Chapter 12: The Gauntlet and the Surge
The workshop was a chaotic scene of twisted metal and shattered glass. At its center lay the mangled husk of the Iron Monger suit, a testament to Stane's greed and Tony's new, god-like power. Tony stood over the wreckage, his chestplate open, the gleaming Arc Reactor a beacon of a new era. John Vance stood a few feet away, a silent sentinel over the defeated Stane, who was now bound and subdued. The victory was sweet, but the world was about to change in a way neither of them could have predicted.
As the chaos settled, a familiar, silent notification appeared in John's vision.
[Enemy Defeated: Obadiah Stane (Human-Enhanced, Boss Tier)]
[EXP Gained: 1,000,000 EXP!]
The numbers flashed, but before they could even settle, another, brighter notification blazed to life.
[Unique Perk: 100x Amplifier applied to all gains!]
[Total EXP Gained: 100,000,000 EXP!]
The sheer number hit John like a tidal wave. One hundred million experience points. He had leveled up before, but this was on a scale so grand it felt like an awakening. His body began to thrum with a raw, unbridled power. A blinding blue light, invisible to Tony, pulsed from his very core. He felt his mind, body, and soul being reforged on a fundamental level.
[Calculating Level Ups…]
The notifications flashed in a furious, unending blur.
[Level 22 -> Level 23!]
[Level 23 -> Level 24!]
[Level 24 -> Level 25!]
[Level 25 -> Level 26!]
The level-ups continued relentlessly. John felt his strength, speed, durability, and mental faculties soar. He was no longer just a powerful hero; he was a force of nature, an engine of power and knowledge that was just starting to rev its engines. The process continued until his level finally stabilized at an unimaginable number.
[Congratulations, Host! You have reached Level 48!]
The notifications didn't stop there. Another, even more significant wave of power coursed through him as the System calculated his new attribute points.
[Attribute Points Gained: 2 (per level) x 26 (levels) = 52 Attribute Points.]
[100x Multiplier applied!]
[Total Attribute Points Gained: 5,200!]
John almost staggered from the sheer weight of it. Five thousand two hundred attribute points. He had never had so many points at once. Without a moment's hesitation, he commanded the System to distribute them equally among his core stats.
[Status]
* Name: John Vance
* Level: 48
* EXP: 94,500,000 / 2,000,000,000
* HP: 250,000 / 250,000
* MP: 250,000 / 250,000
* STR: 5,583
* DEX: 5,583
* VIT: 5,583
* INT: 5,583
* WIS: 5,583
* LUK: 5,583
[Overall Power Level: High Planetary]
He felt the change. He was no longer just a "High Planetary" threat; he was a walking arsenal of power. He looked at Tony, who was staring at him with a mix of awe and bewilderment.
"What... what was that?" Tony said, his voice a low whisper. "You just... glowed."
"Just an upgrade," John replied, a small, knowing smile on his face. He felt powerful enough to lift a mountain.
Just as Tony was about to ask another question, the workshop door, a ten-ton bank vault of steel and titanium, slid open without a sound.
In stepped two figures, one a tall, imposing man with an eye patch, Nick Fury, and the other, his agent, Phil Coulson. Fury was furious, a palpable cold rage radiating from him. "You're not in control here, Stark. You just broadcast your identity to the world. You're a clear and present threat to national security."
John stepped forward. He had been a silent witness up until this point. Now, with his high WIS and his knowledge of the future, he knew exactly how to handle this confrontation. He looked at Fury and then at Agent Coulson.
"No, you're not," John said, his voice calm, yet resonating with an unassailable authority. "And we both know it."
Fury's eye narrowed. "And why is that, kid?"
"Because you're not here to give orders," John replied. "You're here because you were just out-maneuvered. And you're here because I know things about you, about your organization, that you thought no one ever would. I know about your Project Insight. I know about the Hydra infiltration in your ranks. I know about the Tesseract and how you're using it to build a weapons program."
Fury froze. His face, usually a mask of stone, flickered with genuine shock. He took a single, slow step back. The air was now thick with a silent, simmering terror that only Fury and Coulson could feel. This wasn't a hero; this was a ghost from a future that hadn't happened yet.
"I don't know who you are," Fury said, his voice now a low whisper. "But you're a threat. You are a threat to everything I'm trying to build."
"I'm not a threat, Fury," John said. "I'm the solution. And you're not in a position to give orders. You're in a position to beg for our help."
The Gauntlet and the Waiting Power
Fury, realizing he was completely outmatched, holstered his bravado. He'd been beaten, out-thought, and utterly outmaneuvered. He couldn't control them, but he could use them. He pulled out a tablet and, with a curt gesture, threw it on a nearby table.
"A Kree warrior has landed on Earth," Fury said, his voice now devoid of any of its previous authority. "He's a lone scout, but he's a planetary threat. Our best agents can't touch him. We don't have the weaponry. We don't have the firepower. We need you two to handle it." He looked at them, a challenge in his single eye. "This is your test. This is your mission."
John looked at the tablet. A detailed file on a blue-skinned alien warrior, a Kree, appeared on the screen. He saw the reports of impossible feats of strength, of energy weapons that could level buildings. He looked at Tony, who gave him a small, questioning nod.
John accepted the challenge. He knew this was the next step.
A glowing notification appeared in his vision, a clear statement of the reward that awaited him.
[Quest Activated: The First Contact]
[Objective: Neutralize the Kree threat and secure their technology.]
[Rewards: [Cosmic Awareness Skill Book], 100 Attribute Points, 5,000,000 EXP, and [Master of All Magics] Unique Skill Book.]
The notification of the rewards was a promise, a contract from the System. John felt an immense wave of anticipation. The immense power was not his yet, but it was within his grasp, a single mission away. He looked at Tony, the brilliant inventor who had just given him a partnership, and then back at Fury, the spymaster who was now a pawn in a game he didn't understand.