Within the pocket dimension that had evolved into a true alternate world, the sky that once held only the sun and moon had completely transformed.
After the appearance of a small, chibi-style purple divine dragon, countless stars emerged under the influence of some unknown cosmic law.
Brilliant starlight filled the heavens, with nebulae drifting through the vast expanse. The glowing constellations intertwined with the immense, flowing clouds of energy, creating a sight both majestic and breathtaking.
Now, this alternate world had become nearly indistinguishable from a real universe. Among countless pocket dimensions, it was likely the one closest to an authentic cosmos—perhaps even surpassing Herman's [Realm of the Dead] in its resemblance to reality.
This transformation came partly from the Otherworld's own boundless potential, and partly from the divine essence and primordial power of Ra, the supreme sun god of ancient Egypt, which had nourished it over time.
Now, with the arrival of the extraordinary divine dragon brought by his new identity, the Otherworld had undergone yet another leap in evolution. The very act of the purple dragon's birth had triggered a wave of cosmic law, filling countless gaps within the realm and granting it an expansive, fully realized starry sky.
Admittedly, this alternate world still couldn't compare to the true universe, but calling it a universe in its embryonic form was no exaggeration. Aside from the absence of living beings, it could easily sustain tens of billions—perhaps even hundreds of billions—of lives.
"Just its birth alone can alter the laws of an entire cosmic dimension… truly limitless potential," Herman murmured, watching the changes unfold with genuine awe.
His gaze followed the tiny divine dragon as it drifted through the newly formed starry expanse, curiosity gleaming in its bright eyes. Herman's own eyes flickered as realization struck. Despite its adorable chibi appearance, there was no mistaking it—this divine dragon was none other than Aurelion Sol, the Star Forger.
Yes.
Aurelion Sol.
The Star Forger himself.
Though the [All-Seeing Eye] hadn't given specific details, Herman instantly recognized the divine dragon that had appeared within his Otherworld. It was the very being from Runeterra—the most powerful lifeform in that universe, the creator god who had forged the stars and shaped the cosmos in the lore of League of Legends.
A Diamond-tier identity, indeed.
They had literally made the creator god of an entire universe his pet.
Memories of Runeterra began surfacing in Herman's mind. It was a world steeped in magic and wonder, yet he hadn't expected the [All-Seeing Eye] to extend its reach to game-based universes as well. On reflection, though, it wasn't that surprising.
After all, even worlds like the Dark Universe—long since erased—had been drawn into the Marvel Universe. The scope of the [All-Seeing Eye]'s power was beyond comprehension.
In a sense, Runeterra's lore could even be seen as part of that grand multiversal fabric.
After all, Riot Games—the studio behind it—had produced countless cinematic works over the years. Calling Runeterra a "comic universe" wasn't far from the truth.
Aurelion Sol, the Star Forger—
A creator god who built the League of Legends universe.
The Dragon King existed within the vast expanse of the cosmos, born from the breath of the ether itself. Since gaining consciousness, it had forged countless stars within the endless, desolate void. The starlit heavens, the cosmic expanse, and even Runeterra—all were creations born from its eternal existence.
This was its mission—or perhaps more accurately, its passion. The so-called "primordial deity" described by the [All-Seeing Eye] was clearly not an ordinary god, but a being akin to Pangu—a divine entity born to open the heavens and create worlds.
In other words, a true creator god.
Aurelion Sol's identity as a creator god was without question. The Dragon King wandered endlessly through the infinite cosmos, observing the rise and fall of civilizations. Yet most lesser beings failed to capture its interest, while countless worlds worshiped it as the highest divinity.
"Runeterra's power scale might not match the Marvel Universe, but the beings there can still influence entire universes," Herman thought with satisfaction. This Diamond-tier reward was more than he had hoped for, and he now had a clear understanding of what a Diamond-tier identity truly meant.
Indeed, the universe Aurelion Sol had created might not rival the Marvel Universe in power, but the Runeterra cosmos was by no means weak.
Its gods were certainly not inferior to some of Marvel's divine beings. And as a creator god, Aurelion Sol's level of existence was at least equivalent to the One-Above-All—though Herman estimated his power was likely on the Multiversal level.
He might surpass the Five Cosmic Entities, but definitely not exceed the boundaries of the Multiverse itself. Herman had already analyzed the kind of power Diamond-tier identities could grant. They couldn't possibly compare to the One-Above-All—there were still several tiers of existence in between.
Still, a creator god was a creator god.
Although this Diamond-tier identity didn't directly enhance Herman's personal strength, the [All-Seeing Eye] had granted him a pet with limitless potential.
Just imagining Aurelion Sol maturing—his vast body spanning nearly an entire galaxy—made Herman grin. Taking such a being out for a stroll would be nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Not only majestic.
But powerful beyond measure.
And the sheer presence alone would be overwhelming. On top of that, completing the exclusive identity mission would yield an even more tempting reward.
The Starforge Path.
This was Aurelion Sol's foundation as a creator god—the very law of creation that birthed an entire universe.
If Herman could gain such power, his strength would ascend to unimaginable heights.
Who knows—perhaps he might even experience what it felt like to become a creator god himself.
"I wonder how long it'll take for this kind of being to mature," he mused, anticipation flickering in his eyes. The idea of forging his own universe fascinated him deeply.
Before transmigrating, Herman had played a game where players could create life and even influence evolution itself. It had been incredibly fun. Perhaps, with the power of the Starforge Path, he could do the same here—using his imagination to shape a brilliant, living world.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
Still, he knew raising Aurelion Sol to adulthood wouldn't be quick. Platinum-tier missions were already demanding—there was no way a Diamond-tier task would be easier. And this time, the reward—a law of creation itself—was on a far higher level.
Neither the fate feedback from the [Deceiver of History] nor the [Heart of Death] from the [Lord of the Dead] identity could compare to a true cosmic law.
"No matter what, time is the one thing I have plenty of," Herman said calmly.
He looked toward the chibi-style Dragon King within the alternate world, watching as it glided through the new starry sky, exploring everything with childlike curiosity.
Sensing Herman's will descend upon the realm, the tiny Dragon King lifted its head and let out a soft, affectionate cry toward the manifested eye of his consciousness.
As a lifeform marked by the [All-Seeing Eye], this divine dragon had been destined from birth to serve Herman with unwavering loyalty. Despite its adorable, chibi appearance, its newborn body already stretched thousands of kilometers long.
It simply looked gentler—and far too cute for its scale.
"To be born with single-universe-level power… so this is what a deity with the authority of creation looks like," Herman muttered, astonished by the dragon's sheer might.
He quickly realized he couldn't casually unleash Aurelion Sol on Earth.
Otherwise, the planet would never withstand the presence of such a lively, universe-class being.
Even without trying, just rolling over once could cause global-scale natural disasters and earthquakes.
...
After Herman observed Aurelion Sol through his will and briefly interacted with the young divine dragon, the moment he finished integrating his new identity, the power of the [All-Seeing Eye] began to fade.
Reality resumed.
Time, which had been frozen, started flowing once more—Logan, who had been mid-sentence before everything stopped, finally finished the words he had been holding onto all that time.
"You're more into comfort than any noble I've met. Out here, there's no chick who cares whether you're clean or not."
Wolverine Logan, completely unaware that he had been frozen for quite a while, looked at Herman with a puzzled expression, then stuck his head out the window and took a few drags from his cigar.
For a rough man like him, hygiene wasn't a big deal—as long as he wasn't filthy. The only real reason to look neat, in his opinion, was to attract women.
"Keeping yourself clean brings good luck for the whole day. It's not just about impressing the opposite sex."
Herman, having just drawn a top-tier identity, was in a great mood.
"Good luck from being tidy? Is that some kind of Chinese custom?" Logan mused aloud, nodding thoughtfully. He respected every custom, no matter how unscientific it seemed, and even found such traditions fascinating.
Local customs often carried traces of a region's long history and culture—valuable insights for anyone studying the past.
As a history teacher at the X-Mansion, Wolverine had changed a lot over the years, picking up knowledge he'd never cared about back when he lived like a wanderer.
Still, he couldn't quite figure out why tidying up would be considered a way to improve luck. That was a bit too odd for his taste.
"Customs, huh?"
Herman thought for a moment.
For players of gacha games, maybe this ritual to wash away bad luck could indeed be seen as a kind of "modern custom."
"Superstition can't change misfortune, and spending can't change fate. I'm just going through the motions—some people are born lucky, and clearly, today I'm one of them."
He was so happy he almost started humming to himself.
Every word he said was perfectly clear, yet the way he strung them together left Logan completely lost.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
What do you mean by "born lucky"?
And that whole thing he said before... none of it made any sense!
Logan racked his brain. He'd been to China before, but he'd never heard of any strange tradition like that. Maybe it was some sort of belief followed by mutants there—or a special cultural practice of certain groups?
He sighed inwardly. The world really was full of oddities.
Unbeknownst to him, everything Herman had said was something that didn't even exist in this world.
"Alright, there's a river up ahead. Want to stop and take a bath?" Logan finally picked up on the only part of their conversation that made sense to him. He remembered Herman mentioning earlier that, given the chance, he'd like to wash up and change clothes.
"No need," Herman replied, blinking lightly.
He'd already drawn his new identity. His luck had peaked.
There was no need to lean on superstition anymore. He'd just wait for the seven-day cooldown to end before thinking about it again. A very typical way of thinking.
Whether it was praying or making offerings, people only did it when they felt it was necessary—and for Herman, even that didn't apply.
After all, he himself was a god.
A God-King, no less.
In truth, washing his hands or bathing had no real effect anymore. Neither act could actually cleanse him.
His level of existence made the concept of dirt meaningless.
In a way, no matter how many years passed, his body would always be cleaner than someone fresh out of the shower—free not only from filth but even from bacteria and viruses.
"Fine, whatever makes you happy," Logan said with a shrug, keeping his focus on driving the old, battered car.
"You seem a bit confused," Herman said with a hint of amusement, watching him closely. He knew exactly what was going through Logan's head—and teasing this gruff old wolf from the future was actually kind of fun.
"No, no, I get it," Logan said, forcing a smile. "It's like… uh, a baptism or something? Either way, it's good to start the day in a good mood."
He was clearly trying to show what little emotional intelligence he had left.
Leaning out the window again, he lit another cigar he'd dug up from the car's compartments.
In this future timeline, finding something with that kind of vintage flavor wasn't easy.
"Pure tobacco flavor."
Wolverine Logan's tone carried a touch of nostalgia. Even in the future, he hadn't quit smoking—but by then, tobacco had become a high-tech concoction, far removed from the raw, simple kind he now held between his fingers.
"I can tell you're not someone with much faith."
Herman didn't even need to read his thoughts to see it. Everything about the old wolf screamed disbelief. From his words alone, it wasn't hard to tell that in Logan's mind, all those prayers and rituals practiced by the faithful were nothing more than a form of self-comfort.
To him, their only real purpose was to make people feel better—to give them a reason to face life with a bit more hope.
"I'm an atheist," Logan said bluntly. "I've never believed there's some selfless god out there helping humanity every day. Even the nanny you pay eventually loses her patience."
He took another drag, his expression calm but his voice steady. "You know, I've met plenty of people who claimed to be gods. Without exception, they were no different from the rest of us."
His words struck a chord with Herman.
The Apocalypse he'd encountered not long ago fit that description perfectly.
"You've got a pretty clear view of things," Herman said with a faint laugh.
"Hahaha, I just figure—even if there really is a God, He wouldn't lift a finger for humanity. History's full of believers who ended up persecuted."
Logan flicked the cigarette butt out the window. His tone was tinged with melancholy.
"You're right."
Herman leaned his head back and looked up at the sky. The mention of "God" stirred a bit of curiosity in him.
This world had merged with so many elements from the DC Universe—he couldn't help wondering if that God, the one whose status was equal to the One-Above-All, also existed here in the Marvel multiverse.
And if He did... would He ever clash with the One-Above-All?
"Tch, I'm really overthinking this," Herman muttered with a small smirk at his own imagination.
He was only a single-universe-level being right now—hardly qualified to meddle in creator-level disputes. Rather than wondering which was stronger, the DC Universe's God or Marvel's One-Above-All, it was more amusing to imagine something simpler...
Like whether Aurelion Sol and Galactus could actually form a stable supply-and-demand relationship.
One creates planets effortlessly.
The other... gets restless if he doesn't eat them.
It was, in its own way, a perfect match.
Of course, trying to lure Galactus into becoming a henchman with the promise of "food" wasn't exactly realistic.
Still... Herman remembered that Galactus had a daughter—another glutton, if the stories were true.
As Galactus's offspring, she would naturally need to feed on planets as well. He wondered idly where in the cosmos she might be now.
A young, naïve girl like that... would probably be the easiest to tempt—with something delicious.