That's right.
The Sky Father–level of life is only the most basic enhancement granted by the [Lord of the Dead].
Just as Herman's physical attributes improved when he first gained superpowers, this too is merely a perk attached to the status of [Lord of the Dead]. His current elevation in life level is meant to support the immense power that comes with this title.
The descriptions of the [All-Seeing Eye], aside from the nonsense in the opening paragraph of each entry, are by no means baseless.
[Having comprehended the true essence of death, understood the ultimate meaning of life, and gained supreme authority to manipulate both the living and the undead.]
This is one of the abilities brought by the [Lord of the Dead]. As long as Herman's energy doesn't run dry, he can continually resist the very state of "death."
To put it more plainly, it could be understood as immunity to fatal wounds—no matter how severe the injury, he cannot die. However, this ability is not the same as a Healing Factor.
It is a rule-based power. Even attacks with "instant death" effects cannot force death upon him.
A Platinum-tier Identity.
The powers it grants are largely of this rule-based or law-based nature. They are somewhat abstract, lacking the directness of something like slashing yourself and watching the wound heal, yet not particularly hard to understand.
"Not only can I resist death, but I can also resurrect the dead and impose 'instant death effects' on others." Herman felt the weight of his newfound authority.
The ability to bestow "instant death effects" on others was truly terrifying. Even against opponents of equal strength, it might not guarantee an instant kill.
But it could drain most of the enemy's combat power. Forced to divide their focus to resist such a law-based burden, they could never fight at full strength.
This is why Herman's claim that defeating Odin isn't difficult isn't an exaggeration. Forget Odin—even the Five Cosmic Entities would be forced to divert part of their strength to counter this authority. For them, however, resisting an "instant death effect" would be effortless.
Only when Herman stands on equal footing with the Five Cosmic Entities, becoming a Multiversal-level existence, can this authority truly threaten them.
Of course.
Perhaps Galactus, the so-called Devourer of Worlds, should be set aside from this discussion? His power is peculiar. Its ceiling is unimaginably high, possibly surpassing the Multiverse tier, but its floor is also ridiculously low.
In his state of ravenous hunger, Galactus has been defeated by almost everyone—events scattered across different universes.
"With this authority backing me, even if my life level isn't at the very peak, my combat strength will never fall short of any Sky Father–level being."
Herman now felt far more satisfied with his power. Raising his hand, a dense black mist coiled around his palm.
Within it was a chilling aura so terrifying that anyone who looked upon it would feel as if they were staring straight into death itself.
As the black mist churned, it carried the sound of countless souls wailing, as though an entire world's worth of creatures were trapped within Herman's hand. This was another ability granted by the title of [Lord of the Dead].
It could also be considered part of the authority over death.
[All the dead must kneel at your feet. Those slain by your hand are doomed to unrest, forever enslaved as your undead.]
Lord of the Dead.
Naturally, as the name suggests, he commands an endless legion of the undead—though Herman cannot summon a pre-formed army, he can enslave the souls of every foe he has slain.
"It's a pity some of the enemies I killed before aren't counted among the enslaved."
In addition to the vast, empty, highly malleable alternate dimension he already possessed, Herman now also commanded a [Realm of the Dead].
Despair, coldness, decay, agony. These are the fundamental tones of the [Realm of the Dead]. The earth and sky are pitch black, a blood moon hanging like a solitary eye in the heavens.
The sea runs crimson, rivers and lakes all the color of blood.
For now, it remains barren.
But from this moment on, the souls of those slain by Herman shall neither ascend to Heaven nor descend to Hell. Not even the dimensional lords can claim them.
All slain souls shall suffer eternal torment within Herman's [Realm of the Dead], providing him with power drawn from death itself. These spirits function like generators, endlessly producing the "electricity" Herman can wield.
Of course, unlike those who ascend to godhood through faith or incense offerings, Herman will not grow weaker even if the number of souls within the [Realm of the Dead] dwindles.
[You draw power from endless death.]
This was the description of his authority. Even if the souls within the [Realm of the Dead] were completely depleted, the power he had already drawn and absorbed would remain entirely unaffected. The only consequence would be a slower rate of acquiring new strength in the future.
Put more simply, it was like the wealthiest man holding vast riches. Even if he laid off half his company's employees, it wouldn't diminish the fortune already in his hands. Workers come and go. Lose one batch, hire another.
This authority not only allowed Herman to treat enemy souls as laborers; when necessary, he could also summon them from the [Realm of the Dead] to fight for him—regardless of how much hatred they bore toward him in life. It wasn't just about making souls "work." It was about making them fight to the death. The title of Lord of the Dead truly lived up to its name in wickedness.
"Well, it's a feudal monarchy. Makes sense."
After experiencing the full extent of his authority, Herman shifted his attention to the Identity Exclusive Mission tied to the [All-Seeing Eye]. He couldn't help but sigh. As expected, every profession dealing with the undead came with a mass-recruitment task.
The [Realm of the Dead] gave him the ability to enslave the souls he had slain, while the Identity Exclusive Mission demanded that he wipe out all life in an entire universe.
"If Thanos, the self-proclaimed population control director, saw my quest, he'd probably sign up with the Avengers on the spot!" Herman muttered sarcastically.
To be honest, he had no idea how to complete such a mission.
He couldn't exactly go collect the Infinity Stones and snap his fingers to wipe out every living being, could he? This mission was even more ridiculous than the one where he had to toy with history three times.
Of course, in a certain sense, the [Lord of the Dead] might rank higher among Platinum-tier identities than the [Deceiver of History]. A tougher mission wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"The difference between 'slightly' and 'massively' tougher is no small matter."
Herman certainly wasn't going to turn into a destroyer of worlds just to complete a mission.
Still, he was tempted by the reward: the Heart of Death. A power that granted permanent immunity to death—eternal life, no matter the injury.
"Even if obliterated by a stronger being until not a single molecule remained, one could still return from death. A terrifying ability.
The more you die, the stronger you become..."
To say Herman wasn't coveting this reward would be a lie. It was the ultimate safeguard of survival. Even against higher-tier beings, it offered him a chance to rise again. He wanted it, but he wasn't some heartless demon lord.
Odin had been right about one thing: humanity still outweighed divinity within him. He still carried the full range of human emotions.
Lives he had no connection to didn't matter much. But within this universe, Herman had already built too many close ties.
"Perhaps the only way to complete this mission is to use the same method as the [Deceiver of History]."
Recalling his previous Platinum-tier identity, Herman began to see a possible path toward fulfilling the [Lord of the Dead]'s mission.
"No need to rush. Events of such magnitude won't unfold overnight. With my current strength, I can already handle most situations."
He could feel his power, far surpassing what it had once been. He knew that on Earth, he was now an existence that could walk unchallenged.
Not arrogance. Just fact.
In the Marvel Prime Universe where Herman now resided, characters were mostly drawn from the Cinematic Universe. There was no need to worry about BUG-level beings suddenly showing up.
Sky Father–level entities likely represented the peak of power on Earth. Of course, there was no absolute certainty—what if some cosmic powerhouse just happened to be living in seclusion here?
Even his understanding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe only extended to the shows and films he'd watched. Who knew how many projects were still in development before his transmigration?
"I wonder what kind of ripples my identity acquisition has caused across the universe this time."
Suspended in the vacuum of space, Herman's gaze swept across every corner of Earth. His superhuman vision let him see every detail on the planet's surface from this distance.
"Nothing particularly unusual."
Herman observed for quite some time. He still couldn't pinpoint the source of this change—perhaps it wasn't on Earth at all? With that thought, he summoned his Ravens once more.
One moment he was gazing down at Earth from the starry cosmos, and the next, he was back in his office. On the lit TV screen, Peppa Pig was munching away.
"Just seven more days until I can draw another identity."
Herman settled contentedly into his chair, casually switching off the children's program. Lately, he'd lost interest in such cartoons and instead had started watching Marvel Universe's Blazing Teens—a series produced overseas.
To be clear, despite sharing a similar title, the story was nothing like the version Herman had watched as a child before his transmigration. This one featured tiny yo-yos that could summon the Azure Dragon and White Tiger.
"Real men love this kind of stuff."
Herman happily watched the show through the entire morning.
Until Skye pushed the door open.
"You sent that kid at the gate to Siberia yesterday to buy potatoes. So, are we having hotpot today or not? Carrie's been nagging about it all morning."
Skye wasn't here to call Herman to lunch—she was here to call him to cook lunch. Herman suddenly remembered the "Quicksilver Delivery" potatoes from Siberia.
"Go get more ingredients. No, just take them from the busiest vendors downstairs. However many kinds they have, grab them all.
Today, I'll show you all what I can really do."
Having drawn a satisfying Bronze-tier Identity Genius Chef, Herman was in a great mood and ready to celebrate. The culinary skills granted by that identity allowed him to outshine countless famous chefs, even without creating Glowing Cuisine.
"Asking vendors to sell ingredients isn't exactly a smart move. I don't want to get yelled at."
Skye still didn't know the true identities of the vendors. She thought Herman was joking—how could anyone just give away goods meant to earn profit?
"Who said buy? Take! Just take!" Herman stressed. "Don't pay. Just tell them I sent you."
Why pass up free supplies from S.H.I.E.L.D.? What was wrong with eating their food?
After all, he had efficiently dealt with the Mjolnir incident for them. Thor was still undergoing trials in a war-torn land—Herman had glanced at him earlier from space and estimated that in a few days, Thor would be ready to return, transformed.
In short, Herman had nearly completed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s request. Yet even after several days, they still hadn't pushed The Daily Bugle into the bestseller charts.
Herman felt cheated—though he knew S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't pocketing the benefits. If they had, his response wouldn't have stopped at eating their food.
The truth was, even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence, you couldn't turn a newspaper into a bestseller in just a few days.
Recently, they had provided The Daily Bugle with exclusive scoops—political scandals long kept secret by S.H.I.E.L.D.—which quickly grabbed the public's attention. Combined with Spider-Man's relentless submissions, the paper was thriving. Yet Herman still hadn't received the task completion notification.
The Identity Exclusive Mission had been very clear: The Daily Bugle had to become the best-selling newspaper. For now, Herman could only wait.
He had even tried buying copies himself, but the All-Seeing Eye refused to recognize results achieved by sheer spending power.
"You want me to go get ingredients? Will they really hand them over?"
Skye's eyes held suspicion. "Or are you asking me to expose your homeland identity to threaten them?"
She figured Herman already had a notorious reputation around here.
"You don't get it. Think of it as me investing in their stalls."
Herman didn't bother explaining the vendors' true identities. Although Skye's impression of S.H.I.E.L.D. had improved, she still leaned heavily toward conspiracy theories.
"Whoa~"
Skye gasped.
"You're even going after these small businesses? Oh my god! I knew it! You unscrupulous billionaire! No wonder you're so rich!"
Naive as she was, Skye believed him. To her, the idea of a billionaire investing in street stalls was absurd. Shameless, even—a tycoon muscling in on small-scale street vendors.
"Mind your own business."
Herman rolled his eyes.
Skye wrinkled her nose but dropped the matter.
She went downstairs.
Soon enough, she returned with all kinds of ingredients. The S.H.I.E.L.D. vendor agents, upon hearing Herman's name, handed everything over immediately.
"Don't tell me… those street stalls actually have absolute controlling stakes?"
Skye recalled the vendors' eagerness with a distinctly odd expression. It almost looked like Herman was the true owner of those stalls.
Street stalls? How much equity could he possibly have put in?
"Of course."
Herman answered with deadpan seriousness. "As a competent businessman, what's wrong with investing in street stalls and securing absolute controlling stake?"
Such a logical answer left Skye completely speechless.
Herman carried the ingredients into the kitchen and soon prepared a lavish hotpot feast.
"Glowing Cuisine!"
Carrie's eyes lit up at the sight of the luminous hotpot. The other employees, already used to such dishes, dove in without hesitation.
"Weird… why does the boss feel different today?"
Carrie paused mid-bite to sip some water, casting a puzzled glance at Herman. But she didn't think too much of it. Spotting someone cooking her favorite lamb chops, she quickly set down her cup, cheeks puffed with water, and rushed to grab her chopsticks.
"Raw! It's still bloody!"
Aunt May exclaimed, stopping Carrie just before she could bite into the lamb chop.
"But beef can be eaten with blood, right?"
Carrie reluctantly set it down, looking pitifully disappointed. Herman and the others couldn't help but laugh.
The atmosphere around the table was warm and lively.
...
Meanwhile.
Egypt.
In the desert, amidst endless yellow sand, plants suddenly sprouted. Within moments, a vast oasis spread across the barren land, and a pyramid slowly rose from beneath the sands.
Though Herman hadn't noticed these changes, it didn't mean they hadn't occurred.