New York City.
Hidden Sector Base.
Inside a nondescript facility placed in a remote part of New York.
"Marcus Wayne, your abilities are unconventional and your skills are currently below our standard expectations, but you have the potential to contribute significantly. Are you willing to undergo special training and become a field operative under our mentorship?"
Marcus replied, "I'm ready and eager to learn! I'll do whatever it takes to contribute and improve."
...
Three years later
It turns out that Marcus is not originally from this world, where mutants, aliens, and many other things are rampant, but from a normal Earth.
He learned that he is in the Marvel world. After searching for Kamar-Taj for a long time without success, he resolutely chose to join S.H.I.E.L.D. despite knowing about the presence of Hydra because he was desperate.
It has been almost three years since Marcus passed the S.H.I.E.L.D. test and became a Level 2 Agent.
Although the role of a Level 2 agent might sound prestigious, he is, in fact, like a handyman in the sect in the world of cultivation, primarily handling routine tasks and support roles.
In addition to regular training, his duties include managing everyday operations such as organizing intelligence files, assisting with surveillance, and maintaining equipment.
Marcus's talent seems mediocre, and he has wasted a lot of time on these trivial matters.
Even though he has worked hard for three years, he is only a Level 2 agent. Thinking of someone like Skye, aka Quake, becoming a director in such a short time, he truly feels sorrowful.
In fact, as long as his fighting skills are honed a little, he might have a chance to become a Level 3 member because he is a little calmer than most of the agents at S.H.I.E.L.D., knowing how dangerous this world is.
After becoming a Level 3 member, he won't have to do so many trivial things, and his salary will increase, meaning more money.
Now it's time to receive his salary, one of the best moments he likes in S.H.I.E.L.D. Why? Because the salary in S.H.I.E.L.D. is really meaty, even for a Level 2 agent.
That's right, as a Level 2 agent, he receives $10,500 a month without worrying about taxes.
Although it may seem less to most superstars like football or music stars, especially when agents are risking their lives, it is because most agents don't care about making money.
Marcus is excited to receive his money because he can finally buy something he has long wanted to acquire: the alien weapons left by the Chitauri attack last month.
That's right, it's 2012 right now. He only has 5 years and some months left before Thanos's attack and the wiping out of half of humanity, although it's only an assumption since there are mutants in this world.
Under a pretext, Marcus left New York when the attack was about to happen. Unfortunately, he missed an opportunity, although he would still have done the same if given another chance.
What opportunity did he lose, and why is he so excited to receive his salary more than usual?
It was because when the Chitauri attack was happening, he activated the system but lost the opportunity to bond with it because it required him to sacrifice a Level 3 item.
There are definitely many such items in S.H.I.E.L.D., but his level isn't enough. After much deliberation, only the Chitauri weapons available everywhere in the underworld are accessible. He is going to buy them today.
After receiving his salary, Marcus, who was excited, didn't have any time to waste.
He set out to meet his contact in a rundown alleyway on the outskirts of the city.
He had been careful in researching the underworld black market, where leftover Chitauri weapons were being sold; it would be weird enough if a SHIELD agent bought his weapon in the underworld; he did his best not to be discovered.
These weapons, scavenged by criminals and opportunists after the Battle of New York, were highly dangerous to normal people; it was the reason the government, with the help of the SHIELD, confiscated these kinds of weapons from normal civilians.
Only criminals, people in the underworld, or people who have some thought dare to possess them, and the best way for Marcus to own them without being discovered was to buy the weapon from the underworld.
As he approached the meeting point, he wasn't as idle as on the surface; his mind was working; no one knew what could happen in the next second in the underworld; he had to be extra careful.
His training in the last two years wasn't in vain; he is already better than a normal criminal in terms of identifying his surroundings and the dangers around him.
Anyway, he has been stuck in Level 2 for too long, watching people surpassing him; it was because of his cautious nature, but now, with the system, he has a chance to be one of the protagonists in the Marvel world.
As he scanned the area carefully and made sure there was not something shady, he walked towards the contact he had seen earlier.
A shady dealer known as Rick—leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette. The man's eyes flicked over to Marcus as he approached, but his expression remained neutral.
"You got the money?" Rick asked, his voice low and gruff.
Marcus couldn't help but say the underworld really works differently; there wasn't any polite greeting or something like that; they were direct to the point without any nonsense.
He could only nod and hand over a sealed envelope with his hard-earned cash.
Rick didn't know the drama inside Marcus since the latter just maintained a poker face.
He just took a quick glance at the envelope, then reached into the trunk of his car and pulled out a large metal case. The dull glow of alien circuitry peeked out from under the lid as he cracked it open slightly, revealing a sleek Chitauri rifle inside.
"One Chitauri energy rifle. Still in working condition. This baby will do more than get you through doors," Rick said, smirking. "Just make sure you know how to handle it. These things aren't toys."
Although he was eager more than ever, Marcus didn't show it; he took the weapon and immediately received a notification from the system; he confirmed it was a true weapon, and he immediately returned to his apartment.
[System Activation: Sacrifice a Level 3 item to proceed.]
The notification was in green while it was in red before; now it means the items can be sacrificed, and he didn't hesitate to click.
[Level 3 Item detected. Sacrifice accepted.]
[System initializing... 100% complete.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have completed the task and have complete access to the Simulation System. As of now, the system is at Level One.]
"Simulation System? That's cool." Marcus knows this kind of system, and it's definitely to his liking; he doesn't have to do tasks and the like anyway.
While he was thinking, the system continued.
[The Simulation System allows the Host to simulate alternate versions of their life. At Level One, the system can simulate three years of life within alternate Marvel universes. The stronger the Host's influence on the world, the more advanced the system will become, increasing the length and depth of the simulations and unlocking many functions.]
[Currently, the host has a chance to simulate once every two weeks. Before each simulation, the Host will receive one random talent. Talents are ranked from Bronze to Purple, with Bronze being the weakest and Purple being the strongest. Talents will assist the Host in surviving and thriving during each simulation.]
"Alternate Marvel Universe?" if Marcus remembers correctly, there are as many Marvel universes as the stars in the sky, so it's not bad to discover how he would do in those alternate universes.
[After the simulation, the Host may choose one of the following rewards from that life:
Experience: All skills and knowledge learned during the simulation.
Physical Power: The physical attributes and combat abilities developed in the simulation.
Items: Any item obtained during the simulation can be brought back to the real world.]
"Exactly, that's exactly what I want; who wants to work hard to gain strength while you can become stronger by lying down?"
END OF THE CHAPTER
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