Darkness. That was all Hank remembered.
No pain, no sound, not even a thought—just the endless abyss that came after his last breath. He had died a forgettable death, just like his forgettable life. A hit-and-run, a brief flash of headlights, and then nothing.
So this is it? he thought.
Nothingness?
But then, something stirred. A faint glow cut through the black, followed by a mechanical chime that echoed directly in his mind.
[Initializing…]
[Host detected.]
[Simulation System successfully bound.]
Hank's awareness snapped into focus. He wasn't gone. He wasn't floating in the void anymore. His body felt heavy, grounded. Cold air brushed against his skin, and the distant sound of car horns and footsteps filled his ears.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Bright lights. Towering buildings. Neon signs. Yellow cabs rushing past on cracked asphalt. He was lying in an alley, the stench of garbage and oil seeping into his nose.
Hank sat up, disoriented. "Wait… this is—" His gaze landed on a massive billboard overhead: *Stark Industries – Changing the World, One Innovation at a Time.
His blood ran cold.
Marvel.
He knew that logo anywhere. He'd seen every movie, read countless comics, argued with friends about power scaling until the early hours of the morning. But that was fiction. It wasn't supposed to be real.
And yet… here it was.
Before the weight of the revelation could crush him, the glowing text appeared again in his vision, like a game interface only he could see.
[Simulation System Activated.]
Lines of information scrolled across the transparent panel:
– Run complete life simulations in selected universes.
– Earn powers, knowledge, and skills from each simulation.
– Integrate rewards into reality.
Hank's jaw dropped. "Wait. You're telling me… I can run through other worlds—Naruto, Star Wars, Harry Potter—and then *keep* what I learn?"
[Affirmative.]
His pulse quickened. He wasn't powerless anymore. He wasn't doomed to be another civilian in a universe where alien invasions and godlike beings treated Earth like a playground. He had a way out.
A way up.
Another prompt appeared:
[First Simulation Available. Choose a Universe.]
1. Naruto
2. Fullmetal Alchemist
3. Harry Potter
Hank's mind spun. He could choose right now? Just like that?
He thought back to the helplessness of his old life. A dead-end job, bills piling up, no future worth mentioning. And his death—sudden, meaningless. He had hated it. He had hated *being weak.*
Here, in Marvel, weakness meant death. If he did nothing, he'd be lucky to survive the Battle of New York, let alone Infinity War.
But with this system… he could rewrite his story.
His fists clenched. "No more being powerless"
His finger hovered over the first entry, the Naruto, perhaps a world he could thrive in as he knew all of its ins and outs,however as he was about to click the system, he was smashed into the ground
"NYPD! You are under arrest!!"
"Eh?"
A sigh was all he could muster as he was pulled off the ground with his hands in a cuff as the officers violently patted him down,Hank did nothing to dissuade them or justify himself as he looked every bit the part of a druggie judging from his appearance.
'I just hope i have an id in this world....what do i even look like? Am i a reincarnater or a transmigeator?'
The officers took his absentmindedness as a sign of drug abuse,though they found no evidence of abuse,they still took him to the car, ultimately landing him in a cell for a whole day
Hank took his time in the cell while the police ran an id on him all the while making sure he wasnt doing drugs,ultimately they let him go the next day with an apology and a pat on the back.
"Get outta here!"
"Just wow!" Hank couldnt help but exclaim as he made his way back, he had already recovered his memories of the previous owner or maybe his own,he wasnt really sure anymore,nevertheles,he finally reached his rundown house in hells kitchen,pulled out his keys and went inside
The place reeked of mold,the whole place was full of patches and holes,as if it housed a rat rather then a human.
"Home seeet home,i guess" Jack threw himself on the sofa,ignoring the sharp pain that tore through his body as the wood struck his back.
For a while he kept looking at the ceiling
'So i am bum who lives off my daily earnings working as a freelancer...sigh'
To say Jack was happy with his new life was a stretch
"System! I choose the naruto world"
[DING!]
[First simulation world has been selected successfully! The rules of simulation are as follows]
[The host may choose upto three talents each simulation,Completing a simulation will reward the host with a few rewards,completing a simulation with a high score of S and above will allow the host greater rewards]
[Each simulation requires points,which may increase after each simulation,seperate for each world]
[For now, Points can be earned through completing missions ]
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[Points :10]
[Current power level:F][Cost:10/per simulation]