The light was the first thing I noticed.
Not the metaphorical "walk into the light" kind. This was more like staring directly into a billion-watt spotlight while being kicked through a blender made of glass and lightning.
And then suddenly—silence.
Air slammed into my lungs like I'd been drowning. I gasped, clutching my chest, my heart hammering like a war drum.
Concrete beneath me. Hot. Rough.
Voices. Cars. Honking. A street performer playing saxophone. Pigeons. A baby crying somewhere.
I blinked. Above me stood a building so iconic, I nearly forgot how to breathe.
Stark Tower.
"What the hell...?" I whispered, staggering to my feet.
Everything felt real. The humidity. The ache in my knees. The buzz of electricity in the air. This wasn't a dream. It wasn't VR.
It was New York City. Marvel-style.
I was in the MCU.
And then came the voice. But not from outside—from inside my head.
---
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
[USER: UNKNOWN]
[STATUS: REINCARNATED]
[INITIATING TUTORIAL MODE…]
---
"What the hell is this?" I mumbled, blinking as glowing panels flickered into view like some high-end sci-fi heads-up display.
A translucent screen hovered in my vision:
---
[WELCOME TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE]
[YOUR KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN PRESERVED]
[YOUR PRESENCE WILL ALTER THIS WORLD]
[ADAPT. SURVIVE. OR DIE.]
[SYSTEM FEATURES UNLOCKED:]
– Timeline Awareness (Locked)
– Power Replication (Lv. 0)
– Skill Tree (Partial Access)
– Reputation Monitor: GLOBAL
---
My heart pounded harder. I wasn't just in the MCU. I was playing it like a game. But this wasn't a power fantasy. If I made one wrong move, Thanos—or worse—could end me like a bad DLC.
Then came another alert.
---
[QUEST ALERT: FIRST CONTACT]
Objective: Avoid capture or elimination within 24 hours.
Reward: Access to Power Replication Skill (Lv. 1)
Penalty: Death, imprisonment, or dissection.
Timer: 23:59:43
---
"Oh, fantastic," I muttered. "First quest and the stakes are life or death. Classic."
I stumbled away from the street corner, trying to blend in, but I knew I looked like a lunatic. Barefoot. Mismatched clothes. I didn't even know what body I had been reincarnated into yet.
I ducked into an alley, checked my reflection in a dirty window.
Young. Early 20s. Familiar, but not my original face. Taller. Sharper jaw. Brown eyes, short black hair. Fit, but not jacked.
Okay. Bonus points for glow-up, I guess.
But just as I was figuring out my next move, a mechanical whirrrrr filled the air. A shadow passed overhead.
No. No, no, no—
I looked up.
Iron Man.
Descending like a golden god, thrusters blazing as he landed ten feet away from me, hand repulsors lit but not aimed.
He raised an eyebrow behind his visor.
"Well, you're either a homeless cosplayer with experimental AR tech, or someone very interesting."
I froze. The system pinged.
---
[DIALOGUE CHOICE UNLOCKED]
> A. "I come in peace, Mr. Stark."
B. "This is a misunderstanding."
C. "Don't shoot! I have information you need."
D. (Run)
---
I stared at the options. No time to hesitate.
I picked C.
"I know this sounds insane, but I have information you need. About the timeline. About what's coming."
Tony's head tilted. The repulsor whined louder.
"Go on," he said. "You've got ten seconds before I call S.H.I.E.L.D. or blast a hole through your mystery HUD."
My throat went dry. I needed to say something that would prove I knew things only an insider would know.
"Loki is alive," I blurted. "And he's going to attack New York with a Chitauri army. The Tesseract? S.H.I.E.L.D. is experimenting on it. You don't even know about HYDRA inside yet. Oh—and Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Just a kid."
His eyes narrowed behind the visor.
"Okay. Now you have my attention."
---
[REPUTATION UPDATE: Tony Stark +10 (Suspicious Curiosity)]
[QUEST UPDATE: FIRST CONTACT — SUCCESSFUL DIALOGUE TRIGGERED]
[Power Replication Skill Unlocked]
---
I exhaled.
This was only the beginning. I hadn't even met the others yet—Thor, Hulk, Wanda, Natasha, Peter...
But one thing was clear:
I wasn't watching the story anymore.
I was in it.
And the system was just getting started.
---