NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Finding civilization
"I think I'm walking in circles," I muttered to myself. Two hours of wandering, and I hadn't seen a single soul—not even a deer or bird. Frustration gnawed at me, but I forced myself to keep moving.
Status, I thought, and the familiar screen materialized in front of me. My Sunny Assimilation was at 20%, granting me basic survival skills and access to my Soul Sea. It wasn't much—not even close to what Sunny himself had, but it was a start. At least I still had my seven Soul Cores.
As I walked, I focused on adjusting to my new strength and experimenting with Shadow Sense. The surreal sensation of heightened awareness was beginning to feel natural, though the flood of new abilities left my mind spinning. But I couldn't dwell on that now. My priority was clear: I needed to get out of this damn forest.
A sound broke through my thoughts—a faint, distant hum. I froze, tilting my head to listen. Slowly, I followed the noise, and soon, it became unmistakable. Cars. Moving vehicles.
I pushed forward and emerged from the trees onto the shoulder of a highway. Relief washed over me. Finally, civilization. Even if it was just cars rushing past, it was a far cry from the oppressive silence of the forest.
Now, I needed to figure out where I was. If this was Marvel, my next priority would be reaching Kamar-Taj and figuring out the timeline. I could only hope this wasn't some horrifying variant like Marvel Zombies or another dark timeline.
I stood by the roadside and stuck out my thumb, hoping to hitchhike. It took over an hour of waiting before someone finally pulled over.
A car rolled to a stop, and the window slid down. Behind the wheel sat a man in a police uniform. He looked eerily familiar—like the actor who played Gwen Stacy's father in The Amazing Spider-Man.
"Hello there, young lady. Where are you heading?" he asked with a friendly smile.
"New York, sir," I said nervously, hoping it would put me on the right path to Kamar-Taj—if it even existed in this world.
"Well, you're in luck. Get in," he said, gesturing to the passenger seat.
"Thank you, sir," I said, climbing in and buckling up.
We drove in silence for a while, An hour passed before he finally spoke, asking the question I'd been bracing for.
"So, how did you end up in the middle of the road?"
I forced a sheepish laugh. "My boyfriend and I had a fight... and, well, he decided to ditch me," I said, sticking to the cover story I'd prepared.
The officer glanced at me, his expression skeptical for a moment before softening. "Well, he wasn't a good man then," he said with a chuckle. "You're better off staying clear of people like that. If my daughter ever dated someone like him, I'd never allow it."
I laughed along, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, he was a total jerk. Now that I think about it, I'm better off without him."
He laughed heartily, the mood in the car lightening. At least for now, things were going smoothly.
"Can I turn on the radio?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Sure," the officer replied, his attention fixed on the road ahead.
Reaching over, I switched on the radio and tuned it to a news channel.
"Today's latest news: Tony Stark, the genius inventor and CEO of Stark Industries, has been missing for over a month following his kidnapping. Authorities state they are doing everything they can to locate him, but so far, there have been no significant leads."
My heart skipped a beat. Oh, so Tony Stark isn't Iron Man yet. That gave me some clarity about the timeline. This was early in the MCU, right before the creation of Iron Man. But then I remembered—the god who brought me here mentioned this world was a mix of the comics. That meant there was a high chance the X-Men existed here as well.
I listened closely as the news continued, piecing together more information. They mentioned the Brotherhood of Mutants, confirming the existence of the X-Men. There was also a story about the Fantastic Four, who had only recently gained their powers from the accident. With these details, I concluded I was at the very start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline, though it was blended with comic elements.
"Can you drop me off there?" I asked as we neared a safe stopping point.
"Be safe, alright?" the officer said, giving me a brief nod as the car slowed to a halt.
"Yes, thank you so much for giving me a ride," I replied, stepping out of the vehicle.
As he drove away, I stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath. The world of heroes and villains was just beginning—and I was right in the middle of it.
Here's the revised version of your text:
"Alright, the first thing I need to do is get some money," I muttered, tugging at the ragged clothes I was wearing. "I can't keep walking around in these damned things."
Status, I thought, focusing on the word. A strange sensation rippled through me, like knowledge downloading directly into my mind and body.
"Fifty percent?" I read from the interface, my eyebrows furrowing. "Huh, what did I do to increase it by 30%?"
Not that I wasn't grateful, but I decided to push the question aside for now. There were more urgent matters to deal with.
"Business first," I said firmly. My priority was clear: money. And to get it, I'd have to "borrow" it—though not in the traditional sense. My plan was to steal from criminals.
After all, they didn't deserve it, and I wasn't about to feel guilty about taking from people who probably got their wealth through worse means.
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