? Hey! This is good stuff!”
He recalled that hardener was a common crafting component used with others to forge equipment.
Just the ability to harden materials sparked his imagination.
“What if I add it to Adamantium? Once the warehouse is fixed, I’ll have my assistant test it out. The DFO world’s items might be invaluable here!”
The recipe detailed how to create the lowest grade hardener.
Luke remembered that in the game, the lowest grade hardener was the weakest, with levels ascending through lower, medium, upper, and special grade.
He envisioned a grand avenue paved with Adamantium, piloting an EVA suit forged entirely of Vibranium...
Then his thoughts snapped back to reality.
In high spirits, humming a tune, Luke happily drew another round.
The results came quickly.
“Holy crap… No way!”
He almost jumped out of bed, eyes glued to the skill book.
[Data Chip ×3]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×9]
[Data Chip ×1]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×12]
[Resurrection Coin ×1]
[Magical Demon Stone ×1]
[Seria’s Handmade Cake ×2]
[Magical Demon Stone ×3]
[Colorless Crystal Shard ×18]
[Skill Book: Orb of Revelation]