Chapter 2: The Gods and The Genius
The alley was only a temporary reprieve. The sound of explosions and screams still echoed, a constant reminder that the end of the world was happening just a few feet away. Adam, his newfound clarity guiding him, scrambled up a fire escape, his destination a rooftop. The higher ground offered a better view, and more importantly, less chance of being a casualty of a stray Chitauri laser.
He clambered onto the tarred rooftop, his gaze immediately drawn upward. The sky was a battlefield. A leviathan, its armored scales glinting, roared as a figure in red and gold armor zipped past it, firing repulsor blasts.
"Holy crap. That's him. That's Iron Man. The real, honest-to-god, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. And here I am, a guy who just got a mystical bug that helps me focus. Talk about a class disparity."
Just as he was internally monologuing, another system message popped into his mind, its calm, digital voice a stark contrast to his own frantic thoughts.
[Gu Acquired from main character Tony Stark: Techno Gu (B Rank). Ability: Control and refine technology. Note: This Gu is for team members and cannot be used by the host.]
A new icon appeared in his mental menu, a small, stylized circuit board that glowed with a soft blue light. He felt no physical change, no new powers. Just the knowledge that he now possessed a B-Rank Gu that he couldn't use. He frowned. It was like getting a new car for Christmas but being told you couldn't drive it.
Then, a bolt of lightning, impossibly bright and loud, struck the rooftop of a skyscraper nearby. Adam's eyes widened, his head whipping around. A figure in a red cape, with long, blonde hair and a hammer that looked suspiciously like a prop from a LARP event, was standing on the building, bellowing a war cry.
"Oh god, the hair. And the muscles. No wonder people worship him. He's a walking Calvin Klein ad with a hammer. Wait, is that Mjolnir? It's not the Ragnarok one, so it's probably heavier. I wonder if I could pick it up. Probably not. I'd probably just end up with a dislocated shoulder and a very confused deity."
As if to answer his unasked question, another system message popped into his head.
[Gu Acquired from main character Thor: Space-Splitting Gu (S Rank). Ability: Teleportation. Note: This Gu is for team members and cannot be used by the host.]
This one was different. The icon that appeared was a shimmering, silvery vortex, and it was labeled "S Rank." A sudden, visceral wave of awe and terror washed over him. He had just acquired a Gu of teleportation, from a literal god. He was collecting powers from the most powerful beings in the universe, and he was doing it just by being in their general vicinity.
"Okay, so this is my mission. Not to fight. Not to be a hero. My mission is to collect. I'm a walking, talking Pokedex for superpowers. I'm catching 'em all. And I have to keep them safe, for my future team. That's... a lot of pressure. It's like being asked to babysit all the Infinity Stones. What could possibly go wrong?"
He watched as Thor took to the sky, a thunderous roar following him. Iron Man zapped another leviathan. He was a spectator in the greatest show on earth, and he was holding all the tickets. It was a strange, terrifying, and exhilarating feeling. He was no longer just a guy who died playing video games. He was a guy who died playing video games and was now tasked with being a Gu Master in a world of gods and monsters. It was a promotion he was not prepared for, but one he was apparently stuck with.