Marvel X The Boys

Alex's heart was still pounding, and the air felt electric, crackling with tension. His hands were trembling as he gazed at the two suns suspended in the sky, an unnatural glow giving an eerie look to the city. The streets had a sort of otherworldly quality about them as the golden mist swirling around him gave that gentle swish-swish of it.

What the hell was going on?

But the message still lingered in his mind. You have been granted access to the Nexus Framework. The system's cold, detached voice echoed in his head as if in mockery.

He took a step back, his mind trying to take in what was right before him. A second sun? People acting like nothing was wrong? And now this… system? Was he hallucinating? Losing his mind?

"Okay, okay," he muttered to himself. "This can't be real. It just can't be."

He scanned the crowd as if waiting for someone to spring out and tell him it was all some sort of publicity stunt, a viral marketing campaign, or a joke. But no one seemed to be paying attention to the two suns, the way the shadows seemed to shift in mid-air, the energy building in the atmosphere. People continued walking, not noticing the world around them bend and warp.

Alex turned away from the crowd, breathing shallowly, trying to ground himself in something tangible. He needed to figure this out. To understand.

The First Look at the Status Window

He clenched his fists, an odd jolt of energy running through his veins. He stared at his hands as he tried to zero in on something, anything that might make what was going on explainable. But everything just. seemed. different. As if all the senses were amplified to the power of eleven, alive, suddenly and totally alive.

And again, the system pinged.

He froze.

System Activation: Status Window Unlocked.

Press [Enter] to View Status.

There was a window in his peripheral vision that seemed transparent, out of reach. It wasn't an illusion. It wasn't in his head. He could see it. The words pulsed faintly, as if calling him to engage with them.

Alex's fingers twitched, and before he could pull his hand back, he reached out to touch the glowing [Enter] key floating in front of his eyes. The window expanded to fill all of his field of vision in a rich graphic.

[SYSTEM STATUS]

Name: Alex Harper

Level: 1

HP: 100

MP: 50

Stamina: 100

Strength: 12

Agility: 9

Intelligence: 8

Luck: 4

[Abilities]

Reflex Boost (Temporary)Increases reflex speed and reaction time by 25% for 1 hour.

[Quest]

Survive the Multiversal Shift

Objective: Navigate the changes and endure the multiversal collapse.

Reward: Strength, Reflex Boost, Knowledge, Power.

[Inventory]

None...

The text hovered there, clear and readable. Alex blinked, looking at the screen. It was just like a video game. Just like the kind of RPGs he'd played back in his teenage years—status bars, health points, stamina, and even a quest log.

What in the hell.

He ended with that. His hands continued shuddering, unsure of what was actually happening.

He felt the feeling of weirdness in his chest deepen. This wasn't a hallucination. It was real.

Nexus Framework? That was what it called itself, hadn't it? What did it refer to? What was going on with him?

He looked back up at the second sun once more.

That seemed related. The reality change so sudden, the bizarre sky phenomenon—could all this somehow be associated with what he was going through? Why him, why now?

Overwhelming Feeling

He stumbled back, his mind racing. His headache began, along with the golden mist swirling around him. Was the system. guiding him? Was he supposed to do something?

The quest objectives weren't clear. It just said "Survive the Multiversal Shift."

"Survive?" Alex whispered to himself, his eyes flicking over the status window again. The words Strength, Reflex Boost, Knowledge seemed to mock him. He hadn't asked for any of this. He didn't want to be part of some cosmic upheaval.

But there was no going back now.

He clenched his fists. The surge of energy inside him was undeniable—this wasn't just some passive event. He felt it in his bones, like a current running through his veins, urging him to act. Maybe this was his chance. A chance to finally do something more than just blend into the background of this chaotic city.

"Survive, huh?" Alex said, the words almost foreign to his tongue. "I can do that."

He narrowed his eyes as he looked around at this strange, shifting world. Everything felt different: the atmosphere, the air, even the way people moved. It was like the very fabric of reality had been torn open and was now being held together with something tenuous, fragile.

And I'm supposed to survive it.

Suddenly, a rumble was echoed in his head. He turned to see that the street began to warp like it was ripping up at the seams. Buildings shifted; they seemed to flicker in and out of existence like they couldn't make up their minds about which reality belonged to which.

System Ping

[SYSTEM MAIL]

New Message: Beginner's Lootbox

Congratulations, Alex Harper! As part of your entry into the Nexus Framework, you have received a Beginner's Lootbox. Open it to unlock a random item that will assist you in your survival.

[Lootbox Contents]

Drop Rate: Legendary: 0.5%Epic: 9.5%Uncommon: 20%Common: 70%

To Open: Press [Open Lootbox].

Alex read the message, his breath catching. A lootbox? Just like in a game?

It was hard to believe, but there it was, the interface shimmering before his eyes, beckoning him to take the next step.

"What's the worst that can happen?" he muttered under his breath, then tapped the [Open Lootbox] button.

The moment he did so, a glowing box appeared in front of him, spinning through the air like a treasure chest right out of a game. It hummed softly inside.

The moment the box opened with a whooshing sound, a burst of light lit up the street. Alex shied his eyes away, trying to see what had appeared.

[Item Obtained]

Common Healing Potion

Restores 30% HP upon use.

Alex blinked in disbelief. A healing potion? Was this for real?

He looked around again—at the warping street, the flickering buildings, the chaos swirling in the air—and then back at the potion in his hand.

He had no choice but to accept it. This was his reality now. Whatever came next, he would have to face it—powered up or not.