MARVEL: BUYING GODHOOD

I finally checked the time and realized dawn wasn’t far away.

When I looked toward the bed, Gwen was still sleeping and had moved into the space I’d left behind, with one hand resting where my stomach had been.

I walked back and sat beside her.

Some of her hair had fallen across her face, so I moved it aside and gently brushed my fingers across her cheek.

Gwen shifted slightly toward my hand without waking, and I found myself smiling before I stopped.

What she’d asked from me was still there, and after everything that happened yesterday, I knew I couldn’t keep avoiding it forever.

But I wasn’t ready to give her the answer she wanted yet.

I wanted days like yesterday to become something normal, not something that could disappear the moment Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultron or some alien decided to cause problems.

Before making promises about the future, I wanted to make sure that future was actually safe.

I moved my hand away from Gwen’s cheek, stood quietly and left the room without waking her.

Sara and Emily wouldn’t arrive for several hours, so instead of going for breakfast, I went down to the basement.

The Arc Reactor designs were still spread across the work area from yesterday, along with the notes from my discussion with the Research Assistant.

I sat down and looked over them before asking, “Research Assistant, yesterday we talked about Material Analysis, Precision Fabrication, electronics, micro-assembly and several other Skills. Instead of making all of them separately, can you combine everything useful into one?”

The Research Assistant answered, “Possible.

However, a Skill containing all requested functions would be considerably more complex than a standard Advanced Skill.” I leaned back slightly and asked, “You’re still limited to creating Advanced Skills, right?” She replied, “Correct, Lord.”

“Then keep it inside that limit,” I said.

“I don’t care if it costs more. Make the strongest manufacturing Skill you can create without crossing into a tier you can’t make.”

The Research Assistant went silent for several seconds, which was unusual enough to make me wait without saying anything else.

Eventually, new information appeared inside my mind showing the proposed Skill.

Advanced Skill: Perfect Copy and Manufacture

The price beside it made me look twice.

“Nine billion Magicules?

A normal Advanced Skill costs one billion.” The Research Assistant explained, “Perfect Copy and Manufacture contains the functions of several Advanced Skills within one structure.

Analysis, material identification, structural recording, matter conversion, precision reproduction and complete manufacturing must operate together.

The additional Magicules are required to integrate and stabilize those functions.”

I looked at the name again before saying, “Forget the technical part for a moment. Tell me exactly what I can do with it.”

“Once the host sufficiently understands an object, Perfect Copy and Manufacture can convert Magicules directly into the necessary matter and create a complete copy of that object.” I looked toward the Arc Reactor components on the table.

“So you’re saying I don’t need the actual materials?”

“Correct. Raw materials and manufacturing equipment are unnecessary when the Skill is used directly. The required matter is produced from Magicules during manufacturing.” I picked up one of the smaller Arc Reactor components and held it between my fingers.

“You’ve already analyzed this. If I had the Skill right now, I could make another one just by spending Magicules?”

“Yes. The component could be reproduced directly as a finished object.” I pointed toward the complete reactor designs.

“And once we fully understand that?” The Research Assistant answered, “The same rule applies. If the Arc Reactor is sufficiently understood and the host possesses enough Magicules, Perfect Copy and Manufacture can create the completed reactor directly.”

I stared at the blueprints for a few seconds before smiling.

“That’s much better than the Skills we were discussing yesterday.” The Research Assistant continued, “There are limitations. Magicule expenditure changes depending on the mass, complexity and properties of the materials being created. Ordinary materials require comparatively little energy, while unusual materials require substantially more.” I immediately thought about the obvious example.

“Vibranium still costs the same?”

“Approximately one hundred million Magicules per gram at the current conversion rate. Perfect Copy and Manufacture does not reduce the inherent energy necessary to reproduce Vibranium’s properties.” I nodded slowly.

“So it can make Vibranium, but I’m still paying for actual Vibranium instead of getting around the cost.”

“Correct. The same principle applies to other exotic materials. Magical, supernatural or otherwise abnormal substances require individual analysis before their reproduction cost can be determined.”

“What about Uru?” I asked.

The Research Assistant answered, “Insufficient information to calculate its cost or confirm reproduction.” That was reasonable.

The Skill couldn’t create something neither of us properly understood.

Still, if I eventually managed to obtain and analyze a rare material, I wouldn’t necessarily need to find another source afterward.

I looked over the information again.

“There has to be a limit beyond just the Magicule cost.

Otherwise this would be much higher than Advanced.” The Research Assistant answered, “Correct.

Perfect Copy and Manufacture cannot reproduce an object, substance or structure whose nature exceeds the authority of an Advanced Skill.

Sufficient information alone does not bypass this restriction.” I smiled slightly.

“So even if I somehow understood an Infinity Stone, I couldn’t start making more of them.”

“Correct, Lord.” That wasn’t really a loss.

The things it could already create were more than enough.

Computers, weapons, medical equipment, armor, vehicles, robots and Arc Reactors could all eventually be produced without a normal manufacturing line.

Factories would still be useful for mass-producing ordinary products.

There was no point wasting my own Magicules creating millions of phones or cars when normal machinery could do it.

For prototypes, secret equipment, rare technology or anything I needed immediately, this Skill would be far better.

I looked at the price again before asking, “Nine billion is still almost everything I have.

Is this really the strongest version you can make?” The Research Assistant replied, “It is the strongest stable manufacturing Skill this unit can currently create while remaining within the Advanced tier.

Adding further functions or increasing its authority would push the Skill beyond this unit’s present creation capability.” I asked her, “So you’re basically forcing several Advanced Skills into one without letting it cross the tier.”

“That is a simplified but accurate description.” I laughed quietly at that answer before asking, “Can it evolve later, or am I stuck with this version?”

“The Skill can be upgraded or used as the foundation for a higher-tier Skill once the host and this unit meet the necessary conditions.” That made the cost easier to accept.

I asked, “How many Magicules do I have right now?” The Research Assistant replied, “Current stored Magicules: ten billion.”

Buying the Skill would leave me with one billion.

Normally, spending ninety percent of what I had right after learning that Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.

were watching me would’ve sounded like a terrible idea, but my Superior Magicule Body generated one hundred million Magicules every hour.

It would take ninety hours to regain the missing nine billion, which was less than four days.

White was still here, Diablo was active, and one billion Magicules wasn’t exactly helpless anyway.

More importantly, Perfect Copy and Manufacture wasn’t something I would use once and forget about.

Every new technology I understood in the future would make the Skill more valuable.

I looked at the Arc Reactor blueprint for another few seconds before making my decision.

“Create Perfect Copy and Manufacture. Use the nine billion.”

The Research Assistant answered, “Confirmed, Lord. Beginning Advanced Skill creation.” I immediately felt the Magicules stored inside me start falling.

It wasn’t painful, but after getting used to holding ten billion, feeling almost all of it disappear within moments was strange.

Several seconds later, the Research Assistant spoke again.

“Advanced Skill creation complete. Perfect Copy and Manufacture has been successfully acquired.” At the same time, the Skill settled naturally into my mind, and I understood enough about its use that I didn’t need her to explain every step.

I looked at the component still sitting in my hand.

“You have enough information for this one already?”

“Yes. Complete reproduction is possible.” I opened my other hand and smiled.

“Then let’s find out whether I just wasted nine billion Magicules.” I activated Perfect Copy and Manufacture, and some of my remaining Magicules immediately disappeared.

Energy gathered over my palm before turning into matter, with the different materials forming together instead of appearing as separate pieces.

The entire process lasted only a few seconds.

When the remaining energy faded, another Arc Reactor component was sitting in my palm, already assembled and looking exactly like the one in my other hand.

I placed both pieces on the table and turned them beneath the light.

I couldn’t find a difference between them, so I asked, “Compare them properly.” The Research Assistant analyzed both before answering, “No measurable difference has been detected between the original and reproduced component.” I picked up the copy again and smiled.

“Alright. That makes nine billion hurt a lot less.”

I turned toward the full Arc Reactor designs and moved them closer.

“Finish the remaining analysis. I want the complete reactor understood before Sara and Emily arrive.”

“Understood, Lord.

Continuing analysis.” I looked over the plans before adding, “And once you’re done, tell me exactly how many Magicules it’ll cost to create the entire reactor from nothing.” The Research Assistant answered, “Confirmed.” I picked up the copied component again while looking over the blueprints.

If the final cost wasn’t ridiculous, I might have my first completed Arc Reactor before breakfast.