◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones. or 500 Collections
◇ You can read 40 chapter ahead on P@treon . if you're interested: patreon.com/Heroicverse
------------------------------------------------
Although the Ravagers were numerous, they were ultimately just a disorganized mob.
These space pirates were usually good at bullying civilian trade convoys, but against well-trained Asgardian warriors, it felt like street thugs encountering special forces; the two were not in the same league.
Their energy guns sparked and crackled against the Asgardian warriors' shields, but couldn't even leave a mark.
In contrast, an Asgardian warrior's spear thrust could pierce right through them, their armor like paper, offering no defense.
Quill was no slouch either; using two high-tech guns and various gadgets, he weaved through the battlefield, quickly taking down a small group of Ravagers.
While fighting, a Raider opposite him suddenly widened his eyes, pointed at Quill, and shouted, "Wait, I think I recognize you. You're that kid under Yondu, what was his name, Star-Lord?"
"You've got the wrong person. I'm his step-brother from another mother."
Quill's expression remained unchanged as he shot the guy down, preventing his true identity from being exposed.
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled.
Quill turned around and saw a tall alien, nearly three meters high and made entirely of stone, charging towards him. Its mace, thicker than a man's waist, swung with a whoosh, aimed straight for his head!
Terrified, he scrambled to the side, rolling and crawling to desperately dodge.
Almost simultaneously, the mace slammed heavily into his previous position, sending shattered rocks flying and leaving a shocking crater.
Quill scrambled to his feet, and without thinking, raised his hand and fired several shots at the Stone Man's chest. But the energy blasts were like tickles, leaving only a few scorched marks, and the giant didn't even flinch.
Several Asgardian warriors nearby rushed up to help, but the Stone Man swept them away with a backhanded swing of its mace.
This strength, at the very least, had to be an elite monster level.
The Stone Man completely ignored the Asgardian warriors, its stone eyes fixed on Quill, as it pursued him with heavy steps.
"Why are you chasing me!"
Quill ran for his life; even the sturdy Asgardian warriors were sent flying by a single blow. If his smaller frame took a hit, wouldn't he instantly become a meat patty?
But the Stone Man was fixated on him, relentlessly chasing him.
After all, among everyone on the battlefield, Quill was the most conspicuous.
The Asgardian warriors all wore uniform, gleaming golden gear, while he was dressed in shabby Raider attire, even backstabbing his own Raider comrades. In the eyes of the Ravagers, such a traitor was even more hateful than an enemy.
Darian watched Quill being chased and scrambling around, coming to a conclusion.
Those named Peter, indeed, inherently attracted hatred.
"Over here."
Darian called out to Quill.
Quill didn't hesitate, rushing towards Darian's position, simultaneously leading the Stone Man behind him.
As a native Earthling, he perfectly inherited his hometown's fine traditions; when it came to messing with a fellow countryman, he had absolutely no psychological burden.
"Countryman! He's all yours! I believe in you!"
Quill darted past Darian.
Seeing someone suddenly block its path, the Stone Man roared and immediately raised its mace, slamming it down with force!
Darian didn't dodge or evade. With a flick of his right hand, an ancient-looking battle-axe appeared out of thin air.
Bang!
The mace and the battle-axe collided heavily, emitting a dull, resounding thud.
Darian held the axe with one hand, steadily parrying the Stone Giant's full-force blow, his body unmoving. Even the Asgardian soldiers couldn't withstand this power, yet he casually deflected it with one hand.
Seeing this scene, the Stone Man instantly froze, as if its brain was occupied by other Stone Men at that moment.
In the instant the Stone Man was stunned, Darian easily parried its mace, his arm muscles bulging. The axe blade cut a cold gleam through the air, heading straight for the Stone Man!
Boom!
The previously imposing Stone Man's body exploded like it had an explosive device, its massive frame instantly disintegrating into countless shattered rocks that clattered to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Speaking of which, it died quite conveniently; no need for a grave, just pile up the rocks and it's a stone tomb.
Quill was utterly dumbfounded.
His fellow countryman was way too fierce!
In his impression, weren't Earthlings all technical players who relied on their brains, like himself?
Could it be that Earthlings had secretly evolved and left him out?
"Countryman, are you really an Earthling?" Quill asked cautiously, his tone full of doubt.
Darian nodded: "Of course, I am a genuine Earthling."
"Then what's with your strength?"
Quill humbly asked.
He had left Earth too early and wasn't entirely familiar with its situation. Perhaps Earthlings possessed some special ability he didn't know about, allowing them to transform into Super Earthlings and gain powerful strength like Darian.
Although he had always prided himself on being an intelligent player, occasionally changing styles and becoming a mindless, one-punch brute wasn't out of the question.
Darian smiled slightly: "You know Captain America, right?"
"I do. Are you, like Captain America, a super soldier injected with serum?"
Quill had heard the legends of Captain America as a child and immediately assumed Darian was a modified human like him.
Darian shook his head: "No, I mean I can easily defeat Captain America. This has no other meaning, it's purely for showing off."
Quill: "..."
He really wanted to beat this guy up, but what could he do if he couldn't win?
As the Stone Man turned into a pile of rocks, the remaining morale of the Ravagers completely collapsed. Someone threw their weapon to the ground first, and then, like a domino effect, the wave of surrender quickly spread.
The thought of stubborn resistance vanished in the face of an absolute power gap.
Even their strongest Stone Man was instantly reduced to dust; for these cannon fodder, continued resistance was pure suicide. In this galaxy, survival was always paramount.
At this point, the unrest caused by the Ravagers in Vanaheim was completely quelled.
Even if there were one or two stragglers hiding in a corner, they couldn't stir up any trouble, leaving it for the local Vanaheim residents to resolve themselves.
The next moment, Darian heard the system's voice.
[Mission 'Nine Realms Rebellion Suppression' completed]
[Starting contribution value settlement.]
[Rewards obtained as follows: 20000 Experience Points, 7 Free Attribute Points, 20 Asgardian Favor, Skill 'Grill Meat', Equipment 'Bear Grylls' Knife', Item 'Plastic Surgery Fluid', Item 'God of Wealth's Challenge Order']
[Skill: Grill Meat (A hunter's essential skill. Any meat you grill can be made into grilled meat. After consumption, you will receive different buff or debuff status effects based on the quality of the ingredients. Friendly reminder: Rare or burnt grilled meat will only cause indigestion)]
[Equipment: Bear Grylls' Knife (Remove the head, the rest is protein. Please eat with confidence)]
[Item: Plastic Surgery Fluid (Apply to the flesh to reshape that part. Of course, the prerequisite is that you have a pair of nimble hands)]
[Item: God of Wealth's Challenge Order (Can initiate a one-on-one duel with a specified target within line of sight. Others cannot interfere with your battle. Please, Jade Emperor, approve my God of Wealth to duel him)]
Evidently, Thor and the other squad leaders had already quelled the other disturbances.
After all, leading Asgard's most elite main legions, their efficiency naturally couldn't compare to their small squad of three hundred.
However, Darian didn't feel any regret.
Devouring the contribution of an entire realm was already quite good.
Darian then focused his attention on the rewards.
First, the Grill Meat skill was simply a divine support skill, equivalent to being able to infinitely produce buff or debuff items. Its practicality was self-evident.
In addition, the effect of being able to turn any meat into grilled meat was also good, a foodie's blessing, and it seemed like it could even be combined with Bear Grylls' Knife.
As for the Plastic Surgery Fluid, this item's effect was similar to remodeling, but completely different from the game system's data-based face sculpting. This thing could only be shaped little by little with one's own hands.
True face sculpting!
Darian considered himself not very good at handiwork; if he were to operate it, he would most likely only sculpt a Cthulhu face, so it was better not to try it on himself.
The God of Wealth's Challenge Order, this was a good item, allowing for forced duels with enemies.
With this item, he could ignore the muscular front-liners and directly choose the enemy's squishy back-liners for a one-on-one.
Of course, this also carried some risk; the enemy's back-liner could very well be an even fiercer brute than the front-liner, so he had to look carefully before using it.
[Congratulations, Player, you have successfully leveled up!]
[Player: Darian]
[Level: 23 (2500 / 62000)]
[Attributes: Strength 84, Agility 42, Constitution 55, Spirit 32]
[Allocable Free Attribute Points: 12]
Darian glanced at his personal panel and unhesitatingly allocated his free attribute points.
Soon, his attributes changed.
[Attributes: Strength 90, Agility 45, Constitution 55, Spirit 35]
Perfect!
Looking at the neatly arranged attribute values, Darian felt completely comfortable.
He wasn't a severe obsessive-compulsive who had to round to whole numbers, but having each attribute end in 0 or 5 in a neat arrangement was indeed much more pleasing to the eye.
Next came the enjoyable inventory counting.
The gains from this battle were astonishing.
There were more than a dozen spaceships alone, several large boxes full of cosmic coins, and various equipment stripped from the Ravagers, piled up like a small mountain, almost like an interstellar arms market.
Quill watched from the side, his eyes wide, unable to help but swallow.
So being a bandit is so profitable. Why am I still a thief? I should just change professions!
Of course, the main reason for such high profits was that they were robbing Ravagers; these guys were inherently space pirates who lived by plunder, so they naturally had a considerable fortune.
However, with such an overwhelming amount of captured resources, how to deal with them became a tricky problem.
After all, these three hundred Asgardian warriors were not Darian's private army. After quelling the Nine Realms' unrest, they all had to return to Asgard to report.
There were over fifty intact Raider ships before them. Without Asgardian warriors to pilot them, it would be impossible to take them all away from Vanaheim.
Darian pondered for a moment and quickly had an idea.
Why not hide these spaceships somewhere secluded in Vanaheim? Anyway, he had already activated the teleportation point here these days, so he could return to retrieve them anytime.
Thinking this, he waved to Quill, who was not far away selecting spoils of war.
"Come here for a moment, I need you."
"Countryman, is there something good?"
Quill scurried over, his face full of eager smiles.
Then, he saw a fist rapidly enlarge before his eyes, and instantly lost consciousness.
Darian grabbed the unconscious Quill and threw him to Skurge, instructing: "Keep an eye on him. As soon as he regains consciousness, knock him out again. He can't know anything about what happens next, understood?"
"Understood, Officer!"
The reason Darian knocked out Quill was simply that he didn't trust the guy's character.
If the other party knew the hiding place of the spaceships, he might just try to claim them, so it was better not to let him know.
In contrast, Darian had no such concerns about the Asgardian warriors.
It wasn't because he trusted the Asgardian warriors' character, but mainly because these warriors from Asgard were all well-traveled and wealthy.
If the Bifrost Bridge couldn't transport large vehicles, they would have already brought Asgard's magic-tech spaceships over. Compared to the Ravagers' scrap metal, it was the difference between an F1 race car and an old man's recreational vehicle.
For these Asgardian warriors who were used to driving F1 race cars, no matter how many old man's recreational vehicles there were, they were still just a bunch of old man's recreational vehicles, not worth a second glance.
Next, Darian put all the resources he could into his game inventory, leaving the rest in the spaceships.
He then only kept the most luxurious Raider spaceship, instructing the Asgardian warriors to pilot the remaining ships to a secluded mountain range. Using diamond pickaxes, they painstakingly dug out a massive cavern with ample space, hid all the ships inside, and then sealed the entrance.
After all this was done, Skurge asked: "Officer, should we notify Heimdall to open the Bifrost Bridge and return to Asgard?"
Darian waved his hand: "Notify him, but you all just go back."
"Huh?"
Skurge was surprised: "Officer, aren't you coming back with us to Asgard for the celebration banquet?"
Darian shook his head: "No, I have other matters to attend to here in Vanaheim."
Skurge hesitated for a moment, then said: "But Officer, I'm worried about leaving you here alone!"
Darian smiled slightly: "I know that our time together has forged a deep camaraderie between us, and it's normal to be reluctant. But don't worry, with my strength, I'm very safe in Vanaheim. Besides, the Ravagers have been cleared out, and Vanaheim is no longer dangerous."
Skurge opened his mouth, then swallowed the words he was about to say.
What he actually wanted to say was: I'm not reluctant to part with you at all, Officer. I'm worried that if we leave you alone in Vanaheim, without us watching over you, the peace that just returned to this place might not last three days!
Ravagers and all that are nothing!
You are Vanaheim's greatest danger!