Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Roger eventually took the Mysterious Mineral and hid on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean.
After the first ten days or so, during which he could peacefully absorb the psychic power origin energy from the mental ore, the rest of his time was spent constantly on the run.
At first, Roger found this incredibly annoying.
But as he continuously used his Nen, he gradually grew to love this method of cultivation.
The radiation energy within the mental ore could only stimulate a person’s mind to awaken their Nen, and it could also continuously enhance their potential for psychic power, granting them a much broader path for future growth.
The initial portion of energy Roger absorbed had already boosted his potential nearly a hundredfold.
While being pursued by the Ministry of Land Resources and Extraterrestrial Defense, Roger practiced controlling his power by constantly experimenting with the various possibilities of Nen.
Every time he withstood the explosions of missiles and artillery fire from the tightening dragnet, his Nen experienced a significant surge in strength.
This also made his heart yearn for even fiercer artillery fire.
Now, sitting cross-legged on this deserted island, surrounded by the endless ocean under a clear blue sky, Roger stared at the Mysterious Mineral before him.
The strange energy radiation completely intoxicated him.
With every flash of red light, Roger could feel his thoughts expanding further, and his will becoming stronger and more powerful.
Everything within a ten-kilometer radius of the island was now enveloped by Roger’s Nen.
With a single thought, the seawater rose and hung suspended in the air, a force that seemed to tilt the very heavens.
With another thought, the world spun, unleashing the fury of a storm.
Roger got a rough sense of his own power.
In terms of raw strength, his Nen was now over a hundred times more potent than before.
He could now effortlessly lift objects weighing more than 5,000 tons.
When Roger unleashed his full power, he was like a Dragon King commanding the ocean, stirring wind and waves at will, omnipotent and unstoppable.
And this was after absorbing less than one-tenth of the psychic power origin energy.
Originally, Roger had planned to stay until he had absorbed all the energy from the mental ore, but the movie’s plot was nearing its end.
Roger had already received a notification from the System: last night, only the most mediocre member of the protagonist group, Matt, had survived.
By avoiding excessive interference with the plot, Roger had successfully completed an exploration of the highest possible integrity.
Although he hadn’t obtained the blood of the protagonist group at their peak strength, his current state was still quite satisfactory.
The towering waves behind him froze instantly.
Within a ten-kilometer radius, the sea surface became completely motionless, as if time itself had stopped.
***
[Exploration complete. You have returned to the Main World.]
[You have hidden perfectly within the plot without disrupting its original course. Even though the “Old Gentlemen” on Capitol Hill have designated you as a nuclear-level threat, you have caused no plot violations. All of this has remained concealed.]
[Congratulations! You have achieved the feat “Scattered Hiding.” You have earned the title “Junior Hiding King.”]
[Junior Hiding King: Slightly reduces the hostility of characters in parallel universes toward you; greatly increases the hostility of “Old Silver Coin” characters toward you.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained Andrew’s Nen Talent (Manipulation) and Steve’s Nen Talent (Growth).]
[Since the rewards overlap with your existing abilities, they have been converted into Talent Potential upgrades. Your current Nen Talent Growth Potential is: 11000%.]
[Detection complete. You have obtained blood samples from Andrew and Steve. These have been converted into Primordial Serum and stored in your Portable Storage. Please check them at your convenience.]
***
A golden light flashed, and Roger materialized in the sky above his seaside villa, still clutching the Mysterious Mineral.
He quickly ascended to hide himself from view, then spent one million dollars to store the mineral in his Portable Storage, preventing its constant red glow from attracting attention.
After landing quietly, Roger returned to the villa, which now looked like a demolition site—suddenly dilapidated and ruined.
As he drew closer, he noticed numerous bite marks, each revealing a row of perfectly aligned teeth.
Instantly, a terrible thought struck him.
He rushed to the garage and found Stark desperately hugging the Iron-Eating Beast.
The dark circles under Stark’s eyes made him look utterly exhausted.
The Iron-Eating Beast was holding a steel pipe, gnawing on it one bite at a time with careful precision.
Roger suddenly felt he had seen this steel pipe somewhere before.
“Damn it, Roger! You’re finally back!” Stark wailed, his face a mask of misery.
“Quick! Take this thing away! If you don’t, my workshop will be destroyed! My poor Dumby! He’ll be bear food the moment I look away!”
If Roger hadn’t possessed Telepathic Ability, he wouldn’t have been able to make out Stark’s incoherent ramblings.
Stark lay sprawled on the floor, his arms limp.
He let out a long, ragged breath, as if a crushing weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
His eyes fluttered shut, and he fell into a dead sleep.
Just as Roger was about to say something, he saw Stark’s motionless form and panicked, rushing over to check if he was still breathing.
Once he was sure Stark was fine, Roger carefully lifted him onto a plush sofa and covered him with a blanket, letting him sleep.
*This guy looks like he’s been through hell while I was gone for those nine days,* Roger thought.
He scanned the room.
Everything was shattered or strewn about in a chaotic mess.
Hardly a single item remained intact.
“He’s more destructive than a Husky,” Roger muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as he began to clean the garage.
With a thought, every object in the garage rose into the air.
Like a conductor, Roger waved a small metal rod, transforming the cleanup into a lighthearted, melodious symphony.
“Jarvis, are you there? Mark all the damaged items, place an order to replace them, and—oh, right! Charge it to Tony’s account.” Roger tidied up unhurriedly, humming a little tune, his mood buoyant.
“Oh! By the way! Do not record any footage of me cleaning the garage. Delete it all. This is my privacy, understood, Jarvis?” Roger paused, bending in an elegant bow.
The peculiar concert ended just as quietly as it had begun.
Now seated at the workbench, Roger gazed silently at the leg armor, which resembled a long boot.
The Iron Man suit truly felt like technology that was within reach, yet utterly unattainable.
Even now, Roger couldn’t comprehend its construction.
How could a few ordinary iron parts, when assembled, form such a stunningly cool suit of armor?
He could understand the heat insulation measures within the suit, but how was the shock resistance achieved?
Even the Mark III could withstand a direct hit from a tank’s main gun without a scratch.
Roger found it simply miraculous.
But that was all he could grasp.
(End of Chapter)