Lucifer was completely caught off guard.
He had just gone from broke to multi-millionaire, confirmed Hydra infiltration, and unlocked dimensional travel, but the most complicated query was Raven asking him for a relationship definition.
He instinctively accessed his Fundamental Insight to process the emotion she was feeling, cross-referencing it with the chaos of his upbringing and the stability of his current life.
"That feeling,"
Lucifer began, his voice still tinged with the awkwardness of a teenager forced to talk about feelings.
"It's... it's called jealousy, Raven. It's what happens when someone values someone else's attention, and another person tries to claim that attention."
He paused, then added clumsily,
"It means you... you value our partnership a lot, maybe even more than the average partnership. It's a human emotion. A messy one."
Harley, who had been listening from her doorway, grinned widely, a smudge of chocolate pudding on her cheek.
She caught Raven's eye and smirked, a silent message: I won this round, logical lady.
Harley then turned and skipped back into her "lair," pleased with her victory and ready to celebrate with more sugar.
Raven stared at Lucifer, her beautiful eyes narrowed in concentration. She had the definition, but the concept was abstract.
"If jealousy is the valuation of attention,"
Raven reasoned, attempting to put it into a logical box,
"And Harley is his sister, then... if I feel jealousy, it means I wish to possess his attention exclusively, which implies a greater valuation than simple partnership."
The logic was sound, but the emotional truth behind it was terrifying.
"I need to analyze this data,"
She murmured, her voice laced with intense confusion.
"I need to find more information about this... girlfriend designation and its associated behaviors and emotional states."
Without another word, Raven turned and phased through the wall into the adjacent utility closet, presumably to access a secure network or even the demonic planes—anything to understand this strange, new human emotion.
Lucifer was left alone again, surrounded by the remnants of the Hydra infiltration and the sudden, overwhelming quiet.
He sighed.
"Everything will be fine,"
He whispered to the empty room, a promise he desperately needed to believe.
He immediately turned his attention to the final remaining task: utilizing the One-Time Free Purchase before diving into the financial rabbit hole of dimensional travel.
He already had excellent offense (Void Severance) and defense (Force Field). He needed sustainability.
Lucifer called up the purchase menu:
[One-Time Free Purchase: Available]
[Category Filter: Restoration/Passive]
A clear, Tier 5 option appeared:
Healing Factor (Tier 5)
Description: Passive, high-speed biological regeneration. Provides immediate accelerated healing for most non-fatal wounds and significant resistance to toxins and disease. Does not require training or MP expenditure.
Cost: FREE (One-Time Use)
"Purchase and integrate Healing Factor,"
Lucifer commanded.
The integration was smooth, a subtle warmth spreading through his body, settling in his core. He was now resilient, absolute in his power suit.
With his core powers optimized, Lucifer focused on the Cosmic Logistics function, scrolling through the list of potential destination universes, categorized by Tier (risk/reward/cost).
Tier 1 (Low Risk) $500,000
Anime: Slice-of-life settings, low-level magic schools (e.g., Flying Witch, Spirit Away,).
Movie: Simple action/spy thrillers (James Bond - no meta elements).
Game: Early-era RPGs, non-magical, small-scale crime games.
Tier 2 (Moderate Risk) $2,500,000
Anime: Worlds with clear, high-level heroes and villains (e.g., My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen - early arcs).
Movie: Established hero universes (e.g., Early MCU without Infinity Stones, X-Men movie timeline).
Game: Tiered MMOs with clear progression (e.g., The Witcher, Mass Effect - pre-Reaper). |
Tier 3 (High Risk) $10,000,000
Anime: Worlds with planetary/dimensional threats (e.g., Dragon Ball Z, One Punch Man, Tenchi Muyo!).
Movie: Cosmic-level threat worlds (MCU - high-level phases, DCEU - Justice League scale).
Game: Reality-altering systems/god-tier settings (e.g., Final Fantasy, God of War, Elden Ring).
Lucifer stared at the cost of the Tier 1 jump: $500,000.
He currently had $11,150,000 in System Progress.
He could jump twenty-two times to a Tier 1 world, or four times to a Tier 2 world.
His immediate problem was the Hydra search.
He needed a world where he could earn progress quickly, train safely, and then return.