Mario couldn't wait to open the Hunter skill tree. The zero skill points had changed to two, and after scanning through the available options, he picked the most practical abilities without much hesitation.
[Hunter Weapon Table] and [Attack Swift as the Wind].
The Hunter Weapon Table let him craft exclusive Hunter weapons. But making the big stuff, battle axes, crossbows, armor, would eat up an entire bucket of lava each. Even simple items like crossbow bolts or pitchforks needed a fifth of a bucket.
That's exactly why he was so eager to get Coulson's help finding lava, even if it meant owing the guy a favor.
[Attack Swift as the Wind] boosted his attack speed again. His attack intervals got shorter, and the damage he could dish out in the same timeframe kept climbing higher.
As he headed toward the exit, he stopped after just two steps. He looked down at his legs.
"Am I moving super fast now? Does leveling up also increase movement speed?"
He didn't think too much about it. Without anything to compare against, there was no way to measure the increase anyway.
"As long as I'm not slower, that works for me."
---
Coulson was still sitting in the same spot as before, though now he was eating a burger. Compared to Mario's complete lack of table manners, he looked downright refined. Noticing Mario's gaze through the window, he looked up, nodded with a smile, and quietly sped up his eating.
By the time Mario walked into the restaurant, Coulson had already finished his burger, stood up, and was walking toward him.
"Everything's arranged. Now you just need to come with me to the airport."
"Thanks a lot!"
Coulson personally opened the car door for Mario, but not out of courtesy. He was being protective of his "wife," L.O.L.A.
Yeah, Coulson was a car freak, and this red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette was the love of his life. He'd even given it a name.
Closing the door gently, he winced inwardly. Next time I take a mission, I'm definitely driving one of the agency cars instead. My poor L.O.L.A...
On the road, Mario finally understood what "smooth driving" meant. Despite being a sports car, Coulson drove it like a vintage Mercedes from the 1950s. But Mario wasn't in any hurry, he sat quietly, not wanting to piss off this car-obsessed maniac.
The ride to the airport was pretty boring, so he passed the time chatting with Coulson. An hour later, they arrived at JFK Airport. He couldn't help thinking, If Blade were driving, it would've taken thirty minutes max.
After parking, Coulson led Mario to a private airstrip where a Quinjet sat. Every inch of it screamed advanced technology, just short of having "BLEEDING EDGE TECH" spray-painted on the hull.
S.H.I.E.L.D. already has Quinjets at this point? Makes sense for a global organization. Their tech might not match Wakanda's, but it definitely crushes normal science in a lot of ways.
The crew was ready to go. As soon as Mario and Coulson boarded, the hatch closed and the turbine engines on both sides spun up rapidly. The plane lifted smoothly into the air, heading straight for Hawaii.
Like a country boy seeing the big city for the first time, Mario's eyes lit up as he looked around the aircraft's interior. Soon, he and Coulson found their way to a lounge area.
No sooner had they sat down than Coulson smiled and said, "So? Like it? If you join us, you'll get to ride planes like this all the time."
Mario rolled his eyes. "I also like beautiful women. What, you guys provide those too?"
To his surprise, Coulson actually nodded.
"Our organization has many outstanding female members, selected from countries all over the world. As long as you join us, I can personally arrange a beautiful female partner for you. Of course, what happens after that depends on your own skills."
Mario's mouth fell open slightly. No wonder S.H.I.E.L.D. was so powerful. They didn't even bother with sticks, just pure carrot. It was open strategy, overwhelming you with benefits you couldn't refuse.
"Do others get the same treatment?"
The moment he asked, he wanted to slap himself. What a dumb question.
Coulson chuckled. "Of course not. Ordinary agents have to pass layer after layer of selection before joining the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Only those with special abilities receive certain privileges..."
He paused, then looked at Mario seriously. "But you're different. We're friends, right? I'll make sure you get the very best treatment."
Hearing this, Mario's resolve wavered. He genuinely felt that Coulson was an incredible guy. No wonder people said that without Coulson, the Avengers would have fallen apart. The man was smooth with words and decisive in action.
He reached into his pack and pulled out a cigarette, about to light one. But then he remembered he was on a plane and stuffed it back into his pocket.
Seeing this, Coulson smiled. "Could I have one? I haven't smoked in ages. Relaxing a bit wouldn't hurt."
As he spoke, he pressed a button on the wall. A faint suction sound kicked in.
Damn, this guy... it's just too comfortable being around him. Maybe I should try to poach him away from S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Sure, S.H.I.E.L.D. looked great now, but he knew the truth, it was riddled with holes, infiltrated by Hydra to the point of being a sieve. He suspected that aside from a handful of well-known senior agents, most of the organization was Hydra.
But the thought of recruiting Coulson was fleeting. He didn't believe for a second that his personal charm could convince the future director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to work for him.
He pulled out a cigarette, lit one for Coulson, then lit one for himself, taking a deep drag before exhaling toward the vent.
---
The Quinjet found a relatively flat spot some distance from the volcano and slowly landed.
Coulson stood up. "We're here!"
As he spoke, he opened the lounge door. When the crew saw him step out, they handed over two gray protective masks.
He accepted them, then turned and handed one to Mario. "Volcanic ash is very damaging to the respiratory system. Wearing this gas mask will make things much safer."
Good advice.
Mario didn't bother explaining that with his body, he wasn't the least bit afraid of volcanic ash. If breathing this stuff could harm him, then in Nether, wouldn't Steve have dropped dead the moment he entered the Soul Sand Valley?
He took the gas mask and put it on. At the back of the Quinjet, the hatch slowly opened, and a strong gust of wind rushed in.
Mario stepped out of the plane, with Coulson following close behind.
"I can go on my own."
Coulson shook his head. "This volcano is still erupting. I'd better come with you. If anything unexpected happens, I can help."
Mario just chuckled and didn't argue. He turned and walked toward the volcano's crater. The plane had landed some distance away, since the closer ground was all hardened lava, impossible to land on, and dangerous as hell anyway.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sat by the ocean, and today the sea breeze was howling. Volcanic ash drifted through the sky, falling everywhere like a snowstorm of gray and black.
Stepping onto the hardened lava, Mario felt warmth rising from beneath his feet. He pulled a bucket from his inventory, aimed it at the lava underfoot, and tried to scoop some up.
No shortcuts, huh?
The hardened lava, despite radiating heat, didn't budge at all. Mario showed a frustrated expression, then looked toward the distance where molten lava was still flowing. He had no choice but to keep moving forward.
Coulson, meanwhile, caught sight of the bucket suddenly appearing and disappearing in Mario's hand. His eyes narrowed. Though surveillance reports had already suggested Mario had some sort of spatial storage ability, seeing it firsthand was still shocking.
In the Marvel movie world of 2008, things hadn't yet descended into the later chaos of countless superpowered beings. Even Coulson had only encountered a handful of such cases by this point. But soon enough, the wave of super events would leave him running ragged.
As they drew nearer to the lava, the temperature around them climbed higher and higher. Suddenly, a burnt smell drifted through the air. Mario sniffed and turned to the source, Coulson's leather shoes were already letting off faint wisps of smoke.
He couldn't help but laugh. "You'd better stop here. Any further and you'll melt."
He also lifted his foot to check his own sneakers, they showed no sign of damage.
Feeling the heat underfoot and glancing at the unaffected Mario, Coulson gave a rueful smile. "I wanted to accompany you, but it looks like I can't. Be careful!"
Mario nodded. With Coulson no longer following, he sped up, running swiftly across the ground toward the lava flow. It didn't take long before he reached the glowing, molten river.
He pulled out an iron bucket and scooped at the lava. Just as he'd suspected, this time the molten rock slid in with ease.
"Hell yeah! Thanks for the treat!"
He then pulled out more iron buckets and quickly collected the flowing lava, cutting off the entire river in no time. The Upsizer Mod he'd unlocked earlier meant that lava buckets could now stack.
Satisfied with his haul, he looked down at the ground, thought for a moment, and pulled out his pickaxe to dig into the hardened lava.
As the sound of items dropping rang out, he picked up the fallen block. He realized this definitely wasn't obsidian, otherwise, there was no way it could be mined with an iron pickaxe.
[Hardened Volcanic Lava] x1
Completely useless. It hadn't been converted into Minecraft materials at all. Disappointed, he closed his inventory and started heading back.
Should I tell Coulson about Captain America ahead of time? Consider it repayment?
He wasn't exactly a saint, but treating someone else's help as if it were owed to him, that wasn't something he could stomach.
Seeing Coulson waiting for him in the distance, he walked over.
"All done?"
Mario nodded, eyeing the man behind the gas mask while thinking carefully about what he was about to say next.
"Thank you for your help this time."
"No need to thank me. This was very simple for me, you don't need to think too much of it."
The two walked side by side toward the plane. Mario removed his mask.
"I want to tell you something. Consider it a gift from me to a friend. This matter is very important for you"
Coulson stopped, removed his own mask as well, and looked at Mario. He didn't know what Mario was about to say.
"Go ahead. Right now, I'm just your friend, not an agent."
Mario pointed at Coulson's earpiece. Coulson immediately understood, pressed the button to switch it off, then pulled a small device from his jacket pocket and shut that down too.
"I'm a special agent, it's normal for me to carry a lot of gadgets, right?" he said, then reached up and tugged at a button on his collar.
Mario nodded. He knew Coulson was probably carrying all sorts of devices, far more than just these. But what he was about to say would make Coulson cautious enough on his own.
Leaning close to Coulson's ear, he whispered, "Captain America is not dead. And S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't safe."
This time, Coulson was truly shaken. He staggered, almost kissing the ground.
His eyes went wide, the smile froze on his face. The two pieces of information Mario had just revealed stopped his brain cold. It took him several seconds to process what he'd just heard. For a Level 8 agent, this was unthinkable.
Suddenly, he felt his throat go dry. He wasn't sure if it was from the heat of the environment, or because the news had scared him that badly.
He ripped the button from his shirt, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it until the electronics inside were exposed. Then, reaching into the heel of his shoe, he pulled out another device and hurled it into the distance.
"Do you even realize what you're saying?"