After hearing Loki's answer, Alex Ray could roughly guess what had happened.
If his previous self shared the same personality as him, he would've tried every possible way to escape the control of others. In other words, his past self had likely found a method to break free—perhaps even a way to return to his original universe.
But clearly, although his past self had discovered such a method, he ultimately failed.
Alex didn't know whether that version of him had been killed—or if he had simply failed to break through.
But judging by what he knew of himself, it was probably the former. With his steady, cautious nature, Alex would never act without absolute certainty. The most likely explanation was that someone had killed him.
Fortunately, he had been reincarnated and became who he was today.
He hadn't awakened the memories of that past life, but he had retained the knowledge from before his transmigration. Otherwise, how could he understand so much about Marvel's timeline and plot?
But what exactly was the method? And why did it fail?
Alex never considered the possibility that he would fail. That was the inherent confidence of a time traveler.
To the people of Hell's Kitchen, Alex Ray was always calm and composed, a man in total control. He was the strategist, the foundation of their confidence. His presence gave Hell's Kitchen its backbone and sense of security.
And Alex had every right to be confident. He knew the direction of the plot and had a system-enhancement—either one of those alone was enough to let him walk unchallenged through the Marvel Universe.
Although Alex was never like those arrogant veteran time travelers who declared themselves invincible, shouting things like:
"My fate is in my own hands!"
Or:
"Thirty years east, thirty years west—don't look down on the poor!"
He wasn't some overpowered harem-stacking protagonist...
Or a trash-talking maniac who got slapped in the face everywhere he went.
He didn't have delusions of grandeur or dreams of conquering the universe.
Experienced time travelers knew the unwritten rule of fanfiction universes:
If you don't interact with the women in the storyline, no one will remember you. And the men? They're just cannon fodder.
Usually, the male protagonist is ruthless and silent—killing everything in sight.
Anyone who blocks the path? Dead.
Anyone who acts smug? Dead.
Anyone who mocks him? Dead.
Twisted values? Dead.
From the Japan region? Dead.
Dark-skinned? Dead.
Basically—anyone he didn't like? Kill.
But Alex Ray, well... with the exception of the last two, he didn't follow that path.
Instead, he stuck to a simpler code:
"I don't offend others unless they offend me."
And so, he remained in Hell's Kitchen.
He had no grand ambitions. All he really wanted was to survive. And if possible, return to his own time and space—maybe even go home in triumph.
But deep down, Alex still had that unshakable confidence that all time travelers carried.
The belief that if he truly wanted something, he would eventually achieve it.
And yet, according to what Loki had just told him... sometimes even someone like him could fail. Sometimes, he could even die.
That thought struck like lightning. The idea that he—Alex Ray—could fail?
It shook him.
He stood frozen, caught off guard by a truth he wasn't ready to face.
Loki curled his lips into a playful smirk. He seemed to take a strange pleasure in Alex's stunned expression, as though amused by how lost and conflicted he suddenly looked.
"You seem troubled," Loki mused. "Your personality is a lot better than in your last life."
He smiled slightly, like someone recalling an old memory.
"What kind of person was I back then?" Alex asked. "Or rather—what was your first impression of him?"
He could tell that Loki not only knew his past self... but had known him well.
He wanted answers—partly out of curiosity, but also to learn from the mistakes of his past life and avoid repeating them.
Loki sank into thought. For someone like him, time was like sand slipping through his fingers. Everything from the past had long faded.
But the man Alex once was... that one, Loki remembered clearly.
Even after all this time.
"My first impression?" Loki echoed. "Arrogant. Cold. Annoying."
Alex blinked. That answer caught him off guard.
That personality… was completely different from his own. His past self didn't sound like a good person at all.
Loki elaborated:
"You look exactly like him, but your personalities are nothing alike. By the way, your previous name was Alex Ray too."
"Most people back then called him Lord of Darkness. Or sometimes... Lord of Silence."
"He was cold. Always alone. No friends. No lover."
"Maybe it was because his soul didn't belong to this universe. He never quite fit in. There was always this... wall. A barrier between him and everyone else."
"He gave off this aura—like he was the only sober man in a world of drunks."
"He didn't speak much. Didn't express much. In fact, the reason they called him 'Lord of Silence' was because in every battle he fought... no one survived."
"Nothing remained but silence. And fear."
"Not like you," Loki added, casting Alex a knowing glance. "You make friends everywhere you go."
The words struck Alex like a stone to the chest. His mind rippled with the impact.
He had never imagined that his previous self could've been such a radically different person.
That level of arrogance, that chilling indifference—it was the exact opposite of who he was now.
He stared hard at Loki, emotions swirling in his eyes. Wonder, disbelief, and a sense of crumbling identity.
"Lord of Darkness... Lord of Silence..."
Alex whispered those titles to himself. Each word carried a weight, a legacy, a story soaked in blood and shadow.
He tried to imagine it.
That lonely figure. Wandering the multiverse. Surrounded by death and silence.
Maybe that was what a true time traveler looked like—cold, merciless, dominant.
Compared to that... Alex suddenly felt like a fake.
But Loki wasn't finished.
"Even though your personalities differ," he said, pausing for effect, "some of your actions are exactly the same."
Alex's curiosity flared.
"What do you mean?"
"That time he beat me up when we first met," Loki said, eyes twinkling with amusement.
Alex stiffened, blinking in disbelief.
Apparently, in both lives, his instinct upon meeting Loki was to punch him in the face.
He suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
This Loki might still be holding a grudge.
"N-No, no, no... Mr. Loki!" Alex stammered, hands raised as if to defend himself. "You're not gonna retaliate, are you? L-Let me explain!"
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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