Chapter 172

Seeing the trace of panic and fear in Pepper's eyes, Tony couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

He instinctively put up a front, "Come on, it's just palladium poisoning. As if that's enough to take me out! I'm already close to figuring out a cure. Just give me a little more time, and I'll have this minor issue solved…"

Pepper, however, wasn't having any of his excuses. Her face was grim as she demanded, "So you really are poisoned? And you've been keeping this from me?"

Tony immediately realized that he had just admitted it out loud. His expression turned sour as he shot an accusatory look at Eren—the instigator who had exposed him.

But Eren didn't spare him a glance and continued speaking.

"The toxin in Stark's body comes from that giant lightbulb on his chest. While it provides him with immense power, it's also constantly eroding his body."

"Every time he wears his suit and pushes that lightbulb to full power, he's accelerating the spread of palladium poisoning, burning through his own lifespan in the process."

"I'm sure Mr. Stark is well aware of this fact, but clearly, he's too caught up in his superhero fantasy to stop himself."

"He knows that every time he suits up, he's shortening his life, yet he keeps doing it anyway."

"There's nothing wrong with indulging in the glory of being a hero. If it were any other toxin, with his wealth, Stark could probably find a cure. But palladium poisoning? Right now, that's an incurable disease."

"Before the palladium fully takes over his body, does Mr. Stark really believe he can solve this world-class problem and find a cure for his condition?"

"Because, judging by the current speed at which the poison is spreading… in just a few months, he might…"

With every word Eren spoke, Pepper's face darkened.

By the time he finished his last sentence, the way she looked at Tony had completely changed.

"Tony, we need to have a serious talk!"

She glared at Tony fiercely before turning to Eren with some hesitation.

"Eren… If you could make a potion that cured Norman Osborn's terminal illness, then for Tony's poisoning…"

It was obvious.

Now that she knew Tony was suffering from palladium poisoning, she had immediately thought of the miraculous potion that had saved Norman Osborn.

"The potion that cured Norman Osborn wasn't made by me. It was created by a true master of alchemy. I just happened to receive it as a gift."

Eren explained.

Pepper's eyes dimmed slightly, but before she could fall into despair, Eren continued,

"Palladium poisoning is a bit troublesome, but for that master's Panacea, it's nothing."

Huh?

Both Pepper and Tony's eyes lit up instantly.

Especially Tony.

Ever since he realized his palladium poisoning was terminal, he had been frantically working on a solution.

Using his genius intellect, he quickly deduced that if he allowed the palladium to continue accumulating in his system, it would be a death sentence.

To save himself, he had thrown himself into researching potential cures, as well as alternatives to replace the palladium core in his arc reactor.

Because of this, he had drastically cut down on his Iron Man activities and even handed over Stark Industries' CEO position to Pepper.

But…

In all this time, he had found nothing.

He had tested every known element on Earth in search of a palladium substitute, yet none had worked.

Even in his research on palladium poisoning, he had barely made any progress.

The only "treatment" he had was drinking disgusting chlorophyll shakes every day, and even those did little to slow the spread of the poison.

For the first time in his life, Tony Stark was experiencing true despair.

And now—

Hearing that Eren had a potion that could completely cleanse palladium poisoning, his eyes burned with hope.

"You're saying you have this Panacea right now?"

Seeing the hope in Pepper's eyes, Eren didn't bother teasing them.

"Yes, I have some left. If Pepper wants, I can even give her one for free. But…"

Eren glanced at Tony before continuing,

"But the root cause of Mr. Stark's problem isn't just palladium poisoning. Even if the Panacea removes the poison, it doesn't solve the core issue. Given how often Mr. Stark wears his suit, in just a few months, the palladium buildup will become fatal again."

Pepper frowned, thinking deeply for a few seconds before asking,

"…What if Tony stops wearing the suit?"

Eren looked at her and replied,

"If Mr. Stark's arc reactor operates at a normal level and he doesn't overuse it, then one dose of the Panacea could extend his life by at least several years, maybe even over a decade."

Hearing that number, Pepper let out a breath of relief.

"That's enough. If we have years—maybe even over a decade—then with Stark Industries' resources, we can set up an entire department dedicated to researching a permanent cure for palladium poisoning. With that much time, I'm sure we can develop a solution… Right, Tony?"

Tony, who was being stared at by Pepper, didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he turned to Eren and asked,

"How many of those potions do you have?"

Now that was a sharp question.

Eren chuckled and didn't hide the answer.

"When that master gave them to me, I received a dozen. Other than the one I gave to Norman Osborn, I haven't used any of the others."

A dozen minus one.

That meant Eren still had eleven doses of Panacea left.

Each one could extend Tony's life by several years, even over a decade.

Which meant that if Tony gave up being Iron Man, these potions alone could sustain him for the rest of his life.

Hearing this, Pepper finally fully relaxed.

Even Tony, who had been feeling the grip of death tightening around him, suddenly felt like he had a second chance at life.

But unlike Pepper, Tony wasn't just thinking about survival.

He was thinking—

With this many doses of Panacea, I could try to reverse-engineer it.

If I can analyze the formula, even if I never find a replacement for palladium, I could keep using the Panacea and continue being Iron Man.

Realizing this, he didn't even wait for Pepper to negotiate.

Before she could speak, Tony himself said,

"Since I helped clean up your friend's corpse yesterday, how about selling me two doses of that Panacea? Don't worry—I'll pay the same price Osborn did."

At the end of his sentence, even Tony looked pained.

After all, Norman Osborn had bought his Panacea for one hundred billion dollars per dose.

Two doses meant Tony would have to pay a staggering two hundred billion dollars.

That wasn't two million.

Not even two hundred million.

Two hundred billion dollars was an unfathomably massive fortune.

Even for Tony Stark, a man who had long since viewed money as nothing more than numbers on a screen, the price still stung.

But compared to money—

Tony valued his life far more.

Two hundred billion dollars for two doses of Panacea—the sheer magnitude of the transaction even made Eren momentarily wonder if he had misheard.

When Norman Osborn had been on the brink of death, he had been willing to pay any price to survive.

Even then, the only reason he had agreed to trade 5% of Oscorp's shares for a single dose of Panacea was because Eren had subtly influenced him through hypnosis, making him willingly overpay.

Otherwise, given Osborn's cold-blooded nature, who knew if he would have just hired someone to kill Eren and steal the potion instead?

After all, Osborn's hands were already stained with countless lives.

So Eren knew Tony understood just how insanely overpriced that 100-billion-dollar valuation was.

And yet, he was still willing to pay it.

That meant the fear and desperation gripping Tony's heart over his palladium poisoning was far worse than Eren had imagined.

Of course—

For Eren, having a fool willing to pay 100 billion dollars per dose was a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

So he had no reason to refuse.

Leaving behind a simple "Wait here.", Eren turned and walked upstairs.

Pepper, who had been silently watching the entire exchange, instinctively opened her mouth slightly.

In the end, however, she didn't call Eren back.

The price of Panacea was utterly absurd, but both parties were willing—so what reason did she have to stop them?

After all, these were two of the people she cared about most.

...

A Moment Later

Eren returned from upstairs.

This time, three vials of Panacea rested in his hands.

After handing two of them to Tony Stark—

Tony immediately said, "I don't have two hundred billion in cash on hand. Once I test this out and confirm it really clears my palladium poisoning, I'll pay you the same way Norman Osborn did—with Stark Industries stock valued at two hundred billion. Trust me, with Stark Industries' stock skyrocketing right now, you've struck gold."

Hearing that Tony planned to trade stocks instead of cash, Eren wasn't surprised.

After all—

While Tony was one of the richest men on the planet, no billionaire just leaves that much money sitting in a bank account collecting dust.

And truth be told—

Stark Industries' stock had soared ever since Tony publicly revealed he was Iron Man.

Accepting 200 billion dollars' worth of Stark Industries stock wasn't just acceptable—it was a huge win for Eren.

So he simply nodded in agreement.

"Deal."

Then—

Eren turned to Pepper, holding out the third vial.

"Here, Pepper. This one's for you."

Pepper instinctively tried to push it back.

"No, I can't accept this. It's too valuable."

She had just watched as two vials sold for 200 billion dollars.

Even with her close relationship with Eren, she couldn't bring herself to accept such a priceless gift for free.

But Eren simply smiled.

"Relax, Pepper. It's not as valuable as you think. Honestly, aside from guys like Norman Osborn and Tony Stark, who are literally on death's door, no one else would ever pay such a ridiculous price for this potion."

Eren didn't even lower his voice.

So Tony, who had been listening right next to them, twitched violently.

Did this bastard just say I got ripped off… right in front of me?!

That's cold, man.

...

A Moment Later

Eren firmly placed the vial into Pepper's hands.

Before she could refuse again, he leaned in and whispered into her ear:

"Trust me, Pepper. One day, Stark is going to need this."

Maybe it was Eren's tone—

Maybe it was just intuition—

But in the end, Pepper accepted the vial.

...

Shortly After

Whether it was because Eren had publicly called him a sucker, or because he was too eager to test whether the Panacea could truly cure him—

Tony Stark rushed out of Eren's house the moment he got his hands on the vials.

After finalizing the details of the Jester's funeral with Eren, Pepper also left shortly afterward.

As soon as both of them were gone—

Eren shut the door behind them.

His eyes flickered slightly.

"…Now that I've ascended to Magician… it's time to finally test my theory."

(End of Chapter)

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