Watching Tony nearly get dragged into the lake by the fish,
Lorien couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
"Hm?"
Gwen and Wanda looked a little confused.
Lorien showed them the last fra of the video.
The two girls also couldn’t hold back their laughter.
It wasn’t that Tony was weak.
He’d just been holding an action cara in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, completely unprepared and not bracing himself.
Then the fish struck hard—almost pulling him straight into the water.
Lorien switched over to the comnts section.
Sure enough, the top comnt was pinned.
It ca with a picture.
Tony had placed his hand next to the fish for scale.
The comnt read:
[How did you guys know this fish was 30 pounds?]
Lorien: ......
Yeah, right.
1 pound = 0.9 jin = 0.45 kilograms.
So a 30-pound fish was nearly 30 jin.
Probably about 29.
But it’s like how every guy who’s 179 cm insists he’s 180.
Lorien scrolled through Tony’s other comnts.
The first one:
[Alright, we already know that guy is hotter than Iron Man.]
The second:
[Holy shit! Iron Man! IronMan! I love you! You can live in seclusion, but please update more videos—we miss you so much!]
The third:
[Thank you, Iron Man! So that guy actually knows all these superheroes? Turns out he’s a hidden big shot!]
Lorien: ...
Great, completely sold out.
Shaking his head helplessly, Lorien glanced at Tony’s main account.
His followers were skyrocketing.
But his following list only had one na.
Lorien tapped it open.
[User **]
Uh... wasn’t that him?
After hesitating, Lorien followed back.
The guy only followed him—not following back would’ve been too rude.
And so, Lorien’s starting account was followed by three superheroes.
He only followed those three in return.
Once he was done, Lorien shut off his phone.
By then Gwen and Wanda had finished breakfast.
Wanda went upstairs to practice magic.
Gwen instantly suited up in her Symbiote suit, waved at Lorien, and said,
"I’m heading out to take down so criminals. I’ll be back before the afternoon."
Lorien nodded.
"Go."
"Bye~"
Waving, Gwen leapt onto the rooftop and took off in her 22.
That was her daily routine—fighting cri.
It was what she loved.
And Lorien never restricted what anyone had to do or not do.
He never imposed rules on the two girls.
They always did what they wanted.
If Spider-Woman didn’t fight cri, would she even be Spider-Woman?
So what if Gwen was strong now?
Strength didn’t matter.
The days ahead were long.
She’d need sothing to keep busy with anyway.
After the two left, Lorien stretched lazily on his recliner.
That wrapped up today’s business.
What next?
He thought for a while. With nothing better to do, he just lazed around until noon.
At lunch, neither he nor Wanda ate much.
After a simple bite, Wanda headed to the Little Universe to water, plant, and tend the flowers.
By 1:00 PM, with nothing else to do, Lorien decided to nap—and slept straight through until 4:45.
Then he was about to call it a day.
But just as the thought ford—
"Knock knock~~" Soone rapped on the door.
"Co in."
Lorien sat up and gestured for them to enter.
The door opened, and two tall figures in hooded sweatshirts walked in together. One of them was so broad-shouldered he had to turn sideways to fit through the doorway.
How to describe that build?
Like a double-door refrigerator.
Once they were both inside, they pulled down their hoods. Then they looked at Lorien and smiled.
"Lorien."
"Oh, it’s you two."
Lorien recognized them imdiately. It was Banner and Jen—the Hulk and She-Hulk.
He glanced at the chairs across from them, which looked comically small in comparison. With a snap of his fingers—
"Snap~"
The two chairs rapidly expanded until they were large enough for the hulking pair to sit comfortably.
"Thanks."
The two Hulks expressed their gratitude, then sat down.
Lorien studied them with a chuckle.
"Are you sure this disguise will actually work?"
"No one noticed you on the way here?"
These two had already fused with the Hulk. Though not as enormous as when fully transford, they were still giants.
Banner now stood 2.3 ters tall, like a basketball player. But his fra was ridiculously broad, built like a double-door fridge. In other words, he had the height of a basketball player combined with the build of a football player.
Absurd.
His weight alone probably rivaled a heavy motorcycle—easily several hundred kilograms.
And Jen? She was about the sa.
Jen now stood a full 2 ters tall, towering over Lorien by more than ten centiters. Her build was solid, but she still carried herself with a sleek, athletic grace.
Still, it was outrageous.
Unless Lorien counted his dick in his height, he couldn’t compare to either of them.
Banner raised a hand in relief.
"Thanks to the freedom of Arican streets, no one pays much attention to us, even looking like this."
"Along the way, so people asked if we were football players."
"Others wondered if we were basketball players."
Jen added with a small sigh of relief.
"Thankfully no one asked if we were superheroes. We’d have no idea how to respond to that."
Well. Thank you, free Arica.
Never mind that they were only wearing oversized hoodies. If they’d shown up dressed as giant teddy bears, people probably wouldn’t have questioned it either. It was just that normal.
After removing their hoods, Banner also took off his sunglasses and other disguises before speaking.
"Since that phone call, I’ve been helping Jen control the Hulk inside her. That’s why we only just got here. Sorry, Lorien."
Lorien waved it off.
"It’s nothing to do with ."
But he looked at Jen curiously.
"You’ve already rged with the Hulk?"
From the looks of it, she had. Her entire body had taken on a pale green hue, her eyes green as well—but not the deep, intense green of the Hulk, more subdued. Her body had grown larger, but not to Hulk’s full size.
"I think so. I can control my anger freely now."
Jen glanced at her pale green hands.
"I don’t feel the Hulk’s presence anymore. I’m just ."
Lorien nodded.
"Then you’ve rged. Looks like you have quite the talent. Banner spent years trying to fuse with the Hulk, and you managed it in just a few days."
At that, Jen cast a slightly smug glance at Banner, then turned to Lorien.
"Banner still says my talent is average, telling to practice more and that I’ve got a long way to go."
"I did the math on how long it took him to rge with the Hulk—so yeah, I know exactly how good my talent is. What an idiot."
Lorien chuckled. Classic little sister, scolding her big brother.
Banner scratched his head awkwardly and explained.
"I just want you to stay humble and keep training. If you get too cocky and can’t calm down, you won’t be able to control your power."
Jen sighed and spread her hands at Lorien helplessly.
See? That’s just how he is.
Lorien smiled.
"A little encouragent is still needed.
Like how I’ve always told Wanda: ’you’re a genius—don’t ever doubt yourself.’
Just focus on working hard; leave the rest to your talent."
Just work hard, and leave the rest to your talent?
Jen heard this little pep talk from across the ocean and her eyes lit up. She nodded in strong agreent.
"Exactly. I’ll work really hard. Once I fully control myself, I’ll find a way to co back and be a lawyer.
And also beco a cri-fighting superhero!"
After saying this, Jen paused and added,
"Like Spider-Woman!"
It was clear that Gwen’s rescue had left a big impact on her. It made Jen realize what it ant to be a superhero, and the balance between life and career.
She must have seen the video Gwen posted—otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought this way.
Lorien nodded in agreent.
"That’s a great idea.
But if you abandon your old life just to be a superhero, your life will only beco more chaotic."
Hearing Lorien’s agreent, Jen imdiately nodded vigorously, then looked at Banner.
Banner gave an awkward smile but agreed.
"Lorien’s right.
I was too fixated on my Hulk identity before, which kept stuck.
Now I agree with Jen’s approach."
Clearly, Banner now understood the importance of life. Being a superhero shouldn’t be the main the of one’s existence. A normal life should be.
...
After that, the group chatted for a while.
Jen expressed her gratitude to Lorien—and she had plenty to thank him for.
First, she thanked him for showing her the laws and darkness of society, for letting her see the truth of how the world really works. This was exactly what Lorien had ant: darkness never fully vanishes; it coexists with light.
Second, Jen thanked him for his advice and help to Banner. Without that, she would have died in that square long ago, instead of sitting here now to express her gratitude.
This whole situation... was a coincidence.
In the comics, Jen was attacked on her way to court. Banner rushed to the hospital and used his blood to save her.
But now, with Banner leading her along the way, the assassination attempt happened only after everything else had already been settled.
That’s just how the tiline turned out.
Lorien waved it off nonchalantly.
"This is just cost-free assistance. If I wanted, I could keep helping until I got bored of it myself.
But now that you’ve beco a superhero, you need to seriously consider your future. Both you and Banner will have incredibly long lifespans.
But have you two prepared plans for the future?"
At Lorien’s words, not just Jen—even Banner went silent.
Clearly, neither of them had thought through their future plans. Banner’s temporary plan was to properly teach his cousin. Jen’s plan was to soday beco a lawyer again.
But true, concrete plans? They had none.
Lorien could see it.
So he smiled and said.
"It’s normal not to have one, because I don’t either—not for now."
Jen: ?
Banner: ...
Ahem. Lorien wasn’t lying. He really didn’t have a plan.
If you asked him what he wanted to do tomorrow?
He honestly couldn’t think of anything.
Sleep as much as possible, then play cards with Scarlet Witch and Spider-Woman—does that count?
That was why Lorien spoke plainly.
"Life plans are for people who actually make plans.
If you want to make big money, you’ll map out that path.
If you don’t have a goal, then living each day well—that’s your life plan."
So...
Stop spouting "effort" and "struggle" every damn day.
Earth has seven billion people.
Even if humanity wiped itself out, the planet would still keep spinning!
Don’t think you’re so important.
But don’t belittle yourself either.
For ordinary people, a lifeti is complete as long as it doesn’t end in misery, regret, or sorrow. That’s clearing the stage.
Otherwise, what good is an SSS rating?
Can you even restart in the next life?
...
After Lorien finished speaking, Jen’s eyes shone with determination. She imdiately responded,
"Then I want to learn even more!
I want to earn a Doctor of Jurisprudence!
I want to beco a Supre Court Justice!"
A Supre Court Justice—what kind of position is that?
In the U.S. legal system, it’s at the very top, the rare 0.1%. Of course, it depends on which Supre Court. But regardless, the position is ridiculously high.
So when Jen said it out loud, she quickly added timidly,
"Or... maybe not Supre Court Justice..."
Lorien smiled. He neither encouraged nor dismissed her.
"They’re all paths along the sa road. You’ll never know unless you try."
Jurisprudence, a JD, a lawyer, even a Supre Court Justice—it’s all part of the sa system.
One side led into politics, the other was more personal.
But for Jen, that wasn’t an obstacle. She suddenly realized she had all the ti in the world to pursue these goals.
She nodded vigorously.
"I’ll work hard!"
Seeing Jen finally set a goal, Banner let out a long breath.
He had been worrying about her future all this ti. After becoming a superhero, Jen had changed. Returning to a normal life seed harder than ever. He feared for what her future might look like.
But now, it seed resolved.
He gave Lorien a grateful look.
Lorien waved it off like it was nothing.
Just rember to pay later.
Ahem.
...
The group chatted for a while longer.
Jen spoke about her near-death experience, saying it was unforgettable. That sensation of her consciousness stopping, like the river of ti itself had frozen.
It made Lorien curious.
"What about the gangsters? What do you plan to do about them?"
They weren’t saints, after all.
Jen had nearly been killed in a mafia hit. You think there wouldn’t be revenge? Impossible.
Banner answered honestly, his tone calm but edged with resentnt.
"Natasha had her operatives sweep out New York’s underground gangs that sa day. All the small-ti bosses were taken care of."
"Basically, the whole layer was cleared. That way, the mayor and the citizens of New York had an explanation."
As expected.
How could there not be a counterattack?
In truth, it had happened imdiately. The underbosses were wiped out, forcing the cri syndicates to replace their entire leadership.
"That’s good," Lorien said with a smile.
It was the right move.
Not retaliating would’ve crushed the superheroes’ spirit.
...
After chatting a little more, Banner glanced at his oversized custom watch. It was already past four in the afternoon.
He knew Lorien clocked out promptly at five, so he got up, pulling Jen along.
"Let’s go. Jen and I just left the Avengers base today, and we still need to find a place in the suburbs to lay low."
New York’s suburbs weren’t far.
But Lorien raised a brow.
"You’re settling in the city?"
"Yes." Banner nodded. "I’ve decided—retirent doesn’t have to an the countryside.
Jen is going back to university for her doctorate, and I’m planning to join a physics lab to study quantum chanics.
So as long as it’s a quiet neighborhood, that’s enough.
Besides, Jen is strong now. And I won’t be turning into the Hulk in the city anymore."
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