Chapter 34. Tony and Nick Fury
The next day, Tony Stark sat in his lab, watching several videos. The footage captured moments from the previous day's incident at the exhibition, where Noah had destroyed the drones, along with some clips recorded by his armor at the eco-park. He pondered who else in the world could create such advanced armor, noting that this person's technology seemed to surpass his own.
"Sir, last night I attempted to establish contact with the device, but I was interrupted by an unknown AI with high computational power. It reminded me of the AI that previously infiltrated our system," Jarvis suddenly recalled.
"What? Oh, right, back then I was on the brink of death and couldn't focus on that," Tony replied, remembering the moment when Jarvis had indeed mentioned it, but he was too preoccupied with saving his own life at the time.
"An AI with high computational power? Interesting. Who could've created an AI that surpasses my designs?" Tony began working quickly, trying to trace any remnants of this mysterious AI.
"Sir, Miss Pepper Potts is approaching," Jarvis warned.
The glass doors of the lab opened automatically, and Pepper walked in. Tony paused his work, smiling at her. After their kiss the previous day, their relationship had grown even closer.
"Tony, are you still here? You forgot that you have an award ceremony this afternoon," Pepper said as she adjusted his clothes.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. But that's minor stuff, Pepper. Let's relive yesterday's moment," Tony wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to kiss her, but Pepper stopped him with her hand.
"No, Tony. Did you brush your teeth?" she asked, smiling.
"Of course," Tony replied.
"Jarvis?"
"Mr. Stark has not brushed his teeth yet this morning."
"Jarvis! Traitor! Pepper, you know I'm super busy. Sometimes there's just no time for these little things."
Pepper simply smiled, reminding him to get ready, and left the lab.
Tony rubbed his cheek, recalling how she had still given him a goodbye kiss. This kiss meant much more to him than all the previous ones filled with only passion—he could feel genuine love in it.
"Sir, Nick Fury is on the line," Jarvis interrupted his thoughts again.
"Nick?" Tony returned to his workstation and answered the call.
"Nick, what is it this time?"
"Tony, I heard you've recovered from your poisoning? Congratulations. We also have a matter that requires your presence," Fury replied.
"Of course, I'm a genius. But hang on, I need to brush my teeth first."
Half an hour later, Tony, clad in the Iron Man suit, landed at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Entering the room, he saw Nick Fury already waiting for him. He sat down across from him, and Nick handed him a file—Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff's report on Tony.
At first, Tony read with interest, but then his expression grew more serious.
"Not recommended? This is absurd," Tony looked up at Nick Fury. The initial parts of the report had positive feedback, so why did it conclude with a recommendation against him?
"After an evaluation, we concluded that it's better for you to serve as a consultant," Nick replied. This was Natasha's opinion, but he believed Tony had already begun changing and would definitely become part of the Avengers in the future.
"Okay, but I doubt you can hire me. However, I'd be willing to trade my fee for one favor," Tony answered sarcastically, though he was interested in joining the Avengers. He suggested that the senator, with whom he had clashed during military hearings, present his award at the ceremony.
Nick nodded in agreement, knowing that Tony was genuinely interested in this. Hearing his request, Fury immediately agreed.
"Tony, there's something else. Last night, aside from you, Rhodes, and Ivan Vanko, there was another person in armor. Do you know who it was?" Fury asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing. Isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. supposed to handle such matters? All I know is that their AI is far better than mine. I haven't figured out more, but I'm going to find out," Tony responded.
Fury nodded. A high-level AI? He recalled Noah, who also had an AI. Could they be connected?
Thinking about this, Nick Fury decided it was time to meet Noah in person. He hadn't encountered him yet, but now seemed like the right moment.
"You know something?" Tony asked, noticing Fury's contemplation. He was also eager to discover who this person was, someone whose armor surpassed his own.
"No, I'm not sure yet. If I find out, I'll let you know," Nick gestured that Tony could leave.
"You agents are always hiding something," Tony muttered as he donned his suit and left the room. He had an award ceremony to attend.
...
On the coast of New York, in Noah's mansion—outwardly still luxurious and majestic but significantly redesigned using technologies from the "PROJECT" world—in an underground lab, in a specially equipped room, Noah sat at the center. Surrounding him was concentrated magical energy, and before him floated a green rune—the Resolve Rune.
With every breath, the rune's magical energy flowed into his body. He was using the rune to train, strengthening both his body and magical abilities.
Yesterday, Noah had displayed all his power at the exhibition, but upon returning, he realized that his magical energy was almost depleted. It was the first time he had felt such exhaustion, as previous battles hadn't required significant magical expenditure.
Last night, he destroyed dozens of Hammer's drones (using an energy sword, which consumed magical power), and in his fight with Ivan Vanko, he used a charged magical cannon, which drained his reserves.
At first, Noah drank two bottles of magical potion, which quickly replenished his strength. The feeling of exhaustion vanished, and he felt much better.
However, he worried that in the future, as he summoned more heroes, magical potions might become insufficient. With each hero summoned, his magical reserves and power increased, but the potions were becoming less effective. He needed to find another way to restore his magic.
"There doesn't seem to be magic in this world. Beings like the Ancient One derive their power from the Vishanti, and she draws energy from the lords of other dimensions," Noah thought. Earth lacked magical energy, so how would he replenish his power?
"Oh! How could I forget about this," Noah suddenly remembered. He focused, and the World Rune appeared in his hands.
The rune emitted an immense amount of magic, and he took a deep breath, absorbing the magical energy into his body.
"That's right, the World Rune is a source of magic," Noah said. He recalled the lore from League of Legends, which mentioned that all magical energy on the planet Runeterra came from the World Runes, constantly emitting power and filling the land with magic.
Before, he hadn't realized the full value of the rune, as his magical reserves had never run out, and he had viewed the runes only as in-game abilities. Now, understanding their true purpose, Noah decided to fully harness its potential.
He walked into the room next to the lab. This room, with white walls and floors, was designed for testing new abilities and items. The walls and floor were made of vibranium, making them incredibly strong, so Noah wasn't worried about breaking anything during his experiments.
Noah sat in the center of the room and began to meditate. In the memory of Yasuo, the hero on whom he based his training, there was a similar practice. He began absorbing energy from the Resolve Rune, which floated in front of him. The magical energy continuously flowed into his body, making both his magic and physical form stronger.
He trained all night until the next morning and felt that his body and magical abilities had grown more powerful. Noah realized that even without summoning heroes, he could gradually become extremely strong.
What he didn't know was that as soon as he activated the rune, its magical energy began spreading from his room throughout the entire estate.
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