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After sneaking Logan past Aunt Lynn, Leo led him into his room. From the closet, he pulled out a set of clothes Uncle Paul had bought for him earlier and tossed them across the room.
"These should fit you well enough," Leo said casually.
Logan caught the clothes midair and gave another gruff but sincere, "Thanks."
Leo rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly pointing at the leather jacket Logan had been using to cover himself. "Yeah, uh… while I can tell you've got a solid physique, you might want to actually put those on. That jacket's not doing the job."
"Shit," Logan muttered under his breath, quickly pulling the bundle of clothes over himself with visible embarrassment.
"Bathroom's this way. Might be good for you to wash up," Leo said, hiding a grin as he guided him to the door.
"Bam!" Logan all but slammed the bathroom door behind him. A moment later, it cracked open slightly, and Logan's voice came through, low and hesitant: "What's your name, kid?"
'Kid?'
"Leo," he answered.
"Thanks, Leo." Logan shut the door again. He realized he had already said thank you more times in one morning than he had in an entire year.
"This guy's more trouble than he looks," Leo muttered under his breath before hurrying back to his own room. The moment he sat on his bed, excitement bubbled in his chest. He couldn't wait any longer.
With a thought, he called out to the system.
[Starter Pack opened. Congratulations, Host has received: Mutant Ability Teleportation. One Lottery Spin. 300 Exchange Points.]
Leo froze. Then, like electricity, power surged through him. Static tingled along every nerve, sparking and racing under his skin until it finally faded.
He gasped, clutching his chest. Something new had awakened inside him.
On instinct, he willed it forward his vision blurred, and in the next instant, he was gone.
When the world steadied again, he was no longer in his room. Instead, he stood in the middle of the pasture, surrounded by a flock of sheep.
"What the hell?! Where… oh my God, it actually worked?!" His eyes widened. Then, a grin split his face. "Teleportation. This is… this is real superpowers!"
Laughing like a kid with his first toy, he blinked in and out among the sheep, appearing on fence posts, behind trees, and right in their midst.
"Baa!" The sheep panicked, scattering in all directions.
"Who's there?!" A distant shout rang out from a farmhand rushing toward the noise.
"Crap," Leo cursed under his breath. With a thought, he disappeared again, reappearing safely back in his room. He collapsed onto the bed, shoulders shaking with laughter he barely managed to stifle.
But then the system's cold voice returned:
[Congratulations, Host. Current mission complete. Reward: +100 Exchange Points.]
Leo grinned
The relief lasted all of two seconds.
[New Mission: Choose a Path.]
[Mission Description: You now wield extraordinary power. Will you use it for good, or for evil? Make your choice.]
[Time Limit: Three Days. Failure = Termination.]
"Damn it!" Leo slapped his forehead, flipping off the invisible air.
Then he remembered. "Wait—I still have that lottery spin."
[Would you like to use your Lottery Chance now?]
"Yes!"
A massive spinning wheel appeared in his mind, dazzling with countless symbols. Leo tried to squint at the labels, but the wheel whirled too fast, giving him a pounding headache.
"Seriously? It's just blind luck? Fine. Stop!"
The wheel screeched to a halt.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: Martial Arts Mastery.]
A warm current rushed through his body, seeping into his muscles and bones, then into his mind. He staggered, gripping the desk as techniques and reflexes embedded themselves into his muscle memory.
His breathing slowed, his fists clenched. He knew instantly his fighting skill had skyrocketed.
He summoned the exchange menu, eager to test what else he could buy.
"…Are you kidding me?!" His jaw dropped. Even the most basic ability, Fireball, costs a thousand points. He barely had four hundred.
"This system really is highway robbery."
A knock came at the door.
"Leo! Dinner's ready!" Uncle Paul's familiar voice carried through the woods.
"Coming!" With a mischievous grin, Leo teleported to the door instead of walking, muttering under his breath, "Childish."
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At the dinner table, Leo helped set plates while Aunt Lynn carried out the food. From the corner of the room came an awkward voice.
"I'll pay for it, I swear," Logan muttered, stepping in holding the broken remains of the bathroom sink.
Leo's eyes narrowed. The porcelain edges were sliced clean, not shattered like something razor-sharp had cut through it.
Paul blinked, then chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I've been meaning to replace that old thing anyway."
The meal was hearty, but Leo hardly tasted it. He spent the whole time stealing glances at Logan.
The man was dangerous his stance, his scars, his restless eyes. Definitely ex-military. Definitely not someone to underestimate.
'He's troubled, but he doesn't mean us harm… not yet' Leo thought that night, lying awake in bed.
For once, exhaustion overtook the anxiety of the system looming over him, and he slept soundly.
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The next morning, sunlight spilled through the curtains, warm and golden. Leo rubbed his eyes, stretched, and walked into the kitchen just in time to see Aunt Lynn grabbing a tray of juice and bread.
"Aunt Lynn? Where are you headed?"
"Your uncle and Logan have been talking in the barn all morning. They haven't even eaten yet," she said with a smile.
"I'll go too." Grabbing a piece of bread, Leo flashed a grin. He still didn't fully trust Logan, and leaving him alone with Paul didn't sit right.
They pushed the barn door open. Logan sat slouched on a bale of hay, but perked up with a smirk when Leo entered.
"Morning, kid. And yeah, I'm starving now that you mention it."
"You look better in clothes," Leo quipped.
Aunt Lynn laughed lightly, holding out the tray. "You wear that jacket well, Logan. Here—"
CRACK! A gunshot ripped through the air. The juice glass in Lynn's hands shattered, spraying liquid everywhere.
"That was a bullet," Leo realized instantly, spotting the small hole in the wall. His instincts screamed danger.
"Get down!" In a blur of motion, Leo teleported, grabbing Lynn and pulling her clear of the window just as another bullet ripped through the spot she'd been standing. Logan dove for Paul, dragging him behind cover.
On a distant hillside, a black-haired man adjusted the scope of his sniper rifle.
"Target Ten confirmed. Also spotted: a teleporting mutant," he reported into his comm.
"Teleportation? Phantom?" a voice asked in surprise.
"No, Someone new."
"Then eliminate them both. Test Ten's durability while you're at it," came the cold, clipped reply of William Stryker.
"Yes, sir."
Back at the farm, Leo barely had time to breathe before two small missiles streaked through the sky toward the barn.
"Shit!" He grabbed Aunt Lynn and Uncle Paul, vanishing in a flash. They reappeared on a distant hill just as the barn exploded into fire and splinters.
The old couple clung to each other, trembling. Leo's heart pounded in his chest. If I didn't have teleportation… we'd all be dead right now.
"Logan!" he gasped, staring back at the wreckage.
"Be careful!" Paul's voice shook, but his eyes burned with trust.
Leo nodded and vanished, reappearing near the ruins.
Gunfire rattled nearby. Armored vehicles and a helicopter boxed Logan in as he roared down the road on a motorcycle. For a moment, it looked like he would be crushed.
Then Leo's breath caught. Logan's hands extended, and with a sickening snikt, three gleaming adamantium claws tore from his knuckles.
He slammed them into the pavement, flipping the bike in a spray of sparks, and launched himself straight at the armored car.
Leo's jaw dropped. "Metal claws… healing factor… Holy crap. This is Wolverine!"
His heart hammered in his chest as realization dawned: the Marvel Universe wasn't just real he was standing in the middle of it.
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