---
Location: Sanctum Sanctorum – New York
Doctor Stephen Strange stood before the swirling mirror dimension, watching fragments of time and space twist unnaturally.
"He's hiding his presence, but it's not just stealth," he murmured. "It's as if… the multiverse itself refuses to track him."
The Cloak of Levitation flapped nervously behind him.
"Even the Time Stone can't see his future," Strange muttered. "This… Sam… is an anomaly."
---
Meanwhile, on a private rooftop near Manhattan…
Wanda lay resting, her crimson energy dimmed for now. Natasha sat beside her, occasionally watching me as I meditated in the center of a glowing rune circle.
My skills were leveling even while still.
[Skill: Passive Training Mastery – Lv.1732]
[Skill: Reality Absorption – Lv.1690]
[Skill: World Suppression Field – Lv.1770]
Every moment, the system quietly pushed my power further—without end.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes.
I felt him.
A ripple through the dimensional layers.
"He's watching me," I said aloud.
"Who?" Natasha asked, hand near her weapon.
"Doctor Stephen Strange," I replied. "Sorcerer Supreme… or soon to be."
Wanda stirred, opening her glowing red eyes. "Someone's looking for you?"
"Everyone will, eventually."
I stood up, stretching slightly.
"They'll either want my help… or want me gone."
---
Location: Sanctum Rooftop – Same Time
Doctor Strange stood on the edge of the Sanctum, eyes glowing with layered sigils.
Then he saw it. A single crack in his vision. Just for a moment.
I looked directly at him.
"Impossible…" he whispered.
---
Back on my side
[Skill: Dimensional Eye – Lv.1801]
[Skill: Sorcery Interference – Lv.1745]
"I saw you too, Strange," I muttered.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to freak me out with all this 'seeing across realms' stuff."
I grinned. "Freak you out? Weren't you the one who kissed me first?"
Her smirk returned. "And I could shoot you just as fast."
[Affection +10: Natasha Romanoff – Comfortable Banter]
Wanda sat up now, brushing her red hair aside. "If this Doctor Strange comes after you, will we fight?"
I looked at her. "Only if he threatens me."
Her red aura flickered to life. "Then he'll have to go through me."
[Affection +30: Wanda Maximoff – Protective Loyalty Forming]
---
Suddenly—
[System Alert: Unknown Force Attempting Magical Lock]
[Skill Counter: Spell Reversal – Lv.1888] Activated.
A glowing sigil appeared mid-air—and shattered instantly.
A portal opened above us. Strange stepped through slowly, the Cloak billowing behind him.
Wanda raised her hand. Natasha instinctively moved beside me.
But I held up a hand.
"I expected you sooner," I said calmly.
Strange studied me. "You're not from here."
"No. But now I am."
"I don't know what you are, Sam," Strange said. "But the universe bends around you. That makes you dangerous."
I took a step forward.
"I'm not here to break your world, Strange," I said. "But I won't bow to it either."
There was a long pause. Magic flared between us, reality humming with potential conflict.
Strange narrowed his eyes.
"I'll be watching you."
Then—he vanished.
---
Natasha exhaled. "Well, that could've gone worse."
Wanda looked at me. "They're scared of you."
I turned to them both.
"They should be."
---
[System Update: All Skills +7,500 Levels | Time Passed: 9 hrs, 44 mins]
[World Response: Sorcerer Supreme Awareness – Neutral]
[Harem Status: Natasha (Trust Deepening), Wanda (Loyal Bond)]
[Next Target of Interest: Felicia Hardy – "The Black Cat" Detected in New York]
---