Chapter 1: If

[What if the Marvel Universe gained a soul that was never meant to belong here...]

2012, Midtown Manhattan, New York.

Inside a duplex apartment of about five hundred square meters on Fifth Avenue.

A handsome chestnut-haired boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old, was drawing something with chalk on the oak floor of his bedroom.

He wore a casual white shirt. Tall and slender, with refined, sharp features, he wore a pair of semi-rimless, gold-wired glasses.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting dappled shadows across his profile. Combined with the cozy decor of the room, it lent him a quiet, refreshing air.

Except for...

...the black mechanical right arm peeking out from beneath his sleeve. Strikingly out of place, it emitted faint squeaks as he drew.

Yet, compared to this slightly noisy mechanical arm, the concentric circles of a magic circle he was sketching on the floor—resembling some sinister ritual—seemed even more discordant with his surroundings.

"Hmm, this should be about right. Next, the materials!"

Tossing the chalk aside, before he could do anything else, the hushed, tense voices of a middle-aged man and woman arguing drifted up from the living room downstairs.

"Gina! You should have at least consulted me about this beforehand! We finally left Sokovia and got away from those people! And now you're proactively offering to cooperate with them?!"

"You're practically pushing the company into a fiery pit!"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man did his best to lower his voice, but he could not suppress his fury.

In contrast, the mature, beautiful middle-aged woman opposite him spoke in a remarkably calm, cold tone.

"Herman, times have changed. The days of making a comfortable living off one or two inventions and a few patents are over."

"I can wait, but will the shareholders?"

"We've already lost contracts with Stark Industries and Hammer Industries. If we don't make a change soon, the company won't survive."

"I don't care what you think. Even if it's just for the sake of Luca's future quality of life, I must save the company!"

Hearing his wife's resolute words, Herman opened his mouth several times to argue, but finding no rebuttal, he could only futilely press his point.

Although the argument downstairs grew louder, to the point where it was impossible to ignore, the boy in the upstairs bedroom merely shook his head helplessly, having no intention of intervening.

It wasn't that he was cold-hearted or indifferent to family harmony.

Rather, having only recently transmigrated into this world and spent nearly two months in the hospital, he found it difficult to sort out his feelings regarding this new family.

Luca von Orange.

What his name used to be no longer mattered.

In his past life, right after helping the police take down a major fraud ring yet again, he was hit head-on by a dump truck loaded with gravel on his way home.

The last thing he saw before dying was the truck—likely sent for revenge—plowing through him and crashing into a roadside apartment building without slowing down.

When he opened his eyes again, Luca had transmigrated into the body of this teenager, who had also met an untimely end in a car crash.

Perhaps the god of transmigration had shown mercy, or perhaps Luca's soul had nourished the body; after several days of emergency resuscitation, though he lost his right arm below the elbow, the body ultimately survived.

Now, after nearly two months of gradual memory integration, Luca, who had been a loner in his previous life, slowly accepted this new, wealthy family with both parents present.

*At least in this world, I have a happy family, don't I?*

Luca had comforted himself with this thought ever since arriving.

However, compared to this happy family, the world itself was far from "pleasant."

During his two-month hospital stay, aside from integrating his memories, one of the few things Luca could do was watch television.

Naturally, the billionaire who flew around the world fighting crime in a flashy suit of armor was the most frequent figure on the news.

Having watched plenty of Marvel movies in his past life, Luca knew exactly what kind of world he was in.

However, the Marvel Universe was notorious for its countless parallel dimensions, so he couldn't be sure if the future would unfold exactly as he remembered.

Fortunately, Iron Man was currently the only active superhero known to the public. The world hadn't yet descended into a chaotic mess where ordinary people couldn't survive.

Of course, the other reason Luca could put his mind at ease for the time being was that as a transmigrator, he possessed his own cheat!

Looking at the circle on the floor that resembled some sinister ritual, Luca took out a plain red sneaker from a box beside him.

However, this sneaker, which would look ordinary to anyone else, glowed with a soft white light in Luca's eyes. When he picked it up, a pale blue text panel floated above it.

[Kick-Enhancing Shoes]
[Detective Conan Universe: 1/5]
[Creator: Dr. Agasa]
[Core Component: Red and White Sneaker]
[Synthesis Materials: 0.5m wire, 6 medical electrode pads, 1 small dial, 1 small battery]
[Item Description: Wondrous Kick-Enhancing Shoes that stimulate acupuncture points via electric shocks to boost kicking power. Level one kicks heads; level two disables vehicles; level three destroys satellites. Immense power with zero self-harm, perfect accuracy, and zero casualties. The ultimate tool for travel and crime-fighting!]
[Friendly Tip: These shoes are durable, breathable, and odor-resistant—personally verified by a certain famous detective who hasn't changed his shoes in thirty years~]

Yes, this was the cheat Luca had obtained after transmigrating.

During his two-month stay in the hospital, Luca had tried every method to awaken a "system" or a "hidden mentor," but all had failed.

This had led him to believe he had no cheat at all, destined to struggle for survival using only his limited foresight of the Marvel universe.

To his surprise, after returning home from the hospital, he noticed that a pencil case his past self had used was glowing with a faint light that only he could see.

Upon touching the pencil case, a barrage of information like "Origin Universe," "Creator," and "Synthesis Materials" popped up.

The item, called the [Pencil Missile] from the One Punch Man universe, had already been synthesized by Luca two days ago using a random assortment of items: a pencil, gunpowder, glue, and a gun grip.

As for these [Kick-Enhancing Shoes], they were the second synthesizable item he had found, starting with a pair of ordinary sneakers from a normal shoe store.

Luca still hadn't fully figured out all the capabilities of his cheat.

For instance, what did the "1/5" next to "Detective Conan Universe" mean?

Why did patterns resembling a "magic circle" pop into his head after touching a "core component"?

Why couldn't he make another [Pencil Missile] using the same magic circle, same brand of pencil case, and same materials?

But at the very least, he had worked out the basic "synthesis" function.

He placed the red and white sneaker in the center of the magic circle, and then arranged the other items in their corresponding smaller circles.

These otherwise ordinary materials immediately began to emit a similar faint glow, just like the "core component" sneaker.

"Hmm? AA batteries won't work? A small military accumulator won't either?"

He tried several types of batteries until he placed a common button cell battery bought from a supermarket into the circle. Finally, the white light enveloped it.

"Uh, a button cell battery that can't even power a vibrating toy is actually going to power the Kick-Enhancing Shoes?"

Shaking off the random thoughts, Luca pressed both hands to the edge of the circle and muttered in his mind:

*Synthesize!*

Instantly, a golden light flared, completely swallowing the circle.

When the light finally dissipated, the other materials inside the circle had vanished, leaving only a brand-new pair of red and white sneakers in the center.

Except...

"Why are these shoes so small?"

Looking at the sneakers, which were barely larger than his palm, Luca was speechless.

"Don't tell me these Kick-Enhancing Shoes can only be worn by elementary schoolers?"

As he spoke, Luca stepped forward and picked up the shoes, which were clearly several sizes too small.

But the moment they touched his hands, as if equipped with some sensory function, they instantly expanded, adjusting to Luca's usual size.

"Well, look at that..."

Luca examined them closely. The shoes were seamless. Aside from a white dial on the outer side of the right shoe, they looked no different from ordinary sneakers.

Even on the inside, there was no trace of batteries, wires, or electrode pads.

If not for the sudden size adjustment just now, one would think they were just ordinary shoes, especially now that the synthesis panel had disappeared.

After a moment's hesitation, Luca decided against using tools to dismantle the shoes for inspection.

He had taken out two "missiles" from the [Pencil Missile] earlier, planning to see if he could reverse-engineer them later.

But these shoes were a singular, integrated piece of famously illogical black technology. If he recklessly tore them apart, with his meager theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills, there was no way he could put them back together.

He might as well just put them on and test their effects.

"Though, normally speaking, kicking things with these won't break my foot, right?"

With that thought, Luca slipped the shoes on, using his clumsy mechanical right hand to help.

*It's a pity only the right shoe has the dial. It's also a hassle to use my right hand normally.*

*It would be great if I could find some black-tech prosthetic arm item in the future.*

Feeling the awkwardness of his right hand, Luca stretched his feet and stood back up.

Just as he was wondering if he should tell his parents and head downstairs to find something to kick, a series of sharp, rushing whooshes suddenly echoed from outside the window.

Look of confusion on his face, Luca quickly walked over to the window and peered out.

What he saw made him freeze.

In the distance, a pillar of blue light shot straight up into the sky. At the very top of the pillar, a massive portal seemed to have torn open in the heavens.

Countless armored aliens riding flying chariots poured out of the rift, immediately wreaking havoc across New York.

Massive biological battleships, over a hundred meters long and resembling the mythical Leviathans, cruised down from the sky, smashing through buildings.

On the ground, panic-stricken screams and cries for help filled the air as energy beams from alien weapons rained down like a storm, triggering a chain of explosions.

All of New York seemed to have plunged into a living hell.

These sights coalesced into a single, undeniable realization.

"The Chitauri... have invaded!"