Hidden beneath the magical cloak, I walked through the city streets. I moved carefully, stepping aside whenever someone approached from the front while also making sure no one suddenly ran into me from behind. Being invisible didn't mean people would magically pass through me.
From Robin's memories, it wasn't wrong to say that Batman's presence had at least slightly improved Gotham's security. Most street thugs and gang members avoided operating openly in public areas. Of course, there were always exceptions, those who either didn't fear Batman or those reckless enough to gamble on his no-kill rule, acting as bait while their allies prepared something worse in the background.
Stopping in front of a restaurant window, I looked inside. My attention quickly shifted to the television mounted on the wall. The news was broadcasting footage of Superman saving the day again somewhere.
I studied the screen carefully. He didn't look like any of the live-action versions I remembered. In fact, neither did Batman, Dick, or Alfred. There were similarities, sure but none of them were perfect copies.
My gaze shifted toward the digital clock displayed above the screen.
3 March 2008.
So it had been a little over four months since the death of the second Wonder Boy. The second robin died back in October.
My attention returned to the television. Watching Superman fly across the screen reminded me of something important about this world. There was no Justice League.
Not yet, at least. Heroes occasionally cooperated when necessary, but no one had officially formed a team. As far as I knew, nobody had even seriously attempted to create one so far.
Batman, on the other hand, still kept an eye on most of them especially Superman. That was why he always carried kryptonite in his utility belt, just in case something went wrong.
Typical Batman paranoia.
A part of me really hoped this world wasn't connected to the Dark Multiverse in any way. Just thinking about that possibility sent a chill down my spine.
Shaking the thought away, I focused on the man who had just passed by me. The smell reached me first.
He is drunk.
That explained the loud singing and the terrible moonwalk he was trying to do while stumbling down the street.
…Perfect. I should target him.
Carefully I started to stalk *Ahem* follow him, purely for his safety, of course. If he fell somewhere while walking like that, someone should be there to help him.
In Gotham, Batman usually dealt with the bigger crimes, and the police mostly did the same. Because of that, many people didn't hesitate to commit smaller crimes. After living in the city for years, the public had also gotten used to it.
If someone wallet was robbed, most people wouldn't even bother reporting it. It was just too common.
As I calmly followed the drunk man down the street, I felt a strange sense of excitement rising inside me. I was about to commit my first crime in this world. On my very first day. And somehow, I already had a feeling this definitely wouldn't be the last time.
Oh, he fell down.
I immediately rushed toward him and knelt beside him.
"Batman… fuck my ass."
Ignoring his weird drunk rambling, I slowly turned him onto his side while quietly taking his wallet.
"uugh Yes, yes…put it inside mmh like that…"
Urgh.
I sped things up, slipping the wallet under my cloak before picking it up. I was about to leave when, shit he suddenly grabbed my leg through the cloak.
"Don't leave me… take me with you. I can be your Robin and then we can make a treehouse."
For a moment, I seriously considered killing him. I don't know if this fealing is mine or Robin's.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I knelt down again and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, I'm not leaving. I'm just going to bring joker. Then we'll have a threesome."
His grip loosened immediately.
Good.
Time to go.
I bolted down the street without looking back, leaving behind the drunk man who was now loudly shouting about wanting to "play train" with one of the world's best duos.
Let's see what he had. I opened the wallet and quickly checked inside. There were two hundred dollars in cash and a identity card. He worked at Wayne Industries.
I was quite sure Bruce would love to know that one of his employees was such a massive fan of his second personality. I put the card back into the wallet and slipped it into my pocket. I would make sure to return everything I took from him later. Who knew, maybe the wallet itself was a gift from someone important to him.
For now, though, I had other priorities.
Food. Water. Clothes.
First, I needed some clothes, and the easiest way to get those was to quietly take them from a store. After that, I could go to a mall and buy the rest of the things I needed.
I had briefly considered taking those for free too, but trying to carry too many items while also dealing with the cloak could easily lead to problems. If something slipped out or someone bumped into me, the whole situation could turn into a disaster.
****************
An hour later.
Finally back.
Removing the hood and the mask I dropped onto the couch with a tired sigh.
Cough… cough…
"Damn this dust."
I waved my hand in front of my face while coughing again. The whole place was filled with it.
"I really need to clean this place."
If I was going to stay here for a while, this house would basically become my sanctuary. Living in a dust-filled ruin wasn't exactly ideal.
Reaching over to the table, I grabbed the can of coke, opened it, and took a long sip.
Ah…I instantly felt more alive.
"Now then…"
Time for the gacha.
I took out the hundred dollars I had taken earlier and focused on the system, thinking about exchanging the cash for points.
The money suddenly vanished from my hand.
At the same time, the number in the system changed.
[Points: 100]
Nice.
Time to test the other modes. I needed to see how good they actually were before deciding where to invest my points next time.
I decided to start with the In-Setting Mode. Even though each card cost six points, the chance of getting something like Superman or Dr. Manhattan made it worth the gamble.
Still, I wasn't going all in.
I decided to go for ten cards only, leaving the rest of the points for Normal Mode. Even without testing it yet, I had a feeling that would be the most balanced option.
As I confirmed my choice, the points dropped by sixty.
Just like before, ten cards appeared in front of me.
…Please be Superman.
I quickly checked them one by one.
Red Hood (Jason Todd) – Arkham Knight
Lasso of Truth – DCEU
Background Customisation Card ×4
Black Mercy – Justice League Animated
Sideways (Derek James) – Prime Earth
Grapnel Gun – Arkham City
Atlantean Soldier Standard Armor – DCEU
Thanagarian Mace – Justice League Animated
Power Upgrade Card ×2
Owlman (Thomas Wayne Jr.) – Earth-3
Three character cards?!
My eyes paused on the list, then went back again just to be sure.
Three…and one of them is actually superhuman.
"…Damn."
Sideways.
He could've easily been DC's answer to Spider-Man. And yet, they completely failed to make proper use of him.
"Tch!!!"
It was frustrating just thinking about it.
Honestly, it wasn't even about the character being bad. It was just poor exposure. I didn't even know he existed until I randomly stumbled onto a Reddit thread talking about underrated characters. And that… that made me pause for a moment.
Searching for the strongest, the smartest, the most broken or underrated characters across fiction. Scrolling through forums, reading long debates, comparing abilities…
Hours and hours of it.
Most of my knowledge came from that.
I wasn't even that into comics at first. It all started with the MCU… then DCEU… and before I knew it, I was deep into fandoms, scaling arguments, and random character breakdowns.
A small, bitter smile formed on my face.
"…Heh."
If I had known something like this would happen…
If I had known I'd actually end up in a world like this…
I would've spent less time watching random fanservice donghua and anime and focused on comics.
"Well… too late now."
Letting out a quiet sigh, I pushed that thought aside and focused back on the cards.
I haven't actually read his comics, but I've gone through enough fandom pages to get the idea. If I remember right, he can create cracks in space, like tearing reality open and move through them. Short-range, long-range… escape, attack, repositioning, all in one.
He's basically a mix of Spider-Man and the Spot.
Satisfied, I shifted my attention to the next card. Jason Todd. Arkham Knight version.
I'll absorb him too. Someone trained by Batman isn't something I can ignore. Punisher was a soldier and if I compare his skill set with Robin, there's no doubt the later is leading in quantity.
Jason Todd from the Arkham knight. I will absorb him too. Someone train by batman isn't I can ignore. Absorbing him will let me gain many skills I am missing. It's quite funny I took two Jason Todd and I sure both batman would be pissed off if they find out.
Is this the start of my multiverse hunt for Jason Todd?
Shaking my head lightly, I moved on to the last card.
Owlman.
My expression dimmed just a little as I recalled what I knew.
In one version, Bruce had an older brother. Thomas Wayne Jr. The one who killed their parents… and then Bruce himself. After that, he took on the identity of Owlman and ruled Gotham from the shadows.
At least, that was one timeline. In another, their parents' murder was more of a mystery.
Messy… like most things involving the multiverse. Still, one thing stayed consistent.
He is a core member of the Crime Syndicate. The twisted mirror of the Justice League. Where heroes become… something else entirely. Superman is called ultraman. And Lois Lane… yeah, that version is a mess, an Amazon, playing her own game, tangled with Ultraman while also having her affairs with Owlman and Luthor.
"…What a circus."
I exhaled quietly, rubbing my chin as the thought settled. Then my mind shifted.
If the Batman of this world ever finds out about that version of reality…
His paranoia would spike instantly. Contingency plans? He already has them. But after learning something like this? He'd take it to a whole new level.
"…Should I tell him?"
The idea of sending an anonymous letter lingered in my mind. Nothing too detailed, just enough to plant the thought. At first, he'd probably assume it's a joke… someone trying to mess with him.
But Bruce doesn't dismiss things easily. Even the smallest possibility gets attention. He'd look into it, connect dots, run through scenarios in his head… and sooner or later, he'd start considering that it might actually be real.
I exhaled quietly.
Let's think about it later.
I will also check the rest of the card's after testing the normal mode. I decided to go for ten cards again leaving 10 points in stock.
**************
Superman(DC) vs Thor(Marvel)