Chapter 4: The Aftermath
The silence was the loudest thing Adam had ever heard. The roar of the Chitauri, the explosions, the screams—it had all faded into a quiet hum of emergency sirens and the distant sounds of cleanup crews. The battle was over. The Avengers had saved the day. Adam, still hidden in the doorway, let out a long, shuddering breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He was alive. He had survived.
[Mission Complete: Survive the invasion. Reward: 10 Coins. Host now has 10 Coins.]
The system's message was a welcome relief. The weight of the world was still on his shoulders, but at least he had some cash now. He slowly emerged from the doorway, the world around him a testament to the chaos that had just unfolded. The streets were littered with debris, scorched vehicles, and the occasional discarded Chitauri weapon. He walked carefully, keeping an eye out for any lingering threats, and a few blocks later, he found it. A discarded smartphone, its screen cracked but still glowing.
He picked it up, his Gu-enhanced focus allowing him to quickly bypass the lock screen. He was a computer nerd, and a video game nerd, and now he was a superpowered computer nerd. This was his wheelhouse. He scrolled through the news, his eyes scanning the headlines. "Avengers Save New York." "Gods and Monsters." It was all real. This wasn't some dream. This was his life now.
"Okay, so I have a phone. And some coins. I'm basically a hobo with a system. A hobo with a system and a bunch of superpowered Gu I can't use. I need an identity. A new one. A fake one. Something that doesn't scream 'I just died playing video games and now I'm here.' My name is Adam. Stiels. That's a good place to start. A new identity. A new life. A new me. This is going to be like a super-boring spy movie, where the hero just spends the whole time at a computer. 'The Spy Who Sat At a Desk.' It's not a great title, but it's what I'm working with."
He found a secluded, abandoned apartment building and made his way to a dusty, grimy attic. It was a good place to hide, at least for now. He sat down, pulled out the phone, and looked at his system's screen.
[Main Mission: Establish a new identity. Reward: 10 Coins.]
"Right. Let's get to work," he mumbled. He spent the next few hours using the phone and the system to establish a new digital footprint. A fake name, a fake social security number, a fake background. He used his Liquor Worm Gu to keep himself focused, to not get distracted by the sheer absurdity of the situation. It was a mind-numbing process, but a necessary one.
After a few hours, another system message popped up.
[Host has successfully established a new identity.]
[Mission Complete: Establish a new identity. Reward: 10 Coins. Host now has 20 Coins.]
He let out a sigh of relief. He now had a name, a home, and a new life. And he had a brand new 20 coins to his name. He checked the system store, just for kicks. He scrolled through the pages, seeing everything from powerful, world-ending Gu to... well, to this.
[Cleaning Gu (F Rank): Instantly cleans a small area. Cost: 5 Coins.]
He blinked. He laughed. It was so utterly mundane, so hilariously useless in the face of all the power he'd seen. He bought it. He was a guy who just got out of a world-ending event, and his first purchase with his new magical currency was a cleaning tool. The irony wasn't lost on him. He selected a small area of the dusty attic and used the Gu. In a flash of light, the area was sparkling clean.
"I'm a one-man A-Team, but for chores. Seriously. I've got the power of a god in my pocket, and I'm using it to clean. This is the most Adam Stiels thing that has ever happened to me. I'm going to be the world's most powerful janitor. The Janitor of Justice. Yeah, I like that."
He had a new life. And a new, very silly, purpose. The future was still terrifying, but at least now he could face it with a clean floor and a little bit of sarcastic humor.