Karl summoned one hundred shadow ninjas to clean the farmhouse and dispose of all the trash, including the mountains of empty bottles. Now that he possessed real power, he no longer needed to flee America — even if this was the Marvel Universe.
Where there was danger, there was also opportunity.
Although the Ninja Mask was slowly strengthening his physique, Karl felt the improvement was still insufficient. If he intended to survive in a world filled with super-soldiers, enhanced operatives, mutants, and extraterrestrial threats, he would eventually need true biological enhancement.
With that thought in mind, he headed into the bathroom.
He turned on the shower and removed his clothes. Steam began to fill the room.
Standing before the mirror, he studied the unfamiliar face staring back at him.
He felt a complicated surge of emotion.
He was far more handsome than in his previous life.
Before, he had been an ordinary man struggling just to survive. Now, in the blink of an eye, he had arrived in the Marvel Universe with a system and supernatural abilities.
As the energy from the Ninja Mask continuously tempered his body, he noticed visible changes: muscle lines slowly emerging, his core tightening, his shoulders broadening, and definition appearing across his abdomen.
Karl's lips curled upward slightly.
Who could resist a perfect physique?
His muscles were not exaggerated or bulky, but balanced and proportionate — strength refined into symmetry rather than brute mass.
…
When Karl stepped out of the bathroom, the shadow ninjas had already finished cleaning. The living room and adjoining rooms were spotless.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Shadow ninjas could execute simple commands with remarkable efficiency. Karl remembered that in Jackie Chan Adventures, even Jade had once ordered them to perform chores and errands.
After inspecting the house, Karl returned to the original owner's bedroom and gathered the remaining cash.
Then he froze.
He was broke.
The previous Karl had spent nearly everything on alcohol. Only $100 remained.
Karl stared at the bills in silence.
This man had truly intended to drink himself to death.
Then again, the despair made sense. In the United States, financial pressure was relentless. Student debt, mortgages, medical costs — many people spent decades repaying loans. Karl recalled that even prominent political figures had struggled with debt long into adulthood.
Fortunately, this body carried no loans.
Because he had never attended college.
After graduating high school, he stayed on the farm to help his adoptive father.
Karl looked at the small stack of cash and felt a headache coming on.
Then inspiration struck.
"I can take it from the gangs."
"This is Marvel — not my old world. I'm no longer an ordinary person. And mob money isn't clean anyway…"
His decision was immediate.
Karl changed into the most formal outfit available: a white shirt, black suit trousers, and leather shoes. It was hardly stylish, but for a rancher's adopted son, it was the best he had.
He combed his black hair straight back.
His blue eyes appeared sharp and penetrating.
Combined with his handsome features and nearly 190 cm height, his aura now carried a cold, mysterious edge — a presence subtly influenced by the Ice-Ice Fruit and the Shadow Kingdom's power.
He stored the Ninja Mask inside the system space — a storage dimension capable of holding non-living objects.
Karl stepped out of the farmhouse.
Shadowy figures emerged silently from the darkness behind him.
"Take me through the Shadow Realm," he ordered, pointing forward. "Toward New York — keep going until you reach a massive city."
The shadow ninjas nodded in unison.
Two stepped forward, placing their hands on his shoulders.
The world darkened.
They pulled him into shadow.
Although Karl could enter the Shadow Realm himself, this was his first time. The Shadow Kingdom was not yet fully his domain, and its interior remained unknown to him. Exercising caution around unknown dimensions was simply common sense.
…
Inside the Shadow Realm, darkness stretched endlessly.
Vast silhouettes moved in the distance.
Karl sensed the presence of other shadow entities — ancient, predatory, and oppressive. Some followed at a distance, observing.
Yet none attacked.
The shadow ninjas' presence clearly marked Karl as one under the Shadow Kingdom's authority.
Karl silently congratulated himself for his caution. Entering alone might have provoked hostility.
Moments later, the ninjas guided him back into the physical world.
Karl emerged in a narrow alley.
New York City.
He dismissed the two ninjas back into his shadow and stepped onto the street.
He was in Manhattan.
His destination lay nearby: Hell's Kitchen — a crime-ridden neighborhood notorious in both Marvel Comics and street-level hero activity, home territory of vigilantes like Daredevil and a battleground for organized crime families.
After hailing a taxi, he arrived twenty minutes later.
Karl entered a dim alley.
A faint crimson glow flickered in the darkness.
He summoned five hundred shadow ninjas.
"Collect all cash held by gangs in this area," he ordered.
They vanished instantly into the night.
Karl then reentered the Shadow Realm with two ninjas. The Marvel Universe possessed advanced surveillance technology — from NYPD systems to private corporate monitoring networks and even SHIELD's satellite oversight. Remaining unseen was prudent.
…
Twenty minutes later, the shadow ninjas returned one after another, each carrying black cases.
Karl opened one.
It was filled with stacks of U.S. currency.
Approximately two hundred thousand dollars.
Case after case arrived.
Soon, a small mountain of money lay before him.
Karl stared, stunned.
In his previous life, he had never saved even fifty thousand dollars.
Now each case held close to a million.
There were over two hundred cases.
And loose cash besides.
However, he noticed the number of returning shadow ninjas was smaller.
Some had been destroyed.
Shadow ninjas were not invulnerable. Automatic gunfire could disperse them, and while their blades could deflect bullets, sustained firepower could overwhelm them.
Karl was unconcerned.
No one would trace the theft to him.
Even if they could, he could disappear instantly through shadow.
And in a world containing mutants, enhanced criminals, and underground superhuman networks, unexplained violence was hardly unusual.
Karl had no intention of fighting anyone yet.
His Ice-Ice powers remained undeveloped.
His physique, though improving, had not reached super-soldier levels.
At best, he was comparable to an elite athlete — still far from the level of Captain America, whose physiology represented the pinnacle of human enhancement.
For now, caution remained his greatest weapon.
…