Marvelous Mutations

The blue light curtain unfolded in front of Luke's eyes, displaying the results of his long-awaited system upgrade to Level 4.

[Host: Luke Yale

System Level: 4

(Next Upgrade: 30 plot points required. Unlocks new features and spatial mutation capabilities.)

Plot Points: 0

Mutation Probability by Level:

First-Order: 40%

Second-Order: 30%

Third-Order: 20%

Fourth-Order: 10%

Fifth-Order: 1% (Extreme conditions only)

Sixth-Order: 0%]

The effects were immediate and game-changing.

The biggest breakthrough? Luke's system could now mutate things he didn't even own.

For example, the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier he was currently standing on, technically not his. Thus previously, it was outside his system's reach.

But now?

Even that massive sky fortress was fair game for mutation.

The odds for high-level mutations had also improved. And that wasn't even the end of it.

At the bottom of the panel, a new ability had appeared. Just a few simple words.

But it hit Luke like a bolt of lightning.

[Negative Mutation Unlocked: Any lifeform displaying hostility toward the host may now be subjected to negative mutation.]

[Mutation probabilities are equal to positive mutation chances. At Level 5, the ability expands to affect anyone harboring evil intent toward the host.]

Luke blinked. Then read it again.

And again.

His eyes slowly widened, he could practically hear the ringing in his mind 'ding ding ding ding~, JACKPOT!'

'Wait… if anyone who's hostile to me could randomly suffer a mutation… then doesn't that mean…?'

A wild grin spread across his face.

'Anyone dumb enough to mess with me is basically signing their own misfortune contract!'

Negative mutations could have anything happen. Bad luck, twisted fate, humiliating accidents, possibly even being mutated into a squirrel. Who knew?

Even better: once he reached Level 5, this power would no longer require open hostility. Just thinking bad thoughts about him would trigger it.

Luke leaned back in the director's chair with a dreamy sigh.

"Too OP, please don't nerf," he whispered to the system. "It's beautiful."

…

A few seconds later, Luke opened his eyes.

The calm look on his face now carried a glint of something… mischievous.

He stood up, gave a soft whistle to Doggo to follow, and strolled out of the main control room with a skip in his step, like someone who just just won the lottery.

Because in a way, he had, well, it actually was even better than that.

…

Meanwhile, in the laboratory, chaos was bubbling over.

Despite being Earth's mightiest heroes, the Avengers weren't exactly known for their group cohesion, especially when opinions clashed.

Tony Stark, Thor, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, and surprisingly even Nick Fury, were all caught in a storm of arguing.

Tony had gone poking where he shouldn't have, revealing that S.H.I.E.L.D. had secretly been trying to harness the Tesseract's energy to build weapons, just like HYDRA had done in the past.

Naturally, this triggered Steve's fury. Thor didn't appreciate the Midgardian's paranoia. Banner was tense, doing his best to keep calm but clearly having a hard time. Natasha tried to calm them all down. Fury tried to justify the secrecy.

No one noticed the faint blue glow coming from Loki's mind scepter, resting nearby.

Subtle. Unseen.

But definitely influencing the mood in the room.

…

While tensions rose, Luke and Doggo quietly made their way to the secure detention area.

There was still one more character he hadn't met, and he wasn't about to miss out on those plot points.

Inside the transparent glass chamber, Loki lounged like a bored aristocrat in a gilded prison. He didn't look remotely concerned about his imprisonment. If anything, he seemed amused.

[Ding! First encounter with Loki, God of Mischief. Core protagonist of Marvel. +2 plot points.]

Luke smiled in pleasant surprise, he hadn't expected Loki to also count as a protagonist.

This was another step closer to the next upgrade.

Loki looked up lazily at the sound of the door opening, eyes landing on Luke.

He tilted his head, recognizing the face from intel gathered with Barton.

Then smirked.

"You," he said coldly. "The weakest among these freaks."

The insult was casual, almost bored.

In Loki's mind, Luke wasn't even in the same league as the others. He had no divine blood, no visible power, no aura of danger.

Just some lanky mortal who clung to toys and dumb luck.

Luke just chuckled.

"You're not wrong," he said with a shrug. "I am the weakest one here."

He let out a theatrical yawn.

"But even if I'm weak, at least I belong here, with them. You? Doesn't matter how strong you are. You'll always be the freak from Jotunheim trying to fit in with the gods."

Loki froze.

Luke's words hit like a dagger to the heart.

He knew. Luke knew.

Loki's true origin, a child of the Frost Giants, adopted by Odin, forever overshadowed by Thor, the legitimate heir to the throne.

It was the deepest, most vulnerable part of him. The thing he loathed most.

And Luke had stabbed straight through it.

…

Loki's expression twisted into rage.

He stepped forward, practically slamming into the glass with venom in his eyes.

"You insignificant worm… I will rip out your limbs and feed them to your slobbering beast. I'll…"

Doggo let out a single soft woof, ears twitching. 'I'm not slobbering, I think so?'

Luke didn't flinch.

Instead, his mouth lifted into a mischievous smirk, quite similar to Loki's own when he was up to something devious.

[Ding! Loki has displayed hostility toward the host. The cell beneath him has developed dissatisfaction and wishes to help calm him down… by taking him out for some fresh air.]

Luke's smirk widened. "If I was you, I would be more careful with what I say."

…

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