Chapter 17: Homeward Bound?
Obadiah was done for.
Even if the initial impact hadn't killed him, the crushing pressure and lack of oxygen would finish the job. He was just a guy in a suit, not some superhuman like Hulk or Abomination.
Despite taking down Obadiah, Mark was still frustrated.
That machine Obadiah destroyed... it was supposed to unlock a new module, maybe even give him a Lucky Block.
Those Lucky Blocks were his only way back to the Minecraft world.
As much as he enjoyed messing around in the Marvel universe, he was still pretty weak.
The Ender Hand Force Field looked impressive, but he could only lift a few dozen tons at most. That was actually in line with the original game, where it could barely lift a gold block (which weighed almost 20 tons).
In fact, when he'd been chucking those cobblestones at Obadiah, the force field had been overloaded. His hands were still tingling.
Luckily, his digitized body healed quickly.
His Stand, Steve, wasn't much better.
Steve was only equipped with iron armor, and his sword and shield were almost broken. The glass sword he'd won from a Lucky Block had shattered when he stabbed Abomination. Worst of all, he couldn't gather resources in the Marvel world. All those modules he'd unlocked were useless.
If he could freely travel between worlds, taking down these Marvel villains would be a piece of cake.
"Damn, what now..."
Mark stood amidst the wreckage of the lab, rubbing his temples. "I don't even know what that machine was. Maybe I can have Stark buy another one and try again..."
"But why would a machine unlock a new module?"
He thought back to the other modules he'd unlocked. "The Chinese Translation Module was triggered by those terrorists speaking a language I didn't understand. The Tinker Construct Module was from watching them melt and pour metal. The Mutant Creatures Module was from killing Abomination. So, a new feature detected on a machine... machine... machine..."
"A machine? Is it a tech-related module?"
It was like a lightbulb went off in his head. "Wait! If it's about machines, then any machine should work, right? Like with the Mutant Creatures Module, I could have fought Hulk instead of Abomination. They're both mutant creatures."
His heart started pounding.
He looked around. The lab was trashed, but a few machines had survived. They looked functional.
He cautiously approached one of the machines and placed his hand on it.
[System Prompt: New module detected. Research and acquire download permissions.]
"It worked!"
Mark pumped his fist.
He didn't know much about tech-related modules. Back in his old Minecraft server, he was the builder, the crafter. Other players handled the exploring, fighting, and looting.
But right now, all he cared about were those Lucky Blocks.
He focused on the machine in front of him.
It looked like a server rack, with wires and circuit boards and blinking lights. It was all pretty confusing.
Thankfully, a new prompt appeared.
[System Prompt: 'Circuit Unit' structure studied. You have gained 10% download permissions for the new module.]
"What?"
Mark was surprised. "I thought it would just download automatically."
[System Prompt: Please study more related structures to unlock download permissions for new modules.]
"...Fine."
He shrugged and moved on to the next machine.
[System Prompt: 'Transformer Box' structure studied. You have gained 25% download permissions for the new module.]
Another prompt.
He'd figured out the system. He didn't actually have to study the machines, just look at them. So, he went from one machine to the next, staring intently.
Finally, he got what he needed.
[System Prompt: 'Circuit Unit,' 'Transformer Box,' 'Wrench,' 'Steel,' 'Energy Network' concepts studied. You have gained download permissions for a new module.]
[System Prompt: Industrial Craft Module download initiated.]
"Yes!"
Mark was ecstatic.
But it took a while. Just as the download started, he heard footsteps.
He turned to see Stark and Pepper Potts walking in, supporting each other. They seemed closer now, after everything they'd been through.
"Is it over?" Stark asked, looking at the wrecked lab. "Obadiah's taken care of?"
"Ever heard of a dimensional strike?" Mark said with a grin. "I clapped my hands and sent him from three dimensions to two."
"Huh?" Stark looked skeptical. "Dimensional manipulation? That's magic too? How did you..."
Before Stark could finish, the nearby stone wall crumbled, revealing a pool of blood and the mangled remains of the Iron Monger armor.
"...Knew you were making that up." Stark rolled his eyes. "Never a straight answer from you."
"Hey, I saved you," Mark retorted. "Do you know what I risked using that reactor to save you? Nuclear radiation! My genes could be mutated! Do you have any idea the psychological trauma that inflicts on a sorcerer?"
"Palladium isn't radioactive!" Stark interrupted. "And as a sorcerer, you should be studying spells, not throwing around scientific jargon..."
"You sure about that palladium?" Mark chuckled.
"Huh?" Stark was taken aback.
"Well, I warned you. That thing in your chest can save you, but it can also destroy you," Mark said, shaking his head and humming a tune as he walked away. "When you've had enough chlorophyll to make you puke, come find me."
And with that, he vanished in a flash of purple light.
"Tony, is that true?" Pepper asked, worried. "Is that thing in your chest dangerous?"
"Well..." Stark sighed. "Pepper, let me explain..."
Mark didn't stick around.
He teleported back home.
The Iron Man and Hulk storyline was pretty much wrapped up. There might be some loose ends, but Mark wasn't concerned.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military could clean up the mess.
He had more important things to do.
Like figuring out this new module.
The Industrial Craft module seemed huge, though. The download took forever. Eventually, Mark gave up and went to bed.
He woke up at noon the next day to the sound of a system notification.
[System Prompt: Industrial Craft module download complete. Would you like to load it?]
"...Huh?"
He sat up, suddenly alert. "Load it! Load it now!"
[System Prompt: Industrial Craft module loaded successfully.]
[System Prompt: As you have downloaded and run a brand new module, you have obtained a Lucky Block. This Lucky Block will randomly draw an item from 'any known' module.]
A colorful block appeared in Steve's inventory.
Mark almost opened it right away, but then he remembered Nick Fury.
"Whoa... Easy there."
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
Last time, Fury's bad vibes had messed with his luck, and he'd only gotten an Alchemy Bag. He was still annoyed about that.
This time, he was going to try a more... metaphysical approach.
He got out of bed, took a shower, put on clean clothes, and bowed respectfully to Notch (the creator of Minecraft). Then, and only then, did he open the Lucky Block.
A flash of white light.
In Steve's hand appeared an item labeled "Home Return Scroll."
"What the—?!"
Mark stared at it in disbelief.
(TL: Training Arc Begin.)