The next morning, the sky over New York felt heavier than usual—gray, humid, and strangely quiet.
John felt it the moment he stepped outside.
A pressure.
A tension.
Like the world was holding its breath.
And then, the familiar System chime echoed in his mind.
[System Alert: Marvel Timeline Divergence Detected.]
[Minor Threat Approaching: Level E.]
[Recommended Action: Observe from a distance. Do not engage.]
John froze.
"So… it begins," he whispered.
This was the first real sign that he wasn't just living in a peaceful alt-reality.
This was Marvel.
And Marvel always had problems around the corner.
At School – Uneasy Normality
Classes felt different today.
Even Sabrina, who had been buzzing with excitement after her singing breakthrough, was quieter.
She kept glancing at the windows, as if she sensed the tension too.
"Are you okay?" John asked her.
She nodded slowly.
"I just… feel weird today. Like something bad's gonna happen downtown."
John stiffened.
Had the ripple already begun?
He forced a smile.
"Maybe it's just the weather messing with you."
Sabrina didn't seem convinced, but she didn't argue.
Lunchroom Buzz – The City Moves Strange
By lunchtime, the rumors had started.
"Did you hear? Something happened near Times Square."
"Police blocked off two streets."
"Some dude said the ground shook."
John's fork stopped midair.
Ground shook.
That was never good.
He opened the Celebrity System under the table, pretending to look at his phone.
A new message blinked urgently:
[Threat Category: Unknown Creature]
[Energy Signature: NOT natural to Earth.]
[Advice: Do not intervene unless directly endangered.]
He muttered under his breath:
"Great. First real Marvel problem and I'm supposed to sit on the bench."
After School – The Subway Incident
He decided to take a different route home—less crowded, fewer chances of accidents.
But when the subway screeched to a stop, the lights flickered.
People gasped.
Children cried.
A wave of cold air rolled through the train.
The overhead lights flickered again… then stabilized.
John's heart pounded.
"…System? What was that?"
[Disturbance Detected Below Subway Line.]
[Unknown entity moving underground.]
He swallowed hard.
So the threat wasn't in Times Square.
It was here.
Right under him.
The Entity
The lights went out again.
Then came the sound.
A scraping.
A dragging.
Like claws on metal.
The subway car vibrated softly.
People panicked—some shouting for help, others frozen in terror.
John grabbed the pole to steady himself, eyes darting around the dark train.
He could feel it.
Something alive.
Something hunting.
"System… can I fight this thing?"
A long pause.
Then:
[With your current abilities? No.]
[Recommendation: Evacuate with civilians at next station.]
John cursed under his breath.
This was the worst feeling in the world—being powerless.
The lights flickered back on just as the train screeched into the next station.
Doors opened.
Everyone rushed out in a chaotic wave, shoving, pushing, desperate to escape.
John grabbed the arm of an elderly man who stumbled, steadying him.
"Careful! This way!" he shouted, guiding him to the platform.
The man nodded shakily.
"T-Thank you, son…"
The ground rumbled again, deeper this time.
He didn't wait.
He ran.
Outside – The Dust Settles
When he finally burst out of the station entrance and onto the street, police sirens blared, officers surrounding the area and pushing crowds back.
A massive cracking noise echoed from below the pavement.
Everyone screamed.
John backed away, blending into the panicking crowd.
Whatever the creature was, the Avengers didn't exist yet.
There were no heroes to swoop in.
This was a world on the verge of danger—
and nobody knew it yet.
System Notification
As John caught his breath, the System chimed again.
[Congratulations: You survived your first Marvel Threat.]
Reward: +5,000 Points
New Shop Tier Unlocked: Basic Combat Abilities]
John stared at the glowing screen.
Finally.
The chance he'd been waiting for.
He stepped into a quiet alley, opened the shop menu… and froze.
Because the list of powers wasn't simple.
It included abilities from:
One Piece
Naruto
DC
Attack on Titan
Dragon Ball
Hunter x Hunter
And more…
Each one ridiculously expensive.
But now?
Now he could finally start.
He clenched his fist.
"This world won't catch me unprepared again."