Who knows how long it had been?
A cerulean dawn broke on the horizon, its light piercing the thin fog to cast its rays upon the land.
"It's already morning!"
"Looks like I'm going to need a titanium alloy kidney!"
Cassius sat on the hood of his car, a cigarette dangling from his lips. A weary smile was on his face, and his left hand, which was propping him up, trembled slightly. He fumbled in his pocket for his ZIPPO lighter. A flickering flame danced in the air. This experience, he knew, was one he would never forget.
"Hoo..."
Cassius took a deep drag of his cigarette. He was right; driving a Cayenne meant women literally dropped from the sky, even superheroes. He looked back at the windshield, his gaze softening. Wanda's eyes were closed; she had likely fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Ding!
[You have enjoyed a wonderful night!]
[Reward: Phoenix Force Fragment (Will-less)!]
Just as Cassius was savoring his post-coital cigarette, a system panel suddenly appeared before him. The abrupt appearance of the panel took his tired mind a moment to process.
"Wait, I got a Phoenix Force fragment?!"
He was stunned. He never thought this would trigger a reward! He had considered this possibility before, reasoning that enjoying life would include this aspect. He had tried everything in the world, from mountain climbing and car racing to skydiving and extreme biking. He had done everything he could to make his life more exciting and had received a lot of rewards.
But he never expected to get the Phoenix Force.
What was the Phoenix Force?
It was an omniversal cosmic entity!
The embodiment of primal cosmic life and emotional energy!
In every universe, the Phoenix Force was one of the most powerful beings, revered by countless living creatures. It could slice or rebirth any part of the universe. It could even completely destroy it, burning away all that deserved to be culled—this was called the Phoenix Judgment.
It was described as the personification of the passion of all things, the spark that brings life to the universe and the flame that will ultimately destroy it. In its prime, the Phoenix Force was so powerful that it was beyond even the likes of the Five Great Gods!
Even though he had only received a part of a Phoenix Force shard, he could clearly feel a terrifying power flowing within his body. This power was even cleansing his body, purifying it!
The next second, a fiery red phoenix appeared in his mind. The moment it materialized, it charged toward him with an overwhelming sense of dread. In just an instant, he felt its power could shatter his will. However, the phoenix's ethereal form disappeared in a flash.
"Is this the Phoenix Force?!"
Cassius's throat bobbed, and his murmuring carried a hint of fear. He had been worried that the Phoenix Force might tear his consciousness apart and leave him in a vegetative state. It was a good thing that the Phoenix Force he received was will-less, or he would lose control of it at any moment. Jean Grey was a prime example!
But even she had never possessed the complete Phoenix Force. And in the movies of his original world, Jean's powers had been greatly nerfed. She was defeated by Wolverine with a combination of love and immortality.
Even a Phoenix Force fragment gave Cassius power on the level of a sub-Skyfather.
"To think that a single night of love's passion could bring such an incredible reward!"
Cassius blew a smoke ring and flicked the cigarette butt away; the spark traced an arc in the air. He had to admit, this reward was a huge surprise. He had received many rewards before, such as defensive abilities like Ultimate Master Martial Arts, Ultimate Firearms Master, and a "Cricket" miniature pistol. But compared to the Phoenix Force, they paled in comparison.
"What exactly is going on?"
Cassius put his right foot on the hood and rested his chin on his right hand, deep in thought. The most important thing now was to figure out how the system's judgment worked. If he could figure out how to get higher-tier rewards, wouldn't that be amazing?
Looks?
Education?
Money?
Race?
Idea after idea appeared in his mind and was quickly dismissed. In the past year, he had never lacked money, so he had already tried everything he could to get the best of everything. If it were just about those things, he would have triggered a reward a long time ago.
"Wait a minute!"
At that moment, an idea came to him.
"The system's reward mechanism seems to be related to 'quality of life'."
"But this time, I got a reward from Wanda!"
"Could it be that to collect the fragments, I have to..."
That made sense. He didn't get such great rewards with the "foreign" women he had been with before.
Thinking this, Cassius looked at Wanda, who was sleeping with a soft snore in the back seat. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He jumped off the hood, stretched his shoulder blades, and muttered, "In that case, I guess the only thing to do is to share an umbrella through the rain!"