"Roll for a miscellaneous item from The Deep?"
"…Yeah, no."
What could I possibly want from that guy? Besides his powers, he didn't really have anything useful. No weapons. No gear. Nobody in that world relied on anything except their abilities…
Luck—or Compound V.
He was about to flick the message away—
Then paused.
"System… when you say I can spin for accessories, does that mean only personal items, or stuff from his entire universe?"
He hovered in place on his magic carpet, waiting.
Ding.
[When using Accessory Tokens, they lock onto the current character obtained from the Skin Gacha and search for items across that universe. These items are not always directly tied to the selected character, but rather to the world they originate from.]
"…So there's a chance I could get Compound V."
Ben's eyes lit up.
Sure, it didn't compare to Chemical X as the powers shown from V didn't even hold a candle to Chemical X's might.
But it did have it's own points in its variety of superpowers it could grant—even if that wasn't a factor, still had a massive advantage.
It was man-made.
Replicable
If he got even a single sample…
"I could mass-produce it."
It was possible to create an army of enhanced humans. Heroes. Villains.
Aliens and Monsters.
All under him.
"Is two spins enough to pull something like that?"
He frowned.
"I've got good luck… but not that good."
He closed his eyes, thinking.
I need more tokens.
That way, I can keep rolling until I get what I want… but that means sacrificing new skins.
That was the trade-off. The system had made it clear—Accessory Tokens only worked with the current gacha pull.
"…I can live with that for now."
He opened his eyes.
"System—one more thing. Will I keep getting tokens for taking down villains?"
[You will receive tokens, quests, and other rewards by removing key villains and heroes from the main narrative of the worlds you visit.]
[The greater the impact your actions have on canon events, the greater the rewards.]
[Would you like a more thorough explanation?]
[(Yes) / (No)]
"I'm good for now."
With a flick of his hand, Ben pushed the gacha interface aside. It didn't disappear—just faded, hovering faintly in the background.
Out of the way.
"Alright…"
He smirked.
"Time to sneak into a hospital. And I know just the alien for the job."
He summoned his character sheet.
[Character Sheet: Anti-Venom]
His magic carpet trembled slightly, already sensing what he was about to do.
—
Townsville Central Hospital
A car screeched as it pulled into the parking lot.
Inside, tension filled the air.
"Faster, Carl!" Sandra snapped, gripping the dashboard.
"I am going as fast as I can!" Carl shot back, eyes locked on the road. "You want me to crash before we even get to him?!"
The car finally rolled into a spot.
They didn't wait.
Doors slammed.
Both of them rushed inside.
—
The hospital lobby buzzed with activity—nurses moving quickly, distant monitors beeping, voices overlapping.
"Room 37," Sandra muttered. "Third floor."
They hurried to the elevator, barely waiting for the doors to close before Carl repeatedly pressed the button.
"Come on… come on…"
Ding.
The doors opened.
They stepped out and moved fast, scanning room numbers.
34…
35…
36—
"Here!"
Room 37.
Sandra didn't hesitate. She pushed the door open.
—
Inside—
Ben lay on the hospital bed.
A cast wrapped around his foot.
Phone in hand.
Playing a game.
Completely relaxed.
.
..
...
"…Ben?" Sandra's voice cracked.
Ben looked up.
"Oh—hey."
Carl blinked.
Sandra blinked.
"…Hey?" she repeated. "You're in a hospital bed!"
Ben shrugged, not even pausing his game.
"Yeah. Got clipped during the chaos at school. Nothing major."
Carl stepped forward, scanning him.
"Your foot's in a cast."
"Doctor said it's just a fracture," Ben replied casually. "They're keeping me here for observation."
Sandra rushed to his side, grabbing his face.
"Are you hurt anywhere else? Did they check your head? Your ribs? Your—"
"Mom, I'm fine," Ben said, gently pulling back. "Seriously."
She didn't look convinced.
Carl crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.
"…You seem awfully calm for someone who just got caught in a disaster."
Ben smirked faintly.
"What? You wanted me screaming in pain for realism?"
Sandra shot him a look.
"This isn't funny."
"…Yeah, yeah."
He finally paused his game.
"Look, I got lucky. That's it."
"But I have to admit—what a day. I was sitting in class like normal when all this weird stuff started happening."
Ben's eyes drifted to the TV monitor in his room.
"Who would've expected I'd get to see a real monster attacking across town right after something started sending trees flying at school?"
Carl and Sandra went silent, watching the news feed.
"What is going on with this city?" Sandra asked.
Carl stared at the military forces trying their best to mitigate the damage the kaiju could cause.
He narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Ben… can you walk?"
The question carried the sternness of a father ready to do anything to protect his family.
Ben knew if he said yes, they would try to leave the city—and never return if more of these bizarre events kept happening.
He looked at them, then at his elevated cast.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A nurse walked in mid-conversation. "Excuse me."
She wore a face mask, just like the doctors who followed behind her.
She was a blonde woman in her mid-twenties.
"Can you please put this on, Mr. Tennyson?"
She held out a white face mask.
"Certainly~" Ben smiled.
He took it and strapped it on.
!!!
"Hey—what are you two doing?!" Sandra asked, fear creeping into her voice.
Two men had followed the nurse in, pushing a cart filled with strange gas canisters. They rolled it inside, shut the door, and covered the glass panel.
Her eyes snapped back to Ben, who smiled beneath his mask.
He unhooked his cast from the leg harness.
"Sorry, Dad—I forgot to answer you."
He sat up and stepped off the bed.
"I can walk… though I can't go with you."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't plan to leave this city."
Ben looked at both of them.
"You see, I know this might seem terrifying—monsters appearing out of nowhere…"
He stood in the center of the room.
"But let me tell you something."
His eyes darkened.
"Monsters have always walked among us. Only now are they starting to slip through the cracks."
"Ben… what are you saying?" Sandra asked, confused.
"I'm saying I know what's coming for this city. Things you won't be able to handle. Things that will make you paranoid… make you leave… and ruin my plans."
"What plans…?"
He hooked a finger under his mask and pulled it down.
"To watch this city's heroes rise… and overcome every disaster."
Ben smiled—warm, almost genuine.
But something about it felt wrong.
Sandra stepped back for the first time in her life.
Her instincts screamed.
"C-Carl… that thing isn't our son. We have to leave—"
Carl tensed.
Ben's arm began to glow violet, lifting his phone into the air.
The energy twisted—
Crack.
The phone began to break apart.
Crack. Crack.
Plastic warped. Glass shattered. The screen bled black as it compressed into a four-inch spike.
Carl pushed Sandra behind him.
"You—who are you?! What have you done to our son?!"
"Aww, Dad… can't you see? I'm right here."
The spike began to spin.
Slow at first—then faster.
Zzzzzz—
It drilled through the air.
Their hearts pounded.
Ben raised his arm, pointing the spinning spike at them.
Buzzz!
"Ahhhh!!!"
Sandra screamed as the projectile shot forward—
—straight into Carl's chest.
"Argh—ghh?!"
Carl collapsed, blood spreading beneath him.
Sandra dropped to her knees, clutching him.
"Carl! CARL!!"
"Now… Mom. Quiet. I don't want to shoot you too."
Ben adjusted his mask and snapped his fingers.
The nurses and doctors flinched—but didn't hesitate.
The men opened the gas canisters.
"What—"
Sandra froze as the smell hit her.
Her body grew sluggish.
She stumbled to her feet, legs shaking.
Step. Step. Step.
Her vision blurred.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
Disoriented.
Drugged.
Her eyelids grew heavy.
She swayed—
And fell.
But before she hit the ground, someone caught her.
"Who… are you…?"
Ben smirked beneath his mask.
"Carl. I'm Carl, honey. Can't you tell?"
She stared at him—the boy wearing her son's face, speaking nonsense.
Her heart tightened.
With trembling legs, she pushed away, collapsing onto the bed.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
She fought to stay conscious.
Her gaze drifted to the TV.
Through the haze, she saw three streaks—red, green, and blue—rushing into battle.
Help… help me…
She didn't know why she said it.
But something deep inside her told her to.
—
Outside—
A nurse walked past.
Unaware of everything inside.—