Although most of these arrows were ordinary, their sheer number made up for it. In just a moment, Blaine had cleared out an entire section of space in front of him.
The massive planets that had once floated in the distance were now reduced to dust. The vast field of shattered stone drifted before him with a strange, haunting beauty. Combined with the lingering flames and crackling arcs left behind by the advanced arrows, it formed a scene unlike anything else.
Testing arrows was just an excuse — collecting star cores was his real goal. By blowing up everything in this region, he could both gauge the power of his Bow of Elements, now raised to level forty, and harvest as many star cores as possible. Two birds with one stone. Today, Blaine was living up to the finest traditions of China…
"Alright, let's see where my little treasures are."
Rubbing his hands together, Blaine shut his eyes eagerly. From a god's perspective, in this sea of floating debris, not a single corner or shadow could escape his notice.
Ten minutes later…
Staring at the five star cores drifting in his Hunter Space, Blaine felt tears of frustration stinging his eyes.
After all that work — only five?
"System, evaluate their purity."
Looking at the star cores, each differing in size, color, and surface markings, Blaine felt hope flicker again. Maybe one of them was level two… or even level four. That would be worth a fortune. The odds were low, but who cared? He was the chosen child of luck, the Emperor of Europe, blessed by the Norse gods themselves.
[Three are at level 0.1. One is at level 0.5. The last and largest, the darkest one, is level one.]
So much for good luck. Just moments ago he'd been calling himself a super lucky star — now reality had slapped him across the face.
"I'm asking you again, system, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
"All that destruction, and the highest purity is just level one? Maybe it's time for your version 2.0 update…"
Blaine still couldn't accept it. He 'refused' to accept it. Luck had always been on his side — he was certain the system had miscalculated.
[Be satisfied. Your luck is already extraordinary. Anyone else searching an entire galaxy might not find a single level-one star core. You found these within a hundred million light-years, and you're still complaining.]
Even the usually serious system couldn't help sounding exasperated.
"So you're telling me I should be grateful for my European Emperor physique?"
"I really can't believe my luck is this bad. The god of luck always favors me. You must have made a mistake. No matter how advanced you are, you're still just an artificial intelligence — you can be wrong. Check again."
Blaine wasn't the type to give up. He was the sort who wouldn't turn back until he hit the wall, wouldn't cry until he saw the coffin.
'Ding.'
[According to the host's request, the system has re-examined the star cores.]
"I knew it. Tell me. You definitely made an error."
[There 'was' a mistake in the latest test.]
"Hah! Say it louder! Blaine's luck is unmatched!"
As soon as he heard "mistake," Blaine puffed up with pride, already planning how he'd use this to demand compensation. If the system messed up this badly, then with a little persuasion, surely he could get a reward…
[All other results remain unchanged. The fourth star core — the one previously marked at 0.5 — was misread because the dent on its surface was too deep, and its markings were blurred.]
[This happened because one of the advanced arrows hit the star core directly, altering its shape.]
"Fine, fine, just tell me the purity. Don't keep me hanging."
[It is… 1.1.]
"Nani!!!"
Blaine yelled. Why did he have to run his mouth earlier? If he'd exchanged it right away, he could've earned the equivalent of several cities. Standing higher really did mean falling harder. Now he felt even worse. Who told him to trust his luck 'so' much? How could he expect this thing to be 100% reliable?
"Forget it. Forget it. The universe is huge. I refuse to believe I can't find a level ten someday."
Determined again, he set his sights back on gathering more of these elusive treasures.
But Hawkeye was fully unleashed, and Blaine had already blown this entire region to pieces. The big planets were gone, the small ones blown apart as well. There was nothing left to harvest here.
Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind.
"Oh—why did I forget that place?"
Slapping his forehead, Blaine opened a spatial rift with his ring.
A moment later, he was in the solar system — specifically on Mars. He had never visited Mars, but that didn't mean he didn't know its location.
Back on his original Earth, before he ever traveled worlds, humanity had already explored Mars extensively. Even if only through textbooks and photos, Blaine had learned enough to pinpoint its coordinates accurately.
"…This feel of solid ground."
Stepping onto Mars, Blaine couldn't stop himself from bouncing a few times.
From here, Earth appeared in the distance — a vast, glowing blue sphere. Mars, the second most suitable planet for human habitation in the solar system, was smaller than Earth. Although its surface was uneven and cratered, it wasn't like the moon with its colossal pits that could swallow a mountain.
Turning the other way, Blaine saw the small ring-shaped belt — the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
It acted as a natural shield for Mars. Most meteorites entering the solar system were pulled in by the belt's immense gravity or became part of it. Even those that sometimes slipped through toward Earth usually crashed into the belt along the way.
As a former top student, Blaine knew all of this well. That was why he'd thought of this place immediately. This asteroid belt had existed for tens of thousands — maybe even millions — of years.
Looking down at the Martian soil beneath his feet, Blaine gradually adjusted to its history.
"You're lucky. I'm not using my luck on you today."
With sparks crackling beneath his boots, Blaine spoke boldly. If he had enough power to crush Mars right now, he probably would. He certainly wasn't worried about breaking the solar system's planetary mechanics. If it collapsed, so what?
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