A few years passed quietly, and before anyone realized it, the year 2005 had arrived.
This year was a significant one—it marked the beginning of everything, and the transformation of a big boy into a true man.
"Long time no see, Phil. Looks like you've been doing pretty well lately. Already up to Level 8 agent, huh? Only Fury and his deputy outrank you now, right?" Melin said to Coulson, his gaze mostly fixed on the shiny expanse of the man's forehead.
Melin had to admit, he was feeling a little nostalgic for the days when Coulson still had a full head of hair.
"It's all thanks to my superiors' guidance. Although I have some regrets, I'm here on a mission this time, Mr. Melin."
To be honest, Coulson had always had a good impression of Melin. Even though he knew Melin and the Sanctuary were way out of their league, he had always kept a close eye on Melin.
As the supreme god, Melin lived like an ordinary person in his day-to-day life. He was approachable and friendly, even lending a hand to his neighbors whenever they needed help—like helping find a lost pet just because he had the time.
Coulson often wanted to say, "Please give us a dozen gods like this!"
That's why he always enjoyed interacting with Melin—not only was he easy to get along with, he always had something new and different to teach.
"It's rare for Fury to actually bow his head to me, huh?" Melin teased.
…
…
Maybe becoming director had gone to his head—Fury had been acting tougher and tougher with outsiders lately. Even when dealing with Melin, he looked like Melin owed him millions, and would never lower himself to ask for help.
This time, though, things must be serious. Fury must've been under a lot of pressure from above.
If it was serious enough to make Fury bow his head—and in 2005 at that—Melin had already guessed what it was.
"This wasn't an easy decision. The mission is urgent," Coulson said as he handed Melin a tablet and pulled up the data.
"Oh? It's finally started?" Melin only needed one glance to confirm—Tony was missing.
"Mr. Melin, I understand the Sanctuary's stance on worldly matters, and I know it may be presumptuous to ask, but we're not requesting your personal involvement. We just hope you could assign one of the Saints to assist us. You have close ties with the Stark family—it doesn't seem like something you'd ignore." Coulson made his request.
"That last line… Fury taught you to say that, didn't he?" Melin said playfully.
"Uh…" Coulson looked awkward. Clearly, listening to his boss and trying little tricks like that with Melin was a mistake.
"Don't worry. Tony will be fine." Melin said casually.
"But… it's been a whole month since he disappeared. We've made no progress in the search, and the Starks have been putting a lot of pressure on the higher-ups…" Coulson replied, trying to stress the severity of the situation.
"Yeah. But have they come to me?" Melin asked with a mysterious smile.
"Wait!"
Coulson froze, his pupils shrinking.
Right! How had he missed that?
With Tony and Melin's relationship, if Howard had wanted help, Melin should've been the first person he'd go to. Even if not Melin, they should've turned to a Saint. Why would it be their job to handle this at all?
"There's… something else going on here, isn't there…" Coulson began, uncertain if he should dig deeper.
"Well, you could say it's a chance for the big boy to grow up. He can't spend every day lying on a woman's stomach," Melin said calmly.
"Uh… in that case, I'll take my leave."
Coulson wiped the sweat from his brow. Seriously? A god causes global panic just to give Tony a growth opportunity? That's playing a little too big, isn't it? What if it backfires?
As he was leaving, Coulson suddenly realized something he'd overlooked.
"By the way, Mr. Melin—where's Galon?"
He knew about Galon too. Although Galon had recently been serving as an executive at Stark Industries, the intel showed he was rarely at the company and mostly still acted as Melin's bodyguard.
And he was absurdly capable. Company issues were solved with just a phone call. He didn't even need to be present, which was probably the only reason he hadn't been fired… probably?
"Oh? You finally noticed?" Melin smiled without answering.
Now Coulson understood. Everything had been arranged from the start. The Starks pressuring the higher-ups had all been an act. He'd been worrying for nothing.
Annoyed, Coulson left. He still had to report to Fury and return to the military base. Since everyone else was acting, he figured he might as well play his role as a background character properly.
…
In a remote desert in Afghanistan, a militant group calling themselves the "Ten Rings" was stationed. Inside a heavily guarded cave, a ragged Tony was hammering away at something, while a bespectacled, scholarly-looking man was also working on some intricate parts.
"Tony, are you sure this will work?" Yinsen asked, though his hands never stopped moving.
"Trust me, buddy. I'm a genius," Tony replied without pause.
"And?"
"So if I say it'll work, it will—just follow my plan."
"All right. But tomorrow's the final day. Will we finish in time?"
"Of course—just stop distracting me."
"Fine." Yinsen shrugged and said no more. The workshop fell silent again, filled only with the sound of clanging metal.
As the sun rose the next day, it brought the most dangerous day for Tony. If his plan didn't work today, it meant death.
After a month of tireless effort, Tony's success was finally taking shape before their eyes. A full metal suit of armor, encasing Tony from head to toe. The left and right arms held a flamethrower and mini-rocket launcher, and the feet had twin flame thrusters.
Everything was ready—only the system needed to come online.
But the enemy wasn't going to wait. The doors were already blasted open—their movements had been discovered.
"They're coming, Tony. I'll go buy you some time," Yinsen said resolutely when he heard the approaching footsteps.
"No! Yinsen, follow the plan! Stick to the plan!"
But no matter how Tony shouted, Yinsen didn't look back. He grabbed a gun and charged out.
Tony's eyes turned red. He knew Yinsen wasn't a fighter. Even armed, he stood no chance against these brutal militants. He was likely walking to his death.
Tony urged the progress bar to hurry. Maybe, just maybe, he could still save Yinsen.
Finally, the progress bar reached the end. Tony rushed forward in the armor.
"Yinsen! Where are you?!"
His voice echoed through the cave, but there was no response. No Yinsen. No enemies. Until he reached the cave entrance…
"Hey, kid. You sure took your time."
Leaning casually against the wall in his Saint armor was Galon. Yinsen stood beside him. The ground was littered with corpses—some with gaping holes in their chests, others with twisted faces, as if they'd died in agony.
"What are you doing here?" The fire in Tony's heart was extinguished the moment he saw Galon.
"You're my boss. I'm still waiting on my paycheck." Galon shrugged and smirked.
"You've barely shown up at the company all year, and you still want to talk about salary?"
"My work's always been handled without issues, right? Oh, and this was outside my job description—remember to throw in a bonus."
"Go to hell! Bonus, my ass! I'm firing you as soon as we're back! And I'll have Uncle Melin deal with you!"
"Uh, guys… now really isn't the time to talk about this, right?" Yinsen trembled. This was his first time seeing so many dead people—and in such horrific conditions. With danger not fully gone, was it really the right time to talk about salaries?
If Tony could hear his thoughts, he'd roll his eyes. Danger? Galon was here. What danger? The entire Ten Rings wouldn't last a second against him.
"I've cleared out everyone outside. The rest is up to you. I'll take him to the nearest base." Galon gestured to Yinsen.
"Wait, you're leaving me here? And you said I was your boss?" Tony grumbled.
"Some things… need to be done personally, right?" Galon asked, his voice cryptic.
Tony paused, then nodded seriously.
"You're right."
He had to destroy the weapons here himself—especially the ones made by Stark Industries.
Only now did he truly realize what Stark Industries had become. He used to think they were selling weapons for peace. This kidnapping tore away that illusion and showed him the real world. A decision formed in his heart.
Seeing Tony's resolve, Galon nodded in satisfaction. Though he had suffered, the goal was achieved. Tony had shed his boyhood and become a real man, now aware of his path forward.
"Oh, one more thing," Galon said before leaving. "The boss wants me to remind you—clean up your tracks."
Without waiting for a reply, he vanished with Yinsen.
"…Feels like I was set up," Tony muttered.
If he couldn't figure out by now that Melin had been watching and planning all along, he didn't deserve to be called a genius. But it didn't matter. Compared to what he'd been through, what he'd gained was far more important.
With that thought in mind, the heavy armor carried him one step at a time toward the world outside.