59. Outrageous quest

'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

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Harry stood in his room, the quest prompt from the system glowing in front of him. The enormity of what was being asked of him weighed heavily on his mind. Stealing the Space Stone from SHIELD and guarding it for two years was no small feat. He read the quest and its rewards again, the numbers and words blurring slightly as he tried to process them. An affinity and two S-class techniques, on top of a staggering 35,000 points. The rewards were almost too good to be true, but the task itself was daunting. The system had never offered anything beyond points before, so this felt unprecedented.

'Is the system playing tricks on me?' Harry wondered. He sighed deeply, trying to shake off the feeling that his eyes were deceiving him. He had been content to train quietly at Kamar Taj, improving his skills under the watchful eye of the Ancient One. Over the past two years, he had remained passive, avoiding the system's missions. The safety and structure of Kamar Taj had lulled him into a sense of security, and he hadn't felt the need to risk everything on potentially dangerous missions. But this mission was different. The rewards were enough to make him reconsider his cautious approach.

'The system is quite a good temptress,' he mused, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. The points alone were a huge incentive. With 35,000 points, he could upgrade the system and still have a surplus for other uses. Yet, the mission itself was perilous. Stealing the Space Stone from a highly guarded SHIELD facility and then keeping it safe for two years without the sanctuary of Kamar Taj? It sounded almost impossible.

'If only I could stay in Kamar Taj with the Ancient One's protection,' Harry thought. 'But even if I could, I doubt she would approve of such a dangerous task. She might even stop me from doing it altogether.' The thought of defying the Ancient One's wishes made him uneasy. She had been a guiding force in his life since he arrived in this sanctuary, and going against her advice felt reckless and made him feel quite guilty.

Harry's mind raced with the potential consequences of accepting the mission. Stealing the Space Stone could alter the course of the Marvel Universe. If he succeeded, Loki's invasion of Earth might never happen, and the Avengers might not form as they did in the original timeline. But what if they did form, only this time to hunt him down? The thought of being pursued by Avengers was terrifying, if Inhumans were also included along with them.

"Holy sh*t," he muttered, massaging his forehead. The possibilities were endless, and the weight of the decision was almost paralyzing. He had always prided himself on being logical and cautious for the past two years, but the allure of the rewards was threatening to overturn that logic.

'I didn't undertake the previous task, and now the system has thrown me this,' he said, pacing the room. His restlessness grew with each step. He had been training at Kamar Taj for so long, the monotony of it all starting to gnaw at him. The idea of an adventure was thrilling, but the risks were astronomical. He had no idea whether this world was solely based on the movies or if the comics were included as well. If the latter were true, the power scale of the world would be monstrous.

But the thought of staying passive while the world moved on around him was disheartening. He needed to become stronger, not just for his own sake, but for the sake of those he cared about.

The internal conflict tore at him, the adventurer in him battling the cautious scholar.

Harry knew time waited for no one. If he was to survive in this world, he needed to make a decision. And he needed to make it soon. The system's quest was a curveball, a test of his resolve and his willingness to step into the unknown. He took a deep breath, staring at the quest prompt one last time. The decision would not come easily, but he knew he couldn't avoid it forever.

Suddenly he sensed a presence approaching his room and without any warning the person opened the door, not caring a bit about privacy.

"Dude, how many times I have told you to knock," Harry mumbled frustratingly.

"How about this I will knock from now on, but you will lose your 'bathing at incredulous sights' previlidge?" Wei winked at him while a annoying smile drew upon his face.

"I was just kidding man, you don't have to take it so seriously," Harry mumbled begrudgingly. Although the others also knew how to create portals, no one was so good at finding mind-blowing places like Wei.

According to the information he had obtained from Sarah and Mark, Wei was quite a talented guy who had started practicing sorcery at the mere age of five and was aslo on the cusp of breaking into the rank of a Master Sorcerer.

This often left Harry wondering why there was no name of this guy in the original plot. Maybe he had died prematurely or maybe something came up.

'I should keep an eye on this guy,' Harry thought and quickly turned and approached a cabinet in his room, leaving Wei confused as to what he was doing. He pretended to put his hand inside for retrieving something, while removing some seals from his system storage.

Harry gave the five seals to Wei. Wei asked, "What the hell is this?"

Harry explained, "These four seals have elemental attacks stored in them. Tear one, and it will unleash a powerful strike against your enemies. The fifth seal is different. Once you tear it, it'll act as a distress signal. It'll alert me that you're in danger and give me your last known location."

Wei looked at the seals, then back at Harry. "Are you serious? This is some next-level stuff."

Harry nodded. "I made these for emergencies. I can't always be there, but these will give you a fighting chance if things go south."

As Harry was explaining, Mark, Emma, and Sarah entered his room. "What's going on here?" Mark asked, noticing the seals.

Harry turned to face them. "I was just giving Wei some seals for protection. Here, I made some for you guys too." He handed each of them five seals and began explaining their uses. "These four seals contain elemental attacks. Tear one, and it'll unleash its power on your enemies. The fifth seal is a distress signal. Tear it, and I'll be notified that you're in danger and where you are."

Emma examined the seals with curiosity. "Elemental attacks? What kind of elements are we talking about?"

"Fire, water, wind, and earth," Harry replied. "Each seal holds one of these elements. They're powerful, so use them wisely."

Mark looked impressed. "You've been busy, Harry. These could be lifesavers."

Sarah, always practical, asked, "And the distress signal? How quickly can you get to us if we use it?"

Harry considered this. "It depends on where you are, but I'll come as fast as I can. The signal is instantaneous, so I'll know immediately."

Emma smiled. "Thanks, Harry. This is really thoughtful."

Harry shrugged. "We are friends. Friends look out for each other. Just remember, these are for emergencies. Don't use them unless you really have to."

Mark, Emma, and Sarah nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Wei, still holding his seals, gave Harry a nod of appreciation. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

Harry smiled without uttering a word and was glad that they liked his gift.

"Maybe with the help of these guys, the mission would be easier. With portals, we can easily take the space stone..." Just as Harry had that thought, he stopped himself. He was not selfish enough to put his friends in danger because of him, and if something happened to them, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Seeing Harry, who was smiling just a second ago and now frowning deeply, Sarah alerted everyone.

Mark stepped forward, coughing to capture Harry's attention, and said, "Harry, we want to help you. Please take us with you."

"Is there a need to be so polite with this guy? If he won't take us with him, I will just create multiple copies of his photo and spread it all over the world. Besides if we want to follow him, he definitely can't stop us at all," Wei spoke with folded hands.

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