Chapter 2: The Danger Room and the First Secret
Location: Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters - Xavier Mansion
When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the crafted wooden ceiling of my new room on the upper floor of the mansion. Soft morning light streams through the large glass window, bathing the room in a warm, golden hue.
It takes me a few seconds to orient myself. Yesterday, after Jean guided me here, I lay down on the soft bed and passed out instantly. I won't lie: deep down, I half expected to wake up back in my messy room in my old world, my head throbbing from the exploding phone. But no. The smell of oak, the comfort of the mattress, and the thick flow of Elixir pulsing beneath my skin confirm that all of this is absurdly real.
I still haven't fully gotten used to the idea of being in the Marvel universe, but I let out a sigh and mutter toward the ceiling:
"Thanks, ROB... Wow, even saying that out loud sounds weird as hell."
I get out of bed and head straight for the room's private bathroom. I take a long, hot shower to wash off the rest of that stale hospital-skin feeling. Staring at myself in the mirror above the sink, I check my reflection. My skin is flushed, full of life, and the light stubble that had grown during the coma is easily shaved off with a razor left on the counter.
The only thing that still bothers me is my hair. It grew quite a bit over the last five years, falling messily around the sides of my head and covering my ears.
"Well... time to test something practical," I say to myself.
I close my eyes and focus on my mental Elixir Bar. I feel the 10 full, glowing drops in my subconscious. I select the Archers card.
I feel exactly 3 drops of Elixir drain from my veins. Instantly, two small spheres of magenta light emerge on the bathroom floor, rapidly expanding into a bright pink smoke. From the midst of the mist, the two warriors in green tunics materialize. They look young, with vibrant pink hair cut in a straight bob style, and wooden bows crossed on their backs.
I feel the mental Elixir bar start regenerating immediately, refilling one drop every 2.8 seconds.
"Good morning, ladies," I say with a friendly smile, leaning against the sink.
The two Archers look at me, cross their arms in unison, and merely nod in a somewhat distant, visibly arrogant manner, sporting an almost comical look of superiority.
I let out a low chuckle at their attitude.
"The thing is... I urgently need a haircut," I comment, pointing to the long strands on my head. "And I figured two ladies with such beautiful, perfectly styled hair would know exactly how to help me with that."
The Archer on the left tilts her head, gently touching a strand of her own pink hair, and looks at her companion beside her. A small smile of proud satisfaction appears on both their faces.
"Well... we might be able to help you with that, my King," the Archer on the left replies, her voice crisp and sharp. "It would be a tragedy to leave the leader of the army with such messy hair."
I made this joke for two reasons: first because I genuinely needed to trim my hair, and second to test a theory. If the personality of the summoned troops follows their core essence, yesterday I had already noticed that the Knight acted exactly as expected—courteous, dramatic, and proud of his own mustache. Now, I confirmed that the Archers kept their arrogant stance, but were extremely susceptible to compliments about their hair, as that seemed to be the troop's greatest source of aesthetic pride.
The two grab a pair of medical scissors from the bathroom cabinet and get to work. They engage in a heated, technical debate between themselves about facial proportions, symmetry, and hair flow, completely ignoring any opinion or input I try to give.
Fifteen minutes later, the job is done. I look in the mirror and am surprised: the cut turned out sensational. Short on the sides, slightly textured on top, modern and clean, highlighting my magenta pupils even more as they glow subtly under the light.
Before I can thank them, a quick knock echoes on my bedroom door.
"Come in!" I call out, stepping out of the bathroom while drying my hands on a towel.
Instead of the door opening in the conventional way, the wood of the panel simply seems to become intangible. A young girl with brown hair and a denim jacket walks right through the solid door, entering the room as if the wood were made of air.
"Good morning, Kael! I'm Kitty Pryde," the girl introduces herself with a lively smile, but freezes in the middle of the room the very next second.
Her eyes widen as she notices the two pink-haired Archers coming out of the bathroom right behind me, holding scissors with bows crossed on their backs. The two summons immediately drop into a guard stance, glaring at the intruder with suspicious looks.
"Ugh..." Kitty murmurs, taking a step back. "Are those... the summons you can make? Logan told us what happened in the infirmary yesterday, but seeing it up close is completely different."
"Yeah, these two lovely ladies behind me are my Archers," I reply with a calm smile, hands in my pants pockets. "And don't think they're just a couple of girls with nice hair, okay? They simply never miss a target, no matter the distance."
Upon hearing my comment, the two Archers immediately puff out their chests with proud arrogance, wearing even more haughty smiles as they adjust their quivers on their backs.
I let out a low laugh at their reaction and make a subtle gesture with my hand. "See you later, girls."
With a mental command, the two dissolve into glowing pink mist that drifts through the air and is reabsorbed through my skin. My mental Elixir Bar instantly refills to its maximum of 10 drops.
Kitty blinks a few times, fascinated by the mist display.
"So, Miss Kitty," I say, turning to her with an amused look. "Where are we heading?"
Kitty laughs at the improvised nickname and gestures for me to follow her. "To the cafeteria! The Professor tasked me with coming to get you. I guess you haven't eaten any solid food in about five years, right?"
"True," I admit, following her out of the room.
Though I nod along, I realize that because of the Elixir running through my veins, I don't even feel that hungry.
We walk side by side down the mansion's lavish hallways. The polished hardwood floor and old paintings on the walls give the place the aura of a traditional elite school.
"Your power is insanely interesting, Kael," Kitty comments, glancing at me sideways as we walk. "Materializing people out of pure energy... it's crazy."
"Yours is great too, Kitty," I reply sincerely. "Walking through walls like they're smoke is an absurd tactical ability."
She gives a shy chuckle, adjusting her bag strap on her shoulder. "Oh, please... walking through things doesn't come close to being as cool as summoning an army of warriors."
"Believe me, it all depends on how you use it," I say with a wink.
As we turn the corner of the main hallway leading to the staircases, we run into two girls walking in the opposite direction. One wears pink sunglasses, a yellow jacket, and has Asian features; the other wears a leather jacket and carries a curious, expressive look, with white streaks in her brown hair. I don't even need introductions to know exactly who they are.
"Kael, these are Jubilee and Rogue," Kitty introduces us.
"Nice to meet you, girls," I say, extending my hand and greeting both with a friendly handshake. "Looks like everyone around here has a stylish nickname, huh?"
Jubilee lets out a short laugh. "Ain't that the truth! I never really thought about it, but people here love a codename."
"How are you feeling, sugah?" Rogue asks with her distinct Southern accent, analyzing my face. "Logan said you almost brought the infirmary ceiling down yesterday."
"I feel great, good as new," I reply with a confident smile.
We keep chatting and making small talk as we head down the stairs toward the main cafeteria. The place is spacious, with large oak tables and glass windows overlooking the back gardens. The atmosphere is considerably lively, though I notice the mansion isn't at full capacity. Since it's a break period from regular classes, only the resident students and the core X-Men team are present.
As soon as I enter the cafeteria, my eyes hit the center table. Gathered there are several familiar faces.
"Hello again, Red," I say, approaching the table with my hands in my pockets.
Jean Grey, who was sipping a cup of tea, raises an eyebrow and stares at me with an amused look. "Red? Why are you calling me that?"
"Well, you didn't tell me your name in the infirmary yesterday," I reply, shrugging.
Jean blushes slightly as she remembers our dialogue from the previous night and gives a timid smile. "Ah... that's true. Forgive me, with all the chaos of your awakening, I forgot the basics. Nice to meet you, my name is Jean Grey."
She then makes a point of introducing me to the others sitting around the table.
Scott Summers, Cyclops, greets me with a firm nod and a serious handshake. Bobby Drake, Iceman, gives me a casual wave while chewing on a piece of toast. Ororo Munroe, Storm, offers me a warm, serene smile that conveys an absurd sense of peace. Warren Worthington III, Angel, merely makes a noble gesture with his head from the other side of the table.
"Pleasure to meet all of you," I say, keeping a confident posture.
As the conversation flows, I take the opportunity to observe the group closely. Something that really catches my attention is everyone's age. In my memory from my old world, I always imagined figures like Storm and Cyclops as much older adults. But here, in this timeline, everyone is incredibly young. The oldest members of the core team look to be around twenty or twenty-one at most, while the younger ones, like me, Kitty, and Jubilee, are in our late teens around eighteen. It's a young, good-looking team with insane potential.
After a few minutes of chatting, Professor Charles Xavier enters the cafeteria in his motorized wheelchair. He greets me with his usual warmth and asks how I slept.
"Slept like a rock, Professor," I reply.
"I am very glad to hear that, Kael," Xavier says, joining his hands on his lap. "Now, if you are willing, I would like us to conduct a few practical tests in the basement. We need to better understand the reach and nature of your abilities so we can guide you in the best possible way."
"Sure, no problem," I agree immediately.
The truth is, I already understand my power perfectly. However, I accept the tests because I know it's necessary to show what I can do to earn their trust. And, of course, I make a strategic decision that very second: I won't show everything. Keeping a card or two up my sleeve is the number one survival rule in this universe.
After breakfast, I head down the secret elevator to the mansion's basement levels and find myself in the center of the Danger Room.
The place is colossal. It's a gigantic metallic dome whose reinforced alloy walls are covered with holographic panels and light emitters. I stand alone in the middle of the arena. Above me, behind a reinforced bulletproof glass panel, I see the control booth where Xavier, Hank McCoy, Jean Grey, Scott, and Logan are positioned to observe the tests.
The sound of the intercom echoes through the room's speakers.
"Kael, can you hear me?" Xavier's voice resounds. "We will begin with a basic physical response test. I will release a few standardized combat drones to evaluate your agility and resistance."
"Send them over, Professor," I reply, keeping a relaxed stance in the center of the room.
Plates on the metallic floor slide open and four two-meter-tall training robots emerge. They feature heavy mechanical arms and electric motors humming loudly. Without hesitating, the four robots rush at me simultaneously, landing heavy blows against my chest and back.
CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of metal striking my body echoes through the Danger Room, but I don't even budge. The robots' attacks feel like little more than tickles on my skin.
This happens because of the main passive characteristic of my power. My body absorbs and accumulates the attributes of every troop I've unlocked. Right now, I carry the combined physical resistance of an eleven-foot Giant and an armored Knight. My biological density is simply absurd.
I give a light, nonchalant tap with the back of my hand to the chest of the robot in front of me.
BAM!
The kinetic shock of my soft touch implodes the robot's steel chassis, sending its wreckage crashing against the room's wall like a crumpled soda can.
Turning toward the observation booth, I place a hand over my eyes and ask through the microphone, "Do you guys have any tougher ones up there? These won't last five seconds."
I hear Logan's rough, amused laugh echo through the speaker.
"Increasing the drones' strength won't be necessary, Kael," Xavier's voice responds in surprise. "The Danger Room's artificial intelligence has already calculated your body's density and your baseline force output through the impact. The results of your passive physical traits already exceed the standard human scale by a terrifying margin."
I'm not surprised by the assessment. The Danger Room's AI is one of the most advanced pieces of tech on the planet, so calculating my strength through impact physics is child's play for it. But I don't mind: I know that when I move up to the next Arena, my body will get even more brutal.
"Alright," Hank McCoy's voice takes over the mic. "Now that we've evaluated your physique, we'd like to analyze the tactical behavior of your summons. Could you materialize the first troop?"
"On it," I answer.
I focus and summon the Knight (Cost: 3 Elixir).
The pink smoke emerges and my chest-plated, chainmail-wearing warrior materializes in the center of the room. As soon as he notices the glass observation booth above, the Knight gives a dramatic bow to the X-Men, twirls his thick mustache with a confident look, and draws his longsword from its sheath.
Three new robots emerge from the floor. The Knight charges at them with impressive combat grace. His movements are precise, his sword cuts through the hydraulic joints of the robots with ease, and his armor absorbs electrical blasts without giving way.
Evaluating his performance, I see that his physical strength and speed are clearly superior to those of an ordinary human. He possesses a combat level equivalent to an elite Super Soldier. I can't help but smile internally at the irony: governments and secret organizations in this world spend billions of dollars and kill thousands of test subjects trying to recreate the Super Soldier Serum, while I just have to wait a few seconds to generate 3 drops of Elixir and summon one.
Dismissing the Knight, I next summon the two Archers (Cost: 3 Elixir).
They appear with their usual feline agility. Hank activates high-speed moving targets that pop out from the ceiling and walls at unpredictable angles. The Archers move around the environment with spectacular physical mobility—something comparable to the combat and agility training of the Black Widow program in the comics. They are superhuman, light, and fast. As for their marksmanship... it's simply perfect. No matter the target's speed, trajectory, or obstacles in the way; every arrow fired hits right into the power core of the drones, disabling them instantly.
Next, I decide to summon the Musketeer for the first time (Cost: 4 Elixir).
The pink energy shapes itself, revealing a young woman with vibrant purple hair wearing a durable combat suit with a light helm, holding a heavy iron musket in her hands.
She displays a physique as durable and agile as the Archers', confirming my theory that the basic biological baseline of my human troops equals the level of a Super Soldier. However, the Musketeer stands out for her demeanor: she possesses an extremely rigid, formal military training stance. Her musket shots echo like thunder in the Danger Room, piercing heavy armor with terrifying ease. It's like comparing a Barbarian warrior to a Knight: the base strength might be similar, but tactical training elevates the Knight and Musketeer to a much higher tier of efficiency.
With the Musketeer dismissed, it's time to bring out the heavyweight. I summon the Giant (Cost: 5 Elixir).
The 11-foot colossus appears in his brown coat and goofy smile. Hank activates the Danger Room's heavy, high-caliber machine gun turrets. The weapons fire hundreds of armor-piercing rounds directly at the Giant's chest.
TATATATATATATATATA!
The heavy-caliber bullets strike the Giant's muscles and coat, simply dropping crumpled onto the floor without causing a single scratch or drop of blood. The Giant merely walks calmly up to the turrets and crushes them with his bare hands as if they were made of cardboard. The room's AI calculates his physical strength at a scale close to 100 tons, focusing on nearly unshakeable durability and resistance.
Finally, I summon the trio of Minions (Cost: 3 Elixir).
The three small, blue-skinned winged creatures with horns appear flying high in the dome. They display impressive aerial mobility, dodging defensive lasers and blasting streams of corrosive Black Elixir from their hands at the ground targets.
Watching the Minions fly with such ease, and seeing them shoot that Black Elixir sludge, I realize something crucial: I can also attack with that same sludge directly. I didn't just inherit the passive physical attributes of each troop, but their actual functional capabilities. When I get back to my room, I'm going to test if I can fly as well.
With all troops tested and dismissed, the Danger Room returns to silence.
"Outstanding performance, Kael!" Xavier's voice echoes. "Your arsenal of summons is incredibly versatile. I believe we've covered everything for today, we can end the test."
"Hold on a second, Professor," I say into the mic, looking up at the booth. "There's still one more thing. But... fair warning, it's pretty destructive."
Hank and Xavier exchange looks in the booth. "Go ahead, Kael. The Danger Room can handle high-impact simulations."
For the test of my spell, Xavier raises three reinforced test dummys from the floor that resemble the shape and armor plating of Sentinel robots. Seeing the silhouette of those mutant-hunting robots used as training targets puts me on alert: Sentinels are already a real, known threat in this world. Important information to keep in mind.
I decide to test the Fireball (Cost: 4 Elixir).
I concentrate 4 drops of Elixir in my mind. I don't need a wand, scroll, or magical components. Pure Elixir energy condenses in the air right behind my back, generating a colossal sphere of orange flames and concentrated energy that raises the Danger Room's temperature by dozens of degrees in a second.
With a swift wave of my arm, I hurl the Fireball toward the targets.
FWOOOOOOSH!
The sphere crosses the room's air like a miniature comet. When it strikes the center of the three Sentinel targets, a thunderous explosion occurs.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The shockwave makes the metallic floor vibrate. A column of concentrated fire consumes all three targets instantly, melting the heavy alloy armor plating and reducing the robots to a puddle of liquid metal in seconds. What's most fascinating is that, just like in the game, the Fireball's effect is precisely contained: the explosion doesn't spread uncontrollably across the entire room, but rather devours and incinerates everything with overwhelming power within its defined impact area.
I look up at the observation booth. The X-Men's reaction is priceless: Scott has a hand on his visor, Hank is furiously scribbling down data with wide eyes, and Jean is staring at me with a mix of shock and awe.
"Am I cleared, Professor?" I ask with a calm smile.
"Y-Yes, Kael... you are cleared," Xavier responds, regaining his voice. "Excellent work."
And what they don't know is that I kept two crucial secrets completely to myself during this entire test.
I didn't use the Arrows spell—keeping a fast-firing area-of-effect cover attack as an element of surprise. And, most importantly of all, I completely hid the Mini P.E.K.K.A. She is my highest single-target damage troop from the Training Camp. If the cutting ability and destructive force of that energy blade translate intact into the physics of this world, I don't think there are many beings on the planet who could even stand up for a second strike from her. Keeping the Mini P.E.K.K.A as my secret trump card was the best decision I made.
I leave the Danger Room and head to the basement locker rooms. I pull off the reinforced gray training jumpsuit they gave me and take a quick shower to change back into my regular clothes.
The exact instant I turn off the shower faucet, I feel a drastic shift deep within me.
A wave of clean, warm, expansive energy rushes through my chest, making my heart skip a beat. It's an unmistakable feeling of spiritual and physical evolution.
I look inward and see my system counter: +100 Trophies.
I smile to myself in the locker room. Exactly 24 hours have passed since the moment I first awakened my powers at twelve years old. The passive daily gain of 100 trophies has just been credited to my count.
With these 100 trophies, I officially leave the Training Camp behind and cross the threshold into Arena 1: Goblin Stadium!
That very second, I feel the unlocking of the new cards in my mental arsenal: the Goblins, the Spear Goblins, the Goblin Cage, and the Goblin Hut.
But the immediate passive effect on my own body is what leaves me slack-jawed. The attributes of the Goblins begin to integrate into my biology. I don't get a massive raw increase in muscle mass like from the Giant, but I feel my agility, my dodging reflexes, and my reaction speed spike to feline levels. My tendons feel lighter, my steps become completely silent, and I feel like I can move and dodge projectiles with unbelievable ease, on top of having inherited the physical brawler aggressiveness of the Enraged Goblin.
I clench my fists, feeling this new level of power flow through me. Now my arsenal boasts spectacular active troops and several hidden trump cards that no one in the mansion has any idea I possess.
Leaving the locker room, I find Kitty Pryde leaning against the hallway wall waiting for me with a bright smile.
"Hey there, champion! Everyone in the booth was jaw-dropped by your test!" Kitty says, walking alongside me. "Ready to finish checking out the rest of the mansion?"
I adjust the collar of my shirt, give her a confident smile, and reply:
"Definitely, Kitty. Let me show you around."
I look out the hallway window at the sunlit gardens of the mansion and think to myself: what a fine second day in this new world.