Chapter 4: The Sentinel's Ascent
The silence of the abandoned warehouse was a stark contrast to the distant wail of sirens he had left behind. John Vance stood before his Mark 0 armor, the suit now powered down, its Arc Reactor a gentle blue glow in the dim light. He could still feel the phantom hum of the repulsors, the tingling of arcane energy that had flowed through him. He wasn't just a man anymore; he was a sentinel, and the world had taken notice.
Suddenly, a cascade of notifications from the System flooded his vision, each line of glowing blue text a testament to his recent triumph.
[Enemy Defeated: The Wrecker (Enhanced Human, Mystic Arts User - Low Tier)]
[EXP Gained: 500 EXP (Base) x 100 (Multiplier) = 50,000 EXP!]
John's eyes widened. Fifty thousand EXP. He had expected to gain experience, but the 100x multiplier truly made every victory monumental. It was a tangible reward for his courage.
[Calculating Level Ups…]
[Current EXP: 48,900 + 50,000 = 98,900]
[Level 10 -> Level 11!]
[EXP Required: 51,200]
[EXP Remaining: 47,700]
[Level 11 -> Level 12!]
[EXP Required: 102,400]
[EXP Remaining: (Insufficient EXP for next level)]
A surge of raw power, both physical and mental, coursed through him. He felt his muscles subtly tighten, his senses sharpen, and his mind become even more agile. Two levels. The implications were immense.
[Congratulations, Host! You have leveled up 2 times!]
[Attribute Points Gained: 2 (per level) x 2 (levels) = 4 Attribute Points.]
[100x Multiplier applied!]
[Total Attribute Points Gained: 400!]
John felt a familiar rush as the new points were added to his pool. He still believed in balance. He had faced The Wrecker, a physically powerful foe, and knew that he needed to be a well-rounded combatant to survive the coming storm.
"System," he thought, "distribute the 400 attribute points equally among all current attributes."
The System promptly confirmed, and another wave of power washed over him, refining his existing capabilities. His skin tingled, his bones felt denser, and his mind felt like a supercomputer that had just received a massive hardware upgrade.
Status Report
[Status]
* Name: John Vance
* Level: 12
* EXP: 47,700 / 102,400
* HP: 3660 / 3660 (Base 100 + VIT 365 x 10)
* MP: 3660 / 3660 (Base 100 + WIS 365 x 10)
* STR: 367
* DEX: 367
* VIT: 366
* INT: 366
* WIS: 366
* LUK: 366
Below his primary stats, a new, detailed section appeared, displaying his specialized skills. John's eyes lingered on the newfound descriptions, a new sense of potential dawning on him. The "Basic" in the skill name, he realized, referred to the foundational nature of the ability, not its level.
[Skills]
* [Advanced Cybernetic Infiltration] (Active/Passive): Lv. 100 (0/10,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). Allows absolute mastery over all forms of digital systems, hacking, data manipulation, and network infiltration. Grants intuitive understanding of all technology. EXP gained through every successful use of hacking or digital infiltration.
* [Arcane Electrical Engineering] (Active/Passive): Lv. 100 (0/10,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). Grants intuitive and practical mastery over all electrical, mechanical, and power generation systems. Allows for the seamless integration and understanding of magical energies with technological constructs. EXP gained through every act of engineering, building, or tech-magic fusion.
* [Mana Pool] (Passive): Lv. 100 (0/10,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). Your innate magical energy reserve. Your MP regenerates passively at a rate determined by WIS. EXP gained with every use of Mana.
* [Basic Runic Enchanting] (Active): Lv. 100 (0/100,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). The fundamental understanding and application of runes for powerful enchantments. The strength and variety of enchantments are tied to skill level. EXP gained through every successful enchantment.
* [Basic Kinetic Control] (Active): Lv. 100 (0/100,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). The fundamental ability to mentally manipulate kinetic energy. The strength and precision of telekinetic pushes and pulls are tied to skill level. EXP gained through every use of kinetic control.
* [Flight Mastery (Arc Reactor)] (Passive): Lv. 100 (0/10,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). Perfect control and maneuvering with Arc Reactor powered flight. Grants exceptional agility, speed, and precision in aerial combat and movement. EXP gained through sustained flight and advanced aerial maneuvers.
* [Repulsor Combat Mastery] (Active/Passive): Lv. 100 (0/10,000 EXP) (100x Multiplier applied to EXP gains). Expert proficiency in using repulsor technology for offensive and defensive purposes. Allows for precise aim, variable power output, and advanced combat maneuvers. EXP gained with every successful use in combat.
And below it all, his amplified power.
[Overall Power Level: High City-Block Level]
John stared at the updated panel. The immense number of his attributes was one thing, but the skill system was what truly excited him. There was no cap. He could become infinitely stronger, infinitely more skilled, as long as he continued to use his abilities. A "Basic" skill starting at Level 100 with a 100x multiplier meant that his growth was not just linear, but exponential.
The taste of victory was sweet, but the lingering thought of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest was a sobering counterpoint. He had put himself on their radar. He knew Fury's paranoia, his distrust of anything he couldn't control. This quest, [S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Gaze], wasn't just a notification; it was a warning.
He walked over to his workbench, his thoughts racing. He needed to be proactive. He couldn't afford to be caught off guard. He had the Arc Reactor plans, but now he needed to refine them, to make his suit even more formidable, to add defenses against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s inevitable attempts to track or disable him. His enhanced INT and WIS immediately started to concoct a strategy.
"They'll try to find me through my energy signature," he muttered to himself. "I need to mask it. And they'll try to hack me. My suit needs an advanced counter-intrusion system."
He sat down, pulling up the Arc Reactor schematics on a holographic display from his wrist-mounted System interface. He began to draw, to re-engineer. With [Arcane Electrical Engineering], he envisioned not just Faraday cages, but energy dampeners woven with silencing runes. He would create a fluctuating energy signature, one that mimicked ambient background radiation, making it almost impossible to pinpoint. For hacking, his [Advanced Cybernetic Infiltration] would allow him to build a defensive AI, far beyond anything S.H.I.E.L.D. currently possessed, to defend his systems.
He also realized he could now put his new skills to the test. He reached out to a spare piece of steel and focused his mind, channeling a bit of mana. A faint blue glow surrounded the metal, and with a thought, he etched a tiny, almost invisible rune of durability onto the surface.
[Skill Used: [Basic Runic Enchanting]]
[EXP Gained: 10 EXP x 100 = 1000 EXP!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your [Basic Runic Enchanting] skill has leveled up!]
[Basic Runic Enchanting]
Lv. 101 (0/101,000 EXP)
A smile broke out on John's face. The night stretched before him, a canvas for his burgeoning genius. He wasn't just reacting to the world; he was shaping it. He was the Sentinel, a blend of science and magic, a force of balance. And S.H.I.E.L.D. was about to learn that some variables were simply beyond their control.