Chapter 10: The Absorbing Man
The sky over Malibu was a canvas of pure, unblemished blue. The sun, a brilliant orb in the heavens, warmed the gleaming surfaces of two sets of armor soaring in a silent, synchronized flight. Tony Stark, his Mark II a dazzling, chrome-plated masterpiece, moved with a fluidity and grace that surpassed anything a human could achieve. The new Cosmic Field Reactor was a silent powerhouse in his chest, its pure, white light a stark contrast to the old, humming arc. John Vance flew alongside him, his upgraded Mark 0 a sleek, matte-gray ghost, its movements a whisper-light shadow to Tony's polished brilliance.
"Alright, Sentinel," Tony's voice crackled through the comms. "You seeing this? No drag, no energy bleed. The flight control is flawless." He executed a series of impossibly tight loops and rolls, the suit responding to his thoughts with instant precision. "This is a work of art. And that reactor… it's a goddamn miracle. No heat, no sound, just pure, clean power."
John smiled beneath his helmet. "The math was sound," he replied. "The power output is off the charts."
Just as they were enjoying their test flight, the comms on their helmets blared with a priority alert from S.H.I.E.L.D. It wasn't a hail from Fury, but an automated emergency broadcast. A massive, inexplicable disturbance in downtown Los Angeles.
"Looks like our test flight is over," Tony said, a professional edge to his voice.
They streaked towards the city, a pair of metallic comets against the blue sky. Below them, chaos had erupted. Streets were torn up, cars were flattened into discs of scrap metal, and panic-stricken civilians were running in every direction. At the center of the destruction stood a towering, muscle-bound figure. His skin was a shifting mosaic of materials, a reflection of the concrete and asphalt he had just absorbed. He was The Absorbing Man, his power a direct physical translation of any material he touched.
"It's a monster!" a news reporter screamed from a hovering helicopter.
"Not a monster," John said, his voice flat. "It's Carl Creel. His body can absorb the properties of anything he touches. The concrete he's absorbed makes him incredibly durable. But it also makes him slow."
"A little early for a villain with a gimmick," Tony quipped, his confidence brimming. "Let's see how he absorbs this."
Tony swooped in, his Mark II an embodiment of grace and power. He fired a devastating blast from his Kinetic Repulsor Cannons, the energy beam a brilliant white-hot line of pure force. The blast hit the Absorbing Man directly in the chest.
The villain didn't even flinch. He let out a deep, rumbling laugh as the energy was absorbed into his body. His skin took on a faint, white glow as the kinetic energy was transmuted and stored. "Is that all you got, tin man? Come on! Give me more!"
Tony fired again, a continuous stream of pure force, but the effect was the same. The Absorbing Man was getting stronger with every hit. Tony cursed under his breath. "J.A.R.V.I.S., energy signature report!"
"Sir, his molecular structure is absorbing and dispersing the kinetic energy. Your attacks are essentially feeding him."
"Great," Tony said, pulling back. "We have a problem."
John knew this would happen. He had watched the Absorbing Man in the comics. His powers were a direct counter to a brute-force approach. He had a different solution. As Tony retreated, John flew in, not to attack, but to analyze. His [Master Engineer] skill, now at an astonishing level, allowed him to see not just the physical properties of the villain's absorbed form, but the aetheric and energy-based principles that made it work.
A series of notifications flashed in his vision, a product of his relentless work in the workshop over the past month.
[Skill Used: [Master Engineer]]
[EXP Gained: 10 EXP x 100 = 1000 EXP!]
[Calculating Level Ups…]
[Current EXP: 96,500 + 15,000 (Combat EXP) + 50,000 (Skill EXP) = 161,500]
[Level 18 -> Level 19!]
[EXP Required: 409,600]
[EXP Remaining: (Insufficient EXP for next level)]
Another level up. Another wave of power, so subtle it was almost imperceptible. John's mind worked even faster. He saw a solution. The Absorbing Man could absorb kinetic energy, but what about other forms? And what about a direct manipulation of his energy source?
"Tony! He's a direct counter to your suit!" John yelled through the comms. "He's absorbing the kinetic energy. But there are other kinds of energy he can't absorb. We need to go for a different approach. Distract him! Draw his attention!"
Tony, a genius in his own right, understood immediately. He charged again, this time firing not with his repulsors, but with a series of sonic blasts, a new feature John had helped him integrate into the suit. The high-frequency waves, a new type of energy, hit the Absorbing Man with a disorienting thrum. He stumbled, confused, but did not absorb the energy.
This was John's chance. He flew in low, his movements quiet and precise. He put a hand on the concrete beneath the Absorbing Man's feet. With his [Basic Kinetic Control] skill, he focused his immense MP and channeled a massive amount of energy into the ground. It wasn't an explosive force, but a targeted, silent one. The concrete under the Absorbing Man's feet suddenly liquefied, turning into a quicksand of unstable particles.
The Absorbing Man roared in surprise as he began to sink. He tried to absorb the unstable material, but it was too chaotic, too fluid for him to get a lock on. He was disoriented, his power useless against a material that refused to be solid.
"He's vulnerable now!" John yelled. "Tony, hit him with everything you have! Don't hold back!"
Tony didn't need to be told twice. He flew high above the sinking villain and charged his Kinetic Repulsor Cannons to an unbelievable level. The cosmic reactor in his chest screamed with power, its light growing into an blinding white orb. He fired a single, sustained beam, a pure pillar of energy.
The beam hit the Absorbing Man, but this time, he couldn't absorb it. The chaotic, liquefied concrete he was standing in was too unstable. The energy overloaded his system, and the kinetic force, unable to be transmuted, ripped through his body. He screamed, his form shattering into a thousand pieces of concrete and twisted metal, before collapsing into a motionless pile.
Tony flew down, his chest heaving, his armor cooling down. The city was saved. The two heroes stood over the defeated villain, a sense of triumph in the air.
As they stood there, a new notification appeared in John's vision, a testament to his continued growth.
[Enemy Defeated: The Absorbing Man (Enhanced Human - High Tier)]
[EXP Gained: 15,000 EXP (Base) x 100 (Multiplier) = 1,500,000 EXP!]
[Calculating Level Ups…]
[Current EXP: 96,500 + 1,500,000 = 1,596,500]
[Level 19 -> Level 20!]
[Level 20 -> Level 21!]
[Level 21 -> Level 22!]
The wave of power was the strongest yet. He felt his attributes grow to an insane degree.
[Status]
* Name: John Vance
* Level: 22
* EXP: 1,223,500 / 819,200
* HP: 18,000 / 18,000
* MP: 18,000 / 18,000
* STR: 800
* DEX: 800
* VIT: 799
* INT: 799
* WIS: 799
* LUK: 799
[Overall Power Level: Star-Level]
John looked at the tag. Star-Level. He was now a force of cosmic proportions. He was more than a planetary threat. He was a hero whose power could affect entire solar systems. He looked at Tony, the brilliant inventor who had just created a suit that was more powerful than anything on Earth, and he knew they had done something truly special.
Tony put a hand on John's shoulder. "That was... a hell of a plan," he said, his voice laced with respect. "You didn't just beat him with force. You outsmarted him. And I have a feeling we're going to be doing a lot more of this together."
John looked at the defeated villain and then back at the man who was now his partner. The future was still full of danger, but he was no longer alone. He had an ally, a friend, a fellow genius. The Sentinel and Iron Man. The world would never be the same.