Antony reached out and gently pinched Wanda's cheek.
Soft.
Smooth.
"Your talent shouldn't be limited to heating milk."
"I'm considering finding you a real teacher."
"…You need to attend an actual magic school."
"A magic school?" Wanda blinked.
Antony was thinking of Kamar-Taj.
Hidden in the Himalayas.
Sanctuary of mystics.
And its master—
Ancient One.
That bald woman was troublesome—but undeniably the best magic instructor on Earth.
Sending Wanda there would strengthen her abilities…
And give Antony a direct line to the Sorcerer Supreme.
After all, when facing threats like Dormammu or other dimensional overlords, mystical power was non-negotiable.
Antony glanced at his own stat panel.
Aside from a minor magic barrier and a temporary magic immunity potion, he was painfully underdeveloped in arcane defense.
If some scheming wizard dragged him into the Mirror Dimension—or worse, turned him into a frog—
That would be humiliating.
Wanda looked reluctant.
"I don't want to go to school. I just want to stay with you."
"Listen to me," Antony said softly. "This school teaches real magic. Not parlor tricks."
"You won't be a little witch."
"You'll be a goddess."
"And when you graduate… you'll stand beside me as a true equal."
Wanda bit her lip.
"But it's so far away…"
"It's school, not exile." He flicked her nose lightly. "And once you learn the sparkly-circle spell—"
He mimed drawing a portal in the air.
"—you'll be back in time for midnight snacks."
She hesitated.
Then nodded slowly.
"…Okay. When do I leave?"
"I'll arrange it."
He checked the time.
"But before that…"
"…I need to go fire off a few shots."
"Fire off what?" Wanda tilted her head in confusion.
"Nothing serious. Just a man's hobby."
He smiled mysteriously and turned away.
"Keep training. I'll inspect those abs later."
Wanda watched him leave, cheeks flushed.
"Such a… bad man."
And yet—
Her smile lingered.
…
After parting with Wanda, Antony returned to his office.
Door locked.
Curtains drawn.
Now—
The most thrilling ritual of all.
Loot boxes.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands together.
"System. Show me my Special Popularity Points."
A translucent panel unfolded before him.
Current Special Popularity: 416,000
He whistled softly.
Forty-one thousand? No.
Four hundred sixteen thousand.
For the first time since transmigrating, he wasn't counting pennies.
"System. Ten-pull."
He waved boldly.
"Notification: Host's Special Popularity exceeds 300,000."
"Superhero Blind Box Upgrade unlocked."
"Post-upgrade, single draw cost increases to 100,000."
"Prize pool quality significantly enhanced."
"If upgrade is declined and popularity drops below 300,000, upgrade option will be hidden."
Antony's hand froze midair.
"One hundred thousand each?!"
"System, are you robbing me? It used to be thirty thousand!"
"Response: Low-tier blind boxes contain excessive daily-life clutter and low-utility items. Host has been statistically fortunate. Upgrade removes interference-tier rewards."
Antony narrowed his eyes.
Classic gambler's dilemma.
Quantity versus quality.
He had 416,000.
But what if he upgraded and pulled trash?
That would hurt.
After deliberation—
"Don't upgrade yet. Three regular pulls first. Ninety thousand is pocket change."
"Ding! 90,000 deducted."
Three glowing spheres materialized.
They burst one by one.
"Congratulations: Jack Sparrow's Compass."
"Congratulations: Nimbus 2000 Flying Broom."
"Congratulations: C-14 'Impaler' Gauss Rifle."
Antony stared at the items on his desk.
First—
A grimy brass compass.
Description: Does not point north. Points to what your heart most desires.
He opened it.
The needle spun violently like a malfunctioning fan.
Did not stop.
"…."
He snapped it shut.
"Trash. Is it my fault I have too many desires?"
Tossed aside.
Next—
A sleek redwood broom engraved with "Nimbus 2000."
Description: Hogwarts Quidditch star product. Streamlined design.
He imagined himself in his patriotic suit riding a broom through Manhattan skies.
"…No."
"Gift for Wanda. Witch with broom—professional synergy."
Finally—
The Gauss rifle.
Industrial brutality incarnate.
Description: Terran Marine standard issue. 8mm electromagnetic spike rounds. 30 rounds per second.
He hefted it.
Weighty.
Satisfying.
"Not for me… but Vought R&D can reverse-engineer this."
Overall?
"Mid-tier. That's the problem with low-grade gacha."
He checked remaining points.
326,000.
Exactly enough for three upgraded draws.
"…Fine."
"System. Upgrade."
"Blind Box System upgrading… Complete."
"Single draw cost: 100,000."
"Triple pull."
This time—
The atmosphere changed entirely.
Grand orchestral music.
Three radiant treasure chests descended from the void amid angelic chorus.
The production value alone screamed premium.
"Opening…"
"Congratulations: Senzu Beans ×3."
"Congratulations: Military Implant – Sandevistan+ with cybernetic integration database."
"Congratulations: Popularity Tier Penalty Waiver ×1."
Antony's eyes lit up.
Now this—
This was high-end loot.
Senzu Beans.
Instant full recovery from near-death.
The Sandevistan+.
Time-slowing neural acceleration implant.
And—
Penalty Waiver.
That meant he could make a controversial move without popularity backlash.
He leaned back slowly.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Now…"
"This is what one hundred thousand feels like."
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T/N:
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