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Johnny felt like the unluckiest man alive.
His laid-back, carefree life came to an abrupt end when a missile tore through the air and exploded right beside him.
It was a terrorist attack, wrong place, wrong time, and Johnny's body was shredded beyond recognition. Death came instantly, brutally, and without mercy.
He wasn't in heaven or hell when he opened his eyes again. He was in a cold, cramped dungeon.
"What the hell… Where am I?" Johnny's voice echoed in the darkness, confused and weak.
One second he had been lounging at home, enjoying his guilty pleasures and killing time in his shut-in routine. Next, there was fire, pain, and then nothing. Now… he was chained in some medieval nightmare.
"Is this… reincarnation? No way…" he muttered in disbelief. "At least if I got isekai'd, somebody could've sent me a damn welcome brochure."
His train of thought was cut short by the sound of armored footsteps. Several guards passed by his cell, their golden armor gleaming even in the dim torchlight, spears and shields clutched in hand.
Johnny's jaw dropped.v"Armor? Spears? What the hell kind of cosplay convention did I end up in?"
Panic set in. He staggered toward the iron bars and yelled, "Hey! Guards! I want a lawyer!"
Two of the soldiers stopped, turning toward his voice. Their sheer size blocked out the flickering light, their presence heavy enough to make Johnny's knees buckle.
"Strange…" one muttered. "I thought this cell was holding a fire demon. How did it become a human?"
Johnny raised his hands defensively. "Sorry to bother you guys, but—uh—mind telling me where the hell I am?"
The soldier's eyes narrowed. His voice boomed with authority.v"This is Asgard, realm of the gods. Now speak, mortal! How did you infiltrate our sacred domain?"
Asgard.
The word hit Johnny like a thunderclap. Asgard the golden realm of Odin, Thor, and the legends of Norse myth… no, the Marvel universe.
"I didn't infiltrate anything!" Johnny stammered. "I was just at home, then boom, blackout, and now I'm here! I didn't commit a crime!"
The guards exchanged looks, suspicion hardening into hostility.
"A Midgardian appearing in Asgard without the Bifrost? Impossible," one said darkly. "He must be a spy. With Odin away at war, such an intruder cannot be spared. Take him down!"
The tip of a spear flared with golden energy. Before Johnny could even scream, a searing bolt shot into his chest.
"Arghhh—!"
Pain ripped through him like fire, and the world faded again into black. His body twitched once, then went still.
"Did… did we kill him?" one guard asked uncertainly.
"Better this way," the other replied coldly, stabbing Johnny's corpse a few times to be sure. "If he were a spy, we prevented disaster. If not he's still just another prisoner. Dead men cause no trouble."
They left, muttering about budget cuts in the dungeon and the cost of feeding inmates. To them, Johnny's death meant nothing.
But they were wrong.
The moment their footsteps faded, something stirred.
Dark energy seeped from Johnny's lifeless body, wrapping around him in a shroud of shadow. Wounds closed. Flesh knitted together. The stillness of death gave way to a faint, steady pulse.
> [System initializing… Host vitals are critical. Commencing resurrection.]
[Binding complete. Devourer System activated.]
Johnny gasped as air rushed back into his lungs. His eyes snapped open, glowing faintly in the darkness. A strange, electronic voice resonated in his mind.
[Resurrection progress: 15%... 30%... 50%...]
"What the… is this my cheat code?" Johnny whispered in awe.
Images, data, and instructions poured directly into his consciousness. The Devourer System. A parasitic power that could summon creatures of the undead, consume enemies to grow stronger, and even absorb the powers of those it devoured.
[Host capacity: 1 summon. Summon type: Undead Wraith.]
Information about his first creature filled his mind. A ghostly being cloaked in shadow, nearly invisible until it attacked, with a hunger that could strip life and power alike.
Johnny's lips twisted into a shaky grin.
"Oh, hell yes. This is badass."
The pain, fear, and humiliation all ignited into fury.
"They killed me. Twice. Just because they felt like it," Johnny growled, clenching his fists. "If Asgard doesn't play fair… then neither do I."
His grin sharpened, eyes blazing with hatred and anticipation.
"Wait until I get back on my feet. Whoever screwed me over I'll make sure they regret it."
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