CHAPTER 1 — THE CHOICE AND THE NEW WORLD
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Maybe days. Maybe years. Or maybe more.
The place he was in had no time, no sound, no light. Just thought. And thinking too much was never a good idea.
His old life had been ordinary. Not horrible. Not tragic. Just… empty.
He didn't have a real family. No one stuck around. Except one person. His niece.
He couldn't quite picture her face anymore, but he remembered her laugh perfectly. In the end, that was all he really wanted. A chance.
Then it appeared. No warning. No drama. Just floating text in front of his eyes:
■ SYSTEM: HUMAN APEX ■ ■ REINCARNATION CONFIRMED ■
SPIN TO DEFINE YOUR DESTINY [SPIN]
He looked at the virtual roulette and almost let out a bitter laugh. Still… he spun it.
The wheel blurred, then slowed. It stopped.
■ DESTINY: MARVEL — SIMILAR ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
He took a deep breath. Alright.
The system kept going:
■ REINCARNATION BONUS CHOOSE 4 PERMANENT OPTIONS
Now we're talking. Only four choices. No room for mistakes.
Dozens of absurdly powerful cards floated in front of him. All of them human—no superpowers—but capable of standing toe-to-toe with beings who had them.
He'd already been thinking about how to survive the Marvel universe without powers. But one thing he knew for sure: He wasn't going to be a pure hero. He wasn't going to be a villain either. Maybe an anti-hero… leaning a little more toward the heroes' side.
After thinking it through carefully, he selected: Batman Sherlock Holmes John Wick Light Yagami (Death Note)
A new screen appeared:
■ CHOOSE THE TYPE OF LIFE YOU WANT
■ Normal Life Description: A regular life with no powers or extraordinary abilities. Focus on routine, studies, work, and relationships. Bonus: You receive one unexpected skill or talent of your choice. However, you won't have access to the selected characters unless you drastically change your normal life.
■ Hero Description: One character's abilities are unlocked at 100% from the start, but it's much harder to raise the percentage on the others. You use your powers to protect others and fight evil. Special: Even as a beginner, your sense of justice guides you; you learn and grow through every challenge. Bonus: Starting resources that make the heroic journey easier.
■ Villain Description: You act for your own interests, revenge, or power. You may challenge heroes or create negative impact in the world. Special: Motivations can be complex; even as a beginner you might have a cunning plan or natural talent. Bonus: A strategic advantage from the start, such as secret knowledge.
■ Anti-Hero Description: No pre-set destiny. Your choices can change your own path without affecting the main story or the world around you. You act mostly out of self-interest, pragmatism, or personal reasons, but you stay closer to the heroes than the villains. Special: Total freedom to act without following external rules, but you don't manipulate the main events of the story. You control your decisions, dilemmas, and strategies. Perfect for anyone who likes exploring the gray areas of morality. Bonus: You receive a detailed guide on how to create suits, weapons, equipment, and fighting styles based on your chosen characters, letting you customize your anti-hero's look and abilities in a smart, coherent way.
He weighed every option calmly.
Normal Life was too safe. Hero would lock him into a rigid code. Villain went against everything he believed in.
The Anti-Hero path gave him exactly what he wanted: Freedom. Control. A complicated sense of right and wrong. No restrictions on his journey, and no forced interference with the main story of this universe.
—Selected— ■ Anti-Hero
■ Choose Your Character NIGHTWING AND HIS EQUIPMENT
■ Have a Good Life ■
He opened his eyes.
The ceiling of an airplane stretched above him, quiet and ordinary. The steady hum of the engines filled the cabin. People around him looked completely normal—talking softly, reading, adjusting seatbelts, each one lost in their own little world. The flight attendant's voice echoed over the speakers. He ignored it.
In his mind, he called out: "System."
[ SYSTEM PANEL ] User Name: Sam Winchester Title: Reincarnated
[ Nightwing — Locked ] Characters (Unlock via Missions): Batman — 1% Sherlock Holmes — 1% John Wick — 1% Light Yagami — 1%
Current Missions: Progress: 0/4 Characters
A notification popped up at the edge of his vision. He finished checking the system and looked out the window. Down below, the massive city of New York stretched out like an ocean of lights and concrete.
He closed the system panel with a thought. At that exact moment, a warm wave flooded his mind. The memories came back. Not in pieces—whole, clear, like they had always belonged to him.
Sam Winchester. Nineteen years old. Owner of a small-to-medium tech company. Specialized in programming, app development, and simple mobile games. It wasn't some huge corporation, but it made enough money for a comfortable life. His own apartment in New York, a stable bank account, a decent car, and a routine most people would call pretty good.
He blinked a few times, taking it all in. The body he now inhabited was young, healthy, and well-cared-for. No old scars, no marks of a hard life. Just a nineteen-year-old kid who had built something from nothing after arriving alone in the United States.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Sam's mouth. "Interesting…"
The life the system had given him was way better than the one he'd left behind. Stable. With resources. Financial freedom. And most important: no one expected anything big from him. No one really knew him.
Perfect for an anti-hero who still wasn't sure which road he'd take.
The plane began its slow descent toward landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Through the window, New York's lights grew brighter and closer. Sam leaned his head back against the seat, closed his eyes for a second, and murmured under his breath, almost testing the sound of his own voice:
—Welcome to the new world, Sam Winchester.
He wasn't the lonely, empty man from before anymore. Now he had a young body, a company, money in the bank… and four of the most dangerous, brilliant humans from different universes waiting to wake up inside him.
The first night in New York was already promising to be a long one.
Even before the plane fully touched down, Sam pulled his phone from his pocket. Just a regular smartphone, nothing fancy. He opened the app store and started browsing the internet. Right away he felt a subtle presence stir in his mind. Sherlock Holmes, Batman, John Wick, and Light Yagami reacted almost at the same time.
The deduction hit instantly—cold, precise, courtesy of Sherlock and Light: The internet worked… but it was empty. No WhatsApp. No Facebook. No dominant online games. No console completely owning the market like PlayStation. His little tech company had just struck gold in this world.
"I'm going to build a digital empire here," Sam thought, slipping the phone back into his pocket with a faint smile.
But first, he needed a safe base.
Thirty minutes after landing, he was already in the real estate agent's car, cruising through the city. The combined instincts of Batman, John Wick, Sherlock Holmes, and Light Yagami shot down almost every option in seconds.
Apartment 1 — Near the financial district: Windows too thin. Too much noise. Hallways full of obvious choke points. Getting trapped there would be a fatal mistake. —No.
Apartment 2 — Modern loft with floor-to-ceiling glass walls: Total exposure. Any amateur sniper in the building across the street would have an easy target. Zero privacy for anything that needed to stay secret. —Too exposed. Next.
Apartment 3 — Historic building with classic architecture: Old structure, sketchy wiring—terrible for servers and equipment. Huge blind spots in the lobby. Perfect for an ambush. —Not suitable.
Apartment 4 — Luxury penthouse in Manhattan: Spacious, but way too flashy. People who lived in places like that became targets for gossip or for people who got too interested. His goal was to work in the shadows. —Too extravagant. I want something strategic.
The agent was already sweating. "R-right… The fifth one is different. It's in Queens, but it's special."
They rode the elevator to the second-to-last floor. "The top floor is the rooftop terrace," the agent explained nervously. "You're really lucky. The last tenant moved out just a few days ago. There are only two doors up here. And your neighbor… is the district police chief."
The agent opened the door.
The apartment was a spacious duplex, perfectly split over two levels. Sam walked slowly through it, feeling his muscles relax for the first time since he'd woken up on the plane. Four big bedrooms. A wide living room with controllable natural light. A modern island kitchen, practical and clean. An extra room that would make a perfect storage space or office.
"It comes with basic furniture," the agent said. "You might want to tweak a couple things in the storage room, but it's great for an office."
Sam studied everything: sight lines, solid walls, narrow defensive angles, wiring quality, and the location—peripheral but still accessible and discreet. Approved.
"I'll take it."
While they quickly signed the papers, an older woman stepped out of the elevator carrying several heavy grocery bags, clearly struggling. Right behind her, three boys—Philip, Howard, and Simon—came bursting down the hallway the second the doors opened.
"Philip! Howard! Simon! Behave yourselves!" she shouted, trying to keep the bags balanced.
In the middle of the chaos, a few things slipped and hit the floor. Sam saw it and stepped over without hesitation.
"Can I help you with those, ma'am?"
She looked up, surprised to see the young man with dark hair and blue eyes.
"Oh, you don't have to… I can manage."
But before she could finish, Sam was already kneeling, picking up the fallen items and neatly packing them back into the bags with quick, efficient movements. She watched him in silence for a moment, then sighed with a small smile.
"Well… in that case, a little help wouldn't hurt. Thank you."
Sam grabbed the two heaviest bags.
"Let me carry these."
"Thank you so much. That really helps."
They started down the hallway while the three boys raced ahead. After a few seconds she asked:
"What's your name?"
"Sam. And yours?"
"Helen. Helen Stacy."
"Nice to meet you, Helen."
"The pleasure's mine." She smiled. "You're new around here?"
"Just moved in. Today, actually."
They stopped in front of her door. Helen started digging for her keys, but before she opened it she glanced at the door right next to hers.
"So you're moving in right there?"
Sam jerked his thumb toward it.
"Yep. Looks like we're neighbors."
Her eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise.
"That's great! Welcome to the building."
The mood lightened.
"You look really young. Are you in college?"
"I am. Programming and Law."
Her eyebrows went up again.
"Two degrees at the same time? That's impressive."
"It's a lot, but I can handle it."
"And how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Nineteen."
She let out a soft, almost disbelieving laugh.
"Nineteen and already living on your own, taking two courses, and… wait, you work too?"
"I have a small tech company. Games, websites, apps."
"Really?" Helen tilted her head, genuinely interested. "What's it called?"
"Sony."
She blinked, surprised.
"Sony…? Like the big company?"
Sam gave a small half-smile.
"The plan is to get there one day."
A high-pitched yell came from inside the apartment:
"Mom! Howard won't give the controller back!"
Helen closed her eyes for a second and sighed.
"Coming, boys!"
Before she went in, she looked at Sam with a warmer, more sincere smile.
"It was really nice meeting you, Sam. And thank you again for helping with the bags."
"It was nothing, Helen."
She hesitated for just a beat, then added:
"Since we're neighbors now… don't be a stranger. Come by for coffee sometime if you want. The place is always a mess, but the door's open."
Sam nodded, returning the light smile.
"I'll take you up on that."
The door closed.
The hallway fell quiet.
Sam stood there for another second, looking at her door… then at his own.
Nineteen years old. Two college courses. A company in his hands. And now, neighbor to the Stacy family.
He opened his own door and stepped inside, calm and quiet.
New life. New beginning.
And, without realizing it yet, that simple meeting with Helen Stacy and her boys was going to change a lot of things down the road.
The door clicked shut behind him.