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Night had fallen. A long, blazing meteor tore through the sky, streaking toward the earth at an almost unbelievable speed.
Inside the Lake Sea Manor, Baldr suddenly lifted his head.
"It's here!"
With those words, his form dissolved into a flash of light and vanished.
Boom!
The meteor slammed into the ground with a deafening roar.
Despite the commotion, this "free" land was accustomed to gunfire and explosions every day. Few cared about the crash, and most nearby residents instinctively shut their doors and windows tighter.
Moments later, a faint glow descended from the sky, following the meteor's impact.
Baldr touched down, surveying the deep crater carved into the earth.
"Finally. Let's see what you really are."
He leapt lightly into the crater. A few steps in, a massive crystal appeared before him.
It was perfectly clear, subtly shimmering with myriad colors, exuding an aura of pure, mysterious energy.
"Such dense mental energy!"
Baldr's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected the object to be mysterious but not particularly useful. Yet here it was, far stronger than he had imagined.
Ordinary people couldn't detect it, but Baldr was no ordinary being. This crystal was almost entirely composed of concentrated mental energy.
The mental energy wasn't especially refined, but the sheer volume was staggering, formed from tens of thousands—perhaps even hundreds of thousands—of individual psychic streams, fused into a single, colossal construct.
"An alien civilization capable of harnessing mental energy?"
Its arrival alone ruled out any laboratory creation. This was something from beyond the stars.
If it could truly manipulate psychic power, then this alien technology likely reached cosmic-level energy—primal, almost supernatural in nature. At full potential, it would rival the Asgard of Marvel's legends.
Baldr extended his hand, letting his own mental energy flow into the crystal, probing it carefully.
After a moment, he withdrew, his eyes glinting with a mixture of surprise and understanding.
"Interesting. So that's where you come from."
This wasn't exactly an alien artifact. More accurately, it wasn't a typical technological creation. Tech objects could be replicated and mass-produced. This crystal, however, had emerged by chance.
A strange alien race had naturally strong mental abilities—some individuals could rival top human psychics.
High mental power drove intelligence, which drove technological advancement, which required resources… and inevitably, conflict arose.
After countless struggles spanning tens of thousands of years, the entire species was wiped out.
In their destruction, the residual psychic energy of the fallen combined with lingering resentment, eventually forming this crystal.
It was the last remnant of a destroyed, extraordinary alien race.
That explained why any human touching it could suddenly gain psychic power. The crystal itself was composed of the combined energy of countless mental users.
But because it also contained the last negative emotions of that alien race, anyone unable to cleanse it risked corruption, spiraling into darkness.
In the original story, this was clear: Andrew, the villain, was fully corrupted; Matt had to kill his cousin in desperation; even the third character, a morally good man, became obsessed with saving Andrew, ultimately triggering his death via lightning.
All three suffered the crystal's influence to varying degrees, which only worsened over time.
Baldr, however, merely laughed. Such negative effects could harm ordinary people, but he was no ordinary being. Light itself was the bane of darkness and negativity.
More importantly, the crystal's accumulation of tens of thousands of psychic streams, while individually weak, collectively exceeded Baldr's own mental power several times over.
"A real unexpected treat!"
With such pure energy, he could cleanse the negativity entirely and absorb it completely.
"With my current strength, this should elevate me to a top-tier surface-level superhuman."
In the Marvel universe, power rankings start with surface-level (planet-level), followed by sub-celestial, celestial, single-universe, and multiverse levels.
Surface-level beings, unable to leave their planet, were insignificant on a cosmic scale. Yet even among them, power could vary drastically.
Baldr, using memories from his previous life, further subdivided the surface tier: third-tier, second-tier, and first-tier, using various superhumans as reference points.
◉Third-tier: entry-level superhumans, strength under ten tons, failed mutations, or flawed experimental subjects.
◉Second-tier: the majority of heroes, like early Captain America or Iron Man, or minor villains like the Green Goblin or Lizard.
◉First-tier: top fighters, such as Thor, Hulk, or Doctor Strange.
Baldr now belonged to the first-tier category.
"This crystal's purity isn't perfect, but the sheer volume is impressive. Absorbing all of it could easily multiply my power several times over, pushing me to the very peak of surface-level superhumans."
"Perhaps I could even challenge a sub-celestial being."
At the thought, a flicker of excitement appeared in Baldr's eyes.
"....."