Slow pacing, emotional, reflective
Time passed softly in Santo Domingo.
The warm mornings grew into warm years, and the small rooftop where John first heard the system's voice became a place he often returned to — to think, to breathe, to look beyond the city skyline and imagine something bigger.
By fifteen, he had grown into a calm, observant teenager.
Not flashy. Not loud.
But people noticed him.
Teachers remembered his name after meeting him once.
Kids from other neighborhoods showed up at his basketball court "by accident."
Store owners slipped him free snacks saying, "You remind me of someone famous, pero no sé quién."
Even strangers sometimes glanced at him twice, squinting like they were trying to place him.
It wasn't luck.
It wasn't coincidence.
It was the Celebrity System, operating in its limited mode — subtle, but real.
He still heard the voice occasionally:
[Public Appeal: +0.7%]
[Charisma Drift Detected.]
[System Potential Restricted. Recommended relocation: United States.]
He never told anyone, but the idea stayed with him every day.
The USA.
The place where the system could truly awaken.
But he didn't have the power to make that choice.
His parents did.
It happened on a warm evening.
John sat at the small kitchen table, doing homework under the faint yellow glow of a hanging bulb. A fan hummed in the background. His father sat across from him, hands folded, eyes unreadable. His mother stood leaning on the counter, as if the news weighed her down too much to sit.
"John," his father began gently, "queremos hablar contigo."
John put his pencil down.
The seriousness in his father's voice made his stomach tighten.
"What happened?"
His mother exchanged a look with his father before speaking.
"Mi amor… we applied to a special school in New York."
Her voice wavered slightly.
"And you got accepted."
New York.
The word struck him like lightning.
In the same moment, the system whispered softly in his mind:
[Primary Region Detected.]
[Full Activation Threshold Approaching.]
He inhaled sharply.
His father continued, "This school… it gives opportunities you can't get here. Scholarships. Connections. A chance at something bigger."
John swallowed hard. "When… when would I leave?"
His mother's eyes filled with tears she tried to blink away.
"Next month."
The fan hummed on. A motorcycle buzzed past outside.
And John's heart pounded in his chest.
Leaving Santo Domingo.
Leaving his friends.
Leaving his childhood behind.
But also—
Unlocking the system.
Entering the Marvel world's center stage.
Taking the first step toward something he didn't fully understand yet.
He clenched his hands beneath the table, grounding himself.
"Okay," he said quietly.
Then stronger:
"Okay. I'll go."
His parents didn't know the real weight behind his acceptance — they just saw a boy growing into his future.
But John felt it.
Something was shifting.
Something big.
The goddess's words echoed faintly in the back of his mind:
"Grow strong. The world will need you."
Later that night
He sat again on the rooftop, knees pulled to his chest, Santo Domingo stretched out below him like a bed of stars. The tropical breeze brushed against his skin.
And then—
Ding.
A chime, clearer than ever.
[System Notice: User Preparing to Enter Primary Influence Region.]
[Full Activation Imminent.]
John exhaled slowly.
New York City was waiting.
And with it, the beginning of his true rise.