Deep inside the room, beside the bar.
Two figures faced off, with a window nearby pried open.
Elvin had been backed into a corner, blood running down his temple. He had clearly already taken a blow from a pistol butt.
Opposite him stood a black man holding a handgun.
Hermione understood instantly.
Ah, shopping without paying. A time-honored American tradition.
Elvin raised his hands, looking nervous, and pleaded, "Don't shoot. I'll get you the money right now."
As he spoke, he started moving toward the counter.
Old Black shouted, "Hand over the money! I said hand over the money! Don't move! I said don't move! Get the money! Hurry up and get the money!"
The muzzle trembled slightly along with his body, as though he might fire at any second.
Hermione: "..."
Listening to his incoherent babbling, Hermione could only marvel. That was exactly the level of intelligence she would expect from a zero-dollar-shopping Old Black. He certainly fit the stereotype.
Just as Elvin struggled to decide whether to "stay still" or "get the money," Old Black seemed to grow enraged by his inaction. His shouting intensified, and his finger began squeezing the trigger.
Seeing this, Hermione hesitated no longer. She pointed her wand forward and whispered:
"Expelliarmus!"
In an instant, a beam of red light struck the robber in the chest. An invisible force sent his gun flying several meters away and hurled him backward, slamming him into the wall with a bang.
Hmm, not bad.
Hermione was quite satisfied.
Although her Disarming Charm was only lv1, its maxed-out proficiency meant the accompanying knockback packed the force of a grown man's full-strength punch. It was far stronger than what other wizards in her year could manage.
Even some older students might not have been able to match it.
"Ah... it hurts... help..."
Old Black, lying on the floor, let out a series of pained groans, interrupting Hermione's train of thought.
"You're so noisy!"
Hermione raised her wand again.
"Sectumsempra!"
A transparent ripple swiftly sliced through the air and struck Old Black's neck.
The next second, his neck split open. A wound deep enough to expose bone cut straight through half his neck.
Blood gushed out, spreading across the floor.
Elvin stood nearby, scared witless.
Seeing that Old Black was clearly out of his mind and high on drugs, he had been about to rush forward and fight for his life. Yet, for some unknown reason, the man had suddenly been hurled into the wall as though something had struck him, before his neck abruptly split open.
It was like something straight out of a horror movie.
He trembled all over, not daring to move.
Everything before his eyes made him wonder whether the man wasn't high after all-perhaps he himself was the one tripping.
"Accio handgun!"
While Elvin stood frozen in terror, Hermione quietly cast a Summoning Charm, drew the handgun from the floor into her arms, and put it away. Then she left the shop without looking back.
[Dark Harvest] [Current soul energy: 1]
In a dark alley, Hermione watched the changes in the Spellbook, thoroughly delighted.
Sure enough, her guess had been right!
Dark Harvest could draw power from death!
The moment she obtained that soul energy, she understood how to use it. She could channel it directly into her body to increase her magic, or use it to improve her spell proficiency.
One point of energy could raise the corresponding value by one point.
"Isn't this forcing me to become an evil dark witch?"
"Heh heh heh..."
Hermione could no longer suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
That was right. She had returned to the Marvel Universe tonight with just one goal: to test [Dark Harvest].
Judging by its description of harvesting souls, someone's death was probably what triggered it.
Of course, she hadn't chosen her target at random.
First, although she had no qualms about killing, she didn't want to prey on innocent passersby. That would cross a line.
In neither her previous life nor this one had Hermione been a kind person, but she certainly wasn't a psychopath who sought chaos and evil.
Second, and most importantly, there was another reason.
Hermione had already decided on the persona she would adopt in Marvel.
If she wanted to keep using the Marvel Universe as a stable testing ground to improve her strength, she would need to manage her image carefully.
She couldn't simply kill indiscriminately and have every superhero hunting her down right from the start.
She needed a justifiable cause.
Just like now. Although she had killed someone, he had been a robber intent on taking both money and lives. That made it a heroic act.
This would justify her killings, and with her age taken into account, no one would judge her harshly.
[Hermione Jean Granger] [Magic level lv1 (979/1000)]
As she absorbed the soul energy, a cool sensation spread throughout her body. Hermione could clearly feel her magic growing a little stronger.
One point of soul energy was worth half a day's grinding at Hogwarts.
Awesome!
The Marvel Universe really is perfect for me!
Hermione couldn't help laughing inwardly.
After leaving the barbecue restaurant, Hermione immediately asked passersby about New York's most chaotic neighborhood with the highest crime rate, then caught a cab straight there.
It certainly lived up to her expectations. Shortly after arriving, she witnessed sights including, but not limited to, the cocaine trade, street robberies, looting, and gang shootouts.
Yet the passersby acted as though none of it was unusual.
America, all right.
Keeping her Disillusionment Charm active the entire time, Hermione farmed her way through the jungle known as "Hell's Kitchen," picking out the most vicious criminals to execute and turning them into experience packs through [Dark Harvest].
During the process, she also stumbled across a shootout and unexpectedly discovered that she didn't have to kill them herself. As long as someone died nearby, she could harvest their soul.
Three hours later.
[Magic level lv1 (998/1000)]
She was only two points away from lv2.
She knew exactly what lv2 would mean.
Transfiguration would no longer be limited to small objects, the Knockback Jinx would be able to overturn a car, and the effects of all her spells would improve dramatically.
By then, even if she ran into trouble in Marvel, she would have the strength to throw down.
"But what should I do now..."
She had cleared out all the nearby farming grounds, and there probably wouldn't be any more spawns tonight. She was two kills short, with no good way to make up the difference.
After working for so long, Hermione was also feeling mentally exhausted. She might have been a witch, but her body was still that of a twelve-year-old girl.
Sleep was still very much a necessity.
There were at least eight hours left before her next world-crossing cooldown ended.
If only I could fly or use Apparition, Hermione thought.
Three hours spent traveling entirely on foot had truly tested both her stamina and her willpower.
Thankfully, Flying Class would start next week.
Hermione looked around, taking stock of her surroundings.
Although she was in Hell's Kitchen, Hermione didn't know whether Kingpin existed in this world. Even if he did, she had no intention of approaching him.
That wouldn't fit the persona she had chosen for herself.
Some two-bit gangster? Who does he think he is, to deserve a personal visit from a witch?
She had only determined from Tony Stark's face that this was probably the MCU-the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the name Iron Man hadn't appeared yet, it was likely before Tony's kidnapping.
Huh?
As she thought about it, Hermione suddenly realized something.
At this point in time, with Iron Man yet to make his debut, wouldn't that mean...
A certain rich playboy has just been kidnapped?!
Before you continue