Late Night, Colin's Workshop
Attic
Warm golden light filtered through the glass, casting a soft glow. A solitary figure sat behind a desk, engrossed in calculations.
"One Hextech gem is worth 1,000 wealth points. Three makes 3,000. Add the junk I salvaged from Benzo's shop, and I'm sitting on about 5,670 wealth points."
Duke set down a coin and glanced at his notes, then at his personal system panel. His eyes sparkled with excitement. This trip to Zaun had been wildly profitable.
Forget the early prototype value of the Hextech gems,just the so-called junk alone was worth nearly 3,000. That meant he could now do fifty-six 100-tier lottery draws, or five 1,000-tier and six 100-tier ones.
But Duke didn't plan to burn all his wealth on gacha rolls this time. He'd prioritize unlocking blueprint modules first.
Opening his system panel, Duke reviewed the latest updates to his status:
[Host: Duke]
Wealth: 5,674
Character Integration: Iron Man – Tony Stark (Fusion: 4%)
Title: Cursed by Knowledge
Talent – Curse of Knowledge: [Redacted]
Abilities:
Clockwork Engineering (Mastery: 97%)
Mark Armor Blueprints (Tier 1 Unlock – 1,000 Wealth)
Antihero Arsenal Blueprints (Tier 1 Unlock – 10,000 Wealth)
Artificial Intelligence (Tier 1 Unlock – 8,000 Wealth)
Energy Systems (Tier 1 Unlock – 3,000 Wealth)
Mechanical Engineering (Tier 1 Unlock – 500 Wealth)
Mechanical Dynamics (Tier 1 Unlock – 800 Wealth)
Precision Machining (Tier 1 Unlock – 1,000 Wealth)
"Mark Series costs 1,000, Energy Systems wants 3,000, and the Antihero stuff? Way overpriced. The cheaper ones are just Tier 1 basics anyway."
After weighing his options, Duke made up his mind.
"Unlock Energy Systems Tier 1!"
His wealth instantly dropped by 3,000.
"Next, Mark Armor Tier 1!"
Down another 1,000.
"Finally, Mechanical Engineering!"
After that, Duke was left with 1,174 wealth points,enough for eleven 100-tier draws.
"Anything else worth unlocking?" He figured since he was already spending, might as well spend it all. As he scrolled to the bottom of the panel, a red exclamation mark caught his eye.
"Side Quest?"
"What the hell is this? Why haven't I seen it before?"
Curious, Duke tapped the red icon. A holographic interface appeared, and with it, a smug Tony Stark avatar, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with skepticism.
[Side Quest: Create your own technological marvel and earn the recognition of Tony Stark.]
[Duration: 3 months]
[Reward: +20% Fusion Rate, EDITH Smart Glasses included]
[Penalty: None]
[Note: Let's see what you've got, kid.]
[Accept / Decline]
[Requires 500 wealth to accept, includes three attempts.]
The moment Duke saw the reward, he jumped up from his chair. Never mind the +20% fusion boost,just the EDITH smart glasses alone were worth it.
EDITH stood for "Even Dead, I'm The Hero." A symbol of Tony Stark's legacy,and a tool of unmatched power.
"Accept!"
As soon as he confirmed, the red icon turned blue, and a countdown timer appeared. Duke leaned back, deep in thought. What kind of invention would win Iron Man's approval?
With the remaining wealth, he did six 100-tier draws. While waiting for the results, he continued to plan.
He now had Hextech gems, a basic energy system, and the first-tier Mark Armor blueprint. It was time to overhaul his Clockwork Battle Suit.
As for just slapping together a crude Mark I?
The blueprint he unlocked was for the original tin-can armor Tony forged in a cave. To get anything more advanced, he'd have to keep investing.
Still, blending Clockwork Engineering with Hextech Energy might yield something far beyond his expectations.
"I'll try with the clockwork suit first. If it flops, I've still got two more tries."
He turned his eyes to the gacha results. Six lines of text scrolled across his panel:
You received: Joker's Toy Box
You received: WALL-E's Rare Plastic Spoon
You received: Exoskeleton Blueprint
You received: Mech Pegasus Blueprint
You received: Hulk's Elastic Shorts
You received: Decepticon Emblem
Duke glanced through the new items. He picked up the Exoskeleton Blueprint and tapped the desk, his eyes gleaming.
"Maybe I can venture into the fields even Stark didn't dabble in."
Then his gaze landed on the Mech Pegasus Blueprint. He sneered.
"...A motorbike that turns into a robot horse? Crude design. Weak energy core. Meh."
"Whatever, let's focus. First, I'll improve the exosuit with clockwork enhancements. Then..."
His eyes lit up.
"Time to make a fortune."
Zaun – The Slums
Frogen Tavern
The tavern was packed. Dozens of rough, scarred figures crowded in, their eyes sharp and aggressive. Vander stood behind the bar, pipe in hand. Beside him was Benzo, and the pool table had been cleared,replaced with weapons and gear.
"Everyone's here?"
Vander set down his pipe and scanned the room. Every face belonged to someone who owed him a favor,or survived the purge by his hand. They looked to him with quiet anticipation.
Vi, Powder, Mylo, and Claggor were missing. They were locked in the basement,for safety.
"Everyone's here. Except Sevika, who left. The rest came." Benzo confirmed.
Vander nodded and stepped away from the bar, walking among the crowd.
"You've all survived that dark chapter,or watched it firsthand. I don't need to remind you."
"But tonight, I'm calling you all together for a reason: we're going on the offensive."
He paused. The room tensed.
"You all know who we're targeting."
"Silco."
Gasps erupted.
"Silco's still alive?"
"Didn't Vander kill him years ago?"
"This city's a powder keg. First the Enforcers came storming in, now Silco's crawling back from the grave?"
Whispers spread. Vander raised a hand, silencing them.
"Listen to me!"
"I've received intel. Don't ask from whom. Just know it came from that family."
He looked down at the gauntlet on his hand.
"Yes. The same family who led the last Purge."
"Another Purge?"
"No... no, not again…"
"They're angry about the explosion, aren't they? They want blood."
"My brother died in that Purge, decapitated in the mist. I can't lose anyone else!"
"They're monsters! Butchers!"
"ENOUGH!" Vander's voice cut through the din.
"I understand your fear. I carry the same scars."
"But we still have a chance."
"If we cut off the rot before it spreads, we stop the Purge before it begins!"
Vander's voice roared across the room.
"Piltover may imprison us, shut down our shops, toss us in Stillwater, beat and humiliate us…"
"But we'll live."
"Silco's backers? They don't care about reasons. They don't care about right or wrong. All they care about is control."
"If you threaten Piltover's machine, they erase you, topside or down."
"So tonight, we raise our weapons, not to start a war, but to prevent one."
Vander raised his gauntlet high.
"For Zaun! For freedom!"
"For Zaun!!"
"For freedom!!!"
The Frogen Tavern erupted. Duke, far from the chaos, had no idea that his small gesture,giving intel to save Vi and Powder,would ripple out like this.
Sometimes, a butterfly flaps its wings… and a hurricane answers.