Chapter 117 Steel Bones!

Arthur extracted 56 books of Beginner's Steel Body, 3 Battle Souls, and 56 Small Colorless Crystals. After extracting them all, he stared blankly at the Steel Body.

"What the hell is this? A DNF skill? Why would it come out of this armor?" Arthur scratched his head, "Is it because all this stuff is metal? But weapons are metal too! Okay, fine, that's just nitpicking."

Without hesitation, Arthur clapped his hands in a rhythmic pattern, three claps per beat, for a total of 18 beats plus two more claps. The 56 books of "Steel Body" were then completely absorbed into Arthur's body.

Arthur realized that this was indeed a skill that used the colorless energy in his body. When activated, his body would be instantly strengthened, increasing his strength and defense!

"Steel body!" Arthur activated the skill, although there was no need to shout out the name of the skill – he only did so because it was time to return to his Chūnibyō Academy.

In an instant, he felt the colorless energy that filled every cell in his body undergo an unusual transformation. The energy concentration and activity in his bones and muscles began to surge. Every tendon in his body gathered highly active colorless energy, and even more, a layer of steel armor formed on his skin!

Arthur flexed his hands and feet, feeling an endless surge of strength, while the steel armor didn't cause him any discomfort.

"Am I really invincible now?" Arthur looked at his hand, thrilled, but then scratched his head, feeling a bit conflicted.

"Should I try stabbing myself with a knife to see if it works?" The steel body seemed impressive, but what if a knife actually went through and killed him? That would be a disaster.

Arthur had often suspected that his life was like a novel written by a second-rate author in which he, the protagonist, might accidentally stab himself to death. Would that be considered a new kind of horrible ending?

After a long internal debate, Arthur finally took out a military knife from his disassembler space. He hesitated for a moment, then gently jabbed the blade into his finger.

*Ding!*.

As soon as the tip of the knife touched his fingertip, there was a crisp, metallic sound.

Arthur felt a surge of confidence and his pace quickened as he began to draw the blade across his palm.

The edge of the blade began to wear away at a rate visible to the naked eye. At the same time, Arthur noticed that the rate of consumption of the colorless energy within him increased slightly.

Suddenly inspired, Arthur slashed his palm hard with the knife!

*Ding!!!!!!*

A loud, clear ring filled the air, followed by a return to silence. The steel armor was undamaged, but the blade was ruined.

"Looks like a small knife can't cut through." Arthur nodded in satisfaction, then pulled out a gun. He thought for a moment and put it down. "This is too much, too much…"

In the end, he chickened out; stabbing himself with a knife was already his limit. Arthur figured that no one, unless they were a level three idiot, would actually shoot themselves.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Arthur picked up the three "Battle Souls". One glowed with white light, an Iron Man Battle Soul, while the other two were bald-headed and glowing with Iron Man Battle Souls.

Honestly, Arthur really wanted to curse; he really wanted to curse someone out loud.

"What kind of ridiculous name is that? Bald Guy and Iron Man Battle Soul? Why not just call it Light Bulb and Iron Man Battle Soul?"

Arthur muttered as he looked at it, hesitating slightly. "Is this going to turn me into one of those weird bald guys who says 'I'm bald, but I've also become stronger'?" With a flick of his hand, white light engulfed him!

The next second, the Battle Soul merged with Arthur's body. It felt like an electric current flowing through his entire being- there was no pain like the Hulk's Battle Soul, but instead a refreshing sensation washed over his brain!

"Ah, this feels amazing!" Arthur felt as if he had just eaten an ice cream on a hot summer day. His mind was as clear as if it had been wiped with a cloth and then rinsed with cold water. He slapped the other Battle Soul in the same way and felt the same sensation, although the effect wasn't as strong as the first one.

"My physical strength has increased… but the change isn't very noticeable." He tapped his head lightly. "Is this Battle Soul a fusion of Tony and Stane? Does it mainly increase… intelligence?"

Shaking his head, he picked up the glowing Iron Man Battle Soul. After another slap, Arthur closed his eyes to silently experience the effects. His brain, body, mind… even his willpower felt strengthened!

When Arthur opened his eyes, the effects of the Battle Soul had fully manifested. The increase in strength and endurance was still mediocre, but his mind was exceptionally clear. Still, Arthur was confused. "What exactly is this Battle Soul mainly enhancing?"

After pondering for a while without finding an answer, he decided to absorb the 56 small crystals just as Banner called him to dinner. Before leaving the room, Arthur still felt a bit confused.

The Battle Souls he had absorbed were mysterious, and while his physical strength had indeed increased, it was very limited. They weren't as impressive as Schmidt's Battle Soul, and certainly not as powerful as the Hulk's.

However, the Steel Body skill gave Arthur the feeling that he hadn't lost in this exchange.

The next morning, Arthur had guests at his house. When he came down from the roof, Banner was having a lively conversation with Tony.

"As an older man, I admire your dedication to staying fit. Maybe in another 40 years I'll be doing the same," Tony said with a smile as he watched Arthur come down the stairs.

"Looks like you've finally come to terms with reality and realized you're still just a kid," Tony teased as Arthur picked up a glass of milk from the table and drank it in one gulp, exhaling with satisfaction. "I don't remember inviting you. Did you come here on your own to give me money?"

"Not just money!" Tony stood and smiled friendly at Banner. "If you get a chance, I'd like you to visit Stark Industries. The top ten floors are entirely dedicated to research and development – I'm sure you'll love it there."

Then Tony turned back to Arthur. "The first batch of raw materials you requested has been prepared. As for the equipment, it may not be top-of-the-line because, well, you're still too poor. But the basic requirements are met and everything is ready to start your experiments whenever you are."

"And the Arc Reactor I asked for – is that ready too?" Arthur asked with a grin. This was the latest addition to their contract from the day before; the genetic experiments required an enormous amount of energy.

When Steve Rogers had transformed into Captain America, it had caused a citywide blackout. Arthur wasn't about to play that kind of joke with New York's power grid, so the Arc Reactor was the first thing that came to mind. Of course, it was only borrowed.

But Tony's next words left Arthur a bit stunned.

"Is one Arc Reactor really enough?"