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*****
Under the current circumstances, Fini couldn't simply dive into the draw. While rituals like bathing or purifying oneself weren't strictly necessary, the assistance of "Ars Magna" required a state of absolute mental tranquility and focus.
"Eat some of this to recover first," Fini said, looking at the Avengers—nearly all of whom were sporting injuries. He sighed and summoned several Fried Chicken Rolls, handing them out to the group.
Though they were surprised by Fini suddenly offering fast food, no one rejected the kindness. Thor, in particular, took a single bite before wolfing the rest down in an instant. He looked up sheepishly and asked, "Is there more?"
Fini was never stingy when it came to food. Thinking of Thor's "full-figured" physique after Thanos's snap in the original timeline, he couldn't help but hand over two more. Look at how Asgard has let the God of Thunder starve! he thought.
While the "Minor Healing" effect wasn't instantaneous, the boost to recovery was significant enough to be felt. Normally, they would just find "Sumire's Special Fried Chicken Rolls" to be an incredibly delicious comfort food, but since they were all wounded, they quickly noticed the difference.
"Can this stuff actually stop bleeding?" Nick Fury, who had the lightest injuries, was the first to notice the changes in his body. He watched the others eating heartily and couldn't help but question Fini.
"It just speeds up the body's natural recovery," Fini explained casually.
Thor, tasting the rolls for the first time, couldn't stop. With one in each hand, he stuffed his face while asking, "What exactly is this made of? Why is it so delicious?"
"Magic," Fini replied. Looking at Thor, he had to admit that Asgardian physiology was leagues beyond that of humans. Despite being the most heavily injured, Thor was recovering the fastest after eating—though that might have also been due to the sheer volume he was consuming.
Nearby, Captain America thought of the recipe Fini had given him. He suddenly felt that the gift was quite heavy, even though he knew that if he made them himself, they probably wouldn't have these supernatural effects.
Once finished, the group prepared to board Nick Fury's Quinjet to pursue Loki.
"What about that?" Fury asked, gesturing toward the Blue-Eyes White Dragon resting quietly nearby. He had already gathered the details of the escape from Natasha and knew how the creature had appeared. "Can you turn it back?"
In truth, everyone present was curious about the dragon. Even Thor had never seen such a creature in all his travels across the realms. They had been too distracted by the food a moment ago, but now their eyes turned toward Fini with curiosity.
Fini considered the situation. They were about to chase Loki; the dragon's massive size made it too conspicuous, and it wasn't particularly suited for a brawl with the Hulk. To the astonishment of the onlookers, he reverted the dragon into a card.
"Is that magic too?" Thor stared, his mouth hanging open.
"Yes," Fini admitted without hesitation. He couldn't talk about the System anyway, so letting them believe it was magic suited his identity as a sorcerer perfectly.
"I knew Loki hadn't been studying his magic properly," Thor muttered under his breath, conveniently forgetting that Asgard didn't possess magic quite like that.
Tony Stark was more straightforward. He stared at the card in Fini's hand for a long time before asking, "Can I study that? I'll pay."
Captain America, having recently woken from his long slumber, could tell from the others' reactions that this was not a common occurrence. However, he wasn't shocked; instead, he felt a strange sense of relief. At least he wasn't the only one struggling to adapt to how much the world had changed.
Meanwhile, Nick Fury gave Fini a deep, searching look. He found himself increasingly unable to fathom the secrets Fini was hiding, especially after the boy had spent half a year on another planet. At this point, even if Fini pulled an interstellar orbital cannon out of his pocket, Fury wouldn't find it impossible.
On the plane, the only ones who had escaped with Fury were Maria Hill and a few agents; everyone else was still on the Helicarrier with Loki.
Fini found a corner to sit in, appearing as though he were resting. He began to quiet his mind to prepare for the draw. The others, nursing their wounds, also remained silent, focusing on recovering for the battle ahead.
About half an hour later, Fini had adjusted his mental state. He took a long, quiet breath and prepared to begin. Before the draw, however, he couldn't help but reflect on his previous successes.
Since obtaining the System, he had drawn six skills. The first time, he had been ignorant and confused, yet he somehow pulled "Ars Magna."
The second time, full of expectation, he had received the initially disappointing but now indispensable "Sumire's Special Fried Chicken Rolls."
The third time, with Iron Man's debut looming and the world changing rapidly, he had felt helpless. In a state of anxiety and trepidation, he drew "Incursio." That was the major turning point of his life. After obtaining it, he met the Ancient One, joined Kamar-Taj, met his "experience point farm" Mordo, and inexplicably earned the nickname "Silver Knight." Since then, his leveling speed had skyrocketed.
The fourth draw gave him "Sky Dance," providing the crucial ability of flight. The fifth, "Explosion Magic," gave him terrifying offensive power to match his defenses, evolving the "Silver Knight" into the "Knight of Divine Punishment."
The sixth was the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon." His search for "dragon food" and his attempt to touch the Tesseract had resulted in him being teleported to a distant planet, where he spent half a year accompanying a lonely ghost.
After these six draws, Fini was already very powerful. At least on Earth, there were few people or things that could truly harm him. Even if he never drew another skill, simply mastering these abilities would be more than enough to stop Thanos from snapping his fingers in the future.
But Fini wasn't about to reject more power. He still needed to grind experience, and he still needed to draw. Looking back, no two skills were similar; each had been completely unexpected. This unpredictability made it impossible to guess what the System would provide next. Even after six times, he still felt a rush of nerves.
Second one: Enter the System.
Second two: Activate bonuses, Draw.
Second three: Draw complete.
The movements were fluid and practiced. As the result appeared, Fini's heart calmed. Even if he had drawn a cooking skill, he wouldn't have complained like he did in the beginning.
He checked the seventh skill, and—unsurprisingly—he was surprised.
Skill: Breathing Styles
Source: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Description: Techniques used by humans to combat demons!
Fini had a vague memory of this anime, but the details had faded. Seeing the description, he felt a bit puzzled, wondering if there were even "demons" in the Marvel world to fight.
Based on the name, he guessed the skill was related to breathing. He almost tested it right there on the plane before realizing that the "demons" mentioned in the description probably weren't the ghostly spirits like Sadako or Kayako he was imagining.
This was actually a skill that drastically enhanced physical capabilities!
(End of Chapter)