"Enough about that," Leon said. "How's the Compound V research going?"
That was what he really cared about.
Otherwise, he would've stayed in Wakanda longer. He just didn't want Tony going rogue and accidentally killing himself.
Biochemical experiments weren't like testing armored suits. You couldn't just brute-force your way through mistakes.
Tony smirked.
"Heh. Who do you think I am?"
He pulled Leon into the workshop and tossed him a vial of translucent, faintly blue serum.
"What's this?"
"My improved formula," Tony said proudly. "Compound V combined with Dad's Super Soldier Serum research."
"I call it—Superhuman Serum."
He continued, clearly pleased with himself:
"I eliminated the infant-only injection limitation. It works on all age groups."
"Superpowers aren't guaranteed—but physical enhancement is maxed out."
"Extended lifespan. Enhanced strength. Enhanced recovery. Resistance to known and unknown pathogens…"
The more Tony explained, the more Leon realized the name wasn't exaggerated.
It truly combined the best of Compound V and the Super Soldier Serum.
The only question—
How strong was it?
"You haven't injected yourself yet, have you?" Leon asked.
Tony scoffed.
"What do you take me for? I don't use myself as a guinea pig."
He filled a 25ml syringe, expelled the air, and pointed the needle at Leon with a playful grin.
"Of course," Leon sighed.
He lay down willingly on the prepared stretcher.
Tony had definitely remembered Leon bragging about his insane drug resistance.
And honestly—
Leon had planned this all along.
Testing the serum himself wasn't just about trust. It was about seeing if he could exploit a loophole and snag another ability for free.
"Alright," Leon said, rolling up his sleeve and instinctively shutting his eyes.
Bend.
The needle hit his skin—
And immediately bent.
"…Leon."
Tony stared at the curved needle.
"It won't go in."
"Oh. Right."
Leon cracked one eye open, leaning his head away from the syringe while carefully watching the tip.
At the moment of contact, he deliberately parted his cellular structure just enough to allow penetration.
"Hiss—"
It didn't hurt.
But his childhood fear of needles triggered phantom pain anyway.
The serum flowed into his bloodstream.
The puncture sealed instantly.
He could feel the formula circulating—his heart pumping it through every fiber of his body.
Moments later—
[Notification: Your body has undergone modification via "Superhuman Serum."]
[Overall physical attributes have received a slight comprehensive enhancement.]
And that was it.
No fireworks.
No mutation.
Just a subtle stat increase.
Still—
Free stats were free stats.
Given Leon's current baseline—already bordering on Superman-tier—any improvement at all meant the serum was legitimately powerful.
"Well?" Tony asked eagerly.
"Very solid," Leon said, giving a thumbs-up. "You're ridiculous."
"Good."
Tony immediately shoved him off the stretcher and lay down himself.
Leon prepared another syringe.
[Prompt: Proceed with today's Daily Sign-In?]
"Do it."
[Ding! Daily Sign-In complete.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained: Ordinary Magnet.]
"…What?"
Leon stared blankly.
"What does this have to do with Superhuman Serum?"
Something felt off.
He just couldn't piece it together.
Then—
He injected Tony.
Two and a half minutes later—
Screwdrivers, wrenches, and metal tools began floating around Tony.
Leon froze.
Oh.
That's why.
"Leon," Tony declared, arms crossed mid-air as he hovered using two adjustable wrenches under his feet, "from now on, call me Magneto."
Behind him, dozens of screwdrivers arranged themselves in neat formation.
He looked—
Almost impressive.
"You're something," Leon replied flatly.
Then vanished.
Partly to avoid Tony's showboating.
Mostly—
To pick up Pepper.
A Few Minutes Later
Leon returned, carrying Pepper into the workshop.
Tony was so absorbed in experimenting with his new magnetic control that he didn't even notice them arrive.
"Tony!"
"Hey, Pep—"
CLANG.
Half a dozen heavy wrenches dropped on his head when his concentration broke.
Fortunately, his upgraded physique shrugged it off.
"Do we have one more dose?" Leon asked.
"Three total," Tony said. "One left. It's Pepper's."
Pepper had already been briefed on the serum's benefits—particularly the parts Leon emphasized:
Longevity. Youthfulness. Radiance. Beauty preserved.
She agreed without hesitation.
No woman immune to aging's temptation could resist that offer.
Under Leon and Tony's supervision, Pepper received the injection.
She did not awaken a superpower.
But—
Her complexion became visibly brighter. Healthier. Younger.
Tests confirmed—
Her physical stats surpassed Tony's.
No flashy ability—
But pure, overwhelming enhancement.
In fact, she resembled a stable version of Queen Maeve.
And her genetic longevity was genuine superhuman tier.
They quickly realized how the serum functioned.
Like stat allocation in an RPG.
Baseline matters.
Stronger individuals gain smaller relative percentage boosts—but the absolute gain is enormous.
Weaker individuals gain larger percentage boosts—but the total output is lower.
For example—
If Tony and Pepper both gained a 1000% enhancement:
Leon might've gained less than 1%.
Yet that 1% might outweigh their total gains combined.
Specifically:
Tony allocated roughly 300% into physical enhancement, and 700% into superpower awakening—magnetic manipulation.
Pepper allocated 1000% into physical enhancement.
Result?
Pepper physically outclassed Tony.
Poor Tony.
From now on—
He might not always be the dominant one in the relationship.
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