Kapitel 2: Chapter 1

First Person P.O.V

"Aaaaaah!!! Damn, my head hurts so much! Eh... My eyes are still blurry. What happened anyway? Where am I? And just as importantly, who am I? Well, the pain seems to have subsided. I'll try to see the white light again."

Opening my eyes, I saw a picture that, until that moment, I thought you could only see in science fiction novels. Namely, the game status!

[Name: Alex Reath

Race: Human

Age: 21

Strength: 8

Speed: 10

Dexterity: 9

Stamina: 9

Intelligence: 19

Charisma: 11

Free Points: 10

Skills:

Passive: Player's Mind

Active: None

Achievements: None

Player's Mind: Allows the player to think calmly and logically. Maintains peace of mind. Immune to psychological effects.]

Are you kidding me? Did I end up in another world with a player system? Closing my eyes and calming down a bit, I decided to think about the situation properly. First of all, I don't know who I am. Amnesia? Maybe. But I still remember many events from my life: I remember studying, reading books, and listening to music.

However, I can't remember the names and faces of people with whom I've been in contact in one way or another. But to my surprise, I clearly remember the actors and singers I watched on TV or the Internet—and with great detail.

Secondly… I'm in some stinking alley now. Opening my eyes, I noticed that the status icon had disappeared. Hmm, a glitch? How do I call up the game panel?

'Status.'

Oh, it's back! So it's real. And I was so hoping that I imagined it all. So, my stats… I don't even know if they're high or not. Well, I think I'll figure it out in time.

I have 10 free points that I can distribute. Let's hold off on that for now since I haven't fully understood everything yet. Let's not rush.

Getting to my feet, I trudged forward, trying to find out at least a little about my whereabouts. It was the dead of night outside, but fortunately, the streets of this city were relatively lit. Still, I couldn't shake the oppressive gloom of this place.

Maybe I was winding myself up too much. Passing by some store, in the reflection of its windows, I was finally able to properly examine myself. Hmm, if I washed my hair and face properly, tried on more or less decent clothes, I could even call myself a handsome man.

Yeah, skinny arms, thin body… judging by the clothes and my not-very-attractive state, I'm ready to conclude that I'm probably a homeless street kid.

It's getting worse by the hour. While walking in an unknown direction, I realized that my worn-out shoes were somehow not very comfortable. Having sat down on the ground to take off my shoes, I became the happy owner of ten dollars and a crumpled ID document! I am a human being!

The system did not deceive me: my name is actually Alex Reath, I am 21 years old, and I have no home. Great... Ten dollars is my entire stash, or is it the stash of the guy I possessed? Well, why not; the theory of the soul's transmigration into someone else's body has not been canceled.

So I will not throw this idea into the trash just yet. Well, one way or another, I already have the starting capital. While wandering the night streets of an unknown city, I managed to get quite hungry. But now is not the time for food; it's the time to find answers to some questions that torment me.

Finally, I reached the right place... the city dump! So, let's not bother the local homeless people and go look for answers, avoiding threatening predatory glances along the way.

You may ask me, what do you want to find here? The answer is quite simple… newspapers! They can at least shed some light on my current affairs.

Having searched the local dump of high-quality fertilizers, I was able to find only five more or less intact newspapers. If I am not mistaken, newspapers are in great demand among the residents of this area—I saw how several local intellectuals, with their help, built themselves a warm fire.

So I'm grateful that I was able to find at least five valuable sources of information. The first three newspapers were practically useless. Well, except for the fact that, with their help, I was finally able to find out the name of the city I was in now.

Gotham City… I've heard that somewhere before. Sigh, it looks like my theory about getting into the body of this homeless person is getting stronger. The fourth newspaper put a fat point in my theory. It mentioned a man in a bat suit—or maybe it wasn't a suit. In general, it wasn't specified, because the newspaper itself wasn't sure if he was a man. Some claimed to have seen a real demon.

Batman… I got into the world of DC comics. I don't remember my life, but for some reason, I know this fictional universe of superheroes very well. It seems that I was an avid fan of superhero comics. Sigh, I remember a lot of fan fiction in which the main character gets into the DC world. I never thought I'd be one of those time-travelers. And with a gamer system at that… But don't they give the main character at least some basic information in all these stories?!

I don't remember dying or being met by the God of Games or another higher being. I just showed up here… bam, and that's it… It's a little unfair… So what am I supposed to do? Do I have some kind of mission, or am I completely free to make my own decisions?

I stopped thinking about the structure of this universe for a while and turned my gaze to the last folded newspaper.

Unlike the others, this one carried information not only about Gotham but about the entire country as a whole. Logically, it shouldn't have affected me much, because I was already prepared for anything. But it still managed to make me sit on my butt with a stupid face.

Tony Stark, Iron Man… Are you serious? I thought I was in the DC universe. Where did a Marvel character come from?! Maybe these newspapers are just some, um… I don't know, from some crazy fan's collection? Yeah, that would be great, but I'm afraid that's not the case.

I've been thinking about a really crazy theory. I wonder if I should give it the green light or not. I've ended up in a world where Marvel and DC characters exist side by side. I know, it's crazy, but if you look at it from another perspective… why not? There's so little information.

I urgently need a computer connected to the Internet. I need to learn more about this world. Hmm, I'm much calmer than I expected. I don't know if I was like this in my past life, or if it's all about the skill reflected in my status. Player's Mind... what a great thing!

It grants me complete immunity to psychic attacks. I really wouldn't want some bald telepath in a chair accidentally reading my thoughts, discovering his future, and, at the same time, the future of this multiverse. True, I still need to find out how things stand with the canon here. A calm mind is very useful. It's a pity I don't have the "Player's Body" as well. This makes me think my system is incomplete. I've been trying to use "Analysis" on various objects for quite some time now, but it's to no avail.

I lack both a store and a lottery system. Now, I want to test one of the most useful features of the player system—Inventory.

The status table disappeared, and a table with empty cells replaced it. Hooray! It works! I picked up a rusty piece of metal from the ground and placed it into an empty cell. Success. I continued experimenting and managed to fit more than half a ton of trash into the inventory. Satisfied with the experiment, I dumped the trash back. Apparently, my inventory is bottomless. At least one good thing happened today!

Next, I tried to figure out my status. My name is Alex Reath, age 21. I don't know if that's my real name or the name of the body I now inhabit. My age seems fine to me. I don't remember how old I was in my past life, but it doesn't matter. Then I noticed something that made me uneasy. The level system doesn't exist.

Looks like I can't level up—great! I really got a faulty system. Moving on to my stats: Strength, Speed, Dexterity, Stamina, Intelligence, and Charisma. It all looks rather sad, except for my Intelligence. The other numbers are scary to look at. If I'm not mistaken, 10 is the average person's score. Following this logic, 20 would belong to someone with high talent, and 30 would characterize professional athletes nearing their limits. The number 40 likely marks the human limit. My intuition tells me Batman's stats probably hover around 50, with Intelligence approaching 70. Where do I get such feelings? Why isn't there an "Intuition" stat in my status? I'm sure mine would surpass my Intelligence.

So, my status is subpar, both in-game and in reality. Okay, I need to decide what to do next. Since no one has instructed me on how to behave in this world or who I am, it means I have the freedom to make my own decisions. But what do I want? What is my goal? If I can't think of anything, I'll follow my heart.

First, I want a luxurious life. Second, I want many wives. I don't know why, but I desire a harem. Maybe it was an unfulfilled dream in my past life? Third, I want the power to protect myself and my loved ones. This world hides danger at every step. Since I've been given, as I believe, a second chance, I can't squander it.

I wouldn't want to die from Thanos' snap or Darkseid's invasion. To achieve these three points, I'll need money—a lot of money! I have ten free attribute points. Good thing I didn't use them at the start, as I had no idea which world I'd ended up in. I also don't know how to earn more of these points. Without a level system, I likely won't gain points through leveling up. Since my system is flawed, I'll put all ten points into Intelligence.

[Name: Alex Reath

Race: Human

Age: 21

Strength: 8

Speed: 10

Dexterity: 9

Stamina: 9

Intelligence: 29

Charisma: 11

Free Points: 0

Skills:

Passive: Player's Mind

Active: None

Achievements: None]

You might wonder why I prioritized Intelligence. "Boost Strength or Speed, then put on a mask and become a superhero!" Well, first, even with ten additional points, I'd be no match for Superman. An ordinary boxer would still be stronger. Second, I think I can enhance my physical attributes through hard training. However, I'm not planning to live in the gym day after day. My plan is to acquire a super-soldier serum, then get mutant DNA to gain unique abilities. Don't misunderstand; I'm not going to kidnap mutants and experiment on them. I'm a good guy! Maybe, during battles with supervillains, a few drops of their blood will fall, and I'll accidentally collect them.

To achieve all this, I need to be extremely smart. Nonetheless, I'll train to restore my body to normal. Who knows when I'll discover or invent something akin to the Mirakuru serum that enhanced Deathstroke. Even if I obtain a super body, I can't neglect combat skills. No matter how much experience I might have in street fights, an amateur can't stand up to an experienced fighter. Martial arts training is a priority.

With this general plan, my most pressing issue remains: How can I make money? Or more precisely, where can I find good start-up capital? Ten dollars certainly isn't enough. My intuition tells me I could wisely manage and multiply it, but I still need more. Stealing is off the table; I'm a good guy, after all.

So, think, think... Did I waste ten points in Intelligence? While pondering, I noticed my mental processes felt much faster. Those ten points weren't wasted. However, I realized no new information entered my mind. I won't become Einstein simply by increasing Intelligence. My memory and logical thinking have improved noticeably, but that's it. To become a good physicist or chemist, I'll need to study countless books.

I had hoped to achieve Tony Stark-level brilliance effortlessly. No luck there, guess hard work is the key to success! As I kept thinking about how to establish myself in this world—and more importantly, how to get MONEY—an hour of brainstorming finally illuminated my mind with the divine light of Thomas Edison. Rising to my feet, I hurried away from the dump, eager to escape its stench.

Well, wait for me, Batman. I'm coming!