The system's rules were very clear. Each time you observe or participate in a battle, you can only obtain one drop from each target.
Key point: Each time.
This meant that even if Jessica Jones and Isaiah Bradley fought all day, Fenris would not get any additional rewards.
To maximize gains, the correct method was to stop the fight, exit "combat state," and then start again.
Right now, he lacked both the opportunity and the strength to do something on a larger scale. Otherwise, he would have loved to set up an event like the Marvel storyline "Avengers Arena" or "Contest of Champions," where heroes and villains are forced to fight each other. The reward drops from that would be insane.
Fenris and Jessica Jones had left in the morning and only returned when the sky had turned dark.
Whoosh
Back at the Everywhere Logistics Company, Jessica Jones stormed in with a dark face and an annoyed tone.
"This is the first and last time. I can work for you, and I can beat up anyone you want! But, damn it! I'm not your clown!"
Her anger was understandable.
Fighting wasn't a big deal, but fighting for a few minutes, resting for hours, then fighting again briefly. By the end, it was basically three hours of rest and one minute of action. It was unbearable.
For someone like Jessica, a short-tempered powerhouse, it was less about the damage and more about the humiliation.
"I'll give you a chance to rephrase that," Fenris said with a grin as he pulled out a wad of cash.
Jessica's face twisted with frustration. Ten thousand dollars was tempting.
Take her adoptive sister Trish, for example. Sure, she had a record deal, released singles, and was admired like a celebrity. But could she pull out ten grand in cash on the spot? Yeah, right.
Thinking it through, Jessica realized it wasn't so bad. She could just treat it like a boxing match. Only with longer breaks and shorter rounds.
That's right. Just like that.
With this mental shift, Jessica snatched the money out of Fenris's hand with a scowl, under his amused gaze.
"W-what are we eating?" she asked quietly, glancing around.
"Chinese food."
"I'll go get it."
Jessica quickly turned and rushed out the door.
Still not thick-skinned enough. These days, when money talks, even the truth goes quiet.
There's nothing shameful about earning money.
Fenris opened the system character panel.
Character Panel
Host: Fenris
Points: 63
Abilities: Dimensional Teleportation (Impossible Man), Super Strength (Jessica Jones), Super Soldier Serum Enhancement (Isaiah Bradley), Super Endurance (Jessica Jones), Super Jump (Jessica Jones), Physical Damage Resistance (Jessica Jones)
Equipment: Super Soldier Serum
Detection Radius: 100 meters
After just one day, his panel had changed significantly. Ten drops in total had given him all of Jessica Jones's and Black Captain's powers, along with 28 points.
What surprised Fenris most was that the Super Soldier Serum showed up in the equipment slot. He hadn't expected it to drop as an item.
With a thought, the serum materialized in his hand.
If Isaiah Bradley's serum could be obtained, then Steve Rogers's, the Winter Soldier's, and even the Red Room's serum used to control Black Widow should all be obtainable. The Extremis virus too.
And it wasn't a one-time thing. He could keep getting them easily.
What did this mean?
It meant he now had the resources to take on and replace the Time Variance Authority's enforcers.
Super Soldier army.
Winter Soldier army.
Black Widow army.
Extremis virus army.
Now that's terrifying.
If these serums were compatible, he could use the Super Soldier Serum and Winter Soldier enhancements to boost physical power, Red Room serum for mind control, and the Extremis virus for regeneration.
It would be overpowered in the best way.
"I wonder if the dropped serum has a 100 percent success rate, or if it varies by person. I'll need to find someone to test it on."
Fenris tried storing the serum back into the system and succeeded easily.
Not long after, Jessica returned with takeout. She said it was from a high-end place that claimed to be authentic Chinese food. Fenris was skeptical.
After a few bites, he quietly put down his chopsticks. Looking at Jessica, who seemed fairly satisfied, he handed her a few keys.
"I'll be gone for a few days. Clean the place up, and if anything's missing, just buy it. I'll reimburse you when I get back."
Jessica was stunned as she accepted the keys. She hadn't expected him to trust her this much. They hadn't even known each other for twenty-four hours.
He was giving her the keys and leaving her in charge?
He wasn't worried about things being stolen? Or that she might run off?
"Even though you're rude and a bit of a jerk sometimes... I won't let you down," Jessica said seriously.
"You didn't have to say the first part," Fenris replied as he playfully tapped her head. Then, using his Dimensional Teleportation ability, he vanished.
Jessica rubbed her head where he had tapped her. It didn't hurt at all, and oddly enough, it felt... warm. Like something a family member might do.
…
The weather was clear, the sun shining brilliantly. In the blue sky, a figure in a blue suit with a star-spangled cape soared past, drawing cheers and applause from the people below.
Standing by a hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, Fenris watched the flying figure disappear into the distance and saw superhero ads plastered across buildings and streets.
He smiled.
He wasn't in the Marvel world anymore.
This was the world of The Boys.
In Marvel, he would quietly build power. In other worlds, he would go all-out and hit hard.
When he made becoming the ruler of the Void and taking over the TVA his first small goal, he had already planned to use Dimensional Teleportation to visit other universes for powers and allies.
He just didn't expect the first world jump to land him in the dark and twisted world of The Boys.
Here, superheroes were nothing more than celebrities playing roles under the spotlight, selling fake personas. Corporations monetized them through PR and marketing, raking in profits.
Behind the heroic images, most superhumans had a dark side unknown to the public.
Take that flying figure just now, for example. Homelander.
He had powers nearly identical to Superman and was the most powerful and well-known member of The Seven, this world's top superhero team.
But his dark side? It was so twisted it made you question whether light even existed in this world.