His gaze swept across the information on the panel, then settled on the unpainted, metal-cased pistol in his hand.
A strange expression flickered across Luca's face.
He'd felt it before—that this experimental pistol, manufactured by his own company, looked oddly familiar.
But now that the panel labeled it the [Dominator], he realized its appearance matched the anime version by, at most, two or three tenths.
So… the core components aren't determined by visual similarity?
And this time, the synthesis materials didn't mention energy devices or ammunition. Does that mean those are already built into the core components?
Dozens of thoughts raced through his mind—but in the end, Luca tamped down his curiosity. After all, even if he wanted to keep synthesizing, he didn't have all the required materials for the [Dominator] pistol at home.
He certainly couldn't substitute the brick-sized TV projector in his living room for the "miniature projection device" listed on the panel… could he?
His eyes flicked to the battery indicator on the ion beam pistol's grip.
Gina had only fired three shots—and already, the charge was down to its last bar.
That was precisely why, despite its impressive power, near-zero recoil, and minimal ion beam attenuation at mid-range, the weapon remained a semi-finished prototype.
Insufficient energy meant poor sustained combat capability.
"Hmm," he muttered. "The high cost is probably another reason."
He slipped the pistol into his pocket. Though the [Dominator] was out of reach for now, another item might be within his grasp.
Unzipping his backpack, Luca rummaged through its contents and pulled out a strangely shaped monkey toy.
It clutched two comically oversized cymbals and sported a large wind-up key on its back.
A semi-transparent blue panel materialized above it:
[Boom's Little Monkey Bomb]
[Twin Cities War World – Tier 1/5]
[Maker: Boom]
[Core Component: Toy Monkey]
[Synthesis Materials: 3 Unstable Energy Crystals]
[Item Description:] A deceptively simple yet potent toy bomb. Its power derives entirely from three Hextech Crystals. Once wound up, it becomes unstable and time-limited. It possesses slow, short-range locomotion and detonates by repeatedly striking its own unstable Hextech Crystals. No safety guarantees provided.
[Friendly Reminder:] Dear user, please ensure no friends or family members are within the blast radius before activation!
Indeed—the original owner's childhood toy was itself a valid "core component" for synthesis.
And surprisingly, the required materials were almost laughably minimal: just one type.
But even with only a single material needed, Luca had no idea what counted as an "unstable energy crystal" in the real world.
So synthesis remained impossible…
Unless—
His eyes drifted to the two headless Chitauri corpses sprawled in his living room.
A spark of fervor lit his gaze.
If he remembered correctly, in Marvel's Spider-Man movies, the villain Vulture had acquired high-tech weapons by salvaging and repurposing Chitauri debris left behind after the Battle of New York.
The purple energy crystals commonly found on Chitauri tech were notoriously unstable—even known to detonate when scanned by standard X-ray security systems.
This crystal, then, should meet the requirements for synthesis.
Without further ado, Luca strode toward the headless corpse, ignoring the gore splattered across the floor, and began examining both the body and its gear.
Both Chitauri carried standard-issue folding beam rifles—compact, modestly powered, and deceptively simple in design. Though they pulsed with a faint violet glow, Luca couldn't figure out how to disassemble them quickly.
But compared to the intricate weapons and armor, the bright purple crystals embedded into the backs of the aliens' hands offered a far simpler solution.
When prying them loose with his fingers failed, Luca grabbed one of the folding beam rifles and used its serrated edge to slice cleanly through the corpse's wrist.
Two corpses. Four hands. Four purple crystals.
He hesitated for a moment—then abandoned the blade altogether. Instead, he knelt and drew a circular magic circle on the ground.
At its center, he placed the monkey toy—the core component. In the three outer arcs of the circle, he positioned three severed Chitauri hands, each still studded with its glowing crystal.
As expected, the three purple crystals began to emit a soft white luminescence.
"It's working!"
Without hesitation, Luca placed his palms on the edge of the array and whispered, "Synthesize."
Instantly, the light flared—swallowing the circle in a blinding pulse.
When it faded, a strangely reconfigured toy monkey sat at the center: now adorned with a single blue spherical crystal suspended between its cymbals, and two more identical crystals nestled within its hollow body.
The purple crystals from the three alien hands had vanished—only the cleanly severed stumps remained in their places.
"Huh? They turned into blue crystals?"
Luca had assumed this would be the simplest synthesis—just polish the raw components and slot them into place. But now it seemed that no matter what materials he used, the synthesized item always reverted to its "canonical" form.
The Chitauri's unstable purple crystals had transformed directly into Hextech crystals.
How could he be so sure?
Because one of the three new blue crystals on the [Monkey Bomb] was already emitting that unmistakable pale-white glow—the signature of a Core Component.
Carefully, Luca lifted the toy, unscrewed its detachable head, and pried open its casing to retrieve the glowing Hextech crystal.
The translucent blue interface reappeared before him:
[Hextech Core]
World: Battle of the Twin Cities — Stage 2/5
Creator: Victor
Core Component: Hextech Crystal
Required Materials: 1 Stable Miniature Reactor, 4 Distinct Magic Runes
Description: A stable, self-sustaining energy source infused with arcane power—the pinnacle of Hextech aesthetics. Grants limitless energy and the potential for glorious biological evolution… provided your mind and body can withstand the corrosive fusion of magic and tech.
⚠️ Friendly Reminder: If you value your life—or the planet—do not allow direct contact with living tissue.
Staring at the panel's promises of "limitless energy" and "glorious evolution," Luca could only mutter one thing:
"…Is this reasonable?"