I woke up gasping, air flooding my lungs as I sat up abruptly. The ground beneath me was cold concrete, and the smell of a damp alleyway filled my nose. The sky above was fading into orange, and towering skyscrapers surrounded me.
I blinked, disoriented, then a blue screen popped up in front of my eyes.
[Welcome, Player.][Initializing System…][World: Marvel Cinematic Universe (Variant Timeline)][Objective: Survive and grow.][Tutorial starting…]
A grin spread across my face. "Thanks, God."
As I stood, I caught my reflection in a puddle—crimson hair glowing under the streetlight, red eyes that screamed "main character."
"Damn, I'd date me," I muttered.
I stretched my arms and felt an odd rush of vitality in my body. Every movement was fluid, precise, almost too perfect. Gamer's Body really is something else. I could hear distant traffic and the chatter of pedestrians.
[New Quest: Find Shelter]Reward: 100 EXP. Inventory.
"Alright," I muttered. "System, show me my status."
A new blue screen popped up in front of me like a Windows error message, except way cooler.
[STATUS]Name: Liam ValeLevel: 1 (0/100)HP: 100/100MP: 100/100STR: 10DEX: 10VIT: 10INT: 10WIS: 10CHA: 10Points: 0Skills:
Gamer's Mind (Passive): Congratulations, you're now immune to mental breakdowns.
Gamer's Body (Passive): Pain? What pain? Just sleep it off.
Observe (Active, Lv 1): Stare creepily at things and learn about them.Inventory: LockedShop: LockedQuests: 1 Active
The screen vanished, leaving me in the alley. I stretched, looking up at the fading orange sky. Traffic hummed, and the smell of the city was hot dogs with a side of "I'm too late for work to care how I smell."
A newspaper stand nearby read August 12, 2005.
"Sweet. Pre-Iron Man. No purple grape trying to collect rocks yet. Nice."
[New Quest: Assess Your Surroundings.]Objective 1: Figure out where the hell you are in the city.Objective 2: Gather info without looking like a complete idiot.Reward: 100 EXP.
That's when I heard it—muffled voices and a kid whimpering. I peeked around the corner. Two thugs were cornering a scrawny teenager, trying to take his backpack.
I cracked a grin. "Oh, my very first random encounter. How cute."
I whispered, "Observe."
[Thug #1]Level: 3HP: 75/75Description: Generic street mugger. Thinks he's tough because he watched Fight Club once.
[Thug #2]Level: 2HP: 60/60Description: Sidekick mugger. Low confidence, lower hygiene.
[Optional Quest Generated: Defend the victim.]Objective: Beat up the wannabes.Reward: 100 EXP, Skill Book (Basic Combat), Reputation +10.Failure: Embarrassment and possibly getting stabbed.
I stepped out, hands in my pockets. "Hey, guys! Is this the part where you ask for lunch money? Cause I only take credit."
They turned, glaring at me. "Get lost, pretty boy," the one with the knife growled.
"Oh no, not the knife," I said in my best mock horror voice. "What's next? You gonna bring out a fork?"
The thug lunged and hit my face, making it swing to the side. "Okay, before getting cocky, I need to learn how to fight."
The second one came at me swinging, but I ducked and punched him in the face. He hit the wall and slid down like he was taking a nap. I looked at my hands. "Damn, is this a perk of having a system?"
The first thug snarled and charged again, knife slashing through the air. This time, I sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and drove my knee into his stomach. He gasped, dropping the knife, and I followed with a punch to his jaw that sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Damn, okay, I'm not too bad at this."
[Quest Complete!]Reward: 100 EXP, Skill Book (Basic Combat), Reputation +10.[Level Up!]You are now Level 2. 5 Stat Points awarded.
The kid blinked at me, wide-eyed. "Whoa… thanks, man!"
"Yeah, yeah, just don't tell anyone I'm secretly Batman," I said, chuckling while waving him off. He bolted, probably to go tell his parents.
"Now, what to do with you two?" I said, looking at the thugs on the ground. While I'm not a saint, I'm not about to kill people over a mugging. "So, police it is then."
I started searching their pockets, finding cash, a gun, and other things until I found a phone."Thank you for the donations, I appreciate it."
The screen popped up again:
[Skill Book Acquired: Basic Combat. Use?]
"Hit me with it," I said, and boom—my brain downloaded fighting techniques. While it's not much, it's enough for now.
"Fuck, that hurt, System! Couldn't you have warned me?"
[What, can't handle a little pain?]
I stared at the screen, wondering why my System had to give me sass. "Whatever, back to my monologuing."
With a quick stretch and a crack of my neck, I smirked. "Okay, Marvel Universe, you've officially been patched with the Liam Vale DLC."
I pocketed the cash—because hey, new world, no ID, and I'm broke. The gun? Yeah, no thanks. I tossed it in the dumpster. Not my style… at least not yet. The phone, however, was gold. Not literally, but it meant internet access.
"Step one to surviving: don't be homeless," I muttered, scrolling through the thug's contacts. Mostly numbers labeled "Bro," "Other Bro," and one that just said "Dealer." Classy. Using the maps app, I got a rough idea of where I was. Queens. Of course it's Queens.
I dragged the muggers to the alley's entrance, propped them against the wall, and called the cops with the thug's phone, trying to disguise my voice.
"There's two guys knocked out in the alley near 5th and Main. You might want to pick them up before they wake up. Thanks, bye."
I hung up and sighed. "I suck at this, but that's my good deed for the day. Gold star for Liam."
As I started walking, the System pinged:
[Reputation +10: Local Good Samaritan]People in this area will be slightly friendlier toward you.
"Sweet, does this come with free coffee too?" I joked, hands in my pockets, ignoring the looks people gave me for my hair.
I wandered for a while until I spotted a rundown building with a faded "For Rent" sign. The door was half-hanging off its hinges. Perfect.
[New Objective: Secure a base of operations.]Reward: 50 EXP.
I stepped inside. Dust, creaky floors, and the faint smell of something dead—but it was four walls and a roof.
"Ah yes, home sweet home for my homeless self."
After making sure no one else was squatting inside, I claimed the smallest room, kicked a rat out of the corner, and sat on the floor. "System, unlock inventory already. I need to stash stuff."
[Quest Complete: Find Shelter]Reward: 100 EXP. Inventory Unlocked.
The blue screen shimmered, and suddenly, I had a personal pocket dimension. I tossed the cash and any useful scraps inside.
"Nice. Infinite storage."
Night had fully settled in by now. Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance, and the city glowed under streetlights. I leaned against the wall, thinking.
Okay, Liam. You're in 2005 Marvel. That means Stark hasn't become Iron Man yet, mutants exist, and somewhere out there, baby Peter Parker is probably doing homework. You've got about 11 years to level up before things get insane.
My stomach growled. "Alright, priority number two: food—because I can't live without it. Why should I have to explain that to myself?"
(1240 words)