After dissipating the titanium-alloy frying pan in his hand, Finney thought that if he ever came into contact with vibranium, he might try to get a vibranium frying pan next. Then, looking at the Red Skull lying on the ground, unable to get up, he began to check the experience he had gained.
It wasn't much different from what he had expected. The Red Skull's experience gain wasn't as much as Mordo's, but it wasn't far off either; calculated precisely, it was about 0.85 of Mordo's worth.
This level was already very satisfactory to Finney. After all, the Red Skull was just a soldier injected with the serum, and having not fought for so many years, his body wasn't truly developed.
The Red Skull's experience confirmed Finney's idea of gaining more experience here before leaving.
After all, the sixth skill he had gained was the still-developing Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which wouldn't be of much use in the upcoming alien invasion or the Battle of New York.
Therefore, if possible, Finney very much hoped to extract the seventh skill before then—or at least cultivate the Blue-Eyes White Dragon further.
"Are you alright?"
Finney asked, looking at Red Skull, who had finally gotten up after a long while.
Red Skull shook his head dejectedly. "I lost."
"It's alright. Many people have lost to me; you don't need to feel ashamed."
Finney's words of comfort didn't seem to cheer Red Skull, but he had actually expected this result before the battle, so he wasn't too upset.
So, Finney temporarily settled down on Vormir.
Although he lacked materials, he dug a large hole in the mountainside and made a bed out of stones, which served as a makeshift shelter. He also used the Golden Great Evolution Technique to create some simple, easy-to-maintain items, so living there wasn't too difficult.
But while the shelter was fine, life was somewhat hard.
On the entire Vormir planet, Red Skull was the only thing that could barely be called a living being. Apart from him, there was almost no one else to communicate with.
Even Red Skull couldn't fight nonstop for an entire day. After only a week of exploring the planet, Finney started to feel bored.
"How do you usually manage this kind of life all by yourself?"
Finney asked, looking at Red Skull sitting blankly by the altar. He'd been here for seventy years, and Finney wondered how he'd survived.
"Actually, when no one's around, I mostly sleep," Red Skull replied, making Finney roll his eyes. Clearly, that method didn't work for his current situation.
"Want to go hiking? I'll take pictures of you!"
Bored, Finney took out his phone, opened the camera, and snapped a few photos of the distant scenery to keep as souvenirs. Thanks to the Golden Grand Evolution Technique, he didn't need to worry about running out of battery. However, even if he created a signal using the technique, he couldn't contact Earth.
"No need. I've walked every single mountain here," Red Skull said, shaking his head. He was too familiar with everything on Vormir to bother looking again. Besides, Finney had told him he would be his sparring partner for the next few days.
So, despite his seemingly absent-minded appearance, Red Skull was actually contemplating how to defeat Finney.
"Sigh!"
Finney sighed. He was simply bored, and only an hour had passed since the last battle. Judging from Red Skull's expression, he hadn't recovered from his defeat.
Helpless, Finney summoned the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and began feeding it. Since its body had been damaged by the energy collapse, its second star was clearly visible, and it was not far from evolving successfully.
---
Meanwhile, on Earth…
Skye hung up her unanswered phone, her face filled with worry. Finney had almost never gone so long without contacting her, and she couldn't reach him at all.
Although Finney had said he would be gone for a week, she had called him multiple times during that week, but the calls never went through.
A week finally passed, and still no one answered. Coupled with the unclear words he had spoken before leaving, she became extremely anxious.
After thinking for a moment, Skye called Pepper again to inquire.
"Phineas!? I haven't seen him. Tony has been with me these past few days, and Dr. Banner is in the lab. He hasn't come looking for us."
After Pepper's reply, Skye grew even more anxious. She decided to go alone to the New York Sanctum that evening.
"Hello, I need to speak with Sorcerer Daniel."
Although everyone in Kamar-Taj knew Finney, not everyone knew Skye, even though she had spent some time there.
"Please wait a moment," the guardian mage said, going to inform Daniel.
"Miss Helsez, what brings you here?"
Soon, Daniel came downstairs, surprised to see her.
"Finney has been missing for a week. This is the first time he's disappeared so suddenly. I wanted to ask the Sorcerer Supreme about it. Could you please help me?"
Daniel's expression grew slightly serious. As mages, they understood the dangers of the world far better than ordinary people.
"Follow me," he said.
Daniel led Skye to Kamar-Taj, encountering Mordo, who was training along the way.
"Miss Helsez, where's Finney? Why isn't he here?"
"He's missing. I haven't contacted him for a week." Skye's face showed deep worry.
"He told me he had something to take care of and it might take a week," Mordo replied, frowning slightly.
"I know, but a week has passed, and he's never been like this before, completely unreachable," Skye said. She believed Finney wouldn't neglect contacting her unless something had happened.
"She wants to ask the Sorcerer Supreme if he knows anything," Daniel explained.
"I'll take her there," Mordo said.
Mordo led the way, bringing Skye to the Ancient One.
After hearing their account, even the Ancient One was slightly surprised.
"He's missing?"
"Even you don't know where he went?" Skye's expression showed deep concern.
"Don't worry, Miss Helsez," the Ancient One comforted her. "Finney has great power; he won't be in trouble so easily. Perhaps some accident just delayed his journey."
Hearing the Ancient One's words, and thinking of Finney's mysterious and unfathomable power, Skye's expression finally softened.
"Mr. Mordo, please take Miss Helsez to rest. I'll notify you immediately if I find Phineas."
"Yes," Mordo replied, bowing respectfully.
After they left, the Ancient One glanced at the closed door, hesitated for a moment, and began using magic to locate Phineas. A strange symbol started flashing between her brows.
As for mages, energy is something borrowed through skill; why should it be returned!?
Dormammu, feeling the plundered energy, roared in impotent rage in the Dark Dimension:
"Ancient One!!!"
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