Chapter 1: The Cosmic Welcome & The Architect's First Directive
The last thing Adam Stiels saw was a runaway shopping cart, a bizarrely rogue piece of supermarket machinery careening through the parking lot. He'd been fumbling with his keys, a bag of groceries precariously balanced in his arms, when it hit him. Not with the force of a train, but with the specific, jarring velocity of a forgotten object suddenly gaining kinetic energy. He stumbled, the paper bag tore, and a rogue can of soup—French Onion, his favorite, the universe had a sick sense of humor—bounced off the pavement and hit him square in the temple. The world went black, a silent, unceremonious end to a life lived mostly in comfortable mediocrity. It was less of a heroic sacrifice and more of a blooper reel death.
Then, there was light. Not the pearly gates, not some swirling vortex of cosmic justice, but a blinding, unforgiving sun beating down on what felt like a hundred square miles of nothing. His head was pounding, a dull ache that a thousand aspirins couldn't fix. He coughed, a dry, rasping sound that rattled in his throat, and the taste of dirt was… not great. He was lying in a patch of red dirt, surrounded by scrub brush and what looked suspiciously like a Joshua tree. The air was thin, hot, and smelled of dust and dry earth.
"Okay, Adam," he thought, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and cinematic clichés. "This is either a really bad acid trip, a very specific form of hell designed to punish people for complaining about the lack of decent parking spots, or I just got isekai'd."
He pushed himself up, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his side. The clothes he was wearing were different. Gone was the stained t-shirt and cargo shorts. In their place, a simple, durable grey tunic and pants, and a pair of worn but sturdy leather boots. They fit perfectly. As he took in his surroundings—the endless desert stretching to a horizon of craggy mountains—a wave of unease washed over him. He was alone. Utterly and completely alone.
Just as a flicker of panic started to gnaw at the edges of his unflappable composure, a voice, not external but a clear, calm thought in the back of his mind, spoke.
[Ding! Host Adam Stiels has successfully transmigrated to Earth-199999.]
Adam froze. His eyes, now a shocking, crystalline blue he didn't recognize, darted around, searching for a source. Nothing. Just the vast emptiness.
[Welcome, Host. The Artifact Finder System has been activated.]
"Did… did I just get an achievement notification?" he muttered, the words feeling foreign in his new throat. His voice was different, too. Deeper, more resonant, less… whiny. He mentally prodded the voice, and a screen, like a shimmering projection in his mind's eye, snapped into existence. It was minimalist, clean, with a simple, elegant font.
[Artifact Finder System v1.0]
Welcome, Adam Stiels.Current Status: Initializing…Host Progress: 0%Current Location: New Mexico, United StatesTimeline: Early 2011 (pre-Thor arrival)
Adam stared at the mental screen, the words "pre-Thor arrival" hitting him like another soup can to the head. He was in the MCU. And not just the MCU, but the very beginning of it. Thor was happening right now, somewhere over the hills. This was the moment the universe went from a quiet, relatively normal place to a comic book fever dream.
He couldn't help but let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Of course. I die a ridiculous, pathetic death and get reborn into a world where I'm about to witness a Norse god with a hammer land in the middle of nowhere. It's like the universe is just trying to see how much irony it can fit into a single life."
A new notification flashed on the screen.
[System Event: First Artifact Discovery Mission Activated.] [Mission: Locate and activate the Crown of Gravity.] [Description: An SSS-tier artifact that controls the fundamental law of gravity. Located within a small crater caused by an unknown object's impact. Use your newfound physical capabilities to locate the impact site. Warning: A local force may soon claim the artifact. Activating this artifact will bind it to the host.] [Reward: Crown of Gravity (SSS), Reflective Stone (SS), Glass of Illusions (S).]
Adam's mind, which had been in full-blown panic mode just a moment ago, clicked into strategic gear. It was like a switch had been flipped. His new unflappable personality, the one the System had mentioned, was kicking in. The fear and confusion were still there, but they were now filed away under "things to deal with later." The immediate priority was survival and acquisition.
He could feel the power of his new body. He was faster, stronger, and more aware than before. The world seemed sharper, the sounds of the wind more distinct. This wasn't just a new mind; it was a new shell, a complete reboot.
He looked down at his hand, and a second, more detailed notification popped up.
[Artifact: Crown of Gravity (SSS-Tier)]Ability: Complete control over the fundamental law of gravity within a large area. Can create gravity wells, nullify gravity, increase or decrease its pull, and subtly bend space. Cannot be unequipped. Only usable by Host.
[Artifact: Reflective Stone (SS-Tier)]Ability: A small, unassuming stone that reflects any form of damage, magical or physical, back at its source. Passive ability. Cannot be unequipped. Only usable by Host.
[Artifact: Glass of Illusions (S-Tier)]Ability: Allows the wearer to change their appearance at will, creating realistic illusions of themselves or others. Can also mimic voices and mannerisms. Has a slight mental strain for prolonged, complex illusions. Only usable by Host.
Adam let out a slow breath. "Okay, System. You're telling me I just got the Infinity Gauntlet of magic items, a perfect shield, and a shapeshifting mask? This is less of a 'system' and more of a 'cheat code' generator."
He looked towards the distant hills. He knew where the crater was. It was where Mjolnir would land. The "unknown object" was an Asgardian hammer, and the "local force" was a very angry, very confused God of Thunder. He had a small window of opportunity before the Destroyer showed up and everything went sideways. This wasn't a mission; it was a race. A race against canon.
He took a step, then another. His new body moved with a grace he'd never possessed before. The desert air felt a little less hostile now. He had a mission, a set of powers, and enough meta-knowledge to fill a Wikipedia page. For a guy who died to a can of soup, this wasn't a bad second act. It was the beginning of his odyssey.