The moment the system notification sounded, Dean's eyes lit up with excitement.
Just as he had hoped, the system truly possessed a way to neutralize curses.
Although the system clearly stated that the ability could only grant immunity to a specific type of curse—misfortune curses—and only up to C-rank intensity, the value of such an ability was still extremely high.
For someone like Dean, who intended to continue performing increasingly dangerous operations across Gotham and possibly even beyond Earth, this passive protection was almost priceless.
More importantly, the system had automatically initiated the analysis of the cursed object without deducting a single Astonishment Point. Even the description that followed never mentioned any cost required to absorb the sealed object.
In simple terms, Dean had just obtained a magical passive immunity ability completely for free.
And this wasn't some minor protection.
A C-rank curse was already incredibly dangerous. For ordinary people, simply touching such an item could bring endless misfortune—accidents, illness, disasters, even sudden death.
In fact, even some superheroes who relied heavily on luck or fate might eventually fall victim to such a curse.
The system prompt appeared again.
"Would you like to activate the absorption function?"
Dean chuckled quietly.
Did the system really think this was a difficult choice?
"Activate it."
Without even hesitating for a second, Dean pressed confirm.
---
Immediately, something incredible happened.
The small box sitting on the table—the container that had been sealing the Stone of Misfortune—began to glow with a faint, mysterious light.
At first, the glow was subtle.
Then suddenly—
A burst of shimmering energy filled the basement.
The wooden box began to break apart, its structure collapsing into countless microscopic fragments. Those fragments slowly dissolved into particles of light before vanishing completely into the air.
Within seconds, the box had completely disappeared.
The system's voice sounded once again.
"Absorption complete."
"Constructing Anti-Curse Shield…"
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"Construction complete."
Dean instinctively looked down at himself.
The system described it as a shield, but in reality, nothing visible had appeared. There was no glowing barrier, no energy field, no magical aura.
The protection was completely invisible and intangible.
He didn't feel stronger.
He didn't feel lighter.
In fact, he felt exactly the same as before.
The only difference was that the box that had sealed the cursed stone was gone.
And now, sitting openly on the table—
Was the Stone of Misfortune itself.
---
Dean stared at the strange crystal for a moment.
Then he slowly reached forward and picked it up.
The instant his fingers touched its surface—
A chilling sensation rushed through his hand.
It felt like stepping into a freezer room after standing outside under the scorching summer sun.
A brief, involuntary shiver ran down his spine.
But the sensation disappeared almost instantly.
Dean blinked.
"That… was the curse?"
He examined the stone carefully.
Aside from that brief moment of cold, nothing else happened.
No sudden bad luck.
No collapsing ceiling.
No mysterious accidents.
No supernatural disasters.
He waited for a few seconds.
Then another few seconds passed.
Still nothing.
Dean nodded slightly.
"So the shield really worked."
The Anti-Curse Shield had completely neutralized the misfortune effect.
He casually tossed the stone into the air and caught it again, testing it.
"I wonder where Penguin even got this thing," he muttered.
The Penguin was a criminal mastermind, but cursed artifacts weren't exactly normal underworld items. Someone must have supplied it to him.
But that mystery could wait.
Dean had something else he wanted to do.
---
He leaned back slightly and spoke again.
"System. Open the Mall."
Immediately, the familiar Mall interface appeared in front of him.
Rows of strange and fascinating items filled the floating screen.
Dean began scrolling through them calmly.
Eventually, his eyes stopped on one particular item.
For a long time, he had been thinking about obtaining it.
And now—
He finally had enough points.
Dean clicked the purchase option.
"Exchange for: Hard Surface Cutter."
The system immediately displayed the item description.
---
Hard Surface Cutter
Allows the user to freely cut through the surface of objects composed of conventional matter in the universe.
Restrictions:
• Maximum surface thickness: 15 centimeters
• Cannot be used on living organisms
Cost: 4,500 Astonishment Points
---
The item's appearance was surprisingly ordinary.
It looked almost identical to a glass cutter used by professional thieves in movies—a small handheld tool with a cutting wheel at its tip.
Its design was simple.
But its ability was terrifying.
In front of this cutter, materials with hardness levels equal to diamonds were no different from ordinary paper.
Unless the material possessed special cosmic properties or mystical energy, the cutter could slice through it effortlessly.
Even better—
The cutting process was completely silent.
When Dean had first discovered this item in the system Mall, its price had discouraged him.
Four thousand five hundred points was a massive cost.
At the time, Dean had chosen to prioritize other items that were more immediately useful.
But after several operations—including the recent theft involving the Hope Diamond—Dean had come to an important realization.
The Hard Surface Cutter was an essential tool.
---
Think about it.
This world was filled with absurd materials.
Glass stronger than diamonds.
Metals capable of resisting missiles.
Alien alloys.
Mystical substances.
If such materials were used to create treasure containers—sealed boxes, display cases, or vaults—Dean might find himself completely helpless.
If someone placed a treasure inside a sealed container made from advanced materials, they wouldn't even need guards.
They could simply let Dean stare at it helplessly.
No matter how skilled he was, he wouldn't be able to retrieve the item.
That would be a disaster.
Dean knew that eventually, he would leave Gotham and expand his operations elsewhere.
And outside Gotham…
The challenges would only grow more absurd.
In a world filled with superheroes, aliens, gods, and monsters, security technology would be far beyond ordinary bulletproof glass.
Compared to those defenses, Gotham's current systems were practically primitive.
Without a tool like the Hard Surface Cutter, Dean's career as a phantom thief could quickly reach its limits.
---
In fact, even during the last two operations, Dean had already experienced this problem.
Both times, he had struggled to deal with high-strength glass display cases.
Instead of cutting them open directly, he had to create elaborate illusions—misleading everyone into thinking the treasure had already been stolen.
Only after attention was diverted could he return and quietly retrieve the real treasure.
The plan worked.
But ultimately—
It was just a trick.
Such methods could only be used a limited number of times.
Sooner or later, people would notice the pattern.
In fact, during the Hope Diamond incident, Commissioner Gordon had already begun suspecting that the Kaito Kid seen outside was a fake.
That trick wouldn't fool him forever.
Dean needed a reliable way to break through high-level security systems directly.
Even if he rarely used it, he had to possess the capability.
And right now—
The Hard Surface Cutter was the best option.
With this tool, Dean could ignore nearly every conventional protective material in the universe.
Even if he someday traveled to another planet…
The cutter would still be useful.
It was a tool that would remain valuable for a very long time.
In contrast, the surveillance system jammer, which was currently extremely useful on Earth, might become completely useless once he left the planet.
From every angle, the Hard Surface Cutter was worth its price.
Weapons with similar descriptions—such as guns capable of penetrating any armor made of conventional matter—often cost seven or eight thousand Astonishment Points.
Dean had already noticed something interesting.
Items with offensive power were always far more expensive.
By comparison, the Hard Surface Cutter was actually a bargain.
---
The system displayed one final confirmation prompt.
"Do you confirm the exchange?"
Dean smiled.
"Confirm."
---
4,500 Astonishment Points were deducted instantly.
His balance dropped to 1,100 points.
Dean then opened his personal status panel.
---
Name: Dean Thurston
Age: 16
Skills:
Magic Mastery
Vehicle Mastery
Lockpicking Mastery
Shooting Mastery
Combat Mastery
Rapid Disguise
Prop-less Voice Alteration
Items:
Card Gun
Grapple Gun
Triangular Hang Glider
Bulletproof Cape
High-speed Auto-inflating Dummy
Smoke Grenade
Flashbang
Tear Gas
Sleeping Gas
Small Surveillance System Jammer
Stone of Misfortune
Anti-Curse Shield (C-Rank Misfortune)
Hard Surface Cutter
Talents:
Resistant Skin (Low Tier)
Sensitive Reaction (Mid Tier)
Account Balance: 1100 Astonishment Points
---
When Dean saw Stone of Misfortune listed among his items, he paused for a moment.
Then he realized something.
Since he hadn't decided what to do with the cursed stone yet, the system had simply registered it as one of his possessions.
Dean looked down at the crystal resting in his hand.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So…"
He slowly rolled the stone between his fingers.
"What should I do with you?"
Several possibilities appeared in his mind.
One option was obvious.
He could return it to Penguin.
Let the crime lord personally experience the consequences of the cursed artifact he tried to use.
Dean smiled slightly at the thought.
But another idea was also tempting.
After all—
This was a genuine cursed artifact.
Maybe…
It could become the first piece in his personal collection of treasures.
--------------------------
🕷️ End of Chapter
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