From high above the Atlantic the place read like a promise. Dense green forests spread across its core, divided neatly by rivers that shimmered under the sun. Smooth stone roads wound like veins through valleys, linking bridges, cliffs, and sandy coves.
Along the western edge, raw cliffs still jutted out, but the rest of the land carried the clear signs of deliberate design — cultivated groves, shaped hills, and the flow of water guided with precision.
At the heart of the island stood the castle, a vast structure of black stone laced with glowing silver runes. Its towers rose sharp and proud, visible even from the clouds, and at night the ward-lines would glow faintly like lightning frozen into the walls.
Three-quarters of the project was already complete — the forests planted, the rivers flowing, the wards anchored — leaving only the far western cliffs and a few defensive layers unfinished. From the sky it looked alive, a fortress wrapped in natural beauty, a kingdom in the making.
Inside, the throne room reflected the same dominance. The ceiling rose high, supported by rune-marked pillars. Banners hung down the sides, the floor polished black, catching torchlight in faint reflections. At the far end sat Nova on his throne, relaxed but commanding, the room itself built to frame him as its center.
Beside him stood Elara. She wore a sharp office suit, but it was tailored to her body — hugging her waist, pushing her chest forward, and showing the lines of her hips with every shift of her stance. The skirt ended just high enough to flash a teasing length of thigh, her heels clicking softly on the stone. Even in the serious setting, she looked distractingly sexy, her curves emphasized by the tight cut of her clothes and the confident way she carried herself.
Nova leaned back on the throne, mind drifting as he replayed the Danger Room fights through his clone's perspective.
Wanda tore through the machines with raw chaos magic, twisting their frames like clay. But her control was still lacking. Most of the time she used her powers for mind tricks or basic telekinesis. The truth was, she hadn't even scratched the surface of reality bending. She knew she could bend reality, but she couldn't consciously call on it. The times she had managed it were accidents — wild bursts, like the uncontrolled magic children in the Harry Potter world sometimes displayed. Power without direction.
Jean was just as devastating, crushing steel with her psychic force like it was paper. But precision wasn't her strength yet. She could probably lift twenty or thirty cars without breaking a sweat, but each one would be left dented, bent, or warped under the uneven grip of her telekinesis. It was fine for wrecking robots, but saving a falling person? The odds of her breaking bones instead of catching them were far too high.
Kitty phased in and out, slicing through robots from impossible angles. It looked graceful, almost untouchable — but the truth was, her body was still just human. She didn't have enhanced strength or endurance, and each pass left her panting harder. She got tired quickly, and once exhaustion set in, her movements lost sharpness.
Jubilee lit up the room with her fireworks, turning sparks into artillery that blasted machines apart in dazzling showers of light. The spectacle was impressive, but the cost was heavy. Every attack drained her stamina like a leaking faucet, and before long she was struggling to keep her legs steady, her body paying the price for each flash.
Nightcrawler darted from shadow to shadow, dismantling robots in a blur of blue. His movements were fast enough to confuse at first, but the training machines weren't dumb. They started catching his teleport patterns, forcing him into tighter, riskier jumps. One misstep later, he took a hit — not a killing blow, but enough to leave him bruised and limping by the end.
And it wasn't just them. The rest of the mutants all had flashy, dangerous abilities, but when stripped down, their weaknesses showed the same pattern. Weak physical strength. Weak defense. Poor stamina. Their powers could kill, yes, but their bodies couldn't keep up. In a real war, enemies would exploit that without mercy.
As for himself? He hadn't bothered with flair. No wasted motion, no dragged-out show. A single wave of his hand and the entire set of training bots had collapsed into dust. Efficient, clean, and more importantly — perfect for farming aura. Judging by the way the girls had looked at him afterward, he could confidently say his little display had done the job beautifully.
That was where he could capitalize. As the Trader, he didn't need to hand out miracles for free. He could use their desperation, their hunger to grow stronger, and turn it into fair trades. A little bargain here, a little contract there — power in exchange for something they were willing to give.
Sure, his basic Training Potion could patch them up, boost their physical strength and endurance a few notches. But at the end of the day, even with that, they'd still fall under the human category. Better, yes. Durable, sure. But nowhere near the level needed to stand beside the true monsters that walked this world.
For that, he had something else. His trump card — Formula X.
The System had tossed it into his lap back when he first started, tucked neatly inside the Novice Gift Pack. At the time, he hadn't cared much. It was just one more prize in a list full of rewards. But now, watching mutants trip over their own potential, he realized just how unfairly broken it really was.
Formula X wasn't just a booster like his Training Potion. That was kid stuff — a temporary nudge to help the body last a little longer. Formula X rewrote the rules completely. It could be refined into multiple grades, each one permanently upgrading the user.
At its peak — Serum X (Peak) — it enhanced every aspect of the body: muscles, stamina, nerves, senses, even brainpower, all the way to the absolute limit of their species.
No drawbacks. No side effects. No ceiling beyond what their DNA could carry.
And unlike the rare treasures Blink would need to expand her pocket dimension, Formula X could be mass-produced — at least by him.
Previously, he hadn't even been able to touch Formula X. The formula itself was perfect, but he lacked the raw materials to brew the serum. Different worlds meant different biology, and without the right resources, the recipe might as well have been a dead letter in his inventory.
That changed when Lily Potter and Narcissa Malfoy came under his wing. Between the two of them, their connections and knowledge of the magical world gave him access to almost everything he needed. Rare herbs, magical compounds, alchemical bases — things that were either impossible or absurdly expensive elsewhere, he could now get in bulk.
He had already passed a portion of the Formula X blueprint to Lily. With her talent in both potions and ritual crafting, she had begun refining the process step by step. It wouldn't be long before the first batches were ready.
When that happened, Formula X would no longer be just a System gift sitting idle. It would become a weapon — a bargaining chip that only he could offer. Mutants, wizards, even outsiders from other worlds… they all craved strength. And he'd be the one holding the only key that could unlock it safely.
Soon, when the trades began, this serum wouldn't just enhance bodies. It would cement loyalty, tie debts, and expand his influence across worlds.
Nova leaned back against the throne, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Let the others struggle with their weak stamina and broken control. He already had the solution in hand.
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He shifted his gaze, letting it settle on Elara, who was still standing neatly at his side, tablet tucked against her chest.
"So," he said lazily, breaking the silence, "what do you think about the island?"
Her eyes flicked toward him, then to the vaulted ceiling above, as if picturing the whole domain from the outside again. For once, her usually calm, professional mask slipped.
"It's…" she paused, searching for the words before letting out a short breath. "It's unbelievable. I didn't expect you to be telling the truth when you said you knew magic. Because this—" she gestured faintly with her hand, "—this isn't something your knowledge-based reality alteration can explain away. Not without centuries of research. Spatial folding, dimensional layering, rune harmonics—this island isn't just designed, it's enchanted. Even your ability couldn't fake this much stability."
Her voice carried genuine shock, though she tried to mask it with her usual sharp tone.
Nova chuckled, his lips curving. "I told you before, didn't I? I don't deal in lies. Even when I say something outrageous."
He leaned forward slightly, his emerald eyes glinting with amusement. "Like the time I told you, back at Oscorp… that I had a foursome with Lily Potter, Emma Granger, and Narcissa Malfoy."
Elara blinked at him, caught between disbelief and irritation. "I thought you were just trying to rattle me on my first day."
Nova smirked wider. "And yet, here we are. The island proves the magic part. The other part… well, I was telling the truth then, too."
Her lips parted, but no words came out immediately. For once, the brilliant secretary with a processor for a brain was left speechless.
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CHAPTER:- [118 - ASTA MEETS YAMI] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON