[Template: Martin Li — SSS-Class Successfully Equipped.]
Alex stared blankly at the floating text.
"Martin Li? As in… Mister Negative? The guy from Spider-Man?" he asked, confused. "SSS-class sounds huge, but Martin Li wasn't that strong, right?"
The system responded instantly:
[Incorrect, Host.]
[In the original timeline, Martin Li never mastered or understood the true depth of his powers. He held back, misused them, and never reached even 1% of his full potential.]
[The Lightforce and Darkforce that he commands are among the most powerful energy types in the entire Marvel Universe.]
[When used correctly, they are capable of Universal-level destruction at peak potential.]
Alex blinked hard, trying to process that.
"…Wait, what? Universal level? Like—boom, the universe gone?"
[Affirmative.]
He sat up straight in shock. "But Martin Li just corrupted stuff and shot black-and-white beams! That's nowhere near universal!"
[Those were only the lowest, most basic manifestations.]
[Allow me to list what the fully unlocked Martin Li Template provides.]
A new screen appeared:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Martin Li – SSS Class Template Abilities
• Darkforce Manipulation – control, shape, and weaponize pure Darkforce energy
• Lightforce Manipulation – control holy, purifying energy equal to cosmic power
• Positive Energy Control – heal wounds, cure diseases, restore vitality, enhance physical and mental state
• Negative Energy Control – corrupt matter, destroy cells, shatter sanity, weaken or kill instantly
• Energy Conversion – convert positive energy into negative and vice versa
• Duality Form – switch forms: Light Form (healing / support / holy destruction) or Negative Form (offense / decay / corruption)
• Reality Corruption – twist matter and energy
• Enhanced Physical State – superhuman stats and regenerative abilities
• Darkforce Dimension\Lightforce Dimension Access – teleportation, portals, storage space, Domian Creation.
• Energy Constructs – weapons, shields, chains, barriers, living constructs
• Emotion / Will Manipulation – influence or rewrite emotional states, instill loyalty or fear
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Current Control Level: 0% — template dormant]
[Growth Requirement: Host must synchronize mentally and physically with template]
Alex's jaw almost hit the bed.
"…So basically, I pulled a walking nuke wrapped in edgy black-and-white paint?"
[Correct.]
"And you're telling me that if I learn to use it properly, I can wipe out planets? No—universes?"
[Affirmative, Host. At full mastery, Lightforce + Darkforce fusion creates energy beyond measurable cosmic scale.]
Alex leaned back, staring at the ceiling with a stunned laugh.
"This is insane… I was praying for a 5-star character in a gacha game, and instead I got something that could delete galaxies."
The system added:
[Warning: Power this great attracts attention. Use wisely.]
[System recommends: Begin basic energy synchronization training immediately.]
Alex exhaled slowly, his hands trembling slightly.
"Alright… okay. I guess this is real. Martin Li, SSS-class, universe-breaking potential… And I'm in Marvel."
He grinned, excitement flickering behind his eyes.
"This life is about to get crazy."
[Host Decision Required: Begin Template Integeration and Awakening?]
[Yes / No]
Alex took a breath.
"…Hell yes. Start it."
[Starting basic synchronization sequence.]
[Hold still. You may feel hot or cold sensations.]
A surge of black-and-white energy surrounded his body, crackling like lightning.
The room trembled.
The black-and-white energy swirling around Alex tightened like a vortex, pulling inward, sinking into his skin, his bones, his veins. It felt like molten fire and freezing ice pouring through him at the same time.
His back arched, breath caught in his throat.
"Gh—! What the hell—!"
Light and darkness burst out from him in violent flashes, flickering like lightning striking the ground repeatedly. The hospital bed cracked under the sudden pressure, metal groaning.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
BA-THUMP.
BA-THUMP.
BA-THUMP.
Even the air itself trembled, bending strangely around him as though the space in the room was warping.
The system's calm voice cut through the chaos:
[Synchronization in progress…]
[Template Integration: 1% Complete.]
[Partial Awakening Achieved.]
The storm of energy suddenly snapped inward, collapsing into his chest with a deafening BOOM—like a shockwave made of pure silence.
Light and darkness flickered once more, then disappeared.
Alex dropped forward, catching himself on shaking arms, gasping for breath. His entire body felt different—stronger, lighter, electrified.
His vision sharpened, colors brighter, lines clearer. He could hear heartbeats and conversations from rooms down the hallway. The smell of disinfectant, paper, even faint traces of cologne—all extremely vivid.
His muscles tensed; strength surged through them like he'd been rebuilt from scratch.
"What… the hell… I feel—" He flexed a hand, watching faint wisps of black smoke and white light curl around his fingers.
"Stronger. Faster. Sharper. Like my whole body was rebooted."
The system displayed a new window:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Template Awakening — Level 1 (1% Integration)
• Physique Upgrade – baseline strength, speed, durability increased 10x human peak
• Basic Lightforce Manipulation – small light constructs, minor healing ability unlocked
• Basic Darkforce Manipulation – small shadow constructs, minor corrosion ability unlocked
• Energy Sense – can feel nearby life force and emotional energy
• Enhanced Regeneration – minor wounds heal rapidly
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Alex lifted his hand again.
A faint white glow formed above his palm, light swirling into a small orb. It hummed gently, warm and comforting.
He switched focus.
The white glow twisted, collapsing into a pitch-black flame that devoured the light around it, chilling the air.
Alex stared, stunned.
"…Holy shit."
With just a thought, the energy dispersed like smoke.
He looked down at himself—his muscles felt denser, his posture lighter and more balanced. Even the pain from his broken ribs was gone.
He touched his side; nothing. Completely healed.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"1%… This is just 1%? And I already feel like a super soldier on steroids."
The system responded:
[Correct.]
Alex swallowed hard.
"This is insane. And amazing. And terrifying."
He glanced at the hospital room door.
"So what now?" Alex asked, but then he paused, blinking in confusion. He looked around the room—earlier it had looked like a warzone, cracked bed frame, shattered tiles, flickering lights.
But now?
Everything was pristine. Perfect. As if nothing had happened at all.
"Wait—what about the mess from my integration? Why does the room look normal now?" Alex muttered, turning in circles. "It was destroyed a minute ago."
The system answered calmly:
[The System suppressed the aftermath of your awakening, Host.]
[Only the visual illusion of damage remained for a moment, only visible to your senses.]
[Without suppression, the real impact would have caused structural collapse in a 10-meter radius.]