Alex Ray's entire body tensed, his instincts screaming at him to stay alert. The God of Stories, Loki—standing right in front of him—wasn't someone to take lightly. If this Loki wanted to attack, Alex wouldn't stand a chance.
Sure, he had beaten the Loki from his world, but this one? A god in every sense of the word? No way.
Alex couldn't help but silently defend himself: That was your variant I punched, not you!
Besides, you're the one who asked me to watch over him! If he acted out of line, the simplest way to discipline him was a good old-fashioned beatdown.
You—Loki, the God of Stories—wouldn't be so petty as to hold a grudge against a junior like me, right?
As if reading his thoughts, Loki raised a brow and chuckled, his voice smooth. "Relax. I won't hold it against you. Honestly, I was pretty annoying back then."
He laughed again. If he could go back in time, he might've punched his old self too.
Thinking about how immature and ridiculous his past behavior was made even him feel a little embarrassed.
To Loki, now the God of Stories, those were dark days—regrets buried deep, memories he had no desire to revisit.
"If not for the Time Variance Authority, my story might've ended in tragedy."
Even now, with divine power and cosmic awareness, Loki still carried hidden regrets.
"Even gods have regrets," he said quietly. "Even standing above mortals, I can't rewrite certain destinies. Just like me—even if I stand atop the multiverse—I can't return to that era of innocence. I can't rewrite my story."
In comparison, the Loki in Alex's world was in a much better situation—still young, still capable of change, still able to grow.
And so, Loki had no intention of punishing Alex.
"Let's put it this way," he said thoughtfully. "It's been a very long time since your past life. A thousand years? Ten thousand? You've been reincarnated for ages. But your current appearance... it confirms it for me. You are him."
"I've been watching you since the day you were born, Alex Ray. I know everything about you—including your system."
At this, Loki paused. His sharp eyes locked onto Alex, studying every micro-expression, as if trying to spot a flicker of emotion or surprise.
But Alex's face remained unusually calm. He had clearly expected this.
Loki frowned slightly. To him, the system should've been Alex's biggest secret. To have it exposed without any visible reaction? That was disappointing.
"You're not surprised?" Loki asked. "Not even a little shocked that I know about your system?"
Logically speaking, Alex should've been shaken. His most critical trump card had been discovered. But instead, he just stood there—composed.
In truth, Alex had been questioning the system's origins for a while now.
Systems didn't just appear out of nowhere. He'd read enough stories before transmigrating to understand that they were either ancient artifacts or creations of high-level beings.
And if a system used Infinity Stones—especially the Reality Stone—then it had to come from the Marvel Universe.
Loki had also just confirmed that Alex had a past life. That led him to a strong suspicion:
The system had been created by his past self.
If Loki, the God of Stories, had known that version of him, and with Loki's level of power... then of course he would know about the system too.
Seeing Alex's indifference, Loki muttered, "Boring."
He had abandoned most of his mischievous ways over time, but deep down, he still enjoyed watching others squirm—especially when it came to Alex, the reincarnation of that man.
Facing Alex's serene calmness now was almost anticlimactic. Loki had expected a more dramatic reaction.
"Well, since you're not too surprised, let me confirm it for you: yes, the system was a gift from your past self. Though I don't understand why he called it a 'system,' it was really just a little device he built—and I helped deliver it as a small favor."
Loki saw Alex's expression shift slightly in recognition and added, "Yes, the system runs on Reality Stone energy. I could've given you the power of both the Reality and Time Stones... but I didn't want to interfere too much. So I let the system absorb the Reality Stone. You needed it more."
Alex thought about it. The system's lottery function had been disproportionately useful—far more so than anything else it provided.
He began to analyze the reason behind his past self creating such a device.
From what Loki had described, his previous life had been cold—emotionally distant. Someone like that wouldn't just give away something so powerful without a reason, even to his reincarnation.
Could the system be a backup plan? A vessel to ensure his past self could one day return?
Was the system actually a fragment of his former soul? And if he gathered all the Infinity Stones, would that trigger a resurrection?
Would he awaken those memories?
And if that happened... would he still be himself?
No matter what the answer was, the realization crushed down on him like a mountain.
Everything he had now—his strength, his tools, his influence—had been given by the system.
Without it, would he just be a normal person?
Alex was faced with a terrifying possibility: his entire identity might not be his own.
Could he really trust his past self not to have a hidden agenda?
If his former self had no ulterior motive, how had he died?
What kind of secret was the system hiding?
Alex decided to test the waters and see how much Loki actually knew.
"Mr. Loki," he asked slowly, "do you know why my past self gave me the system? Or how he died? Or how he was so sure he'd reincarnate?"
Loki grew quiet again.
"I don't know," he said after a moment. "I can only tell you this—while your past self was cold... he wasn't heartless. In fact, he helped a lot of people."
"But he never did anything with a clear purpose. Everything he did—saving someone, killing someone—it was based on instinct. He might save you in one breath... and kill you in the next."
Loki's gaze grew distant, as though peering back through the veil of time itself.
"As for his death—it was the result of a battle that shook the entire multiverse. Every major power imaginable was involved."
"In that war... Alex Ray stood alone against the entire Marvel Universe."
"His enemies included the One Above All, the five great cosmic entities, the original Beyonder, and even The Dreaming Celestial."
"On the lower tier, he faced Kang's Dynasty, led by Kang the Conqueror, as well as God Emperor Doom, the Council of Reeds, and beings like Dormammu and Mephisto."
"They had only one goal: to eliminate Alex Ray."
"And they succeeded."
Alex sucked in a sharp breath.
His heart thundered in his chest. It was like a tidal wave crashing through his soul.
In his past life... he had made every single major force in existence his enemy.
It didn't matter if they were good or evil—they had united to bring him down.
That... was terrifying.
But also awe-inspiring.
So he hadn't brought shame to the title of "time traveler" after all.
Still... what had he done to provoke that many enemies? Even the One Above All, a god who rarely appeared, had moved against him.
His past self had truly wished death.
---------
🎇🎇 Check out new Fanfiction 🎇🎇
🎊 Naruto : Tsunade You're Really Drunk 🎊
---------
Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
---------------
📚 Enjoying the Story? Get Ahead Now!
Can't wait for the next twist or epic moment?
Join my Patreon and unlock 40+ advanced chapters—read ahead of everyone else! 🔥
👉 https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your support means the world to me—thank you so much! 💖
-------------