Ethan shot upright with a strangled gasp.
Air burned in his lungs as if he'd been drowning a moment ago. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs, vision swimming before finally snapping into focus.
"…the hell…?" he muttered, pressing a trembling hand to his chest. "That… that wasn't a dream. I was dying."
He swallowed hard. The room around him—bright, clean, unfamiliar—did nothing to calm him. Sleek walls, a high-tech medical monitor humming nearby, a faint scent of disinfectant.
"This isn't my apartment," he said under his breath. "Oh hell no—did I get kidnapped?"
His first instinct was to get up and look for a weapon, but the moment he moved, something felt wrong. Lighter. Smaller. Stronger. He raised his hands to his face and froze.
These weren't his twenty-eight-year-old hands.
They were slimmer. Younger. Smooth. No scars. No calluses.
"Okay… what kind of mumbo-jumbo—did they drug me?" he whispered in disbelief.
But even as he tried to stand, a sudden spike of pain lanced through his skull.
"G—ghh—!"
Memories—no, another life's memories—poured into him like a flood, drowning out his thoughts.
A name.
A birthday.
Faces he never knew yet somehow recognized.
Then the final blow hit him:
He had died.
And he had reincarnated into someone else's body.
The body belonged to a boy with the exact same first name as him… but a different surname.
Ethan Fury.
The name echoed in his mind with absurd weight.
"Fury…? You've gotta be kidding me." Ethan opened his mouth wide in amazement and disbelief as the memories settled. "No way…"
Images flashed—an imposing man with a cold stare behind a black eyepatch… a woman with stern eyes and S.H.I.E.L.D. credentials clipped to her belt.
According to these inherited memories, this body's parents were:
Nicholas Fury—Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Wait… no," Ethan muttered as more fragments of memory clicked into place. "From what I can see… this body was on the verge of death. Nick and Maria Hill were talking about how this guy is Fury's accidental son."
He let out a shaky laugh.
"So… I'm his secret son? One he never knew existed?"
Ethan rubbed his temples, still processing.
"But hold on," he whispered. "Wasn't his son supposed to be Mikel? And the other secret son was called Nick Fury Jr…?"
He sighed.
"I'm none of them," he mumbled, sitting at the edge of the bed, feet touching the cold floor.
The door opened with a soft hiss.
A doctor stepped inside—but Ethan froze the moment he saw her face.
No way… Barbara Morse?Mockingbird herself?
She approached with concern in her eyes.
"Are you okay, kid?" she asked gently.
Ethan swallowed, forcing his voice steady. "Where am I… and what is this place?"
The woman offered a reassuring smile.
"My name's Kaelyn—Dr. Kaelyn," she said as she flashed her Hospital identification. "I'm your attending physician."
Ethan stared at the badge, then back at her face.
Barbara Morse… going by a cover name.Yeah… this is definitely Marvel.
"You are… hot," Ethan blurted out before he could stop himself. His inner thoughts had slipped straight out of his mouth.
Dr. Kaelyn paused, blinking in surprise—then let out a soft laugh.
"Thanks, kid," she said, amused. "But you're way too young for my taste."
She gently guided him back onto the hospital bed, adjusting the pillows behind him.
"So," she continued, professional again, "tell me—what do you remember?"
"Me… falling off a building?" he replied hesitantly.
Her brows lifted. "Are you sure that's what you remember?"
Ethan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Everything's a jumble. I can't even think straight. The only thing I'm sure about is… I'm some broke guy suddenly waking up in a big, luxurious room with a hot doctor."
He stared at her, genuinely confused. "Am I dreaming?"
"Nope," she said lightly. "You're not dreaming. On your way back home, you were involved in an accident. Nothing serious happened to your body aside from minor bruising, but your head took a hit, so your memories might be a bit scrambled."
Ethan nodded slowly, trying to look convinced—even though the truth he knew was far stranger than a simple head injury.
"Okay then, rest now," Dr. Kaelyn said softly. "You'll be sleeping here for the next few days… maybe a week, depending on your recovery. Stay strong, kid."
She gave him one last reassuring smile before turning and leaving the room.
The door slid shut with a quiet hiss.
The moment she was gone, Ethan finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
Because now—without her in the room—he could no longer ignore it.
A faint, transparent blue screen was glowing right in front of him.
It had been there the whole time Kaelyn was speaking. He had to force himself not to look at it—not to freak out.
But now?
Now he reached out and tapped it.
The screen flickered—and a delayed message appeared.
[ Congratulations, host, on successful transmigration. ]
[ The Super-Tech System is now at your service. ]
Ethan stared, mouth slowly falling open.
"…System?" he whispered.
Then he nodded to himself. "I was wondering when you'd show up. Finally."
As a lifelong fantasy and isekai fan, the concept of a system cheat wasn't strange to him at all. If anything, he had been waiting for this moment.
But the excitement lasted only three seconds.
He slowly lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"…Am I an idiot?" he muttered.
Barbara Morse—Mockingbird—had just been in the room.
Which meant—
If she's here, then there are definitely S.H.I.E.L.D. cameras in this room. Probably watching me right now.
He groaned internally.
Great. Fantastic. First day in Marvel, and I'm already acting like a transmigrated idiot with brain damage.
'Fortunately I didn't say anything too suspicious…' Ethan sighed in relief.
He focused his mind on the floating screen—half expecting it to disappear.
It didn't.
It responded.
[ Host System Functions Initialized ]
[ Super-Tech Gacha ]
[ Every month, host receives one random tech gacha. ][ Upon receiving a tech, host automatically masters the knowledge, theory, and skills required to use or recreate it. ]
[ Host currently has: 1 UNUSED Random Tech Gacha ][ Would host like to use it now? ]
Ethan kept his face blank, pretending to be resting—just in case anyone was watching through hidden cameras.
Inside his head, he smirked.
Hmm. Simple. Straightforward. I like this system already.
He mentally selected YES.