That evening—
Luke's adoptive father, Fudge, didn't come home.
It wasn't until after 10 PM, when Luke was already asleep, that a series of hurried noises echoed from downstairs.
Luke got up and went to check.
What he saw—
Made his expression change instantly.
In the living room—
Matt Murdock lay covered in blood.
Fudge and Karen were supporting him, struggling to get him onto the couch.
Daredevil—
Was seriously injured.
Luke stood quietly by the staircase—
Listening.
"No. We can't take him to the hospital."
Fudge's voice was tense.
"Absolutely not. Those people will find him."
"They control the entire neighborhood."
"But he's bleeding so much!"
Karen argued.
"If he doesn't get treatment, he'll die!"
"I know—I know!"
Fudge paced anxiously.
Then stopped.
"…There's no other choice."
"Karen—get the first aid kit."
"We'll have to remove the bullets ourselves."
"Oh my God…"
Karen covered her mouth briefly—
Then rushed to get the kit.
Matt—
Still in his Daredevil suit—
Lay motionless on the couch.
From Luke's angle—
He could clearly see—
At least three gunshot wounds.
And the blood—
Was still flowing.
Fudge muttered to himself:
"This is my fault…"
"I shouldn't have gone with him that night…"
"That underground casino…"
"Roulette Casino is the darkest, filthiest place in Hell's Kitchen…"
His head lowered.
Full of guilt.
Karen returned—
Placing a hand on his back.
"This isn't your fault."
"They were targeting you."
"Matt would never let that happen."
"Let's stop the bleeding first."
At that moment—
Karen noticed Luke standing on the stairs.
She didn't know how long he had been there.
Quickly—
She forced a smile.
"It's okay, honey."
"Go back to sleep."
Luke said nothing.
He glanced once more at Matt—
Then turned—
And went upstairs.
Back in his room—
He closed the door.
And sighed.
"I knew this would happen…"
It was only a matter of time.
From what he had overheard—
Daredevil had been shot during tonight's operation.
In the Marvel world—
Among countless heroes and villains—
Daredevil's strength wasn't exceptional.
Mid-tier at best.
Yes—
His senses were extraordinary.
His hearing.
His touch.
But physically—
He was still human.
Unlike Spider-Man—
He didn't possess enhanced durability or regeneration.
That—
Was his biggest weakness.
Against street thugs—
He was more than enough.
But against organized crime—
Armed with weapons—
Even firearms—
Especially when outnumbered—
That weakness became fatal.
Like tonight.
Hell's Kitchen—
Wasn't just "dangerous."
It was something worse.
Located on the west side of Manhattan—
Once a slum filled with Irish immigrant laborers—
Now—
It had become a breeding ground for crime.
Russian gangs.
Japanese yakuza.
Mexican cartels.
All operating in the shadows.
Lawlessness.
Chaos.
The name—
Hell's Kitchen—
Was well deserved.
And behind it all—
Kingpin.
At his peak—
He controlled nearly 70% of America's criminal operations.
Drugs.
Smuggling.
Illegal weapons.
Casinos.
Extortion.
Human trafficking.
Arson.
Murder.
There was nothing he wouldn't do.
Worse—
He had influence on both sides—
Even political connections.
Taking him down—
Was nearly impossible.
And Daredevil—
Fought him alone.
Only later—
With heroes like Spider-Man, Punisher, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones—
Did things begin to change.
But right now—
This was Daredevil's hardest period.
He only had a few allies.
All of them—
Ordinary people.
Including—
Fudge Nelson.
"…Help or not?"
Luke muttered.
After a brief silence—
He sighed.
"…I'll help."
He respected Daredevil.
Not just as a hero—
But as a person.
Matt had always treated him kindly.
Never once looked down on him.
And more importantly—
This situation—
Involved his family now.
That meant—
Danger.
In this world—
Criminals didn't care about innocence.
Revenge killings.
Family exterminations.
Common.
Luke couldn't ignore it.
"I'll handle this myself."
He wasn't sure if he was stronger than Daredevil yet—
But—
He had advantages.
"You're finally taking action?"
Lotus said excitedly.
"I'm already fired up!"
"The glory of the Apostles will spread tonight!"
"Hallelujah!!"
"You're cold-blooded. You don't have 'hot blood.'"
"It's a metaphor!"
Lotus protested.
"Aren't you excited?!"
Luke ignored him.
"Fifty dollars for one Magic Box…"
"That's robbery."
He planned to use today's burger earnings—
To try his luck.
Maybe—
He could get a healing item.
At least—
Save Matt's life.
Even without him—
Daredevil probably wouldn't die.
But—
What if his existence changed things?
If Daredevil died right under his nose—
That would be disastrous.
So—
Luke made his decision.
A ten-pull.
$500. Gone.
Just like that—
All his earnings—
Vanished overnight.
System notifications echoed in his mind.
But—
The result—
Was disappointing.
No healing potion.
Not even a skill book.
Instead—
He got something else.
A small bottle appeared in his hand.
Luke stared at it.
"Seria's Luck Potion?"
"What does this even do?"
"It temporarily boosts your luck for one hour," Lotus explained.
"Seriously?"
Luke raised an eyebrow.
"You could test it."
"Jump out the window."
"If you don't break your legs—it works."
"…Hard pass."
Luck—
Was unpredictable.
And Luke—
Didn't trust his.
That was the mindset of someone chronically unlucky.
Still—
He smiled.
"Well… like you said."
"We won't know until we try."
"I have an idea."
"Are we blowing up Stark Tower?"
Lotus perked up.
"…No."
"What I mean is—"
"If I'm going to solve this myself…"
"Where I start matters."
This wouldn't be simple.
His opponent—
Was Kingpin.
And Kingpin had allies.
Bullseye.
The Hand.
Madame Gao.
Enemies Luke couldn't handle yet.
So—
He would test the waters first.
Gather intel.
Find out—
Who he was dealing with.
Tonight.
"Maybe… I can make some money too."
From Fudge's words—
He had one key lead:
Roulette Casino.
As for Daredevil—
Bleeding out downstairs—
"…He should be fine."
Probably.
Hopefully.
Luke looked at himself in the mirror.
A one-meter-tall child.
Thin arms.
Baby face.
There was no way—
He could enter a casino like this.
"…I need a disguise."
His plan was simple—
And bold.
An Iron Man mask.
A voice changer.
Cheap.
Common.
Standard vigilante gear.
After testing his voice—
Deep.
Unrecognizable.
He changed clothes—
A plaid shirt.
Casual pants.
Lotus climbed onto his shoulder—
Disguised as a toy.
The transformation—
Was complete.
He looked…
Older.
More convincing.
Satisfied—
Luke climbed out the window.
From Queens—
To Hell's Kitchen—
A distance.
But not a problem.
With a skateboard—
Anything was possible.
And so—
He set off.
Entering an underground casino—
Took courage.
That kind of place—
Was filled with dangerous people.
For ordinary people—
It was a death trap.
But Luke—
Was no longer ordinary.
After one year—
He had mastered Inch Punch.
Could use Draw Sword Slash.
And—
He had prepared multiple Electrocution Grenades.
Even if things went wrong—
He had Nen Shield.
He could escape.
Skill bred confidence.
Confidence bred courage.
Finding the casino—
Was easy.
Roulette Casino—
One of Kingpin's major income sources.
Popular.
Crowded.
Favored by criminals of all kinds.
And thanks to certain "arrangements"—
The police turned a blind eye.
Luke easily got directions—
From a pair of shady dealers on the street.
At the entrance—
A guard stopped him.
"Kid. This isn't a place for you."
Luke's voice turned cold—
From beneath the Iron Man mask:
"Watch your mouth."
"Call me that again—"
"And I'll make you regret it."
The guard stiffened.
"…Sorry, sir."
"I didn't realize."
"Please—go ahead."
"Hmph."
Luke walked in.
Calm.
Confident.
This—
Was his advantage.
He could disguise himself as a short adult.
Even Mystique—
Might not pull that off.