LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 21: Chapter 21
[Milestone Rewards]
[Level 55] - Gained [Dragon's Fear]
[Level 60] - Gained [Weapon Overlord]
[Level 65] - Gained [Detoxification]
[Level 70] - Gained [Tenacity]
.
[Major Growth Achieved]
[Congratulations! You are now ¾ of the way to Level 100.]
[+10,000 to all stats.]
[Level 50 Gear] evolved to [Level 75 Gear].
[Shadow Monarch] has grown stronger… Current strength unknown.
Shadow soldiers are now 5x stronger even without skills or buffs.
(In total, they are now 250 times stronger than when they were alive.)
[More Milestone Rewards]
[Level 80] - Gained [Longevity]
[Level 85] - Gained [Shadow Fusing v2]
[Level 90] - Gained [Shadow Mood] & [Shadow Enhancement]
[New Title Earned: Triumphant Over Adversity]
Buff: Your stats increase proportionally to missing health. For every 1% HP missing, you gain a 1% increase in all stats.
"Nice… but damn, am I tired. Still, I can't rest now." Ashburn muttered, rolling his shoulders. Ever since he arrived in this world, he slept a few times.
It wasn't that he didn't want to get more sleep. It was that he didn't need to. For one, for a long time, he had not pushed his body as hard as he did today.
Secondly, Leveling up had fundamentally changed his body. His existence had evolved, making things like exhaustion, hunger, and even basic human needs more manageable—if not outright optional.
For the first few days, fruit alone had been enough. He could go longer without food, yet when he did eat, he required more to feel full. His body had adapted, becoming something more. Even now, despite his exhaustion, he knew rest would have to wait.
Ashburn exhaled, then turned toward his forces.
"Reed, I need you and every genius we've gathered to work together," he commanded. "Sersi, I want you assisting them—not just in recreating Captain America's shield, but also in creating Mysterium."
Unlike the MCU, where Captain America's shield was simply made of Vibranium, the comics told a different story.
The shield was one of a kind. A unique alloy of Wakandan Vibranium and Iron, known as Proto-Adamantium, a metal that had never been duplicated.
Its atomic structure was so incomprehensible that even Molecule Man—a being capable of manipulating matter at a molecular level—once admitted that while Thor's Mjolnir and the Silver Surfer's board were bound together by strange cosmic forces… The shield was even stranger.
It was, by all accounts, stronger than anything else in the universe.
Reed frowned, arms crossed as he processed Ashburn's request. "What is Mysterium?" he finally asked, confusion evident.
Ashburn didn't hesitate. "It's a metal found in the White Hot Room, but I have no interest in stepping into the home of the Phoenix Force," he said flatly. "Instead, you'll replicate it here."
"Use Pym Particles. They work by refining the size-defining properties of kirbons for use in the human body. Kirbons are the key to forming Mysterium. Find a way to synthesize them." He wasn't surprised he could recall this information so clearly. His mind was evolving, his intelligence skyrocketing beyond human limitations.
Although Ashburn had never been a huge Marvel fan, he had gone through a phase—like everyone else, when Iron Man's new armor was the talk of the world. He had spent hours looking into its capabilities, researching the materials that made it so advanced.
That's how he had first learned about Mysterium.
He had forgotten about it over the years, but now? With his high intelligence stat, recalling information was as effortless as if he had just read it a second ago.
Reed's analytical mind was already working, but he still had questions. "What are Kirbons?" to which Ashborn sighed, recalling the information he had read about it.
"Kirbons are primordial elemental particles that give matter its size, mass, and density—essentially the building blocks of all physical matter, right alongside leptons, electrons, and protons," Ashburn explained casually.
"They exist naturally in cosmic radiation, alongside gamma rays and X-rays. By condensing kirbons into a solid state, you can create the so-called 'mutant metal'—Mysterium."
He paused before adding the most important detail. "Mysterium is highly conductive—not just of electricity, but also magic. It's 100% pure."
Reed's eyes widened. This wasn't just some exotic metal. This was something that could revolutionize science and magic. A material that was both indestructible and infinitely conductive?
"I want something like the Bleeding Edge armor but made entirely from Mysterium, Proto-Adamantium, and Vibranium… have fun with it. If you can make something more overpowered then do it. In fact, I want all of my shadows equipped with it." Ashburn's voice was calm, but there was no room for negotiation.
"This needs to be done as soon as possible. Something tells me we'll be facing more trouble soon." His eyes swept over his gathered forces.
"Everyone else, slaughter every last zombie in New York. Once the city is cleared, spread out and purge the rest of the world. I gave you all my power to use [Shadow Extraction]"
The shadows nodded, disappearing into the darkness without hesitation. Then, a thought struck him.
"…By the way, is there a Sentry here?" Ashborn with a frown. Sentry, the man who could go toe-to-toe with World Breaker Hulk and fight him to a standstill. A being whose power rivaled gods, and worse… whose alter ego, the Void… And if Molecule Man was still around? Ashborn was going to make sure that guy was the first to die.
"I can't find them," Charles said, his voice tight with concentration. Ashburn frowned. His mind raced before settling on Sersi.
Among the Eternals, she was perhaps the most broken one, especially if the movie was anything to go by.
"Sersi, come here," Ashburn called. She approached, her expression unreadable.
"I want to channel my power through you," he explained. "Take my ability to control shadows and try to rearrange them—reshape them—into a living creature."
She nodded. A moment later, she extended her hands, her cosmic energy weaving into his darkness. The shadow at her feet twisted and contorted, and slowly, something monstrous began to take shape.
[System Alert. Sensed the host has created a lifeform from his shadow… No skill was created. Instead, the Shadow Monarch Job Class has grown stronger.
Current Shadow Strength: 500 times more capable than when they were alive.
Keep up the good work.]