'Inner dialogue/thoughts'
"Normal dialogue"
[System]
[Diary entries]
(Word count: 1,280)
~ At night with Luke, in his apartment in Los Angeles ~
Luke had gone back to his apartment after he completed writing the fifth entry in the café. Luke had wanted to write more in the diary but found that he was out of content to write about. Luke felt that the hint he dropped regarding Stane would be enough to affect both Wanda and Fury.
[Host be reminded, appearance of the original enemy created will need to be created by host.]
As he was doing his daily meditation, Luke was suddenly interrupted by the system prompt. 'Wait. I have to design the appearance? System, are you able to create a new character design using references from the memories I have of my original Earth?'
[As it is the first enemy created, such assistance will be allowed. However, please be advised that for future enemies, character design will be up to host entirely without any assistance from the system.]
'Neat. In that case let's start with the creatures of the covenant. Let's see, I'll have them retain their human appearance on the outside. But on the inside, let's go with the alien parasite from Parasyte.' Luke decided.
[Generating appearance. Completed. Confirm appearance for "messenger" creatures of the Abyssal Covenant?]
"Confirm." Luke said aloud.
[Appearance locked. Awaiting host input on original enemy, Marak Azathraal.]
'This is a no-brainer. There is one character from the DC universe that best embodies what Marak Azathraal should look like.' Luke mused.
"System, utilize the appearance of 'Ra's Al Ghul' from DC movie universe created by Christopher Nolan."
While many would think that an enemy of this stature should have the appearance of an evil entity such as that of Surtur, Luke firmly believed in the simplicity of character design. Moreover, Luke was of the opinion that Liam Neeson's portrayal of Ra's Al Ghul was the embodiment of what a leader should look like for a mysterious organization.
[Generating appearance. Completed. Confirm appearance for original enemy, Marak Azathraal?]
"Confirm." Luke started, "Also, there is no need to make the design for the True Demon God as of now. These two alone should be fine."
[Appearance locked.]
After finalizing the character appearances, Luke was about to resume his daily meditation when the system suddenly prompted again.
[The trust rating of Natasha Alianovna Romanova has reached a threshold of 90%! Congratulations host for unlocking the advanced body enhancement!]
Upon reading the prompt, Luke's eyes widened in surprise, 'The advanced body enhancement! There it is! My cheat code to getting the Super Soldier Serum!'
[Does host want to receive rewards now?]
"Yes! What are you waiting for system, this is my rise to glory!" Luke exclaimed in excitement.
Luke's body did not undergo any physical changes, as Luke had kept his body in top shape since arriving in this world. Instead, Luke felt his body changing internally. Luke was unsure by how much, but he felt that he could lift an object that weighed a couple tons.
"System, what does the advanced body provide?" Luke queried. Instead of having to go through another round of experimentation on his body, Luke decided to try his luck at asking the system. Fortunately for Luke, this was within the system's capabilities.
[Benefits provided by the Advanced Body Enhancement are as follows: Enhanced super strength, Enhanced body endurance, Enhanced body durability, Increased Magic resistance, Increased poison resistance, Increased regeneration capabilities, Enhanced mental protection and Increased mental capabilities.]
"Holy shit so it's basically the Super Soldier Serum?! Have I become the next Captain America?!" Luke bellowed delightfully.
[Please take note host, the Advanced Body Enhancement benefits are at least doubled from that of the Super Soldier Serum taken by Steve Rogers.]
". . ." Luke was speechless. This meant that he was now at least twice as strong as Steve would be. Suddenly, Luke thought of a worrying prospect regarding one of the benefits provided.
"System, is the magic resistance applied to the mystic arts?" Luke asked. Luke felt it was important for Luke to determine if there was a difference between 'Magic' and 'Mystic arts' as the fundamentals of both are different.
[Magic resistance covers any and all aspects related to the supernatural, including but not limited to: Invocation magic, curses, dimensional magic, and universal magic.]
'Invocation and curses are self-explanatory. I'm guessing that dimensional magic refers to the abilities of the lord of the realms themselves. But what about Universal magic?' Luke wondered. As if on command, the system once again prompted.
[Universal magic is on the level of the Infinity Stones. Please take note, host has resistance to universal magic, however, direct contact is still not advisable.]
'Holy shit, have I become a hybrid celestial like Peter Quill?' Luke was in struck with awe. Having resistance to universal magic meant that he would not be severely affected by the infinity stones and of beings that have the capability to wield the same level of power.
Luke surmised that he would be able to utilize the power stone just as Peter Quill had done in Guardians of the Galaxy, and if the Time Stone or the Reality Stone were to ever be used on him, while he believed he would not be able to fully block it, he would at the very least be able to detect it.
Moreover, the enhanced mental protection and mental capabilities would help him against those with mental powers such as Mantis. If he combined his abilities well enough, he could even stop the telekinetic powers of Ebony Maw from affecting him directly.
This reward had also given him the abilities to protect himself against the Ancient One if she ever came across him accidentally and decided to label him as a threat to the dimension. What Luke needed to figure out was just how strong the resistances he received were, as well as their limits.
Even though Luke received the answer from the system, like a kid, Luke could not help but test the new powers he had just received himself.
~ A few minutes later ~
"Wow. . ." Luke said for the umpteenth time that night. Luke figured that if the rewards he received in the future would start compounding, then he could really end up as a universal powerhouse.
'So, I guess what I had thought before was right. Achieving a 90% threshold with the diary holders would give an improvement to a current ability that I possess. Of course, the sample size is still only 2, and more information would be needed. But the early signs are promising.'
'The rewards I would get from defeating the Abyssal Covenant, or more specifically Marak Azathraal, should be enhanced further when I manage to get Fury to 90% or if I can hit another threshold for Natasha or Wanda. The next threshold should be 100%, but even now, Wanda is still not at 100% and Natasha has just reached 90%.'
In order to increase the trust rating of Fury and Natasha further, Luke had hoped that the Abyssal Covenant would make an attack soon. This would help solidify Luke's words in the diary, thus leading to the readers to believe in it further.
Finishing his musings, Luke finally went back to his daily meditation without any further distractions.
- End of Chapter 48 –
Next time in C49 - I will always Love you.
'The increase in mental capabilities should not have equated into an increase in emotional resonance.'
.
.
.
Hearing Wanda's reply, Pietro then gave a gentle hug to her as he whispered, "Remember Wanda, I am your brother. I will always stand by you, and I will always love you. No matter what."