Marvelous Mutations

Early the next morning, Sharon arrived at the grocery store sharp and ready, positioning herself behind the counter like a seasoned professional.

To Luke's surprise, Wanda was already up as well, and she'd even bought him breakfast.

After taking care of her for so long, Luke didn't expect her to mature so quickly. Looking at the neatly arranged food on the small table, his eyes welled up with pride.

'My little Wanda's growing up.'

The day before, she and Sharon had spent several hours together. Though they hadn't exactly bonded, they'd reached a silent, mutual agreement, not to kill each other.

For Luke, that was a huge win.

Even before he could finish his breakfast, customers were already gathering at the door.

In recent days, the Lucky Cat statue's aura seemed to grow stronger. More customers arrived by the hour. And now, with Sharon helping, they would no longer be overwhelmed.

Having two women around might bring its own kind of trouble, but with an extra assistant, Luke didn't have to do everything himself anymore.

Sharon was impressively competent. Despite her elite background, she slipped into the role of small-store clerk with surprising ease.

…

The first customers of the day appeared to be a young couple.

They strolled in casually, seemingly browsing. But they weren't really looking at products. Instead, their eyes darted from shelf to shelf, as if searching for something… or someone.

Wanda, ever proactive, stepped up to greet them when she noticed they hadn't picked anything out.

Meanwhile, behind the counter, Sharon's expression darkened. She studied the pair with sharp, calculating eyes.

Something was off.

Luke, unaware of the tension, was still enjoying his breakfast while Doggo sat patiently at his feet, tail swishing, silently begging for scraps.

Unfortunately for Doggo, Luke wasn't planning to drop him even a single crumb, after all, this was the first time Wanda had gotten him breakfast, he wouldn't waste or share anything.

The couple, still playing the part of curious customers, slowly made their way toward Luke's table.

Luke, thinking they just wanted to pass through, was about to scoot his table aside when…

A glint of metal flashed.

Without warning, a dagger sprang from the male customer's hand.

His expression turned icy. His movement was clean, swift, and deadly, no hesitation, no wasted motion whatsoever. A direct thrust aimed straight at Luke's heart.

Simultaneously, the woman accompanying him pulled a silenced pistol from her purse and raised it to aim.

The entire store snapped into chaos in an instant.

[Ding~ Your vest detected a piercing threat and has converted to Vibranium material.]

[Ding~ Your grocery store sensed a ballistic threat. The air has become unnaturally humid. In this environment, gunpowder instantly fails to ignite.]

Only Luke could hear the system notifications.

To everyone else, the air simply felt a bit damp.

Not that anyone had time to wonder about that now.

Wanda's eyes widened in shock. Her hands surged with chaotic crimson light, magic instinctively flooding her body.

At Luke's feet, Doggo's fur bristled. A black-green aura surged around him as he prepared to leap, fangs bared, ready to devour not just the dagger, but even the arm wielding it.

All of this happened in less than a heartbeat.

The assassin, confident in his precision, was already imagining the kill.

One quick thrust to the chest. Then he and his partner would deal with the two women, clean up, and vanish.

Easy.

Five million dollars, just like that.

He never expected a grocery store owner to be worth that much. But he wasn't complaining, more money is always welcome.

Unfortunately for him, the target still had his back turned.

Which meant he didn't see the faint smirk forming on Luke's face.

Luke wasn't worried.

His system may not have reached Level 4, thus it still couldn't mutate things that didn't belong to him. But here, inside his own store, he was nearly invincible.

This wasn't something a couple of hired killers could handle.

He was expecting the clang of a dagger bouncing off Vibranium.

But what came instead was a hand.

Silently, suddenly, Sharon was there.

No one had seen her move. Not even Luke.

In one fluid motion, she grabbed the attacker's wrist mid-thrust.

Her movements made no sound, just smooth efficiency.

Before the assassin could react, she flipped her wrist and disarmed him. The dagger spun harmlessly into the air.

The man's expression flickered with surprise.

'This woman is strong…'

Still, he didn't panic. His partner was behind him, after all. Even if this woman managed to stop him, there's no way she could stop a bullet.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see that his companion's pistol was already aimed at the target's chest!

…