Marvel: Shadow Monarch

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...

The portal spat me out in what looked like a cave entrance—a cramped space maybe three or four meters deep with rough stone walls.

Well, this is definitely not the research facility anymore.

I groaned as I pushed myself up from the cold stone floor, my body protesting the rough landing.

In front of me stood a heavy wooden door that looked medieval—dark wood reinforced with iron bands. Strange symbols were carved into its surface, symbols that seemed to shift when I wasn't looking directly at them.

Definitely magical. The kind of door that leads to things trying to kill me.

I glanced down at my leg where the bullet had grazed me. The wound was not bleeding—just a small wound that stung when I touched it. What had felt like fire back in the corridor was now just a dull ache.

I stood up slowly, testing my weight on the injured leg. A slight twinge, but nothing that would restrict my movement.

My eyes returned to the door. "This is it," I muttered. "Behind that door are probably monsters and whatever else I have to face."

The reality hit me—I was about to fight creatures that I'd certainly have to kill. And I'd never killed any major lifeform, not in either life.

The most violent thing I'd ever done was what I'd just pulled with those guards, and even then, I'd been careful not to seriously hurt them.

Can I actually do this? Can I take a life, even if it's just monsters?

For a moment, doubt crept in. But then I thought about Anna, alone in that cell, probably terrified about what had happened to me.

I thought about the months of captivity, the experiments, and the complete helplessness.

No. I'm not going back to that. This is my chance to stop being the lab rat.

I steeled my resolve. "They're just experience points," I said aloud. "Just exp. Just numbers that'll make me stronger so I can get Anna out of that place."

Right. Think of it like a video game. NPCs, not real creatures.

I summoned my status screen, the familiar blue interface appearing in front of me. If I was going to survive whatever was behind that door, I needed to be stronger. Much Stronger.

Name: Lucien Reynolds

Job: None

Level: 1 Fatigue: 7

HP: 150

MP: 0

Strength: 13

Health: 15

Agility: 12

Perception: 8

Mana: 0

Stat Points: 76

Gold: 0

Seventy-six points to work with.

I have been thinking about how to utilize these stat points for the entire week.

But after my confrontation with the guards today, I finally understood how much the difference in stats mattered.

Peterson had felt like throwing around a piece of paper when I'd pushed him around, and that was with just the strength I had due to my X-Gene.

Time to stop overthinking and commit.

I started with Strength, investing fourteen points to bring it up to 27. Higher attack power meant I could deal real damage and end fights quickly.

Twelve points went into Health, boosting it to 27. I needed to be able to take hits and keep going.

Eighteen points into Agility, raising it to 30. Speed was life—the faster I was, the better I'd dodge attacks.

I'd learned that lesson during my sprint down the corridor with bullets flying past my head.

Twelve points into Perception, bringing it to 20. This stat seemed like a sixth sense of sorts, and having better awareness of my surroundings could mean the difference between life and death in combat.

That left me with twenty stat points unspent, which I decided to save.

I'd deliberately avoided putting anything into Mana since I had no idea what use it would have right now, and I wanted to keep some points in reserve for emergencies.

I felt the changes immediately. My muscles felt denser, more responsive. My vision seemed sharper, and I could hear sounds I hadn't noticed before. Even my breathing felt more efficient.

Okay, this is definitely an improvement.

The enhanced Perception was particularly noticeable. It was like gaining awareness I never knew I was missing—I could sense the space around me in a way that was hard to describe.

I mentally accessed my inventory and summoned the daggers from the cursed loot box.

They materialized in my hands—wicked-looking blades about eight inches long with dark metal that seemed to drink in the light.

The weapons felt perfectly balanced, like they'd been crafted specifically for my hands.

As soon as I grasped them properly, a notification popped up:

Equipped: Steel Daggers

Attack +25

Great. More chances of survival.

The daggers gave me a significant boost to my damage output.

Combined with my enhanced Stats, I should be a legitimate threat to whatever was behind that door.

I took a few practice swings, getting used to the feel. They moved like extensions of my arms, and I found myself falling into combat stances I didn't remember learning.

I looked down at my leg one more time, then shook it experimentally.

The pain was barely noticeable now. And with my improved stats, I felt far stronger and more agile than I had minutes ago.

Alright, enough stalling.

With everything ready, I walked toward the door. My new Perception stat was already paying dividends—I could sense something moving on the other side of the wood, multiple somethings that made faint scratching sounds.

I placed my hand on the heavy iron handle and took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

I pulled the door open.

.....

Want to read ahead of the public release? Support me on Patreon at "https://www.patreon.com/FreakyHaru" and get access to:

5 and 10 chapters of all my fanfictions.

Ongoing Projects:

Marvel: Shadow Monarch

Upcoming Projects:

DC/MARVEL: The Kryptonian Emperor(Under editing, shall be released next Monday)

Your support helps me keep writing and brings you more content faster!

Thank You