The cold wind moved quietly through the empty alley.
Three bodies lay motionless on the ground.
The darkness slowly faded as the shadows around Arata returned to his body.
He flexed his fingers slightly, feeling the new strength flowing through him.
'Level 2 already… this system really rewards killing.'
The notification screen slowly disappeared.
But Arata's focus had already shifted.
Someone was watching him.
His Demon Sense clearly felt it.
A sharp gaze from above.
Arata slowly lifted his head and looked toward the rooftop of the nearby building.
A silhouette stood there.
A woman.
Long red hair moved gently with the wind.
She wore a black tactical suit that perfectly blended with the darkness.
Her posture was calm and balanced, like a trained predator observing prey.
Natasha Romanoff.
The future Black Widow.
Arata smiled slightly.
'So SHIELD already has agents nearby… interesting.'
For a few seconds, neither of them moved.
Then suddenly—
The red-haired woman jumped down from the rooftop.
Her body flipped gracefully in the air before landing softly a few meters away from Arata.
Not even a sound came from her landing.
She glanced at the three dead criminals before looking back at him.
Her sharp green eyes studied him carefully.
"You're not normal."
Arata chuckled softly.
"That's a strange way to greet someone."
Natasha crossed her arms.
"Three grown men dead in seconds."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"And shadows that move like living things."
She stepped closer.
"Want to explain that?"
Arata looked at her calmly.
'So this is Black Widow before the Avengers…'
Even without her famous reputation yet, her presence was dangerous.
Her body language, balance, breathing—everything showed she was highly trained.
But compared to his current power…
She wasn't a threat.
At least not right now.
Arata shrugged slightly.
"Self-defense."
Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"Self-defense?"
She pointed at the bodies.
"That looked more like execution."
Arata smiled faintly.
"They tried to hurt someone."
Natasha stared at him for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
"You're not a superhero."
Arata laughed.
"Do I look like one?"
Natasha didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she slowly walked around him, observing him carefully.
Her instincts were warning her.
Something about this man felt… wrong.
Dangerous.
Almost inhuman.
Finally she stopped in front of him again.
"What's your name?"
Arata looked directly into her eyes.
"Arata."
She nodded slightly.
"Natasha."
Arata already knew that.
But he pretended to hear it for the first time.
"Nice to meet you."
For a few seconds, silence filled the alley again.
Then Natasha spoke quietly.
"You know… people who can do what you just did usually attract attention."
Arata tilted his head slightly.
"What kind of attention?"
Natasha gave a small mysterious smile.
"The kind you probably don't want."
Arata's lips curved slightly.
'SHIELD… Hydra… maybe even other things.'
But honestly—
He wasn't worried.
If anything, it made things more interesting.
Natasha looked at him one last time before stepping back.
"Be careful, Arata."
She turned around and began walking away.
But before leaving the alley, she paused.
Without looking back she said,
"Next time we meet…"
Her voice carried a hint of curiosity.
"I expect better answers."
Then she disappeared into the darkness.
Arata watched the empty alley quietly.
The night had suddenly become much more interesting.
He looked down at his hand again.
Dark energy moved slowly across his palm.
'Marvel Universe… SHIELD… superheroes…'
A faint smile appeared on his face.
'Let's see how far this power can grow.'
And somewhere in the distance…
The future of the Marvel world had just begun to change.