Staring at the watch in his hand—which looked exactly the same and still worked perfectly—Luca resigned himself to the "minor inconvenience" that his fully synthesized [Transformation Watch] had reverted to a core component.
Well, it's not like I have a way to synthesize the Omnitrix right now anyway.
I should have scanned Thor when I had the chance. Also, do Frost Giants count as alien data?
Thor had already left Earth. He had the Tesseract, and he needed to return to Asgard ASAP to fix the Bifrost and put down the rebellions across the Nine Realms.
So, getting those 9 distinct alien DNA samples was going to be a waiting game.
I wonder... if I catch a Skrull and make them shapeshift into different aliens, can I just scan them repeatedly to fill the database?
Wait, the description says it can record new genetic data even after synthesis. Does that mean I can eventually scan Thanos? Or... Galactus?
Luca's imagination ran wild with the possibilities of becoming a cosmic entity. He chuckled to himself as he walked down to his basement lab, carefully strapping the "watch with a bright future" back onto his wrist.
Future potential or not, he still needed its basic functions right now.
However, realizing he missed the chance to scan Thor made Luca realize another, much bigger mistake he made during the invasion.
Aside from the watch reverting... I didn't get a single new Core Component from this entire event!!
Forget acquiring them—he hadn't even seen any white-glowing items, except for the colossal Dark Elf flagship (which he couldn't exactly put in his pocket).
In the heat of battle, he hadn't thought about it. But now, reflecting on his actions, the problem was obvious.
I was behind a screen the whole time...
Yes.
Luca had tested this long ago. Cameras, monitors, and remote video feeds filtered out the "white glow" of Core Components. To see the system interface, he had to physically touch the object. To see the glow, he had to see it with his own eyes.
During the battle:
First, he piloted the Haro Mech remotely to fight Frost Giants.
Then, he piloted the Boxer from inside a fully enclosed cockpit, relying on sensors and screens to see the outside world.
Even if Malekith had been juggling three Core Components right in front of the Boxer, Luca wouldn't have seen the glow.
I feel like I just lost a hundred million dollars...
Luca tried to comfort himself. Those Frost Giants and Dark Elves were just cannon fodder. Minor villains. They probably didn't have any good drops anyway!
(This was a lie, and he knew it.)
Fortunately, the event wasn't a total wash.
Basement Lab.
Luca placed a web-shooter on the table. This was the component for the [Stun Watch], which he had lent to "Gwen" and subsequently reclaimed.
To Gwen, it was a disposable gadget. To Luca, it was a key piece for completing the Detective Conan (5/5) set. He wasn't going to lose it.
But the real harvest wasn't something he already owned.
He reached into the Haro Mech's storage compartment and pulled out two items.
A Miniature Arc Reactor.
And... four ordinary-looking stone tablets.
The reactor was something he had shamelessly "borrowed" (stolen) from Tony.
The stones were Runestones, a gift from Thor.
After Luca had "lifted" Mjolnir (with the mech), Thor had promised him a boon. Luca, being practical, asked for these specific magical artifacts.
Why?
For a Core Component that had been gathering dust in his inventory for way too long.
Luca placed the single, glowing [Hex Crystal] on the table.
He rubbed his hands together nervously, then performed the ritual: draw the circle, clap hands, synthesize.
Smooth.
The white light of the synthesis circle flared.
When it faded, a wondrous object floated above the table. It was a polyhedron of glowing blue crystal, encased in shifting, golden runic metalwork. It pulsed with a rhythmic, azure light—a perfect fusion of magic and technology.
[Hex Core] (Chapter 5)
Luca didn't synthesize this to use it. Not yet.
The description mentioned "infinite energy," sure. But it also mentioned "runic corruption" and "potential to destroy the world."
With his current stats, Luca wasn't ready to mess with Arcane-level disasters.
So, the moment the [Hex Core] stabilized, Luca looked up at the ceiling and shouted.
"Ancient One!! Sorcerer Supreme!! I have the goods for the trade!!"
Silence.
He waited. No time stop. No sparkling orange portal.
Can she not hear me in the basement? Do I have to go to the Sanctum? I don't even know where the New York Sanctum is!
Luca frowned and tried again, testing his luck.
"Hey! Old Baldy? Time to do business!"
THWACK!
A sharp pain exploded on the back of his head.
"Ouch!"
Luca rubbed his head and spun around. The Ancient One, in her yellow robes, was standing right behind him, smiling serenely.
"You old—"
Seeing her dangerous smile, Luca pivoted instantly.
"—Master! I knew you were always watching over me!"
The Ancient One rolled her eyes—a very un-Sorcerer-Supreme-like gesture. She flicked a finger, and a lab chair slid across the floor to catch her as she sat down.
Crossing her legs, she looked at him with mild disdain.
"Who has the time to watch you 24/7? Your timeline is a tangled mess of chaos. I'd like to live a few more years without the migraine, thank you very much."
Luca didn't buy it. He pointed at the floating [Hex Core].
If you weren't watching, how did you show up the second I made this?
The Ancient One saw his gesture and rolled her eyes even harder.
"Please. You just punched a dimensional wormhole into existence in your basement. I'd have to be blind and dead to miss that signal."