Chapter 57: On Your Right
Fisk checked the time and slapped his thighs with both palms — the decisive gesture of a man who'd made up his mind.
"We should get going. Vanessa's had more than enough for one night." He signaled Bullseye to bring the car around.
Before leaving, Fisk turned to Ethan with a long, searching look. Something complicated moved behind his eyes — gratitude, pride, and the unmistakable weight of a final decision.
"Son. Hell's Kitchen is yours now. You've grown into the kind of leader this place needs. I trust you to take it somewhere better."
The night's events — the near-loss of Vanessa and Richard, the revelation of what had happened to his parallel self's family — had settled something deep inside Fisk. He was done. He wanted to step back, spend whatever years he had left with the people who mattered, and let someone younger and stronger carry the weight.
Ethan had proven, beyond any remaining doubt, that he was that person.
Ethan's face fell. "Uncle Fisk — no. All I want is to run my restaurant and collect rent in peace. That's the dream. Please don't do this to me."
Fisk's tone left zero room for negotiation. "This isn't a request. It's an order. Wanda can help manage the day-to-day — she's more than capable. I'll have people notify the underground that there's a new boss."
He put a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "I'm old, son. This era doesn't need me anymore. It's your turn."
Then he left — Vanessa on one arm, Richard on the other — before Ethan could say another word.
Just as Ethan was preparing to mentally protest some more, the System chimed.
「DING!」
「Congratulations, Host! Wilson Grant Fisk's friendship level has reached MAX.」
「Congratulations, Host! Wilson Grant Fisk has become your Family!」
「1 Family Point awarded.」
「Congratulations, Host! Richard Fisk's friendship level has reached MAX.」
「Congratulations, Host! Vanessa Fisk's friendship level has reached MAX.」
「Congratulations...」
「Family Members: 9/10.」
「Keep going! One more to unlock your Exclusive Skill!」
Ethan read through the cascade of notifications and understood. Fisk hadn't just been saying goodbye — he'd been entrusting Ethan with everything. His city. His legacy. His family.
There was nothing left to argue about.
Still. Nine out of ten. One short. The Exclusive Skill was right there, tantalizingly close, and Ethan couldn't help feeling a small pang of frustration.
Then the System chimed again.
「DING!」
「Congratulations, Host! Wanda Django Maximoff's friendship level has reached MAX.」
「Congratulations, Host! Wanda Django Maximoff has become your Family!」
「Family Members: 10/10.」
「Congratulations, Host! Family Man upgraded to Lv.3!」
「Congratulations, Host! Exclusive Skill unlocked: On Your Right Lv.1!」
Ethan's jaw dropped.
He looked up from the System interface and scanned the room, searching for Wanda.
She was sitting quietly nearby, watching him with a gentle smile. There was a calm, settled quality to her expression — the look of someone who'd finally found the place they belonged.
Their eyes met, and something clicked into place without either of them needing to say it.
Something warm and unspoken flooded through Ethan's chest.
"You're staying?" he asked softly.
"I'm staying," Wanda said. "I found my father. I know where I come from now. There's nothing left to wonder about."
"This is my home. My family is here. Why would I ever leave?"
She stood up and walked toward the stairs, pausing at the door to look back at him one more time.
"It's late. Get some rest. You've earned it."
Ethan watched her go, then switched off the restaurant lights and climbed the stairs to his room on the second floor.
In the quiet of his bedroom, Ethan finally had a chance to examine his new title and skill in detail.
He opened the System interface and read carefully.
[ Family Man Lv.3: When one or more Family members are present on the battlefield, Host gains +20% combat power. Family members present gain +15% combat power. ]
[ Exclusive Skill: On Your Right Lv.1 — Host may actively summon one Family member to appear at Host's right side, regardless of distance or location. Cooldown: 24 hours. ]
[ Next upgrade: 10/15 Family members required. ]
"On Your Right."
Ethan stared at the skill name for a long moment.
Seriously, System? You couldn't come up with something more original? This is a blatant ripoff of Cap's "On your left" from Endgame. Not even trying to hide it.
Still — the actual effect was exceptional.
"System. This skill can be upgraded?"
「Correct. Higher levels increase the number of Family members that can be summoned simultaneously.」
"And 'regardless of location' — does that mean within this universe? Or...?"
「Regardless of which universe the Host is in. The summoning ignores all dimensional and spatial restrictions.」
Ethan's eyes went wide. This skill was broken.
It was an active summon — not random. He chose who appeared. That was critical. Random summoning would be a disaster — imagine pulling Vanessa into the middle of a battlefield. But targeted summoning meant that in any crisis, anywhere in the multiverse, Ethan could call in the exact person he needed.
If he ever ended up in the Spider-Verse, or any other parallel reality, he could call for backup at will. No more fighting alone.
"Host, you currently have 5 Family Points. Would you like to use the gacha?"
Ethan considered it, then shook his head. "Not yet."
He had a feeling. After everything that had happened tonight — the gang war, the Hand's defeat, the multiverse revelations, the power transfer from Fisk — tomorrow morning, every resident in Hell's Kitchen was going to hear the full story. When they did, the passive friendship notifications would flood in.
That meant a mountain of Friend Points. Enough, hopefully, to save up for a proper ten-pull.
Call it superstition, call it gamer's instinct — Ethan had been conditioned by a lifetime of gacha games to believe that ten-pulls had a pity guarantee. He was saving his currency.
Besides, he was exhausted. Too much had happened in a single night. He needed sleep. Tomorrow, when he was sharp and refreshed, would be the time for gambling with the multiverse lottery.
He lay down, closed his eyes, and drifted off.
In his dreams, he summoned Family members from across the stars, fought shoulder to shoulder with them against impossible enemies, and it all felt — for once — like a future that might actually come true.
On the other side of Hell's Kitchen, the news was already spreading.
Wilson Fisk — the Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen, the man who had ruled this neighborhood's underworld for decades — had stepped down.
And Ethan Cross had taken his place.
The announcement ripped through the community like a wildfire, drawing attention from every corner of the district and far beyond.
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