[Naming successful!]
The system promptly issued the notification, and then Alex saw his attribute panel undergo drastic changes.
---
[Host: Alex]
[Age: 38 years]
[Speed: 1800 m/s]
[Strength: 3000 tons]
[Constitution: 2500 (Average healthy adult male: 10)]
[Mental Power: 2400 (Average healthy adult male: 10)]
[Current Template: Alex (Silver Stage 0/1000000)]
[Abilities: X-Ray Vision (Advanced), Super Hearing (Advanced), Heat Vision (Advanced), Flight (Advanced), Cosmic Energy Absorption]
[Source Points: 72 points]
---
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly as the numbers settled in.
For twenty years, his attributes had been frozen at their peak—an unchanging plateau. Now, for the first time in decades, the numbers had surged.
Three thousand tons of strength.
The figure itself was staggering. He didn't even need to test it to know—this power put him squarely on the level of cosmic overlords.
He thought back to Thanos. That final battle… yes. Thanos had possessed strength in the same realm.
But Alex's speed?
At nearly two kilometers per second, he far surpassed the Mad Titan.
> "If Thanos and I were to fight at this very moment…" Alex clenched his fist, testing the surge of power rushing through his veins. "He'd never be able to keep up."
His constitution and mental power had also skyrocketed, pushing his body into a realm where bullets, blades, even nuclear warheads were nothing more than an annoyance.
And yet, his expression didn't brim with joy.
Three hundred thousand source points… for this?
A bitter smile tugged at his lips. If I'd spent them on direct enhancements, my stats might be five times higher by now.
But then his gaze shifted to the newly unlocked ability—Cosmic Energy Absorption.
That changed everything.
For the first time, he wasn't chained solely to the system's upgrades. He had a way to grow endlessly on his own.
Of course, there was risk. Absorbing cosmic energy meant drawing the attention of Arishem, the great Celestial. The Eternals were watchful guardians—if they discovered his secret, it could bring disaster.
But Alex was confident.
Once he gathered the six Infinity Stones, even Arishem wouldn't be able to stop him. Until then, caution would suffice.
---
He calmed his breathing and tried out the new ability.
Instantly, the world changed.
Everywhere—between air molecules, drifting through the cavern itself—he sensed countless energy particles, vibrant threads woven into the fabric of the cosmos.
Alex's body responded instinctively. Like a sponge, he drew them in.
A tingling warmth spread through his bones, muscles, and blood. His cells thrummed, alive with power.
> "Not bad," he murmured, eyes bright with satisfaction. "This is just like spiritual energy in those cultivation novels."
His lips curved into a grin.
Cheat-like or not, it was his.
---
"I was just about to kill it, Alex!"
A grating voice snapped him out of his trance.
Hellboy, bruised and battered, was back on his feet, glaring with all the pride of a man who refused to be humbled—even while covered in dust and monster slime.
Alex spared him a single glance, unimpressed.
"What's that got to do with me?"
He didn't wait for an answer. With a sonic boom, Alex blurred and vanished, leaving Hellboy fuming in silence.
Hellboy clenched his stone fist, jaw tight.
Why did it feel like the gap between them had grown even wider?
Liz… is she gone from me forever?
---
By the time those thoughts crossed Hellboy's mind, Alex had already crossed half a continent.
A rush of wind stirred the courtyard of the mutant base as he landed, Selene already striding forward. Her expression, as ever, was cool and dignified.
"Supreme One, you've arrived just in time. Charles and Erik are here."
She bowed slightly, her black coat fluttering in the breeze.
Alex gave a curt nod. Twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye, and the base had grown into something formidable. The young mutants he once knew were now leaders, bearing the marks of responsibility on their faces.
Only Selene remained untouched by time—her beauty as eternal as her vampiric blood.
Thanks to the magical rings Alex had claimed from the Mikaelsons, she no longer hid beneath a parasol. To the untrained eye, she could pass for human… until she smiled, and those perfect fangs glinted.
"I see," Alex murmured. He closed his eyes and expanded his super hearing.
There. The familiar voices of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr.
Without hesitation, he strode into the conference hall.
Inside, laughter and conversation filled the air. Raven, Hank, Emma Frost, and Copycat were present, chatting comfortably with Charles and Erik.
Time had left its mark on all of them. Raven and Hank, once impulsive and youthful, were now calm and composed pillars of the mutant community.
Charles and Erik, too, had aged. Lines etched their faces, silver streaked their hair. Yet, somehow, it only enhanced their presence. They were men who had carried the weight of an entire race upon their shoulders—and had grown sharper for it.
"Alex, you're just in time!" Erik rose to his feet, his voice carrying genuine warmth. "We have good news!"
Charles, seated beside him, smiled broadly.
Alex raised a brow, intrigued.
"You both look so pleased… Don't tell me the Soviet Union has finally agreed to support our nation-building?"
He found a seat among them, eyes gleaming with expectation.
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