IF YOU'VE NOT READ OR WATCHED THE NOVEL/DONGHUA OF 'SWALLOWED STAR' ,YOU CAN SKIP THE ARC. BUT IF YOU WANT YOU READ IT, TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE GET STRONGER IN THIS VERY ARC, YOU CAN PROCEED.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"Ah... I feel like I'm going to die."
Malrick drifted through the void, every muscle aching, his limbs heavy and drained as if his body had been hollowed out. It was the first time he'd felt this weak since awakening his Kryptonian bloodline.
He could barely keep himself conscious as he passed through a thin dimensional membrane and crossed into a new universe. By the time he regained control of his body, he looked gaunt—skin pale, eyes sunken.
"The Sun... I need sunlight. Fast..."
He forced his eyes open—and in the next instant, he straightened with a jolt.
"Huh? This sensation..."
Just a few hundred thousand kilometers ahead, a massive yellow star radiated intense solar energy directly toward him.
Golden rays bathed his Kryptonian cells. With every heartbeat, power surged back into his body.
Within seconds, he was fully restored—refreshed and glowing with renewed strength.
"That's more like it."
He stretched lazily, body crackling with power, then looked at the massive star ahead.
"Did I actually land in the Sun? No wonder I recovered so fast."
He glanced around the solar system and paused. Everything looked eerily familiar. Far in the distance, orbiting silently, was a blue-and-green planet—small, cracked, but unmistakably Earth.
"This is Earth's system... just really far out. I'll have to fly for a while if I want to land."
"No resistance in space, so if I keep accelerating, I should get there eventually."
"But what kind of universe is this?"
He frowned, recalling the extreme energy cost from the jump.
"That much stamina... is this the DC Universe?"
He winced.
"If that's true, the local 'World Consciousness' might as well be God."
He looked around.
If sound worked in space, he might've shouted to get God's attention.
Instead, a vast and ancient consciousness descended into his mind, directly syncing with his brainwaves.
"This is the Original Universe. I am not the World Consciousness. I am the Source Will."
This one could speak—unlike the clueless world in Resident Evil.
"Original Universe? Source Will?" Malrick muttered, rubbing his chin. "That sounds... vaguely familiar."
"Your strength is too low. You are of no use to me. Leave."
Malrick blinked.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, he felt an immense repulsive force rising around him—as if the entire universe was trying to eject him like a virus.
"Wait, wait!" he pushed back with his own consciousness. "What do you mean 'leave'? There's some threat you're facing, right? At least tell me what it is!"
"I do not know."
Malrick grinned.
"Exactly. That's why you need someone like me. I can help you find out."
"Stellar-level... too weak."
It was the first time Malrick had been flat-out rejected for being underpowered.
"Stellar-level?" he whispered, eyes narrowing. "Wait a second… Starry Sky World? The one where people cultivate genetic primal energy?"
He'd read about it in multiversal data caches—an advanced realm where everything was scaled up to cosmic proportions.
The Original Universe was said to be the core of the Starry Sky World, stretching over ten trillion light-years. For comparison, the Marvel Universe (in this specific setting) only spanned around 100 billion.
Beyond that? The Universe Sea, the Origin Continent, and eventually the Chaotic Source World—domains populated by beings at the very peak of cosmic power.
Malrick felt the excitement rising in his chest.
"So this is why it took nearly all of my stamina to get here."
"I'm weak now, but I won't stay that way," he told the Source Will. "Give me a chance. I can grow, and I will help you."
"Return when you become a true god."
Malrick's expression twitched.
A true god? He was currently trillions of times short of that level.
Still, he didn't give up.
"Look—just think it through. If I'm allowed to stay and train here, I'll reach that level faster. Doesn't that help you in the long run?"
He had a feeling the Source Will's attitude toward him was already unusually generous.
After all, how often did the foundational force of a super-universe casually chat with a "low-tier" visitor?
Malrick suspected his world-traveling ability had something to do with it.
He leaned into that.
"You let me cross over because I have potential, right? So let me prove it. I can evolve here."
Silence stretched for several seconds.
Then—
"You have three hundred years."
Malrick exhaled in relief.
"That's more than enough."
"You are incompatible with our rules. Do you accept modification?"
"What kind of modification?"
"Source Modification—to align you with the supreme rules of this world."
Malrick didn't hesitate. "Yes. Let's do it."
He wasn't native to this universe, and that likely meant his physiology couldn't access its core power system. This modification was probably essential if he wanted to cultivate like the locals.
He didn't know what the process would involve.
But with a power structure that could lead to multiversal might, how could he pass it up?
In the Marvel Universe, progression was erratic—based on luck, accidents, or ancient legacies. There were no structured paths to advancement. One day you might touch cosmic power; the next, you'd be stagnant for life.
But here, the Starry Sky system offered steady, scalable growth.
A power system that rewarded effort and comprehension.
That, Malrick thought, was worth everything.
A moment later, it began.
Cosmic energy descended like a tidal wave, invisible yet overwhelming. Malrick was engulfed in a force so vast it bent space itself.
From Earth's distant view, the Sun looked like it had been swallowed by darkness—veiled in shadows and flashing arcs of lightning.
Then it passed.
The process didn't hurt. In fact, it felt like being immersed in a warm spring.
Soothing waves flowed through every cell in his body. His blood glowed faintly gold. Bones restructured themselves. Deep within, his very genes began to shift and evolve.
Even his soul seemed clearer, lighter—his mind sharpening to crystal clarity.
When it was over, a message bloomed quietly in his mind:
Race: Special Life
Gene Multiplier: 100
Innate Abilities: Clone, Body of Light, Sunlight Evolution, Temporal Bio-field...
Malrick's breath caught in his throat.
"This is insane..."
He clenched a fist. His raw strength had exploded—easily over a hundredfold.
So this was what the Source Will meant by modification.
It had reshaped him into a Special Life Form—a unique, non-reproductive entity born from the Original Universe.
His genes had been localized, his superpowers refined, and his physiology perfected to adapt to this universe's systems.
A 100x base gene multiplier?
That meant his base strength—already at two million tons—had now risen to two hundred million tons per arm.
It was staggering.
Special Lifeforms in this world were born powerful, naturally immortal, and started at gene levels that dwarfed even the most elite Kryptonians. They couldn't reproduce—at least not within the Original Universe—to prevent population instability.
But if Malrick ever left this world, that limitation would vanish.
He reviewed the gene system again.
In this universe, the base strength of an average lifeform was set at 1. Each multiplier doubled everything—physical power, energy control, and law affinity.
It was a true talent stat.
Malrick had just leapfrogged entire power brackets—without sacrificing his identity or control.
He smiled.
"This... is what real evolution feels like."
Even if it was only a fragment of the Source Will's power, the transformation was monumental.
He was no longer just a visitor.
Now, he was part of this universe's fabric.
And this was only the beginning.
---
Join us on patreon.
We're currently on Chapter (200) on the platform, that makes us 85 chapters ahead.
Link: patreon.com/Zphyr_