CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 040: SUPERMAN TEMPLATE UNLOCKED! ALLSPARK! GODZILLA!

Just a moment ago, he had been teasing Captain America.

Now it was Tony’s turn to be stunned.

How long had he and Cap been "in the game"? And yet a newcomer was already about to overtake them?

Tony glanced at the data chart Friday had prepared.

On the superhero popularity rankings, he and Captain America still held the top two spots—no surprise there. But right beneath them sat Scarlet Witch. And she was far ahead of everyone else below her.

"Alright..." Tony rubbed at the corner of his eye, shaking his head helplessly.

"How does a psychologist end up coaching her straight onto the fast track to stardom?"

"Forget it. I’d better focus on upgrading my armor. The nanotech suit is about to hit a breakthrough anyway."

What had Tony been doing holed up at home all this time? Naturally, researching nanotechnology.

...

The next morning.

When the first rays of sunlight spilled over the city, Lorien was still in bed.

When the morning rush filled the streets with office workers chewing on sandwiches as they hurried to work, Lorien was still in bed.

It wasn’t until the world had been running for a few hours that he finally got up.

Not that he’d been asleep the whole time—he’d woken up earlier, but had stayed in bed gaming, refusing to move.

Ahem...

But once the clock ticked past 8:30, Lorien finally got up, washed his face—8:40.

Shower, get dressed—8:50.

Out the door, down the stairs—8:55.

Walk in, sit down—just before 9 o’clock.

See? Perfectly punctual.

Breakfast? Skipped. But that’s what takeout’s for. After all, food is food.

The whole morning was spent slacking off.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that a guest arrived.

The guest opened up about her troubles.

"I feel hopeless about this world. Life has lost all meaning. But I’m afraid of dying, and everywhere feels dangerous. What should I do?"

Lorien reached out to sense her feelings—yes, a deep lack of security, loneliness, and a touch of despair.

So his answer was simple.

"If you’ve got money, find something to do. Buy a place in the mountains and turn it into a private refuge. Get in touch with like-minded friends to join you."

"Or travel. The world’s full of places way more dangerous than this one."

It was obvious she came from a wealthy family—just bored and lonely.

Still, she seemed serious about trying Lorien’s suggestion and setting up that refuge.

And no, Lorien wasn’t making it up. In the U.S., private survival shelters are a real business—and a booming one at that.

Besides, if you’re craving security, what could be better than a personal refuge?

...

After the guest paid and left, Lorien kept idling away until it was time to clock out in the afternoon.

Click—

As the door shut, he silently muttered to himself, "Clock out."

[Check-in successful!]

[Obtained: Krypton Superman General Zod Template!]

Krypton Superman... wasn’t that basically the standard Superman? The peak strength of the standard version could only reach just below the Universal-level, and whether he could actually defeat a Universal-level opponent depended on how much energy he’d absorbed.

Too bad it wasn’t Silver Superman. If it were, he’d start off at the multiverse level, able to wipe out the Celestials with a wave of his hand and slap the Living Tribunal around without a second thought.

Still, it wasn’t bad. Even the standard Superman would greatly boost Lorien’s physical abilities. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about assassins catching him off guard—Superman’s body was universally recognized for its durability.

As for Kryptonite and other weaknesses, a bit of purification would handle that easily.

Speaking of which, Lorien had been blocking his check-in rewards lately. After all, you didn’t get amazing rewards every day. Sometimes he preferred to save them up for a few days and open them all at once—it felt more satisfying, like doing a ten-pull in a gacha game.

Now, let’s see what had piled up over the past few days.

[Reward: Complete Tom and Jerry Animated Series!]

[Reward: Planetary Engine ×100!]

[Reward: Queen Medusa’s Fierce Bra ×1!]

[Reward: Allspark ×1!]

[Reward: Singular Point Godzilla Pet Hatchling ×1!]

Lorien: ...

What the hell is all this? More comics and cartoons. And planetary engines? What was he supposed to do with those—push Earth out of orbit? Then when Thanos showed up, he’d just be standing there confused.

Thanos: "Where’s Earth?!"

The Allspark was at least somewhat interesting, but not particularly useful.

The last reward, though... that was something else.

[Singular Point Godzilla Pet Hatchling!]

A living creature? Now that was rare. Lorien vaguely remembered that Singular Point Godzilla was one of the strongest Godzilla versions out there. Immortal—or more accurately, also known as Cosmic Godzilla—it was like a living cosmic singularity. Once grown, it would have terrifying energy reserves and a host of abilities, a bit like a mix between the Celestials and Galactus.

Well, since it was a pet, might as well keep it. It would obey him anyway.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to release it near Japan—plenty of "nutrition" there.

Snap—

He clicked his fingers, and in the next instant, he appeared high above the Pacific Ocean near Fukushima. The Phoenix Force made space teleportation effortless for him.

Why not just use Superman’s flying ability?

One word: lazy.

He wrapped himself in energy and sank beneath the waves, then pulled the baby Godzilla from his system.

"~?"

The moment it appeared, a distinctly feminine cry echoed in his mind.

Lorien looked it over, patted its head, and spoke in his thoughts.

"Go on. Work hard, grow strong."

"I’ll check on you from time to time. Once you’ve grown, maybe you’ll be able to change size and tear open space to come find me."

...

(80 Chapters Ahead)

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