With Agent Miller's permission secured, I left the headquarters through one of SHIELD's many disguised exits.
Much like the hidden magical world in Harry Potter, SHIELD did not advertise its presence. One of the access points was a perfectly ordinary barber shop tucked between two forgettable storefronts. You walked in, gave the correct password, and were directed to a back room where an unremarkable elevator waited. That elevator did not go up or down in any honest way. It sank deep, delivering agents straight into the underground arteries of SHIELD.
There were several entrances like this scattered around the block. With close to a hundred agents working in this area alone, SHIELD needed convenience as much as secrecy.
Outside, New York carried on unaware.
I hailed a cab and headed home.
My apartment was small but comfortable. A compact kitchen, a modest drawing room, and two rooms upstairs. One was clearly meant for guests. The other was mine. Clean, functional, and quiet. A place that did not ask questions.
After ordering takeout, taking a long bath, and eating, I finally sat down and let my thoughts settle.
It was time.
I focused on ID Create.
A soft ping echoed in my mind with small label flashing.
[ID Create skill activated]
The change was instant.
A faint reddish hue washed over everything, like the world had been dipped into diluted blood. Sound vanished. Not faded, not muted. Gone. No traffic. No distant sirens. No hum of electricity. Absolute silence pressed in on me, heavy enough to feel physical.
I stepped outside.
The street was empty.
Buildings stood where they should, perfectly intact, but stripped of life. No people. No animals. No birds. Even the wind felt absent. The sky had turned a deep, unnatural red, and the sun hung above like something pulled from a vampire fantasy. Wrong. Beautiful, but deeply wrong.
It was as if I was standing inside a shadow of the city. New York's corpse, preserved without decay.
No living soul existed here.
After a minute, I swallowed and focused on ID Escape.
Another ping with a small label.
[ID Escape skill activated]
The red world shattered.
Not figuratively. It fractured like glass, splintering outward, and suddenly my ears were assaulted by noise. Traffic roared back into existence. Voices overlapped. A horn blared somewhere far too close. The sudden contrast made me wince.
The world was alive again.
I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.
Next, I turned my attention inward and expanded the mini-map in my vision. It bloomed open smoothly, displaying the surrounding area in layered detail. I activated Map Reveal.
Dots appeared.
People around me showed up as white markers. Neutral. Unaware. Uninterested. After observing for a while, patterns became clear.
White dots indicated individuals with no hostility toward me.
Blue dots represented allies or friendly entities.
Red dots marked enemies or hostile intent.
And at the center of it all was me. A small cursor, blinking calmly, like a location marker on Google Maps. For some reason, the Map, Inventory, Status, and Map Reveal didn't cost me any Mana.
Efficient. Cold. Honest.
Finally, I opened the System Shop.
At Level 1, it was… underwhelming.
Food. Toiletries. Soap. Shampoo. Tissue paper. Basic medicines. Survival-level convenience items, even trash could be bought here. Nothing flashy. Nothing dangerous.
The upgrade tiers, however, were promising.
Level 2 would unlock common clothing and footwear.
Level 3 would introduce tactical gear.
Level 4 would open the weapons section.
Level 5 would unlock advanced materials across all categories. Special clothing. Costumes. Enhanced gear. Advanced weapons.
The system was not generous.
It was patient.
I closed the interface and focused on training my ID skills. By evening, I had managed to level the skill up twice, but my body paid the price. I was exhausted, out of shape, and every muscle reminded me of that fact. After taking a bath, I went to my room and ordered food, this time through the system store. It cost me six dollars for a fried chicken pack with a cold drink. Simple, instant, and disturbingly convenient.
I leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling of my apartment.
I was in the Marvel universe.
I had a system.
And I had only scratched the surface.
Somewhere out there, gods, monsters, and legends walked the same streets as me.
For now, though, I was just a dot on a map.
And that suited me perfectly.