Hearing the sound behind them. Mario grabbed Blade's arm and dove into the two-block-high shelter he'd prepared earlier.
"That kind of monster..."
Mario looked where Blade was pointing. Another enderman stood there, jaw hanging open as it released an angry screech directly at Blade.
Whoosh.
The creature vanished from its position.
Mario had learned the hard way that endermen were the ultimate noob killers. Anyone who didn't understand their mechanics would have a hell of a time surviving an encounter with even one of them, let alone a group.
"They're called endermen," he explained quickly. "If you look directly at their heads, they go berserk and teleport behind you."
Blade had already spotted the enderman that had appeared behind him. Its pitch-black body trembled violently, emitting purple particles and guttural roars.
He immediately activated his blood drain ability and targeted the enderman.
"Can't look at their heads? That's a bullshit mechanic."
He felt the restriction was absurdly harsh. Thank God these things don't exist at home.
Mario pulled out his diamond sword and killed the other enderman before it could cause problems. Thanks to his Looting III enchantment, the creature dropped three Ender Pearls when it died.
Soon, the enderman Blade had been draining collapsed to the ground. Unfortunately, this one didn't drop any pearls.
He walked over, collected the pearls from the ground, and handed them to Mario. Suddenly something clicked in his mind. "That's why those purple particles looked so familiar when it teleported. These things drop teleportation items."
Mario pocketed the pearls and nodded. "Exactly. Now let's get out of here before more of them show up."
They passed through the portal and emerged in the underground chamber beneath Central Park.
Recognizing the surroundings immediately, Blade asked, "We're under the park?"
Mario had spent considerable time digging the tunnel, but he knew the distance was only about three or four kilometers at most. Considering New York and Washington were nearly 380 kilometers apart, this was nothing.
Walking toward the room where he'd stationed the Vampire Hunter NPC, he chuckled. "That's right. Pretty convenient, huh?"
"When we head back later, we can take the motorcycles, that'll be even faster. When I have time, I'll expand the tunnel network and install a railway system. Turn it into a proper subway."
Blade looked at Mario. His understanding of what was possible kept getting shattered and rebuilt. This wasn't just "convenient," once the hunter guild was fully operational with branches in every major city, this system could enable rapid response, transfers, and supply lines.
Mario opened the Vampire Hunter's door and approached the hunter's research station. He tossed in materials and crafted the research notes needed for an upgrade.
Finding the hunter NPC, he opened the interface and submitted the required materials.
Upgrade.
Mario didn't rush to allocate skill points yet. Instead, he turned back to the research station and crafted another research note, a trick he'd learned from extensive gameplay.
Each level of Hunter's Notes required different materials. To avoid getting a message like [Research Notes not suitable for your level], it was best to craft new ones after every upgrade.
He found the hunter NPC again, placed the materials, and...
Upgrade.
Opening his skill menu, he saw four new skill points appear. A grin spread across his face.
"Finally. Time to unlock 'How to actually use a stake.'"
With that skill, any vampire with less than 200 HP would be as good as dead. The only thing to remember: never joke around with Blade while holding a stake...
Blade watched Mario's sudden excitement with confusion. His instincts screamed that Mario had just become significantly more dangerous.
THUD.
A dull impact echoed from above, as if a giant hammer had just struck the earth.
Mario froze for a moment, then quickly checked his mini-map. No red dots appeared, but...
"What the hell? Who the fuck chopped down my trees?"
He immediately dashed toward the exit, with Blade following close behind.
Climbing out of the tunnel, he surveyed the area. The trees near the exit looked like they'd been hit by a hurricane, tilted, broken, scattered in all directions.
"What happened here?"
There were no signs of construction machinery. The only clue was a single massive footprint stamped into the earth.
He stepped into it with his size 11 foot. His entire shoe fit inside with room to spare.
Blade approached and studied the print carefully. After a moment of serious examination, he said, "Whoever it was, they weren't wearing shoes."
Mario stared at him.
The footprint was carved so deeply into the ground, at least thirty centimeters, that every toe was clearly visible.
Just then, several armed helicopters roared across the sky, flying toward the distance.
He immediately understood they must be chasing whoever had wrecked the area near his home.
Even more surprising, flying ahead of the military helicopters, was a news helicopter.
Journalists. Absolutely fearless.
Watching the helicopters disappear into the distance, he picked up a broken tree branch, snapped it in half with one hand, and hurled it to the ground.
"They literally came stomping right up to my doorstep. You think I'm just gonna let that slide?"
Seeing Mario's expression, Blade started heading back into the tunnel. After a moment, he poked his head back out.
"You're not going after whoever did this?"
Mario shot him a look. "I might be petty, but I'm not that petty. Besides, that big guy running around up there? Not my problem."
Blade was speechless. If you're not going after him, why all the drama?
He couldn't help but think, That tunnel you just dug wasn't yours either before you made it...
After sealing the tunnel entrance, Mario didn't stay home. Instead, he headed straight for his company office. The house had power but no internet, and he wanted to check the news, maybe even help those hardworking reporters boost their ratings.
The company portal opened directly into his office cubicle this time.
Sitting at his table, he powered on his computer. A "New York Live News" alert instantly popped up online, whatever had happened was clearly causing a massive stir.
On-screen, a green figure was leaping through the city streets. Mario's suspicion was completely confirmed.
The moment he'd seen that enormous footprint, his first thought had been: Hulk.
But another question nagged at him, He appeared after Iron Man? That's not how I remember it...
Blade walked over and glanced at the rosewood table, admiring the craftsmanship. "This table doesn't really match the high-tech setup around here."
Mario grinned immediately. "That's because you don't recognize quality craftsmanship. It was a gift from a highly respected, powerful, and elegant... sorcerer. Just the history of this piece is longer than the entire history of the United States."
America, where 200 years is considered ancient history.
Somewhere in Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One paused mid-sip of her tea, sensing she was being discussed. She frowned slightly and consulted the Time Stone, but found nothing unusual.
Hearing Mario's enthusiastic description, Blade grew curious about this Ancient One character. Anyone Mario would describe in such glowing terms was definitely no ordinary person.
On screen, a tank shell exploded against the Hulk's body. The green giant was blasted backward, hitting the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, there wasn't a scratch on him.
Blade's mouth twitched. He suspected that even if that monster stood perfectly still and let him hack away for hours, he'd die of exhaustion before breaking through its defense.
Mario, staring intently at the Hulk in the video, thinking, The MCU Hulk is way weaker than the comics version. Even the one from The Incredible Hulk movie was stronger. This one actually got knocked back by a tank shell...
He remembered the incredible strength from that version, the signature Hulk Smash. Tanks were like paper toys before that Hulk.
"What would you like to drink, tea or coffee?"
"Just hot water."
Mario gave him a look. "I feel like you're making fun of me, but I can't prove it."
He pressed the intercom button. Anna's voice came through. "You're here? I'll be right over."
"Bring me a cup of hot water and a cup of coffee. My friend's here too. Oh, and bring some fruit."
The only fruits he kept around were watermelon and apples, because he liked them, and they cost nothing since he could grow them himself.
"Got it."
Mario propped his feet on the table and cast the video onto the wall for better viewing.
Credit where it was due, these reporters were amazing. The footage was high-definition, and aside from some shaking, it was practically broadcast quality. Those reckless journalists looked ready to shove their cameras right into the Hulk's mouth.
Knock knock.
"Come in!"
Anna entered with a tray, set down the fruit and drinks.
He picked up a slice of watermelon, took a bite, and gestured at Blade. "Help yourself. I don't think that Hulk's going down anytime soon."
But then the video suddenly shifted, Tony, in his red-and-gold Iron Man armor, burst into the scene.
Mario's expression turned peculiar. He shifted in his seat, getting more comfortable.
Wait... he already has the Hulkbuster armor? No way!
Sure enough, Tony charged in, Tony got hit, Tony got up... and Tony got absolutely demolished.
PFFT!
Mario burst out laughing, nearly choking on his watermelon.
"He actually tried to fight the Hulk without proper equipment!"
"Mamma Mia!"
He watched as the Hulk grabbed Tony's armor and hurled him viciously into a building wall, embedding him deep into the concrete. Sparks crackled over the suit; it looked badly damaged.
If it weren't for Marvel's reality-defying shock absorption technology, those two hits from the Hulk would've liquefied Tony's internal organs. Instant death in any other universe.
After dealing with Iron Man, the Hulk turned his fury on the surrounding tanks and began his counterattack.
This Hulk had only just emerged, Bruce Banner had zero control over him, so there was no reasoning, only pure instinct.
Blade watched with interest. His own strength, impressive when facing vampires in the movies, seemed utterly ordinary compared to the Avengers-level powerhouses on screen.
Watching the Hulk now was like watching science fiction.
But with Mario's help converting him into a vampire with various skills, his threat level had risen dramatically.
Mario glanced at Blade, and a sudden thought hit him. Teleportation, regeneration, swordsmanship, marksmanship... isn't this basically a budget Deadpool?
Only budget though, the real Deadpool was a walking, talking bug in reality itself.
Just then, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, Ivan. That was odd.
"What's he calling for?"
He answered. Ivan's voice came through the speaker.
"Tony Stark's in trouble. He just contacted me, asking if I could help him out."
What the fuck?
Mario was stunned. Tony actually asked for help? And Ivan, who wanted Tony dead, was thinking about helping him? What kind of shady deal had these two made behind his back?
It was obvious Ivan wanted to go, otherwise he wouldn't have called asking permission.
After a brief pause, he said directly, "You can go. But this enemy is powerful. Very powerful. How many combat suits do we have ready?"
On the other end, Ivan had also seen the news, the giant green figure rampaging through the city, and Tony still half-buried in the wall. For some reason, the reporters had given Tony his own dedicated camera window, documenting his defeat.
"Three Mark I suits."
Mark I suits were their newest models. They also had Mark II and Mark III versions, the 'Cable' armor Ivan had used before had been downgraded to Mark II status, while Mark III was a stripped-down version for military export.
"Take them all," he instructed. "Operate remotely as much as possible. If things go wrong, pull out immediately. And remember, keep yourself safe above everything else."
"Don't worry. I've seen that green monster."
Ivan hung up and walked toward the suits already prepped nearby. He stepped into one, compared to the first-generation Cable armor, this new version was far bulkier and more menacing. It had fully diverged from Iron Man's sleek, agile design, evolving down a brutal, heavy assault path.