In a corner of my room I placed my right hand against the wall, my palm flat on the surface. For a moment I didn't feel anything strange, then the next second my hand slowly slipped inside as if the wall itself had torn open like soft cloth.
I wasn't scared since I was expecting it so I turned my head to the left and saw another hand coming out of the wall beside me.
It was my own hand.
And it was showing a middle finger.
"…Nice."
Slowly I pulled my hand back and the rip in space closed itself. The wall returned to normal like nothing had happened.
Cozen's power is actually amazing. These pocket dimensions I create are roughly a meter wide and about two meters tall. In an emergency it's the perfect hiding space. Though I still need to test something important. What happens if the wall acting as the entrance gets destroyed?
If someone blows it up while I'm inside, what happens to me? Does the pocket space collapse and erase everything inside? Do I get crushed into dust when the connection disappears? Or does the dimension simply lose its anchor and float somewhere in the multiverse?
The second option sounds better… but honestly it might be worse. Who knows what kind of creature would open it.
Phew.
I have already tested the teleportation aspect of the power and while it's really slow, it's still good enough to reach another part of the city without leaving any trace. Still, the limit of twenty-five feet is too small. If the distance increases the traveling would become much more practical.
So I decided to use the Power Boost card, which does exactly what its name suggests upgrade a power. I currently have twelve of them and I'm going to use one on this ability.
I don't know how big the upgrade will be. I don't even know what it's going to improve. The network range? The size of the pocket dimensions? Maybe both. Good way to know is test it now.
Opening the system I checked the inventory, not the one I got from the manhwa but another one that came with the system itself. It's a pity that while the storage space is unlimited, it can only keep items I get from the system until I take them out. Too many restrictions, though it's still useful since I don't have to worry about carrying my cards.
Power Boost Card ×12
Mentally I activated one of them and the next second the number dropped to eleven. At the same time I felt the power inside me shift slightly, like something had expanded. I can now sense some more of the 'catch' I wasn't able to do that before due to range limit.
The upgrade information appeared directly in my head. It was a collective boost. The width of the pocket dimension increased by half a meter and the height too, but the biggest improvement was the range. Now the network could connect within a hundred feet.
After thinking for a moment I decided to use ten more cards. It might seem like I'm going a bit overboard but who knows when I might get another power related to space. Better to strengthen this one as much as possible while I can.
As the upgrades stacked one after another, I could feel the range expanding further and further. Soon it reached a hundred meter.
Wow… that was definitely worth it. At this point even if the size of the caches didn't increase anymore, it wouldn't really matter.
Though it didn't stay the same either. The pocket dimensions are now around two meters wide and three meters tall. Looks like the upgrades aren't collective every time nor are they linear. I wanted to test it further, but I only had one boost card left and I'm planning to use that one on the inventory later.
Forget it. I'll experiment later when I get more. For now I focused back on the shard power. I should start placing these caches throughout the city, school, hospitals, this building, alleys. Actually it might be better to scatter them everywhere. If the whole city ends up filled with them, then even if someone somehow detects a few of them, they won't be able to connect them back to me.
Maybe I'm being a little paranoid but there are plenty of people with space-related powers or strange sensory abilities in this world. I remember reading that a Kumiho can even sense extra-dimensional energies. Better to prepare for that kind of problem from the start.
Also, I should start filling these caches with emergency supplies like water, canned food, weapons, and a proper med kit. If something like a zombie apocalypse ever happens, I'll at least have safe places with clean supplies ready.
Deciding that, I sat down in front of my PC. Even though I know quite a few things thanks to my nerd history with fiction and the Damian template, it's still better not to underestimate the nerds of this world.
So I opened Reddit to see if anyone had good survival suggestions for a zombie scenario.
Although many anime, comics, and movies from my original world don't exist here because of different inspirations, the themes are still similar. Especially zombie stories. Those are everywhere.
In fact, there's even a whole trilogy about Captain America surviving an apocalypse caused by a spreading virus. I wonder if Steve can sue them for copyright. He probably could. And If he did, he might become one of the fastest millionaires alive.
My scrolling stopped on a new post.
Lizard vs Spider.
The title immediately caught my attention. It had only been posted four minutes ago. I opened the link.Oh it's a video.
Spider-Man was fighting what looked like a mini dinosaur.
…Connors.
You really couldn't stay quiet, could you?
Adding him, Peter's original enemies list is already growing. First Goblin, then Dr. Octopus, and now the Lizard. All three connected to Oscorp in one way or another.
Doc Ock project was funded by Oscorp and Curtis is a employee of the company.
Tch.
I don't really mind the company taking a few hits, but I definitely don't want its reputation completely ruined. If the public starts associating every Oscorp product with disaster, anger, and fear, that's a serious problem.
I just hope Connors didn't leave any obvious clues about his identity. Though knowing how these things usually go, S.H.I.E.L.D. might already be on his trail.
I haven't really read much about his early plots in the comics but his plan in the movie version was insane. I definitely don't want the city turning into a place filled with human-sized lizards.
Sigh…One moment I was planning how to survive a possible apocalypse, and the next moment I have to plan how to prevent one.
I definitely didn't wanted to get involved with the superhero mess this early, but I can't just sit back and leave everything to the dumb heroes either.
Who knows if he actually succeeds because of their stupidity.
I should start looking for his hideout. In the movie he made them in the sewers, so that's at least a starting point.
"I also need to confirm if it's really Connors… or someone else."
************
"DAAAAMN SPIDER-MAAAN!"
Dr. Curtis Connors' roar thundered through the sewers, echoing along the damp tunnels and sending rats scattering in every direction. The smaller creatures that lived down there, rats, insects, even the occasional stray cat that had wandered too far, bolted the moment the sound reached them.
It wasn't just the volume of the roar that terrified them.
It was the creature that produced it.
The figure standing in the dim sewer tunnel was still vaguely humanoid… but only vaguely. The body was massive, easily seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and long limbs built more for tearing than thinking. Green scales covered his skin, thick and uneven, glistening faintly under the flickering yellow sewer lights. Behind him, a long muscular tail dragged across the wet concrete, occasionally slapping against the ground with an impatient thud.
And then there was the face. A reptilian snout filled with rows of sharp teeth, yellow slit-like eyes glowing with fury, and a jaw that seemed built to rip flesh apart.
Harry wasn't wrong.
He really did look like some kind of miniature dinosaur.
"Because of him… I couldn't kill that Ratha!"
Connors slammed his clawed hand into the wall beside him. The impact cracked the concrete, sending small chunks falling into the filthy water below. The metal pipes attached to the wall rattled violently from the force.
His chest rose and fell heavily, anger boiling through every muscle of his transformed body.
"How dare he…!"
The words came out almost like a growl.
"How dare he look down on me…!"
His claws scraped against the concrete, leaving deep marks.
"Saying my research was a waaaaste…!"
His voice echoed again through the tunnel, bouncing from wall to wall until it faded into distant silence.
For a moment he simply stood there, breathing heavily, his tail lashing behind him in agitation.
Then slowly… the rage began to shift.
"But now he won't dare repeat those words again… because I succeeded."
Connors lifted his hand in front of his face, staring at it.
The hand that had once been missing.
The hand that had haunted him for years… reminding him every day of his weakness.
Now it was there again.
Not only restored… but improved.
Large claws replaced fingernails, the muscles were thicker than before, and green scales covered the skin like natural armor.
His eyes widened slightly.
"No…"
His voice dropped into an almost breathless whisper.
"Not only did I succeed…"
He flexed the claws slowly, watching the muscles move under the scales.
"My results…"
His tail slowly moved behind him as excitement began creeping into his voice.
"They went far beyond what I was searching for."
He slowly walked toward the stream of dirty water flowing through the center of the sewer tunnel. The shallow current reflected the dim lights above, distorting the image staring back at him.
Connors leaned down slightly and looked at his reflection.
A reptilian monster stared back.
For a brief moment… something flickered in his eyes.
"I am stronger…" he whispered as his tail slowly moved behind him.
"… faaaster…" He clenched his claws.
"More durable than any human could ever be." His breathing grew heavier, excitement building with every word.
"I have EVOLVED."
The word came out almost reverently, like a sacred truth.
He stared at his reflection again, studying the scales, the claws, the powerful body that replaced his old, fragile human form.
A slow grin spread across his reptilian face.
"And… and…" His voice started rising again." I can evolve the rest too!"
The idea seemed to strike him with sudden force. His eyes widened further as the thought formed completely.
Looking at the reflection again, he whispered to himself.
"I can save them…" The whisper carried through the tunnel.
"All of them…" He spread his claws.
"The weak…"
"The broken…"
"The diseased…"
His voice began trembling with excitement.
"Humans cling to their frail bodies… their illnesses… their weaknesses!"
His tail slammed against the ground again.
"But I can fix that!"
His voice echoed through the sewer like thunder.
"I can improve them!"
His breathing had become rapid now, his entire body trembling with excitement again.
"Every single one of them…"
He straightened his massive body, towering in the dim sewer tunnel like a prophet who had discovered divine truth.
His eyes burned with fanatical conviction.
"I can evolve them all!"
His roar exploded through the tunnels once more.
"AAAAALL OF THEM!"
***************
How strong would be regular superman?