Ethan Hayes stood up feeling refreshed, glancing at the clock. It wasn't time for school yet, so he decided to shower, letting cold water run over his body. His mind, however, was already on the system.
"System, calculate the desire points and wealth value I harvested last night," he thought.
[Total desire value obtained last night: 3.28 million.]
[Wealth value: 34 million.]
The wealth in stocks wasn't included. According to the system's rules, Ethan's stock wealth would only be calculated if sold or at the start of each month. Any depreciation would result in deductions.
[Mission: The Will of Vengeance. Burn the flames of vengeance throughout Hell's Kitchen to avenge your parents and destroy the Hell's Kitchen Triad. Task Difficulty: White - Blue.]
[Mission settlement complete. Congratulations to the host Ethan Hayes, you've received another blue blind box reward.]
[Two blue blind boxes combined = cyan blind box, cyan blind box + 200%, result: red blind box reward.]
Ethan felt a hint of disappointment. "Is it just a red box?"
[Do you want to continue Task Mode: ongoing? The next mission would be a red-level task.]
He thought about it. Scrolling the tasks forward meant facing higher risks, and his actions had already drawn attention from various forces. Ethan had amassed enough wealth and desire points to improve his frozen fruit power, but reckless behavior could lead to exposure.
"Let's play it safe," he muttered. "Once I make my next move in Stark Industries and secure more wealth, I can push my tasks to a higher level and aim for the legendary gold blind box—or maybe even the black blind box, which represents despair for the enemy."
Decisively, he said, "Open the red blind box."
[The red blind box is successfully opened, Task Mode: ongoing ends.]
A brilliant red light flashed before Ethan's eyes, momentarily stunning him.
[Congratulations to the host. You have obtained Mela's water control magic (proficiency level) from DC comics.]
A frown creased Ethan's face. He had hoped for something to enhance his physical strength. "Maybe I should get my hands on the Super Soldier Serum from the military," he sighed.
Still, Mela's water control magic could work well with his frozen fruit ability, enhancing his combat effectiveness. The ability to manipulate water could be powerful, especially when combined with ice. The system's offer was better than he initially thought.
[Do you want to learn the water control magic ability?] the system asked again.
"Yes," Ethan confirmed without hesitation.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the Water Control Magic Ability (proficient level)!]
A flood of knowledge filled Ethan's mind. He could feel his body changing, attuned to the water around him. As cold water flowed over his skin, an invisible force shifted it away from his body, avoiding him entirely.
He smiled. It was like an innate talent had just awakened within him. Checking his stats, he noticed the improvements:
Name: Ethan Hayes
Wealth value: 517.75 million points (usable for ability improvements)
Desire points: 5.62 million points (usable for breakthroughs)
Abilities:
• Frozen Fruit (Control. Level 1+)
• Psychic Immunity (Passive+)
• Water Control Magic (Proficient Level+)
Skills: Phantom Fist (Transformation+)
A "+" sign had appeared next to his abilities and skills, indicating potential for further enhancement. But Ethan wasn't ready to push his frozen fruit ability just yet. If he awakened its full power, he might unintentionally freeze all of New York City.
While the temptation was there, he wasn't ready to deal with worldwide consequences. Causing a disaster like that would lead to global manhunts, and he had no desire to exile himself from Earth, or worse, the universe.
"System, upgrade the water control magic to the control level."
[Do you want to spend 30 million wealth points to upgrade the water control magic to the control level?]
Ethan's eyes widened. "Thirty million?" He was surprised, but then grinned. The higher the cost, the greater the reward.
"Yes."
[Thirty million wealth points deducted. Water control magic upgraded to the control level.]
A surge of energy flooded Ethan's body. His control over water increased exponentially. He could now sense and manipulate water molecules in the air, and even influence the flow of blood within his own body. His control over this magic had become so fine-tuned that it didn't require incantations or gestures—he could now cast spells with just a thought.
The magic felt as natural as breathing. He realized this ability wasn't inferior to his frozen fruit power. In fact, they complemented each other perfectly.
Name: Ethan Hayes
Wealth value: 487.75 million points
Desire points: 5.62 million points
Abilities:
• Frozen Fruit (Control. Level 1+)
• Psychic Immunity (Passive+)
• Water Control Magic (Control+)
Skills: Phantom Fist (Transformation+)
The system displayed his updated stats. Both his water control and frozen abilities could still be upgraded further by using his desire points, but each next-level enhancement required massive investments. For example, unlocking the next stage of his frozen fruit ability would cost five million desire points.
"Still so far to go," Ethan thought, feeling the weight of the numbers. He'd need more desire points before he could break through to the next level.
Sighing, he prepared for school. He was curious about Gwen Stacy—had the Ghost Spider truly emerged? He couldn't help but wonder if Gwen would hide her new identity from him.
With a smirk, Ethan thought, This should be interesting.
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