After finishing a hearty American dinner, Luke said goodnight to his adoptive parents and returned to his room early, locking the door behind him.
After midnight tonight, it would officially be Thursday—
A day Luke had always looked forward to.
In the past, it was because dungeon attempts in the game would reset every Thursday, and Dungeon Fighter Online would occasionally receive updates.
But those days were gone.
Now, things were different.
Every Thursday at exactly midnight, the system would grant him one free Magic Box.
Just like the Magic Boxes in the game—
It could contain valuable items.
As Lotus put it:
"This is your reward for surviving another week in this world."
Based on past experience, the Magic Box could yield a wide variety of items.
But the most important of all—
Were skill books.
Skill books were his most direct path to becoming stronger.
Any skill from any class in DNF could potentially be obtained.
What he got—
Depended entirely on luck.
Aside from skills, the boxes could also contain various items—
Materials, consumables, and other strange objects with all kinds of uses.
Luke still remembered the first skill book he had obtained.
It was last summer.
Not long after his reincarnation.
Not long after he had been adopted into this family.
At the time, he was still adjusting to everything.
So when the first skill book appeared—
It was a pleasant surprise.
A confirmation—
That he could truly grow stronger in the Marvel Universe.
That skill was:
Draw Sword Slash.
A signature ability of the Sword Saint class in DNF.
Naturally—
He had tested it.
Late at night, when no one was around, Luke secretly carved himself a wooden sword over the course of two days.
Then—
In the backyard—
He used the skill.
The next day—
The neighbors called the police.
They claimed a wild boar had broken through their fence in the middle of the night.
The incident caused quite a stir in the neighborhood before eventually fading away.
As for Luke's wooden sword—
It shattered after just one use.
Completely unable to withstand the force of the skill.
But for Luke—
That single moment was enough.
He had witnessed the terrifying power of DNF abilities.
And it thrilled him.
Any skill obtained from a Magic Box—
Could be learned instantly with a single thought.
And once learned—
It could be used at full combat efficiency.
Like instinct.
From that point on—
Luke began eagerly anticipating every Thursday.
And over time—
That anticipation slowly turned into dissatisfaction.
"Too bad the system only gives one free Magic Box per week," Luke muttered.
"If I want more, I'll have to buy them with tokens from the modified system shop."
The system shop was filled with countless items—
Dazzling.
Tempting.
But like cakes behind a display window—
They could only be seen.
Not touched.
To purchase anything—
He needed tokens.
And tokens—
Were exchanged using real-world money.
The exchange rate was:
10 dollars = 1 token.
In other words—
Spending money.
"What does the system even need dollars for?" Luke had once wondered.
"It's a test of your ability," Lotus replied.
"…My ability to earn money?"
"My suggestion?"
Lotus paused.
Then said with absolute seriousness:
"Rob a bank."
"..."
Luke didn't even respond.
After all—
He was currently seven years old.
A literal child.
A true member of the proletariat.
Where was he supposed to get money?
Helpless—
He could only rely on the weekly free Magic Box for now.
Fortunately—
There was a rule.
Ten draws guaranteed a reward.
And that guaranteed reward had a high probability of being a skill book.
For this reason—
Luke had been saving up for over two months.
And now—
He finally had ten Magic Boxes.
In the past six months, using this method—
He had obtained three skills:
Inch Punch
Nen Shield
Draw Sword Slash
Inch Punch came from the Martial Artist class—specifically the Martial God specialization.
A powerful close-range strike.
Nen Shield came from the Nen Master path.
A defensive skill that created a barrier of energy to block attacks.
All things considered—
This was a pretty good start.
"As they say… single pulls bring miracles, ten pulls ruin lives…"
Luke muttered to himself, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Then he spat lightly.
"Wrong."
"Ten pulls are faith."
"The faith of unlucky people like me."
"Hopefully this time… I get a high-tier skill."
"What about your resolve?" Lotus asked, as sly as ever.
With a thought—
Ten identical, strange boxes appeared in front of Luke, neatly arranged across his bed.
They weren't made of metal.
Nor wood.
Their surfaces were engraved with mysterious, indecipherable patterns—
Ancient.
Imposing.
"Let's begin."
Even Lotus grew unusually quiet.
Watching.
The moment Luke gave the command—
The boxes opened one after another in sequence.
At the same time—
System notifications echoed in his mind:
[Magicite ×1][Ceria's Handmade Cake ×1][Resurrection Coin ×1][Ceria's Special Cool Drink ×1][Colorless Small Crystal ×25][Data Chip ×1][Skill Book: Electrocution Grenade ×1][Colorless Small Crystal ×19][Ceria's Handmade Cake ×1][Magicite ×1]
"Electrocution Grenade… not bad."
Luke nodded.
After waiting two months—
This result was acceptable.
Even if he didn't get a top-tier skill.
The skill belonged to the Ammunition Specialist class.
As the name suggested—
It allowed the user to throw a grenade that inflicted an electrocution status upon explosion.
Holding the skill book—
Luke activated it with a thought.
Instantly—
A warm current flowed into his body.
At the same time—
New knowledge appeared in his mind.
Industrial assembly.
Explosive construction.
Material processing.
He now knew exactly how to build an Electrocution Grenade.
And his craftsmanship—
Was master-level.
With even the simplest materials—
He could create one quickly.
Luke glanced around the room.
Then—
Got to work.
He grabbed a remote-controlled toy car.
Went to the bathroom.
Squeezed out toothpaste.
Put on a mask.
Scraped residue from the drain.
Wrapped it carefully.
Then—
He quietly went to the living room—
And took his adoptive father Fudge's lighter.
Once everything was ready—
He locked the door again.
Returned to the bed.
And began.
His hands moved rapidly.
Skillfully.
Almost unnaturally precise.
Two minutes—
To extract explosive components.
Thirty seconds—
To dismantle the toy car.
Then—
Assembly.
Soon—
Luke held a small bottle in his childish hands.
Inside—
A faintly glowing, fluorescent substance.
This—
Was his improvised Electrocution Grenade.
"It doesn't look great," Luke commented.
"In the game, electrocution causes continuous damage…"
"I wonder what it does in the real world."
"Throw it at the door and find out!" Lotus urged excitedly.
Luke rolled his eyes.
"This is still a grenade."
Even an experimental one—
Would easily blow this room apart.
He had no intention of sleeping in the basement.
With a casual motion—
The grenade disappeared.
Stored.
Inside his system storage space.
This storage—
Was a system function.
Current capacity:
30 cm × 30 cm.
Small—
But extremely convenient.
And expandable.
For a price.
Luke sighed.
"To get stronger… I really need more boxes."
At present—
He had four DNF skills.
All powerful.
All useful.
But still—
Far from enough.
Then—
He thought about something else.
His body.
It needed nutrition.
He could feel it—
His body was developing.
Rapidly.
And the more skills he learned—
The more energy his body consumed.
Even though he had just eaten—
He was already hungry again.
"This body is too small…"
Luke muttered.
"Too limiting."
"I want to grow faster."
But growth required nutrition.
And nutrition—
Required money.
His adoptive family wasn't wealthy.
Middle class.
In America—
That meant stability.
Not abundance.
Infrastructure was strong.
Hospitals.
Schools.
Parks.
But individuals?
Still had limits.
"This isn't enough…"
Opening boxes.
Expanding storage.
Eating more.
Everything—
Required money.
Luke glanced at the system shop.
At the premium gift packs.
And sighed.
"What should I do… get a job?"
"Work?" Lotus scoffed.
"What a low-level idea!"
"Just rob a bank!"
"Fast money! And exciting!"
"Luke! Let's rob a bank!"
Luke ignored him.
According to New York law—
Minors had to be at least fourteen to work.
And even then—
Limited hours.
At seven?
If any shop hired him—
The police would shut it down immediately.
"…When will I ever afford more Magic Boxes…"
Luke sighed.
Iron Man had already appeared.
Soon—
Hulk.
Thor.
Captain America.
Then—
The Avengers.
And after that—
The Battle of New York.
Aliens.
The Chitauri.
Loki.
New York—
Was about to become one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
"Oh… and that nuclear missile…"
Luke frowned.
"No."
"I need money."
"Fast."
He scratched his head, sighing.
Despite his small body—
His behavior was that of an adult.
Serious.
Yet—
Oddly adorable.
To anyone watching—
He looked like a mature child.
But no one knew—
Inside this small body—
Was a grown man.