MARVEL: BUYING GODHOOD

As I opened my eyes, the world suddenly looked different.

Everything around me seemed to have been stripped down to its basic form.

The trees, the ground, even Diablo standing in front of me were reduced to strange outlines, while different types of energy seemed to radiate from those outlines in various forms.

I blinked several times and rubbed my eyes, but the strange vision disappeared, and everything returned to normal.

I frowned.

Was that Magic Sense?

Before I could think about it any further, Diablo spoke.

“My Lord, your appearance has changed.”

I looked down at myself in confusion.

“What?” I searched the campsite for something reflective, but there was nothing I could use to properly see myself.

“What changed?”

Diablo answered, “Your height, frame, hair color, and eye color, my Lord.”

That immediately caught my attention.

“My hair and eyes too?”

Diablo noticed my curiosity and, without saying anything else, raised one hand.

A thin layer of demonic energy appeared in front of me before transforming into a perfectly clear mirror.

I stared at my reflection.

For a moment, I didn’t recognize myself.

My hair had turned completely white, while my eyes had become a strange bluish-gold.

Both changes were impossible to miss.

I was also taller than before, and my frame had become noticeably broader.

The change to my body wasn’t extreme, but it was still enough that anyone who knew me would immediately notice the difference.

I looked down at my body and pulled off my shirt.

My eyebrows rose slightly as I examined the changes.

My abs were clearly defined, and even my obliques were visible.

My entire physique looked as though I had spent my entire life bodybuilding.

“Well…” I turned slightly from side to side, examining my new body.

“This isn’t bad.” The evolution had clearly done more than just increase my Magicules.

But just how much had my physical strength increased?

There was only one way to find out.

I stepped away from the campsite and crouched slightly before jumping.

My body shot upward, and I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

“Whoa!” I continued rising higher and higher before finally landing several seconds later.

I looked back toward the ground and realized I had jumped roughly the height of a four- or five-story building.

And I hadn’t even used my full strength.

I stared at my hands for a moment.

“Okay.” I nodded slowly.

“My strength has increased by at least forty percent.” That was a pretty significant improvement.

With this much physical strength, I should be able to overpower both the Winter Soldier and Captain America now.

Not bad.

Considering the price I had paid for the Superior Magicule Body, I couldn’t complain.

I looked at my reflection one last time before looking away from the mirror.

Then my thoughts returned to the system.

I was ready to purchase my next item, another Primordial Demon.

“Research Assistant.”

“Awaiting instructions.”

“I want to purchase another Primordial Demon.”

“Affirmative. Initiating purchase.”

A notification appeared before me.

Primordial Demon Purchase

Which Primordial Demon would you like to purchase?

I thought for a moment.

There were three Primordial Demons I could choose from, but one immediately came to mind.

“Primordial White.”

The system responded immediately.

Purchasing Primordial White — Testarossa.

A second later, a figure appeared in front of me.

She arrived the same way Diablo had.

There was no explosion and no flash of light.

She was simply there, as though she had always existed in that exact spot.

She looked at me and smiled.

“I am happy to see you, My Lord.”

Another demon.

I looked at her for a moment before glancing toward Diablo.

“Two left.” I gestured toward him.

“Diablo will tell you how everything works and what you need to know.”

Testarossa nodded gracefully.

“Of course, My Lord.”

Before they could begin, another thought crossed my mind.

I turned toward the system.

“Research Assistant.”

“Awaiting instructions.”

“If I purchase all three Primordial Demons, can I conquer Wakanda right now?”

There was a brief pause before the answer appeared.

“I advise against conquering Wakanda.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“You possess sufficient power to accomplish such an objective. However, conquering Wakanda would create a significant disturbance and alter the timeline considerably. Multiple powerful individuals and organizations would become aware of your existence much earlier than anticipated.”

I frowned.

That was true.

Taking Wakanda by force would create far too much noise.

I’d been thinking about conquering Wakanda for a while now, but the reason I’d held back wasn’t because I doubted whether I could do it.

It was because I didn’t know who might notice.

“Who exactly are you talking about?”

“Individuals and organizations capable of detecting major disturbances in the timeline or observing possible future outcomes.”

I immediately thought of the Ancient One.

“What about people like the Ancient One? If I conquered Wakanda, could she see me in the future?”

“There is a possibility. Individuals with advanced future sight may perceive branches of the timeline created by significant changes. A major event such as the conquest of Wakanda would make the host considerably easier to observe.”

I frowned.

“So staying quiet is more important than I thought.”

“Correct.”

I thought about it for a moment before another possibility crossed my mind.

“Then what about the TVA? If I start changing the timeline this early, wouldn’t they notice?”

There was a brief pause before the answer appeared.

“You do not need to concern yourself with entities originating outside this universe for the next Twenty years.”

“Correct.”

I blinked.

“Twenty years?”

“Correct. For the next Twenty years, entities originating outside this universe will not intervene in the host’s activities within this universe.”

I slowly leaned back.

That was…

surprisingly reassuring.

“So I don’t have to worry about the TVA for the next twenty years?”

“Correct.”

I nodded slowly.

At least that was one problem I didn’t have to worry about yet.

But the Ancient One and anyone else capable of observing the future were still a problem.

I couldn’t afford to make a massive change to the timeline and assume no one would notice.

“So what do you suggest?”

The response came almost immediately.

“Purchase all three Primordial Demons and unlock each of them to twenty-five percent. Use their teleportation and spatial-transfer abilities to infiltrate Wakanda and acquire the Vibranium stored within their facilities.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Just steal it?”

“Correct.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“How likely is it to work?”

“Based on the abilities currently available to you, the estimated success rate of a direct operation is approximately seventy percent.”

“Only seventy?”

“That estimate assumes that everything goes wrong for you, and even then the success rate remains approximately seventy percent.”

That was more than good enough for me.

If everything went according to plan, the actual probability should be considerably higher.

I was already about to give the order when I stopped.

Maybe I was moving too quickly.

I had only just obtained the Superior Magicule Body, and now I was already planning to spend trillions of dollars on two more Primordial Demons just to make an operation against Wakanda safer.

There was no reason to rush.

I had time, and I didn’t want to make a decision now only to regret it later.

I looked at Diablo and Testarossa for a moment before speaking.

“Let’s think about this first.”