[Upgrade Token (B-Rank): Can raise a C-Rank item or halo to B-Rank.]
[Upgrade Token (A-Rank): Can raise a B-Rank item or halo to A-Rank.]
These surprise rewards had been farmed for him by his fanboy Joker. Because he couldn't be sure what the upgrades would do to his halos or tools, Fang Yuan simply waited until the panel itself leveled up.
Now that he could preview every upgrade, he naturally intended to choose carefully.
First up: C to B.
A quick look shocked him—he had even fewer C-Rank rewards than B-Rank ones.
Only five items: [Atavism Potion], [Rebel-Ninja Seal], [Can't-See-Me Mask], [Rage Elixir], [Fear Paint].
C-Rank halos were even rarer: the [Super Hero Creator Halo] plus the newly gained [Pirate Halo].
Just two in total.
"Turns out I'm this wealthy," Fang Yuan murmured, rubbing his chin as the reason dawned on him.
The basis for earning rewards was fame—normally a halo wasn't even unlocked until fame passed the fourth tier.
So he'd always prioritized employees with high Character Template ranks, which left him with the fewest C-Rank rewards.
"Pity the Upgrade Token can't boost super-powers or Character Templates; I've got plenty of C-Rank templates."
But on second thought, super-powers were only the pre-requisite for unlocking templates; once a template was in place it overrode everything, and templates were tied to employee ratings—so it made sense the token couldn't touch those two categories.
Because their rank wasn't high, he rarely used these rewards.
He'd never once used the [Rebel-Ninja Seal] or [Can't-See-Me Mask]; the [Atavism Potion], [Fear Paint] and [Rage Elixir] had all been tossed into the lab. The finished products worked well enough, but he had no use for them now—at most he'd chuck them to lackeys as exchange fodder.
Still, all three C-Rank halos were solid—after all, every halo was essentially a bug-level ability.
Compared with the newly acquired [Pirate Halo], he naturally picked [Super Hero Creator].
In the Marvel Universe that halo had made him a frontline Superhero leader.
So when it came to upgrading, this halo took priority.
He opened the preview at once.
[Super Hero Creator Halo (B-Rank): Targets led by the host to become superheroes will trust the host far more, and Character Template development speed is increased.]
He was very satisfied; faster template development translated directly into greater personal power.
Yet he didn't rush the choice—he skimmed previews for every remaining C-Rank reward.
Who knew what pleasant surprises might be lurking?
One item in particular still carried a sliver of hope.
[Atavism Potion (C-Rank): Injects to awaken ancestral genes hidden in the body; specific changes unknown.]
He'd never injected himself—not because the single-use fear, but because it was a formula. Like [Rage Elixir] and [Fear Paint] it could be mass-produced.
He'd tested it on humans and animals alike.
Sure enough, atavism—straight back to cavemen.
With animals it was worse: they turned into xenomorph parodies with lower survival rates.
Any sane person would drop it, but the phrase "ancestral genes" kept itching at him.
The itch came down to four words—Descendants of the Dragon.
If it actually turned him into a dragon, he'd be over the moon.
True, Marvel and the other Worlds had dragons, some weaker than him, but he wasn't chasing power.
It was about the legacy of his past life.
Sadly, a mere B-Rank tool couldn't produce the divine dragon in his mind.
[Atavism Potion (B-Rank): Injects to awaken ancestral genes hidden in the body, prioritizing stronger bloodlines; specific changes unknown.]
Reading that, he finally understood why earlier tests had spewed out cavemen—so all previous injections had been completely random?
The upgrade guaranteed ancestral genes, but exactly which ancestor remained a lottery.
Though the B-Rank potion looked more stable, he still passed.
Reliable progress beat rolling dice.
[B-Rank Upgrade Token used; Super Hero Creator Halo raised to B-Rank.]
The B-Rank token was only the appetizer; the main course was the A-Rank token.
Promoting a single B-Rank reward to A-Rank deserved serious deliberation.
B-Rank rewards were far more practical, and to him the most valuable were [Superstar Halo], [Clone Halo] and [Arcane Master Halo].
[Intermediate Affinity Halo] counted too.
In the Marvel Universe [Superstar Halo] had netted him several extra halos, even an S-Rank reward—insane value.
[Clone Halo] gave him perfect alibis; he had a presence in both daylight and underground circles.
As for [Arcane Master Halo], it boosted his magic talent—vital for someone determined to inherit the Ancient One's mantle and become the new Sorcerer Supreme.
Before, he could only rely on instinct—and luck—to guess which upgrade was best; now Fang Yuan could simply check the upgrade preview.
[Advanced Affinity Halo (A-Rank): Greatly increases the goodwill intelligent life feels toward the owner.]
A huge boost—its effects would be obvious—but Fang Yuan promptly passed on it.
With his current abilities, improving someone's first impression of him wasn't difficult.
If he met villains, Dark Affinity worked better than anything; if he met good people, he could fake being an Angel with holy light.
Besides, with Fang Yuan's current looks and aura, he practically came with an affinity halo already.
He kept reading the descriptions of the other three halos after their upgrades.
[Superstar Halo (A-Rank): When entering a new World, performs an activation check. If successful, the host can sign themself to themself, unlock employee rewards, and improve reward quality.]
[Clone Halo (A-Rank): Creates a clone controlled by the host. The clone possesses 60% of the host's strength.]
[Arcane Master Halo (A-Rank): Greatly increases the host's magic talent, allowing the learning of all magic knowledge.]
After reading, Fang Yuan felt even more torn—every single one thrilled him.
Yet he still didn't rush the choice; just now he'd previewed every B-Rank reward upgrade as well, so nothing would be missed.
That glance revealed a pleasant surprise.
[Item – double shorts (A-Rank): The host picks one effect for the wearer: 1. Intelligence –90%, power +50%; 2. Intelligence +100%. (Note: shorts' style cannot be changed; only the host can remove them once worn.)]
double shorts was an item Fang Yuan had unlocked on the Hulk—basically those indestructible purple shorts. Despite the silly name and look, the effect was solid.
[Item – double shorts (B-Rank): Every seven days the wearer rolls: 1. Intelligence +100%; 2. Intelligence –90%, Strength & Constitution +100%, Agility +50%, cap C-Rank.]
But the original double shorts forced a random roll every week, so Fang Yuan had never dared use them.
Wear them himself? If he rolled –90% Intelligence, the mighty Black King's image would collapse in minutes.
Slip them onto an enemy? He feared gifting the foe a genius brain.
The only use was on a minion, yet Fang Yuan didn't want his henchman turning into Zhuge Liang for seven days, only to start drooling afterward.
So the shorts stayed buried in storage—until this preview showed a big change.
Now the effect was entirely his call, vastly expanding what he could do.
Use them himself?
Fang Yuan shook his head without a second thought; he couldn't handle the purple-shorts look, and the style was locked.
"But... if someone else wears them..." The mischief in Fang Yuan's stomach bubbled again. "Isn't this the perfect IQ-lowering super-weapon?"
He knew a single A-Rank double shorts couldn't match the three A-Rank halos, and even using it as a trap would be tricky.
Anyone willing to wear these purple shorts probably wasn't sane to begin with.
Fang Yuan, however, excelled at wild ideas.
Upgrade Tokens came from employees' character ratings rising, and he happened to know a certain big blue bald guy who could raise others' potential.
Apocalypse.
Their last battle had been earth-shattering, so Apocalypse sprang to mind at once.
When Apocalypse empowered Mutants, it was practically a leap; S-Rank was uncertain, but C to B, B to A should be doable.
He didn't know if non-Mutant powers could be boosted, but even if only Mutant abilities counted, it was enough to farm rewards.
Of course, even if Apocalypse were blue, he'd never agree to wear tiny purple shorts—especially after trading blows with Fang Yuan.
Yet in the old X-Men timeline Apocalypse had clashed with Fang Yuan, while in the new timeline another Apocalypse was still napping!
"Heh-heh-heh!"
Fang Yuan wore a satisfied grin.
You're the one—double shorts!
Though weaker than upgrading an A-Rank halo, it would pay off more in the long run.
[A-Rank Upgrade Token used successfully—double shorts upgraded to A-Rank!]
One big task done; next came another.
Sign Satan!
Unable to contain his excitement, Fang Yuan quickly briefed his trusted aides, tossed The Jackdaw and the Black King mask to Elizabeth—she would be his proxy from now on.
In the original plot Elizabeth was the Pirate King; Fang Yuan trusted her to handle it.
Then he hurriedly left the Caribbean World.
"Satan, baby—here I come!"
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