vine Talent, God's Ten-Billion Power!
New York State, up north, on a desolate stretch of highway.
A truck that looked ordinary yet was anything but rumbled along the road.
After a particularly bumpy patch, our protagonist stirred awake from the jolt.
"Ugh..."
"Where am I? My head hurts..."
Shiratori Riku blinked groggily, and before he could piece anything together, a sharp pain lanced through his skull. Instinctively he tried to clutch his head, only to realize something was restraining him. His hands would not open at all.
Forced to grit through the pain, he took stock of his situation.
The first thing he saw was a group of people of all colors trussed up in straitjackets.
There were Black folks, white folks, and East Asians like him.
Aside from the bound captives, several men with weapons stood nearby, faces blank and soldierly.
Riku stared, completely baffled.
What is this? For real? I take a nap and wake up here? Is this even back home anymore?
A small voice whispered beside him.
"Hey, kid, finally up. Keep sleeping like that and they'll probably force you awake in a minute."
Though the words were in English right by his ear, Riku had no idea why he could understand them. He was the flimsy college kid who never even passed CET-4 or CET-6.
Whatever. First figure out what is going on.
Before he could ask, a massive clump of memories detonated in his mind.
The flood nearly made his eyes roll back.
Enough... I can't, there's too much, stop cramming it in!
Two and a half seconds later, he had finally absorbed it all.
Turns out he had already died, and more than a decade ago crossed into the Marvel world, only without awakening his past life's memories until now.
This life's him had not done too badly. He still started as an orphan, but later managed to make some money.
He had come to America recently on vacation. While out shopping, he was ambushed, clubbed over the head, and ended up bound in this truck.
Maybe it was the blow to the skull that finally jolted his past life awake.
Having sorted it out, Riku could only lament how late the awakening came.
If it had happened earlier, he'd never have come to America.
In the Marvel world, America was the epicenter of disasters. People lived with crisis every day.
And he had gone and asked for it by coming here. See how that turned out.
Just as he was brooding over his bleak prospects, a voice chimed in his head.
DING!
[Detected: host has recovered past-life memory. Initializing the Dimension's Strongest Super Ultra Invincible Overpowered System!]
Hearing that mouthful of a name, Riku wanted to roast it, but the joy of a system appearing blew away his complaints.
Before he could speak to it, the system declared:
[System online. Awarding one Beginner Pack!]
[Mission complete. System preparing to detach. 3... 2... 1]
"Huh? Wait..."
Before he could stop it, the system bolted.
All that remained in his mind was a big gift box wreathed in violet radiance.
Riku was dumbstruck.
Are you kidding me? First time I see a system hand out a newbie pack and run.
You don't deserve that flashy name, you poser of a system. I ought to file a complaint. Tch!
After cursing it out in his heart for ten thousand words, he calmed himself a little.
He stared at the gift box in his mind and could only pray it brought him luck.
To hell with it. One tap to the bitter end.
Open!
The gift box burst with a blinding violet light.
When it faded, the contents presented themselves.
[Divine Talent: upon use, you will gain godlike talent. Nothing in this world can hide from your eyes. Note: requires your own effort to unearth and evolve.]
[Origin: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, the talent of Dan Kuroto]
[Commentary: Your era cannot contain your talent. From the moment you are born, you will surpass it.]
[God's Ten-Billion Power: upon use, you will gain godlike authority. Paired with Divine Talent, you can create games brimming with infinite possibilities.]
[Base Abilities: freely modify your own body parameters, and command the power of any celestial body in the universe (from the game Chronicle of the Cosmos). With Divine Talent, you can develop games of limitless potential.]
Seeing what had dropped, Riku felt he had wronged the system.
Who said it was bad? This system was amazing.
Without the slightest hesitation, he claimed both powers.
In an instant, his mind roared like a Big Bang. Endless knowledge and ideas geysered up inside him.
His body, under God's Ten-Billion Power, transformed into a divine vessel.
If he willed it, he could become a god who plucked stars and grasped sun and moon in a heartbeat.
When he finished receiving the power, he slowly opened his eyes. A violet gleam flashed across them.
A god was born.
The moment Riku fully accepted Divine Talent and God's Ten-Billion Power, the heavy hitters of this Marvel world sensed something.
...
Himalayas, Kamar-Taj.
In the middle of a lecture, the Ancient One fell silent. Under the puzzled gazes of her students, she opened a portal and stepped into a quiet room.
She stood at the center, sat cross-legged, raised both hands into a mandala, and opened the Eye of Agamotto hanging at her throat.
Then she entered the timeline revealed by the Eye to observe.
Not long after, she lowered her hands. Her expression was complicated, and in the end she said nothing.
In Asgard, Odin lifted the eye that could peer into the future and fixed it on a point.
Unfortunately, he saw nothing. He gripped his spear tighter, face unsettled, lost in thought.
Likewise, in the Dark Dimension, the Hell Dimension, among the Four Abstract Entities and more, countless beings turned their gaze toward the ripple that had just passed.