The Girl

Hiss-!

Before the words had even faded, Mercer and The Ancient One darted aside, golden magic-circle weapons materializing in her hands.

A faint crackle came from Mercer's body as well. Silvery-white lightning wove across his skin, forming a fitted lightning trench coat, while a lightning battle-axe appeared in his hand.

Such delicate energy control surprised The Ancient One. Though the lightning coat looked thin, the energy contained within it was not to be underestimated.

She could sense that even a light touch would leave someone fried to a crisp.

"What is it?" Mercer asked, noticing her gaze.

"Nothing. I'm simply surprised by how you use your energy. You're very adept, and your approach is distinctive," The Ancient One said honestly.

"It's nothing. This is standard practice back in our Fantasy Nation," Mercer replied with a faint smile.

Thor only knew how to swing his hammer around, mindlessly blasting everything with lightning.

Mercer was different. He could create all sorts of moves with lightning. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit itself came with plenty of techniques, and there were still more waiting for him to develop.

The two watched the girl who had suddenly appeared behind them warily. As she drew closer, they got a clear look at her.

She looked about Mercer's age, eighteen or nineteen, and stood roughly one hundred sixty centimeters tall. Her clothes were predominantly purple, and she wore an enormous purple cylindrical hat.

Two pointed projections extended from either side of the hat. Its unmistakable design left Mercer momentarily dazed.

It reminded him of someone-no, a god. A god whom even ten Mercers together couldn't possibly defeat as he was now!

A thin purple veil covered the girl's fair face. Her violet eyes studied the two of them for a moment before a soft voice emerged from her little mouth, with its rosy lips and pearly teeth.

"That's right. I've been chasing it for ages. It's not much of a fighter, but it's first-rate at running away.

"It originally tried to crash into a densely populated city. It took quite some effort to knock it off course into this wilderness. Otherwise, it would have done serious damage to your planet."

Both The Ancient One and Mercer looked taken aback. From the sound of it, she had actually taken Earth's welfare into consideration.

Mercer, in particular, thought he might have some idea who this girl was, but he still couldn't be certain.

After all, if she really was connected to that mighty god, things could get complicated.

"Mr. Alex, what are you doing? Don't keep staring at her."

The Ancient One discreetly poked Mercer. He had been staring at the girl the whole time, and with her identity still unknown, that was far too rude.

Only then did Mercer snap out of it. He really had been staring in a daze.

Of course, Mercer would never admit that her incredible figure and looks had anything to do with it. The important thing was her outfit, which had brought a certain figure to mind.

That being was one of the five creator gods of the Marvel Universe, who survived by devouring planets and whom internet users in Mercer's previous life had jokingly dubbed a "power-level yardstick."

The girl's clothes-the distinctive cylindrical hat with its two points and her all-purple outfit-matched the figure in Mercer's mind remarkably well. The resemblance was ninety percent!

"All right, whatever you want to discuss can wait until I've eaten."

The purple-clad girl skipped over to Mercer and casually patted his shoulder. When she stood before that mass of Slime, she was so tiny by comparison that she was almost invisible.

The petite girl opened her little mouth, and the huge "mountain" of Slime piled up in the field before her turned into a thin stream of energy that flowed into her mouth.

The process took less than ten seconds. That enormous mass of Slime vanished before all three of them.

Mercer and The Ancient One stared at the purple-clad girl with their mouths hanging open, while she rubbed her stomach with a miserable expression.

"Ugh, that really wasn't enough to eat."

Her belly, as smooth as fine white jade, hadn't bulged in the slightest, as though she hadn't eaten anything at all.

Seeing her adorable little face scrunched up in misery, Mercer drew a deep breath. He looked at the girl standing before him and asked,

"Is your father Galactus?"

At those words, The Ancient One turned toward him in astonishment, her shock beyond words.

Naturally, she knew that name. A being like him could destroy Earth with effortless ease.

Even The Ancient One could only surrender helplessly against such a being. There was no possibility of fighting him.

He was such an elusive existence. How did Mercer know about him?

The girl looked equally surprised. It had been a long time since she had heard or spoken that name.

"How did you know that?"

Only then did she seriously examine the human boy before her.

With the purple-clad girl's identity confirmed, Mercer didn't answer her question directly. He grew increasingly wary instead. This was precisely the answer he had least wanted to hear.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that your father survives by devouring planets. Did you really come here just for this Slime?"

Mercer couldn't exactly tell the two of them that he had learned this in his previous life. That would be the strangest explanation imaginable, so he steered the conversation elsewhere.

At that, The Ancient One also looked at the purple-clad girl solemnly. She, too, was deeply concerned about the girl's reason for coming to Earth.

As Mercer and The Ancient One watched her warily, the girl pursed her lips and said,

"I'm not like my father. I don't disregard life. There are so many living beings on Earth. I could never bring myself to do it."

That surprised The Ancient One. As she understood it, Galactus would devour planets even if they were inhabited. To think his daughter would have such an attitude.

Mercer's expression, on the other hand, changed. The corners of his mouth slowly rose, as though he were plotting something.

Suddenly, he raised his hand. Lightning gathered in his palm, forming a thumb-sized orb that he tossed up and down.

"How about... you stay with me? I'll give you something tasty."

Tossing the lightning orb in his hand, Mercer looked like a creepy older man trying to lure an innocent girl.

If The Ancient One hadn't known him, she would have wanted to call the police.

Mercer was sweating a little himself. If this worked, he could practically do whatever he pleased in the Marvel Universe.

All the villainous bosses Earth would face in the future, put together, wouldn't be a match for this girl.

If he could keep her by his side, it would be an incredible windfall.

The lightning orb in his hand had no special effects. It merely contained extremely pure lightning energy. If anything, throwing it could set off a massive explosion.

"Is that orb in your hand the 'something tasty' you're offering me? I'll need to inspect the goods first," the girl said.

Mercer didn't refuse. He condensed a few more and tossed them to her.

The girl caught them and, without another thought, popped the lightning orbs straight into her mouth.