Pain.
That was the last thing Fredy remembered.
The deafening horn of a truck… the blinding white headlights… and then darkness swallowing everything.
Fredy expected death to be silent.
Instead, a strange mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[Initializing Multiversal Template System...]
Fredy frowned.
"...What?"
He slowly opened his eyes.
The ceiling above him was cracked and stained. The room smelled faintly of dust and old wood.
"This isn't the hospital…"
Fredy sat up suddenly.
The room was small—barely large enough for a bed, a table, and a broken chair. Outside the window he could see tall buildings and distant traffic lights.
"Where am I?"
As he tried to stand, a sharp headache struck him.
Memories that didn't belong to him flooded his mind.
A different life.
A different name.
Fredy Parker.
Eighteen years old.
Orphan.
Lives in Queens, New York.
Fredy froze.
"Queens?"
His heart began beating faster.
"That's… Marvel's New York."
Before he could process the shock, the mechanical voice returned.
[Multiversal Template System Successfully Bound to Host]
A translucent blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
Fredy jumped.
"What the—?!"
He waved his hand through the screen. His hand passed through it like air, but the panel remained visible.
Host: Fredy Parker
Level: 1
Stats:
Strength: 6
Speed: 5
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 7
Installed Templates: None
Available Template Slots: 1
Fredy stared at the screen with wide eyes.
"This is… a system."
Years of reading webnovels suddenly made things clearer.
"Wait… did I actually transmigrate?"
He pinched his arm.
"Ow!"
Yep.
Definitely real.
Fredy suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha…!"
In his old life, he was just an ordinary guy with a boring job and no future.
But now?
He was in the Marvel Universe.
And he had a system.
Before he could celebrate too much, another notification appeared.
[Starter Reward Granted]
[Random Template Draw Initiating...]
A massive roulette wheel materialized before him.
Names flashed across the spinning wheel faster and faster.
Fredy leaned closer.
His eyes widened as he read some of them.
Superman.
Saitama.
Madara Uchiha.
Gojo Satoru.
Thor.
Captain America.
Deadpool.
Vergil.
"Are you kidding me?" Fredy whispered.
"Any one of these is insane."
The wheel continued spinning.
Fredy clenched his fists nervously.
"Please… give me something good."
The wheel began slowing down.
Slower.
Slower.
His heartbeat grew louder in his ears.
Finally—
The pointer stopped.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then the system spoke.
[Congratulations]
Template Obtained: Sung Jin-Woo — Shadow Monarch
Fredy blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Shadow… Monarch?"
He knew that name very well.
Sung Jin-Woo
The strongest hunter.
The ruler of shadows.
The commander of an unstoppable undead army.
Fredy slowly looked down at the ground.
His shadow stretched across the wooden floor.
"Wait…"
His shadow… moved.
Fredy's breath caught.
"That's not normal."
The system notification continued.
[Template Synchronization Starting]
1%...
3%...
5%...
Suddenly—
A powerful surge of energy exploded through Fredy's body.
"AAARGH!"
He fell to his knees as dark energy poured into his muscles and bones.
His heartbeat thundered.
His senses sharpened.
Every sound outside the apartment became crystal clear.
Car engines.
Footsteps.
Distant sirens.
The synchronization continued.
7%...
10%...
Finally, the pain faded.
Fredy gasped for air as he pushed himself back onto the bed.
Another screen appeared.
Template: Sung Jin-Woo
Synchronization: 10%
Unlocked Abilities:
• Shadow Extraction
• Shadow Storage
• Enhanced Strength
• Enhanced Speed
Fredy slowly clenched his fists.
His body felt… lighter.
Stronger.
Like gravity itself had weakened.
He stood up and walked toward the small mirror hanging on the wall.
His reflection stared back at him.
Same black hair.
Same young face.
But his eyes felt sharper now.
More dangerous.
Fredy whispered to himself.
"So this is real…"
Just then—
A scream echoed from outside the apartment building.
"HELP!!"
Fredy frowned and walked to the window.
Below, in a dim alleyway, three men surrounded a woman.
One of them pulled out a knife.
Fredy's eyes narrowed.
He could ignore it.
Stay inside.
Stay safe.
But then he looked down at his shadow again.
The darkness beneath his feet rippled slightly.
Almost as if it was waiting.
Fredy slowly smiled.
"Well…"
"If I'm going to live in the Marvel Universe…"
"I might as well start leveling up."
He turned toward the apartment door.
Outside…
Three criminals were about to learn something terrifying.
The Shadow Monarch had arrived.