《I am in the Marvel Cinematic Universe》 1 Choice A lonely soul flew out from an unremarkable, ordinary planet. Its path should end now. It should inevitably dissolve into nothingness. . . . But if everything ended so simply, would you read it? For the first time in the entire history of the multiverse, a crack appeared in the space connecting two parallel existing worlds. That crack existed for only a mere second. Nonetheless, little soul slipped through it changing everything, breaking predefined fate of the whole universe. ?Some time later.? ''This place is so ... white ...'' The soul began to regain its self-consciousness. It felt somewhat uncomfortable. Just a few moments ago it was in a peaceful state. And now it felt like it was forced to live further. ''I died. I saw my own lifeless body laying on the bed. And just when I thought that my somewhat ordinary, but happy life ended...*sigh*.'' The soul of a man was bewildered. It then looked around to see if there was anything in this white room besides white walls. ''Hmm?'' At this point, his attention was drawn by three items. To be more precise ¨C three picture plates. Apple core was carved on the first plate. Second contained a coin, and the third ¨C knuckle. ''Riddle? ... Hmm ... May it be a test from a highest court?'' Even though he was an atheist, after the recent events, outrageous thoughts began to creep into his head. ''From all of the options first one seems the worst. But if we dig a little deeper, coin is an embodiment of money or maybe greed. And the knuckle may mean violence, whereas apple core is ... poverty?'' After a couple of minutes of reflection, he finally made his choice. Apple core picture plate started to levitate. The remaining two plates disappeared. [Choice has been made] [You''ve chosen ^Potential^] A soft, pleasant voice rang out. ''Huh?'' Immediately after that, everything went dark. **** At that very moment a boy of about 16 suddenly fell unconscious. Judging by his clothes he wasn''t rich nor was he from a middle-income family. He most likely was a homeless, lost boy. The poor boy was thin. His body was full of bruises and scratches. Such a life is not to be envied. "Haa...haaa" The child opened his eyes and began to breathe quickly as if he lacked air. He rose to his feet and began to examine himself and his surroundings. "A dump?" The boy''s body changed its owner and now the soul of a 24 year old guy was at a landfill on the outskirts of New York. ''This is not what I expected'' At the moment, his head was filled with different thoughts. ''So of all the crazy and incredible theories about afterlife, the only genuine is reincarnation?'' "What should I do now?" The guy, formerly known as Alan Rowan, asked, not expecting to hear a response. [Do you need a help?] A familiar voice sounded in Alan''s head. Hearing it, he froze for a couple of seconds and then spoke quickly. "Yes, I do! Short explanation of the current situation would be nice." He was wondering what that voice is, but he decided to start with the main thing. [You, Alan Rowan, died on 19th March of 2019. But by coincidence, you were reborn into this body, on another planet, in a different universe.] "Coincidence? All those plates, choices ... are just a coincidence?" [No, your existence as a whole is a coincidence. You don''t belong to this place.] "Wait but what about my choice? Someone created that room and the plates right?" [I am sorry but I do not have this information. My database is limited.] "Well, then who are you?" At that moment, Alan held his breath. Throughout the conversation, he was a little frightened. Hearing a voice in your head will scare anyone, except maybe a mentally ill person. [Virtually, I am your choice.] "... Apple core?" [I prefer ^Potential^ if you don''t mind] "Potential..." [Yes. And by choosing me you gain ''status window'' and ''growth potential''] "Now everything fell into place." He used to read such kind of novels, so he now understood what was going on. Just a word ''status'' was more than enough. "What if I chose other two plates?" [No information] ''I hope that I did the right choice'' "Show me my status, please" [Alan Rowan Powers: None Age: 16 STR(strength): 0.57 AGL(agility): 0.6 END(endurance): 0.5 INT(intelligence): 1.4 Charm: 0.6] [*Note* Average adults indicator: 1] [Special abilities: Growth] Holographic status window appeared in front of Alan. It was semi-transparent. And it was impossible to touch it. "How do I activate my special ability?" [Mentally click on the icon with the ability] Alan concentrated on the icon and tried to click on it. A new window appeared immediately. [Shop points: 0] [Stat points: 0] [Alan Rowan Powers: None(Check the shop) Age: 16 STR: 0.57/¡ã¡ã¡ã AGL: 0.6/¡ã¡ã¡ã END: 0.5/¡ã¡ã¡ã INT: 1.4/10 Charm: 0.6/10] ''Ohh. I assume that it''s possible to change your stats. It''s quite exciting, even INT and Charm are changeable. But why last two are limited?'' As if answering his question, ''Potential'' explains: [Growth potential of your strength, agility and indurance is unlimited. The limitations of intelligence and charm are common. Example: The smartest person in this world has 9.4 points of intelligence.] Alan felt delighted. Despite the current state of his body, the growth potential is simply enormous. Now he was more convinced in the correctness of the choice he made. ''Shop'' He tried to summon new window just by thinking, and it worked. [Marvel Universe Shop: >Powers >Items >Exchange] Alan involuntarily pinched himself. ''Marvel!!'' 2 Bad Alan Then, Alan one by one checked every section of the shop. [Marvel Universe Shop: >Powers: ?Physical ?Mental ?Magical ?Packs >Items: ?Food ?Weapon ?Armor( Clothes, Accessories) >Exchange: ?Buy stat points |1 stat point = 2500 shop points| ?Sell powers and items for points] [*Advice* Purchasing stat points in the ''Exchange'' section is not recommended. It''s sensible to do so only if you will eventually use it to boost your INT and Charm stats] By examining prices, Alan already understood that exchanging shop points for stat points is unbeneficial. The thing that caught his attention the most was ''Packs''. It contained powers and equipment of every character in the universe. There were all kinds of characters starting from Tag, whose power is that he can tag people and ending by One-Above-All. First one costs only 80 points, whereas latter is not available. All the abilities above ''Super Soldier'' are unavailable. And Alan assumed that it was only natural cause that''s what growth implies. Nevertheless, he still asked his question: "How can I unlock these abilities?" [By gradually gaining powers] ''Well, level of Captain America is enough to be able to participate in the main events ... Wait'' "What year is it?" [It''s 2012, 6 days before the first ''Avengers''] ''How convenient. My existence is just a coincidence huh?'' Unfortunately for Alan, his new assistant ''Potential'' knew nothing about those suspicious ''coincidences''. For now, his only worry was to accumulate points. At least enough points to survive these 6 days by buying food in the shop. Then he will be able to meet with all of the Avengers. Why was he so eager to be involved in the mass destruction? He literally got transported into MCU and then he finds out that he has the ability to gain all the marvelous powers of the fictional characters! Though not long, he has already lived a normal and unremarkable life. That''s why this new life he will live with slightly different mindset. "How to acquire points?" [You can acquire points just by being in a particular place where main events take place. Or, besides those events you can just interact with the main characters to gain points. To use last option more effectively you can make those characters feel sad, indignant, happy, etc.] ''Now I should construct a plan. I have no food and no place to stay at night. I know that I am on the outskirts of New York. And who lives in New York? Stark, Dr. Strange, also Steve should be living here. But those are hard to reach. Hmm ... '' "How far is Queens from here?" [50 miles. Turn right and move forward.] "So actually you can show me the location of the place I ask? Maybe you can show me where Peter Parker is?" [At the moment I have information about major countries and cities, but I can''t pinpoint the location of a particular person.] "I see, then, let''s get moving." **** It was evening. A little 11 year old boy was playing in the playground. He had a habit to come here everyday. Although most of the time he was alone(like today) it didn''t really bother him cause he was just a child. Aunt May warned him that he shouldn''t be late for dinner. So he put on his tiny backpack and headed towards the exit from the playground. But when he was already at the gate, a strange-looking man stood up in front of him. His face from nose to chin was covered with black fabric. But it couldn''t fully hide his features. Sunken dark-blue eyes, dry, cracked skin and dirty, disheveled hair. He looked like a typical bum. But for little, susceptible child he looked more like a monster. Peter froze. His heartbeat quickened. A drop of sweat formed on his temple. Ghhhaaaaaaa!! A strange-looking man growled, which made Peter even more terrified. He quickly turned around and ran. Uaaaa!!! Huuuu!!! Peter could hear mad cries from behind. He stumbled and fell on the ground. Fearing to be caught, he let out a girlish squeak. ...Iiieek He quickly stood up and approached the fence. Then he climbed it over. And just in a mere seconds Peter dissapeared. **** ...Sigh Self-deprecating sigh escaped Alan''s mouth. "That will do." He took off his black, self-made mask and moved away from the playground. ''I feel so bad ... One day I will repay him.'' Alan did not want to be someone''s childhood trauma. His mood dropped, but the next moment a warm smile appeared on his face ''But he is so adorable!'' Alan had no abnormal inclinations. It''s just that Peter really looked cute. To think of it all the people that Alan met on the way here looked somewhat unreal. Nearly everyone had neat and attractive features. It was a bit anime-like but at the same time they looked real. He got rid of useless thoughts and moved on to the main delicacy of the day. [Shop points: 122] [Stat points: 0] It was decent amount of points. Taking into account that 2~3 points were enough to buy food for a whole day. As for powers, he decided to wait till ''Battle of New York''. Not that he can afford anything helpful at the moment. Alan decided not to buy clothes cause the next place he is going to visit is shelter for homeless people. 3 Battle of New York Alan stretched and got up from his bed. He headed towards the canteen to grab some food. Soon his tray was filled with freshly prepared casserole and salad. ''What a life!'' At the moment he was in the shelter. He had some difficulties regarding his age and it was hard to persuade the chief of this place. But eventually he succeeded. And it''s been six days since he got here. Nothing much happened during this time, except that Alan decided to acquire the ability of ''Tag''. This is a pretty useful skill to keep track of people. Today was the day to act. He took last sip of water, buttoned up his shirt and left the shelter. The path took only 20 minutes and now Alan stood in front of the building with the inscription ''Stark''. This building will be partially destroyed and the new ''Avengers'' inscription will replace the former one. ''Wait, will it?'' "Pot, won''t my actions change everything in the plot? Well, even that I''m breathing should change things, no?" It was Million Dollar Question. Things will get really difficult if main plot changes. [Butterfly effect? No, the ''plot'' that you mentioned just now is the main driving force of this universe. That''s also why you gain points for being involved in it. And it''s hard to change the plot. Things will change only if you directly shift them.] "So, for instance, if I kill Iron Man then Ultron wouldn''t ever exist?" [Yes, probably.] Alan sat on the bench and pondered. ''Killing is definitely not a good option. Events of every movie are important for character growth and overall plot.'' He decided just to make some contribution in saving people and beating up the villains. To do so, he needs power. And to gain that power he needs to wait. Alan folded his hands and waited. The noise of the city disturbed him at the beginning, but after a while he got used to it. He closed his eyes and inadvertently fell asleep. ?An hour later? Aaaaaaaaaa!!! A girl standing near the shop, opposite of the bench Alan was sitting on, suddenly cried out looking at the sky. The source of her fear was a huge, blue portal. It continually expanded and after a while some humanoid creatures began to emerge from it. These creatures wore armor made of something resembling gold. It covered only their heads, hands and legs. They had spear-like guns and were heading down. Alan got up and rubbed his eyes while running. He already knew the spot where he could hide. [+2 shop points] [+1 shop point] [+1 shop point] Just by being here Alan received points every second. At this rate, he will be able to score 400-700 points in just an hour. But it''s not enough. He needs 3,400 points to purchase ''Super Soldier'' power. Alan entered the bank and stood at the counter. It was the same bank in which Chitauri will lead people as hostages. They will eventually try to blow all of them and all of that doesn''t make sense, but it will happen and Alan knew it. Boom! Bang! Panic and chaos swept the city. Pieces of the ceiling of the bank began to fall off. People run out of the bank and soon only Alan left inside. ..Sigh He sighed heavily and entered standby mode. Time passed quickly. In just 15 minutes, a crowd of people ran into the bank. They did it against their will. Chitauri poked their guns at them and shouted in an incomprehensible language. They gathered people in the middle of the hall on the first floor. Several other Chitauri climbed to the second floor and began to press buttons on a strange, small device. Alan stood with the crowd and waited for a man who should appear soon. Bang! Metallic sound echoed throughout the building. A man in a bright, red and blue suit was fighting against Chitauri. [+90 shop points] Chitauri who were on the first floor climbed to the second forgetting about the hostages. After a few seconds an explosion erupted. A man in a suit flew out of a window like a bullet. [+300 shop points] Alan and the others headed for the exit. There, rescuers and police sent people to a safe place. But Alan sneaked out. He approached Captain America, who sadly gazed at the sky. "Hey mister." He said sheepishly while poking into Cap''s hand. This was done intentionally to tag Captain so that Alan will be able to track him down. Steve turned his head and looked at a shabby, little boy. "It''s dangerous here, go with the rest to the safe zone." Steve furrowed his brows and scolded. "I will, but first I want to say something..." "What is it kid?" Steve bent down slightly. The kid cutely fiddled his fingers and said: "Tha - Thank you!" A smile appeared on Steve''s face. He showed the boy a thumbs up. Then he called one of the policemen and Alan was taken to the safe zone. [+100 shop points] **** ?Safezone? People talked excitedly with each other, telling what they were doing when it all started. There were various expressions among their faces. Sadness, anxiousness, fear. Only one boy was sitting on the chair with a blank expression. Alan did the maximum he could to get points. But without power he could do little. ''I wonder how many points I would have if I stand near the avengers when they all gather together in a circle.'' Epic moments probably would give more points, but it was too dangerous to go there. Alan had half the strength of an average adult. Even one blow with the fist would be enough to hurt him badly. [Shop points: 1,292] ''Ehh ... should I occasionally visit Peter?'' Being an ordinary person in this world is dangerous and boring. He needed ideas. But nothing came into mind. Alan lowered his head and looked at the people out of the corner of his eyes. Some people cried, some laughed, some were slightly battered while others laid covered in blood. Alan was overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions. Initially when everything started he felt joy and excitement. But soon after that, he saw all those corpses lying on the streets. This is what is left behind the frames of the movie. Harsh reality. In his past life, Alan has never seen the corpse of anyone. He was an ordinary guy with a normal life. And the recent ''sight'' left a bad aftertaste. ~~~~ It all ended after just over an hour. The news showed how Stark flew into the portal along with the rocket. Then at the last moment, when the portal was almost closed, Iron Man flew out of it. Then the footage stopped and the reporter happily announced that we had successfully repelled the alien attack. Everyone shouted joyfully and waved, kissing and hugging each other. Alan covered his ears to muffle the sounds as suddenly a clear voice echoed in his head: [You received 7,000 shop points as a reward] [You received 3 stat points as a reward] [You received 10% discount for 24 hours as a reward] 4 Upgrade Alan barely restrained himself from spending all the points at once. He took a deep breath and headed towards the exit. He squeezed through a crowd of people and finally left the safe zone. Exactly 25 minutes later he sat on his bed in the homeless shelter pondering of how to utilize points efficiently. ''Yeah, that makes sense.'' Suddenly his thoughtful expression changed into resolute. The most adequate choice was to utilize stat points first. To be more precise ¨C to increase his intelligence. Only then will he think of shop points. [Processing...] [Your intelligence will rise by 1 point within 8 hours] After a few seconds Alan realized that something was wrong. "Erm ... Pot, why can''t I add more than one point to intelligence?" [Cause you should wait till cool down ends.] "Cool down? Sigh ... how much time left?" [32 days, 3 hours, 12 minutes and 43 seconds] Alan was disappointed to say the least. But he couldn''t complain. The opportunity to increase such stat as INT without effort is miraculous itself! So he regained his joyfulness and added one point in Charm. [Your Charm will rise by 1 point within 8 hours] It wasn''t a very smart decision, but Alan decided to develop evenly. In fact, this was the first thing he wanted to spend points on. And he came up with this lame excuse. [Charm| Cool down time: 32 days ... 52 seconds] After that Alan plunged into deep thought. He can now acquire the same physical capabilities as Captain America. But first he has to do some calculations. He rummaged the shop for something useful. First thing he needs at the moment is money. And the easiest way to obtain some is to sell accessories from the shop. He estimated how much a kilogram(2.2 pounds) of gold necklaces, rings, etc. would cost. It was approximately 600 points. So, roughly speaking, 600 shop points equals 40,000$. That''s without discount. Alan decided to save 2,000 points for living expenses. Next movie after Avengers was Iron man 3. But it was reasonable not to be involved in this event. He felt that those people who had the ability to regenerate and heat their bodies were even more dangerous than Chitauri. It was hard to describe it, but Alan would rather confront Thanos than them. So he decided to skip it and go straight to the ''Thor: The Dark World''. 2,000 points are more than enough to live till then. Next up was his tagging ability. Unfortunately it had limitations. Alan could track down Cap only if the latter was half a mile or closer. That''s why he needed to purchase another power. It''s called Psychic Radar. And it can amplify the range of his power by 30 miles. Alan hold over another 1,400 points. Actually it was really cheap. And last but not the least is Illusuon Casting(500 points). It will help to get documents. Cap''s power, living expenses, Psychic Radar and Illusion Casting. In sum 7,300 points. 6,570 with discount. It means that Alan has 1,722 extra shop points. ''Phew...'' [You acquired new power |Psychic Radar|] [You acquired new power |Illusion Casting|] [You acquired new power |Super Soldier|] [Your body will gradually change within 7 hours] [*Advice* In order not to turn into a mutated monstrous creature you should purchase |Body manipulation|. It will allow you to stop external muscle growth and mutations. It also can set a limit of your powers so you won''t accidentally harm anyone.] [Price: 12,000 points] Alan stretched out on the bed, covering himself with a blanket. ''12,000 points ... Body Manipulation ...'' After some deliberation, he decided that this power is necessary. So Alan will try to save points for it in the future. Yawn... ''I''ll test abilities tomorrow'' It was only 6 p.m. but Alan felt very sleepy. Soon after, he fell asleep. **** Twelve hours later, Alan woke up and headed to the restroom. He slowly washed his face without looking in the mirror. Then he dried off with a towel, took a breath and looked up. In the reflection, he saw a muscular, good-looking guy. Changes were quite astounding. His cracked skin became smoother and looked more healthy. The curls of his brown hair became thicker and seemed more docile than before. His lifeless blue eyes were replaced by two bright sapphires. Now Alan was taller and looked older. He thoroughly examined himself and then smiled. ''Easy life'' He thought. His current appearance was easily above average. He couldn''t imagine how he would look with 10 charm points. Alan went to the kitchen and had a quick snack. Then he took one bag and turned toward the stairs to the second floor. ''Time to go'' It was indeed time to find a better place to live. He carefully passed by the beds. Alan had no keys so he slowly walked out of the window of the second floor. He jumped down and headed towards the nearest jewelry store that he had noticed beforehand. While walking, he checked his stats. [Alan Rowan Powers: |Tag|, |Super Soldier|(NEW), |Psychic Radar|(NEW), |Illusion Casting|(NEW) Age: 16 STR: 6.4 AGL: 6.38 END: 6.7 INT: 2.4 Charm: 1.6] [*Note* Average adults indicator: 1] Now Alan was 6 times stronger, faster and tougher than a normal person. He felt like his body was filled with energy. As for intelligence, Alan couldn''t tell if something about the way he thinks changed. He felt refreshed and his mind was clear, that''s all. Some time later Alan arrived to the jewelry store. He hid in the corner and purchased different golden accessories, which then appeared out of thin air, and put them in the bag. Only then did he enter jewelry store. Inside, everything looked gorgeous. Marble floors, silver walls, a huge chandelier in the center of the hall and long glass showcases with different jewelery inside. Alan, with his shabby shirt and black pants, didn''t fit into the interior. Nevertheless, he confidently approached one of the employees of the store. It was tall man in a suit. He had a sharp, long nose, pale skin, and a penetrating gaze. He looked more like an owner of this place rather than just an employee. "How can I help you, sir?" He asked politely. "I would like to sell some jewelery." "Let me take a look." "Sure" Alan pulled 5 gold necklaces out of the bag and put them in front of a man. Then the store employee took out a magnifying glass and began to examine the necklaces. After a while, he nodded in satisfaction and said: "24 carat gold, excellent. Let''s measure the weight." He took out small scales and put necklaces on them. "1.76 pounds(0.8 kg). It will be 32,673$. Is that fine with you?" "Yes." Alan responded briefly. After that, store employee handed him 32,673$ and said goodbye. Alan exited the jewelry store and took a deep breath. It was time to spend some money.