Money
When S.H.I.E.L.D. took away that pile of ashes for further research, General Ross contacted them again—but that's a story for another time.
After releasing that arrow, Blaine disappeared into the shadows.
At the same time, he was amazed by the power of the Elemental Bow +10.
This, of course, was no ordinary elemental arrow. It was an evolved version.
If even ordinary elemental arrows had this kind of power, Blaine could fire a hundred at once and let the world feel real pain.
[Elemental Bow (+10)]: Can conjure arrows from thin air. Each day, it can generate 500 normal arrows, 100 elemental arrows, and 5 advanced elemental arrows. Resets every 24 hours.
What Blaine used was one of the five advanced elemental arrows allowed per day.
Advanced elemental arrows are easy to understand: they're an evolved form of elemental arrows. For example, the flame arrow just used — a regular elemental arrow would only produce extremely hot, persistent flames. But once evolved, it becomes something else entirely. Think along the lines of True Solar Fire, Amaterasu, or elemental water becoming something like the Essence of Water...
In short, they possess unique traits and are generally immune to interference from standard elemental forces.
Of course, at this stage, they're not quite on the level of True Solar Fire — that's just a flashy name. To get stronger, he still needs to keep upgrading. That said, taking down Abomination was more than enough.
...
Several blocks in Manhattan were now in ruins.
Back home, Blaine turned on the TV — every channel was broadcasting news of the incident. You could imagine how massive the impact was.
Before this, even with extraordinary beings, the fights were usually between international organizations and the superpowered, hidden from public view.
Now, aside from Iron Man, Abomination was the first supernatural villain to appear openly, making the public aware of just how terrifying "extraordinary" really meant.
Blaine's brutal takedown of Abomination was also faintly captured on camera.
It caused massive ripples across the globe.
People in other parts of New York were trembling with fear, worried another monster might suddenly pop up and cause more destruction. Manhattan had done nothing — and yet a monster fell from the sky, smashed countless buildings, and killed who knows how many people...
If Blaine knew what they were thinking, he would've said to the poor citizens of New York:
'Don't panic yet — save it for later. That was just a little warm-up. You've still got alien invasions, rogue AIs, and half the world vanishing with a snap to look forward to...'
In any case, this incident had completely dragged the word "extraordinary" into the public eye.
Well, there was no hiding it anymore. If it had been something small and secret, it could've been covered up quietly. But Abomination? He destroyed several blocks, and SWAT teams, helicopters, and tanks were deployed. Too many people saw it. How could they possibly cover this up?
If they tried, the angry citizens of New York would probably force the higher-ups to step down.
Still, the authorities weren't stupid — they knew how to calm the public. Even if they didn't want to, they brought Tony Stark out into the spotlight, and that did give people some comfort.
If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Where there are villains, there will also be heroes...
Having a superhero around to carry the burden gives regular folks some peace of mind.
And when talking about heroes — though the focus was on promoting Tony — they still had to mention Blaine, the one who took down Abomination.
Although no one knew who he was.
But Blaine understood that his title of "Bounty Hunter" had surely entered the radar of those so-called "big players."
S.H.I.E.L.D., The Hand, Kingpin and the New York mafia...
From now on, missions would probably rain down on him.
This mission definitely wasn't a loss — it was a huge win.
Not only did he earn a billion, he also made a name for himself.
As long as it didn't cross his personal bottom line, he didn't care if it was the good guys or the bad guys — he'd help either side. One moment he could be aiding heroes, the next he might help villains, as long as the money made it worth the risk.
Alignment? He had none.
If you had to assign one, Blaine's only loyalty was to money.
As long as you paid him enough, even taking out Nick Fury wasn't out of the question. Though, of course, that would take a very hefty price.
"Sigh, the days of taking jobs from underground markets are long gone."
"I really miss those times~~~ That was my lost youth~~~"
Blaine grinned smugly.
Who would've guessed that this Bounty Hunter's very first job was worth only a few dozen bucks?
The system truly was a great thing.
In just a short time, it gave him such incredible strength.
Given his current power, no gimmicks were needed — he could easily survive in the Marvel Universe.
"Ahhh~~~!"
Blaine stretched lazily and yawned, feeling the explosive power within him.
He was a little tired and a bit sleepy.
The fight with Abomination had been thrilling. He'd sweat a lot, too.
After tossing his Hunter gear into the Hunter space, he enjoyed a comfortable bath and then went to sleep.
The next morning—
Blaine saw a transaction notification on his phone.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
One billion — finally arrived.
Nick Fury's efficiency wasn't too bad after all.
Blaine originally thought it would take a few more days, since Fury still had to deal with Abomination. But to his surprise, the money was already in his account when he woke up.
Damn, it was kind of exciting.
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