Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Multiple Check-Ins! The Ultimate Nullifier! The Wand of Watoomb!
After Banner and Natasha finished explaining, Jen picked up a mirror and studied her reflection.
In the glass, her eyes had turned green. When she pulled back her hair, she found that new strands growing in had already turned pine green—like the needles of a pine tree.
The problem was obvious.
"I’m... going to turn into the Hulk?!"
Jen stared at herself, imagining what she might look like, a hint of distaste on her face.
"Uh... mm... ah..."
Banner paused, searching for the right words, and after a while he finally said,
"You’ll be the She-Hulk. To be precise, you already are. As long as you lose your temper, you’ll transform. But like me, you can eventually merge with it and learn to control it."
When Banner finished, Natasha nodded and added,
"So for now, it’s best if you stay here at the base for monitoring. We’ve already prepared custom sports bras and compression shorts for you, so your clothes won’t rip apart during transformations. Once you master control, you’ll be able to return to a normal life."
Jen nodded in acknowledgment. But deep down, another worry gnawed at her.
What if she turned into something ugly?
She was a woman, after all. What woman disliked becoming prettier? And what woman wanted to turn into something monstrous?
That was her biggest fear.
"Can I... try transforming now?" she asked.
Banner and Natasha exchanged a look.
Natasha nodded. "Alright, but change into the custom gear first."
Jen’s physical condition was already more than stable. Testing the transformation now posed no real risk.
The three of them moved to the training room, where Jen changed into her reinforced outfit.
It was similar to a women’s boxing set—two pieces.
A layered sports bra that revealed her collarbone and extended to her stomach.
And multi-layered shorts, an inner layer beneath a pair of fitted athletic shorts.
Ready, Jen tried to trigger the transformation herself.
"Ahhh~~~!"
She screamed. She tried sudden bursts of movement.
But nothing worked.
Frustrated, she turned to Banner.
"How did you first transform?"
Banner thought for a moment. "Stimulation."
Natasha analyzed quickly.
"Maybe you haven’t felt what forced transformation is like. We could try triggering it passively. Once you know that sensation, you’ll be able to transform at will."
Jen hesitated.
"...Will it hurt?"
Banner drew in a breath. "Probably a little."
"?"
Moments later, Jen stared at the heavy restraints now binding her wrists and ankles, looking stunned.
"Wait... can I just not transform?"
Natasha tightened the straps around her wrists, ankles, waist, thighs, and even her neck before pulling out a stun device.
"You’re already strapped in. Let’s test it."
Banner explained from the side,
"This is just to keep you from losing control and causing destruction. When I first transformed, I couldn’t manage my emotions at all. The restraints will keep things safe. They won’t hurt you."
As Natasha adjusted the settings on the stun gun, she explained as well,
"The recliner you’re on can withstand hundreds of tons of force. Each restraint strap is rated for six figures in tonnage. Don’t worry, Jen. You won’t get hurt."
Reassured by both of them, Jen closed her eyes and braced herself.
The stun gun’s voltage could be adjusted freely. Since it was Jen’s first time, Natasha set it to a level strong enough to knock out a large dog—moderate, but not excessive.
She showed the gauge to Banner.
He gave it a quick glance, then nodded. At that setting, it wouldn’t cause any lasting harm.
Natasha stepped forward, pressed the electrodes against Jen’s thigh, and pulled the trigger.
"Zzzzt~!"
The sudden shock jolted Jen’s body. Her eyes flew wide—she had never felt anything like that before.
Her green pupils constricted sharply, then snapped back into place.
At the same time—
"Uhhhhh~~~!"
A deep roar tore out of her throat.
Her body began to expand rapidly!
"Zzzzt~!"
One of the restraints ripped open with a sharp tear.
Jen grew even larger, her skin taking on a pine-green hue.
Before long—
"Zzzzt!"
With another violent snap, the last restraints gave way.
Jen’s body had reached its full size.
Banner frowned, bracing himself. If Jen lost control, he would step in immediately. With his years of experience, he was confident he could restrain her.
Natasha was tense as well. There was never anything simple about a Hulk. Once they raged, disaster always followed.
But what neither of them expected was this—
The newly transformed Jen turned her head, looked at them both, and asked in a strange, puzzled voice...
"Then what?"
Then what? You’re asking us?
Banner looked at Jen and reminded her.
"Jen, you’ve turned into the Hulk..."
"What?"
Jen immediately looked down at her hands. Sure enough, her skin had turned green, and her hands were much larger. It felt like her entire body had grown bigger.
She tried to look herself over, but the restraints held her in place. Looking down, she saw the belt around her waist had already snapped, though the restraints on her wrists and ankles were still intact.
Natasha stepped forward and unfastened the rest of the restraints.
Jen walked up to the mirror and examined herself.
Green hair, green skin, green eyes, green lips—everything about her was green.
She reached up and ran her hand through her hair. It was still thick and wavy. She studied her reflection carefully, lost in thought.
Banner, feeling uneasy, asked,
"Jen, how do you feel about yourself?"
Jen considered her looks for a moment.
"Not bad. If a hundred is perfect, I’d give myself an eighty-one."
But that wasn’t really what Banner was asking. He wanted to know how she was holding up.
Natasha observed her closely. Before transforming, Jen had been about 5’7", but now she was at least 6’7"—a full thirty centimeters taller.
"How does your body feel?" Natasha asked.
Jen clenched her fists, her eyes lighting up.
"I feel like I have endless strength."
"Want to test it?"
"No problem."
The three of them headed toward the training area.
On the way, Banner said,
"You only survived because Lorien came up with the idea to give you my blood. That turned you into a Hulk too. Otherwise, you’d be dead. So when everything settles down, you need to come with me to thank him, alright?"
"Oh, and by the way, Lorien is the psychologist you saw that day. We already know each other."
Jen froze.
So her cousin actually knew Dr. Su? That explained why Banner had told her to wait before talking more about it.
And truth be told, she had plenty she wanted to discuss with Lorien herself.
She nodded firmly.
"Alright."
...
Meanwhile, Lorien—who had been slacking off the entire day—
Clock-out time!
As soon as the clock hit five, he walked out with the Ballerina Twins and sent one last thought through the system: "Check-in."
[Ding Check-in successful!]
After clocking out, Lorien reviewed the rewards he hadn’t checked earlier.
[Critical Hit: True Wand of Watoomb x1!]
[Obtained: Phoenix Force Fragment x10!]
[Obtained: Attack on Titan Manga Complete Set x1!]
[Critical Hit: Ultimate Nullifier x1!]
[Obtained: Naruto Manga Complete Set x1!]
[Obtained: ...]
...
After going through everything, Lorien immediately absorbed the Phoenix Force fragments.
Then he skimmed through the two manga sets. Since there were complete collections, he only flipped through the first volume of each before storing them away.
That left the two most important prizes.
The True Wand of Watoomb.
And the Ultimate Nullifier.
The first was equipment.
The second, a tool.
The Wand of Watoomb came first.
[Wand of Watoomb: After absorbing energy, it can release it in any form the user desires—healing, prophecy, defense, attack, and more!]
In short, an all-purpose magic staff, tailor-made for sorcerers.
Lorien pulled it out for a look.
The wand was symmetrical at both ends, its shaft a spiral design with horned beast heads at the tips.
Its appearance was rather ordinary. But its usefulness was undeniable. For any sorcerer, it was an absolute treasure.
Lorien nodded and put it away.
Trash—cough, such a precious item. He’d just toss it to Wanda later. He had no use for it himself.
But the real treasure from this draw was a lighter.
A moment later, Lorien reached into the air and pulled out a silver lighter faintly glowing with blue light.
At first glance, it was plain and unremarkable—about the size of a palm, like a piece of advanced tech.
But in truth, it was one of Marvel’s deadliest artifacts, capable of killing even multiversal gods: the Ultimate Nullifier.
The same weapon the Devourer Girl once sought to kill the parasite inside her, before her father stopped her.
This was that Ultimate Nullifier.
[Ultimate Nullifier: It can destroy or create any target chosen by the user. The stronger the user’s will, the greater the weapon’s power!]
Lorien knew this artifact well. Its reputation was legendary across the Multiverse.
Forget Thanos. Even the Five Abstract Entities themselves would panic if it was aimed at them.
No—panic wasn’t the word. They wouldn’t even dare run. Because the Nullifier locked onto its target.
If it was pointed at you, your only choice was to beg.
And its greatest potential went far beyond killing the Abstract Entities.
With a strong enough will, it could even erase an entire multiversal dimension—stripping away one layer of the Multiverse’s very framework.
Of course...
The consequences of using it were just as terrifying.
In most cases, the user would suffer severe backlash.
Just like when the Infinity Stones are used together—the greater the damage you deal, the greater the damage you take in return.
But don’t forget... Lorien possessed the Phoenix Force. As long as his energy was sufficient, he was nearly immortal.
That meant this artifact was simply... perfect for him.
No need to waste energy fighting back and forth. In the future, if a battle came up, he could just pull out the lighter, click it, and—snap!
Dead on the spot.
Even the Five Abstract Entities wouldn’t be exceptions.
Of course, against the Living Tribunal it still wasn’t enough. But that didn’t matter. To Lorien, the Ultimate Nullifier was just something to deal with the so-called Five Abstract Entities and other "minor bosses."
No problem at all.
...
Lorien put the lighter away and headed upstairs.
At that moment, Wanda was still practicing spells in her Little Universe. When she sensed Lorien’s arrival, she opened her eyes. She had just been about to speak when he tossed something her way—a staff.
"...Hmm?"
Wanda caught it and looked it over, her memory stirring.
"This staff... I think I’ve seen something like it at Kamar-Taj?"
Lorien nodded, sat down beside her, and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"That one wasn’t nearly as strong. This is the real deal. You can try it later."
"Mm." Wanda nodded softly.
But as she felt his hand lingering on her waist, her cheeks warmed. She whispered shyly,
"Lorien..."
"Hmm?"
"Gwen and I... our periods came at the same time. You can’t mess around for the next few days..."
"???"
Lorien put on an exaggerated look of surprise, mixed with regret. But at the same time, he slipped his hand inside and rested it gently on Wanda’s lower abdomen, his palm radiating warmth as he soothed her.
"Does it hurt?"
"A little..."
The warmth of his hand spread through her. Wanda closed her eyes with a soft sigh.
"But it feels warm now... comfortable~~~"
See? Like placing a hot water bottle on her stomach.
If a goddess still disliked you after that, it only meant she didn’t like you at all.
Because if she did like you, anything you said—anything you did—would be right.
At least, that’s what Lorien told himself. In truth, even he wasn’t so sure.
He kept his hand there for a while, warming and soothing, before asking again.
"You two syncing up like this is too much of a coincidence. What about my bull?"
Wanda’s whole body tensed.
She thought for a moment, then stretched out her hand and gave a little squeeze, before opening her mouth slightly.
Oh~ Lorien understood.
But...
"Just that? Are you sure you can handle it?"
Wanda shut her eyes and whispered faintly,
"Isn’t there still Gwen... she’s better with her mouth... we’ll rely on her..."
That was what she said, but Lorien couldn’t help frowning inwardly.
Before, everyone had been happy together. But the way Wanda suggested it, only he would feel good—while Wanda and Gwen wouldn’t.
That wasn’t balanced. That wasn’t fair.
Still, Lorien couldn’t think of a better solution.
So he nodded.
"Then you and Gwen are going to suffer for it."
Wanda’s body trembled lightly; she really was nervous.
...
That evening, after dinner, Lorien took Gwen and Wanda into the Little Universe to enjoy the night breeze.
But then he remembered something and turned to Gwen.
"By the way, Gwen. In two days, an evil god will appear in Egypt. I’ll send you over. All you need to do is kill the crocodile deity."
Though she didn’t know the details, Gwen still nodded without hesitation.
Whatever. Lorien would toss her there, she’d go berserk, kill the target, and then come home.
Simple enough.
As night fell, Gwen suddenly noticed something and asked curiously,
"Why didn’t the Ballerina Twins come to practice yoga with us today?"
At that, Wanda rolled her eyes.
"You’re on your period and still thinking about yoga?"
"Oh—right." Gwen finally realized.
Lorien noticed Gwen seemed completely unaffected. Truly lucky were the girls who didn’t get cramps.
As he turned his head, he froze.
Wanda was applying lipstick.
"Huh?"
Lorien blinked in surprise.
"Wanda, why are you putting on lipstick?"
The shade she was using was vivid—queen red, bold and dazzling.
But Wanda didn’t answer.
She lowered her head, lifted Lorien’s shirt, and planted a kiss right on his abs.
Mua~
A bright lip print was left there instantly.
"Hissss~~~!"
Lorien’s mind raced.
This... this he hadn’t expected.
Had he just become outdated?!