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Homelander reached out and gently pinched Wanda's cheek; it felt soft and smooth.
"Your talent shouldn't just be used to heat up milk."
"I'm thinking of finding you a real teacher."
"...You need to go attend a real 'School of magic'."
"School of magic?" Wanda looked confused.
Homelander thought of Kamar-Taj.
That secret realm hidden in the Himalayan Mountains.
Sorcerer Ancient One.
Although that bald woman is troublesome, he had to admit that she was currently the best teacher of magic on Earth.
Sending Wanda there for advanced study wouldn't just enhance her strength; it would also allow him to connect with the Sorcerer Supreme.
After all, when facing Dormammu or other Dimension Lords in the future, mystic power would be indispensable.
As for himself... Homelander glanced at his status panel.
Aside from a Sub-Magic Barrier and a Timed Magic Immunity Potion, he was indeed lacking in the field of magic.
If some old conniving sorcerer dragged him into the Mirror Dimension or turned him into a frog one day, that would be truly embarrassing.
Wanda looked a little reluctant. "I don't want to go to school, I just want to stay with you."
"Listen to me, Wanda," Homelander said softly and gently. "This school can teach you true magic, transforming you from a small Witch doing parlor tricks into a goddess."
"Once you graduate, you will become my capable partner."
Wanda felt reluctant. "But... do I have to go so far away?"
"You're just going to school; it's not like you're not coming back," Homelander rubbed her nose. "Besides, you can use that thing..."
He raised his hands and made a circling gesture in the air beside him.
"Once you learn that magic that looks like a fairy wand, you'll have enough time to come back for a late-night snack."
"Alright..." Though reluctant, Wanda knew this was for the sake of becoming stronger. "When do I go?"
"I'll arrange it, but before that..."
Homelander checked the time.
"...I need to go get a few rounds in first."
"Get a few rounds in?" Wanda was completely confused.
"Nothing, just a small hobby of mine as a man."
Homelander smiled mysteriously and turned to leave.
"Keep practicing, don't slack off. I'll check your ab lines later."
Wanda watched Homelander's retreating back, her cheeks flushed, but she couldn't help the corners of her mouth turning up.
"What a... bad man."
...After saying goodbye to Wanda, Homelander returned to his office.
He locked the door and drew the curtains.
Next up was the most exciting part: the unboxing session.
Homelander leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands together.
"System, check my special popularity value!"
The System light screen unfolded before his eyes.
Current special popularity value: 416,000!
Looking at that long string of numbers, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion. After transmigrating for so long, he had never fought such a wealthy battle.
"Four hundred and sixteen thousand..."
Before, he had to meticulously save up 30,000 just for one draw.
Now he could finally experience what it felt like to be a rich tycoon.
"System, I want to draw 10 lotteries!"
Homelander waved his hand with lofty spirit.
"Notification: Detected that the Host's special popularity value accumulation exceeds 300,000."
"The Superhero Blind Box upgrade mechanism has been triggered."
"After the upgrade, the cost for a single draw increases to 100,000 popularity value. The prize pool quality is significantly improved."
"If you do not choose to upgrade, the upgrade option will be hidden once the popularity value drops below 300,000."
Homelander's hand froze mid-air.
"One hundred thousand per draw?!"
"System, are you robbing me? Wasn't it 30,000 before? This is more than triple the price!"
"Responding to Host: The low-level Blind Box contains a large number of daily necessities and useless items. The items the Host has already drawn are considered extremely lucky. After the upgrade, these interference items will be removed."
Homelander fell into contemplation.
This was a classic gambler's dilemma.
Should he pursue quantity, hoping that a change in volume would lead to a change in quality? Or should he steadily pursue quality?
Although he currently had 400,000.
But if he drew a pile of trash, wouldn't he lose a fortune?
Homelander hesitated repeatedly, then decided to test the waters first.
"No upgrade yet. Give me three normal draws! It's only 90,000, just pocket change."
"Ding! Consuming 90,000 special popularity value."
"Drawing now..."
Three light spheres emerged from the void and burst open sequentially.
"Congratulations on obtaining: Captain Jack's Compass"
"Congratulations on obtaining: Nimbus 2000 Flying Broomstick"
"Congratulations on obtaining: C-14 'Impaler' Gauss Rifle"
Homelander looked at the three items that had appeared on the table.
The first was a dirty-looking, somewhat aged brass compass.
"Item Description: Captain Jack's Compass. It does not point north; it only points to what your heart desires most."
He picked it up and opened the lid.
The needle inside was spinning wildly, like the blade of an electric fan.
It showed no sign of stopping.
"..."
Homelander snapped the lid shut.
"Trash. Is it my fault that my desires are too abundant?"
He casually tossed the Compass aside.
Next, he looked at the retro-styled broomstick.
The craftsmanship was quite exquisite: a mahogany handle, neatly trimmed twigs at the tail, and the golden words "Nimbus 2000" printed on it.
"Description: Hogwarts Quidditch star product. Streamlined design, mahogany handle."
Homelander imagined himself wearing a Stars and Stripes uniform, flying through the sky on a broken broomstick.
"This thing... forget it. I'll give it to little sweetheart Wanda. A Witch with a broomstick, that's professionally appropriate."
The third item was a heavy rifle filled with the brutal aesthetics of industrial design.
"Description: Standard equipment of the Terran Empire Marine Corps. 8mm electromagnetic spike rounds, equipped with depleted uranium armor-piercing rounds, fully automatic firing, 30 rounds per second rate of fire."
Homelander picked up the rifle and weighed it in his hands.
It was indeed very cool, and the sound of pulling the bolt was crisp.
"I can't use this myself, but..."
Homelander thought of Vought's equipment R&D center. If they could reverse engineer this thing and mass-produce it, that wouldn't be bad.
"Overall... the quality is average."
Homelander sighed.
This was the downside of the low-level Blind Box. Although cheap, the drop rate was too low.
He glanced at the remaining popularity value: 326,000.
Just enough for three high-level draws.
"System! Upgrade me!"
"Ding! Blind Box System upgrading... Upgrade complete."
"Current cost per single draw: 100,000 special popularity value."
"Give me a triple pull!!"
"Let me see the quality of a 100,000-per-draw Blind Box!"
The commotion this time was completely different.
Accompanied by magnificent orchestral music, three treasure chests radiating brilliant light slowly descended from the void amid a chorus of praise.
This visual effect alone showed the difference in caliber.
"Opening Blind Box..."
"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Senzu Bean × 3"
"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Military Implant: Sandevistan + Corresponding Cybernetic Modification Technology Database"
"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Popularity Level Penalty Exemption Order × 1"