Chapter 1: There is a Hole in the Sky
If someone offered Ethan Miles a button right now—a button that could rewind time exactly twenty-four hours—he wouldn't just press it. No, he'd throw himself at their feet, hug their leg like a lost puppy, roll around on the floor, and call them "Master" without the slightest concern for dignity. Then he'd go straight back to the moment he refused his friend's invitation to go clubbing and slap himself hard across the face.
"Isn't gaming or scrolling on my phone fun enough for me? Did I really have to go to bed early like a responsible adult?!"
Because—well—he transmigrated.
Yes. He. Transmigrated.
No dramatic car accident. No "lost in the mountains" survival story. No accidental water spillage on a glowing computer. No overwork-induced heart attack at 3 AM. He literally just rolled over in his sleep… and woke up in a different reality. Same body, sure, but with some very noticeable differences.
First, his face. That annoying, acne-prone, tired-looking face he'd carried around for years? Gone. In its place—smooth, clear skin that looked like it had been stolen from a skincare commercial.
Then there was the hair. It was thick. Too thick. Thick enough that he immediately wanted to find a barber and say, "Thin it out. As much as possible."
And the biggest upgrade? His vision. Once upon a time, he couldn't tell a person from a mailbox at ten meters without his glasses. Now? His eyesight was sharp—crystal clear.
5.2 vision, his brain supplied. Whatever that means, I can now fully appreciate the long-legged beauties walking down the street.
If those were the only changes—youthful looks, good hair, perfect eyesight—Ethan could've shrugged it off, chalked it up to some weird lucid dream, and rolled with it. But…
His eyes landed on the open laptop on the desk. One glance was enough to make him lunge out of bed.
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!"
He rubbed his eyes. Nope—still there. Pacing back and forth like an expectant father outside a delivery room, Ethan's brows knitted so tightly they almost merged into one.
The screen displayed a headline:
> "A giant robot attack occurred in Mexico State a while ago, and before that… there was a mysterious hammer."
Beneath it was a video thumbnail of an old man in sunglasses attempting to drag a massive hammer with the help of a pickup truck. Spoiler: the truck lost.
The moment that scene clicked in Ethan's head, his scalp went cold.
No way. No. Way.
"I—… I woke up in Marvel?!"
He sat back down on the bed, the mattress somehow offering comfort despite the news that he might be living in the most dangerous cinematic universe ever conceived.
Well… at least I'm alone. Oh… wait. His eyes lit up. Does this mean I don't have to pay back my credit card or my loans?
He grabbed the phone—still right where it should be—and navigated the unfamiliar, all-English interface to open his shopping and finance apps. A moment later, his optimism shattered.
Nope. The debts were still there.
In fact…
"Wait, hold on. I owed ten thousand before, but now the credit limit is a hundred thousand?!" His jaw dropped. "Is this… a transmigration welcome bonus? Or am I about to get scammed by the multiverse?"
Currency? Unknown. Reality? Still confusing.
But within the next few minutes, Ethan pieced together the gist of his new life. This body's memories told a familiar story—introverted, average grades, perpetually broke—but with one twist: there was an inheritance. Not huge, but enough to cover his living expenses until high school graduation.
Yes, high school. Ethan wasn't a twenty-something millennial anymore. He was a teenager again.
"At least I'm younger. I've got a decent house. I don't have to panic about money for a while…" He sighed. All I have to do is keep my head down, graduate, and get out of this country.
Because, as fate would have it, he lived in New York City.
The Marvel Universe's ultimate disaster magnet.
Seriously—if there was a "Most Likely to Have a Hole Open in the Sky" award, New York would win every year.
And that's exactly when the universe decided to mess with him.
"BOOM!"
A massive explosion rattled the building, shaking the floor beneath his feet. Screams erupted in the distance, along with the screech of tires tearing against asphalt.
Ethan bolted to the window and yanked the curtains open—
And froze.
"…Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
There was actually a hole. In the sky.
When he'd woken up, he'd assumed it was nighttime. Now, in broad daylight, massive alien creatures—like armored flying fish—soared overhead. From them, black dots rained down… and those dots moved.
His mind instantly replayed scenes from The Avengers like a nightmare on loop.
And then he saw it. A gold-and-black figure weaving between buildings, taking evasive maneuvers with practiced precision.
"Whoosh—BANG!"
A beam of blue light shot toward him.
It hit.
The explosion was heat and force, like a beast tearing through his body from every angle. It didn't exactly hurt—his brain was too shocked to process pain—but the one thought that surfaced was: Can I go back? Can I take this body with me?
Then a mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
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> "Energy detection complete. Meets absorption standards. Beginning absorption."
"Absorption complete. System initializing."
"Detecting host status. Severe injury detected. Beginning fusion."
"Character template loading."
"Warning! Host's physical attributes insufficient. Locking advanced skills."
"Fusion complete. System wake-up program—executing."
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"Bzzzzzz…"
Ethan rolled on the floor clutching his head. A blue light curtain shimmered and dispersed. He barely noticed he was naked.
What he did notice was that his once-skinny frame now carried well-proportioned, defined muscles, every line radiating strength.
"…What the hell was that?" He panted. "A cheat? My… system?"
A cool breeze against his skin reminded him of his current state. One frantic glance around the scorched, messy apartment later, he found clothes—if you could call them that. A pair of bright pink boxers with KISS ME written across the back.
"…Seriously? The previous guy had no taste whatsoever."
Still, he put them on. Modesty first.
Then he really looked at himself.
"…Damn." He grinned. "These abs could make people drool."
The pieces clicked together. The reason his credit limit reset? The system. Specifically, the Character Template Fusion System. It had fused him with one of his old game characters—a warrior.
"Figures," he muttered. "If I'd known I'd land in Marvel, I would've picked a mage build."
Still… power was power. And though his body thrummed with newfound strength, he wasn't delusional. If Captain America had trouble with Chitauri soldiers, what chance did he have as a "twenty-percent-fused" newbie?
So instead of charging out to play hero, Ethan grabbed important documents, whatever cash he could find, and slipped out the back.
He had one plan: survive.
Just like a battleground game he would Hide. Wait for the "final circle." Then he'd live long enough to grab the chicken dinner.
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