The rain poured down in steady sheets, soaking the streets of New York City as the protagonist wandered aimlessly. His mind was still reeling from the events of the alley—the fight, the woman, and most of all, the realization that he was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It sounded impossible, but everything around him confirmed it. Stark Industries, the familiar skyline, the sense of impending doom that seemed to hang in the air.
And then there was the system.
He stopped in front of a small café, stepping under the awning to escape the downpour. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to focus. The messages he had seen earlier were still fresh in his mind:
Subordinate Growth System Activated.
He hadn't asked for it, didn't understand how it worked, but it was there—something inside him, tied to this new life. There had to be more to it than just the vague objectives he'd been given. He needed to figure out exactly what he was dealing with.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, "let's see if I can get more information."
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar ding echoed in his head, and the system responded:
System Menu:
Status Subordinates Abilities Quests System Log
He blinked in surprise. It felt like navigating a menu in a video game, but instead of a controller, he only needed to think. He selected Status, and a detailed display appeared in front of his eyes:
Name: [User Unregistered]
Title: None
Level: 1
Strength: 10
Agility: 8
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 12
Abilities: Locked
Subordinates: 0
System Energy: 0
"Okay, that's… something," he said, frowning. His stats didn't seem all that impressive, but then again, this was just the start. And the abilities were locked for now, which probably meant he had to unlock them through progress.
His thoughts moved to the second option: Subordinates. This seemed key to the system. If he could grow stronger by empowering subordinates, he needed to understand how it worked. He selected it, and a new screen appeared:
Subordinate Menu:
Recruit Subordinates Current Subordinates: 0
There was an option to recruit, but how? He stared at the menu, waiting for more information. Nothing came.
"Well, that's not helpful." He sighed and scratched his head. The system seemed straightforward, but it wasn't going to give him all the answers. He had to figure out the mechanics on his own. Maybe he could find potential subordinates by interacting with people in this world? He wasn't sure, but it made sense.
One thing was clear: the more powerful his subordinates became, the stronger he would grow. If he was in the MCU, that meant there were powerful people everywhere—heroes, villains, even regular individuals with unique skills. He needed to start somewhere.
With the rain still falling around him, he continued walking down the street, keeping his mind sharp and alert. There had to be someone out there who could help him—someone he could recruit, someone whose strength would feed back into the system.
After several minutes of walking, something caught his attention—a crowd gathering near a park. Curiosity piqued, he made his way toward the commotion. As he got closer, he realized it wasn't just any crowd. People were pointing at something in the sky, murmuring in fear and awe.
His heart raced. This was the MCU. Anything could happen.
As he reached the edge of the park, he saw it. Hovering above the trees, barely visible through the rain and clouds, was a figure—a man in armor, shining gold and crimson, his eyes glowing with faint blue light.
Tony Stark. Iron Man.
The sight of him brought a wave of excitement and anxiety. He had watched Stark in movies, admired the character's brilliance and arrogance, but now, seeing him in real life was surreal. This wasn't just a fictional character. This was a living, breathing hero, and he was right in front of him.
Iron Man hovered above the park for a moment longer before blasting off into the sky, disappearing into the clouds with a roar of repulsor energy. The crowd began to disperse, murmuring excitedly about what they had just witnessed.
"Okay," the protagonist muttered to himself, "so this world really is the MCU. Iron Man exists. That means the Avengers… everything. It's all real."
As the crowd thinned, he noticed a young man sitting on a bench nearby, sketching something in a notebook. He was hunched over, focused intently on his work, and didn't seem to notice the excitement around him. The protagonist walked closer, curious about what he was drawing.
When he got a better look, he realized the young man was sketching Iron Man in incredible detail, capturing the moment he had hovered above the park with precision. The lines were sharp, the shading perfect. It was as if the artist had frozen that exact moment in time.
"Hey," the protagonist said, stepping closer. "That's some impressive work."
The young man looked up, startled, but then smiled sheepishly. "Oh, thanks. Just trying to capture the moment, you know? It's not every day you see Iron Man up close."
"No kidding," the protagonist replied, sitting down on the bench next to him. "You're really good. Ever thought about doing this professionally?"
The young man shrugged. "I've tried, but it's hard to get noticed. New York's full of talented people, and I'm just… well, just me."
The protagonist's mind raced. Could this be an opportunity? This guy had talent, a skill that could be nurtured and developed. If the system worked the way he thought it did, he could potentially recruit him, empower him, and in turn, grow stronger himself.
He focused on the system again, willing it to respond. Sure enough, a new prompt appeared:
Potential Subordinate Detected. Recruit?
He hesitated for a moment. How did this work? Was there a catch? He didn't know, but if he was going to figure out this system, he had to take the first step. With a deep breath, he mentally confirmed the prompt.
Recruitment Successful. Subordinate Added: Evan Matthews.
A rush of energy surged through him, subtle but noticeable. It wasn't overwhelming, but he felt… stronger. Sharper. His senses seemed heightened, and his mind felt clearer.
The young man—Evan—blinked, as if sensing something had changed but not quite understanding what. He looked at the protagonist curiously. "Weird. For a second there, I felt… I don't know. Different."
The protagonist smiled, though he kept the details to himself. "Maybe it's just the excitement of seeing Iron Man. New York's full of surprises."
Evan chuckled. "Yeah, maybe."
As they sat there, the protagonist couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. The system worked. He had his first subordinate, and though Evan wasn't a superhero or a soldier, he had potential. Now, it was up to the protagonist to help him grow stronger.
And in doing so, he would grow stronger too.
This was just the beginning.