I jolted awake, gasping for air, feeling as if I'd been plunged into icy water. The familiar ceiling of my modest New York apartment stared back at me, unchanging yet suddenly alien. Sweat trickled down my forehead, my heart pounding against my ribs. Memories flooded my mind—another life, another world, images and emotions weaving together to form a complete tapestry of experiences utterly foreign yet deeply personal.

  My name is Brandon Chen. But now, I remembered clearly: I wasn't just Brandon Chen from Queens, the ordinary college student living an uneventful life. I was Brandon Chen, reincarnated into this Marvel-like universe, a pce I'd once believed existed solely within the pages of comics and films. Every detail of my past life—family, friends, mundane routines—rushed back with astonishing crity.

  A sense of excitement quickly turned to dread as reality sunk in, and a massive headache ensued. This was the Marvel universe—a world where gods, mutants, aliens, and super-powered beings walked or visited the Earth. And here I was, completely powerless. An average 24-year old Asian. Heck, I was a gamer in my previous life, and I’m still one here, which means I’m not super physically fit…

  Despair settled over me like a suffocating bnket. I y in bed, eyes staring bnkly at the ceiling, my mind racing through scenarios of helplessness. Hours passed. Eventually, the sun's rays pierced through my window, warm and hopeful. Something inside me stirred, pushing against the despair. If I'd been given another chance, there had to be a reason. Maybe I’ll awaken metahuman abilities.

  Suddenly, as though answering my unspoken thoughts, a bell chimed in my mind.

  [Cultivation System activated.]

  I sat up abruptly, disbelief washing over me. "Cultivation? Here?"

  More words followed, expining with startling simplicity what was required: "Cultivation: the art of harnessing spiritual energy—Qi—to surpass mortal limitations. Begin your journey by opening your dantian and spiritual roots to absorb Qi from your surroundings."

  My pulse quickened. Memories from my past life of novels and manhuas—a cultivation system straight out of stories I'd loved. It offered a path—a way forward that might allow me to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the extraordinary beings around me.

  Determined, I sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor, closing my eyes and steadying my breathing. Following the process I remembered from a story I once read, I focused inward, searching for that dormant spark, the core of potential within me.

  At first, nothing happened. Doubts crept back in, mocking my efforts, but I refused to give up. Minutes turned to hours. Finally, deep within, something shifted—a faint warmth blossomed, like the first rays of dawn piercing the dark horizon.

  The sensation was subtle but unmistakable: my dantian had opened, and Qi gently flowed into me, a soothing river nourishing my soul. The words glowed again before my eyes:

  [Cultivation level achieved: Qi Condensation Stage. Lifespan extended: 100 years. Please cim the Beginner Quest Reward.]

  I opened my eyes, the despair from earlier repced entirely by hope. This was only the beginning. The path ahead would be challenging, perhaps even treacherous, but now, at least, I had a path.

  In this Marvel universe, I was no longer powerless.