189 MCU 1

"So, girls, as discussed. You're staying here until I scout the world. I'll make sure everything is safe and under control, then, and only then, will I pull you in," I repeated to Olivia and Aly, who sat before me with grumpy expressions. "Also, I want you two to stay in that outfit all the time. I don't care if you shift its outward appearance into a bracelet or a hair ornament, but it stays on, especially if I'm not around."

Both of them rolled their eyes and groaned, as this was the fifth time I explained the plan to them. They weren't stupid, but I wanted to make sure they understood.

Aly tentatively raised her right hand into the air, making me give her a deadpan look. "Just ask..." I said with a sigh. "You don't need to raise your hand..."

A small blush appeared on her cheeks as my statement made her awkwardly lower it, then sheepishly ask, "If you don't mind me asking... If that world is so dangerous, why are we going there in the first place?"

"Resources, technology, power, and most importantly, fun," I said with a grin.

"Can't you just, I don't know, go in, copy the things you want, as you did with the magic in the previous two worlds, and come back out? Why are we going in to risk our lives?"

"What's the fun in that? Also, you're not risking anything. I could count on one hand the entities that could be dangerous to us in that world, and I hope they are smarter than to risk the destruction of their reality just to engage us. That's why I'm going in first. To make it crystal clear to them," I grinned before swiftly adding, "Also, you're both literally immortal, not to mention all the defensive gear on you, and especially on her," I said, pointing to Olivia, who was now draped in an outfit made out of the Mutation Serpent God, while a six-inch, redheaded fairy—the newly upgraded Serena—with two sets of crimson wings and a daring miniature black skintight leather outfit sat on her shoulder.

Olivia wasn't the only one with outfits made out of the Serpent skin; both Aly and I wore stylish robes fashioned out of the same material, enchanted with enough defensive magic to survive the collapse of a universe until the armor mutated to become immune to the effect by itself.

Similar to what our old outfits could do, this one could also shift its appearance. But instead of nanites doing the work, this robe used transfiguration, evolution magic, and illusion magic interwoven into the enchantments that were linked to our minds to do the job.

"Don't worry, master, I'll keep Mistress and Young Master safe at all times," Serena chimed in with a dangerous glint in her eyes, while Olivia gave her head a little pat.

"That's like your only job..." I groaned the sighed, "But I'll be counting on you," I nodded confidently, as now, thanks to a new Reality Marble making up her being, all it took the little fairy to collapse a reality was a snap of her itsy-bitsy fingers.

However, that was the doomsday protocol, reserved for times when nothing else worked or mattered. Her other abilities revolved mainly around healing and defense. Heck, her second strongest ability was a barrier, a literal dimensional barrier, separating her host from reality altogether.

"I won't leave her side even when she's doing some kinky stuff while moaning your name, Master!" she stated proudly, making Olivia freeze mid-pat, and look at the little fairy in horror. "Serena!" she squealed in embarrassment, her intimate secret revealed by her trusty aid.

"Yes, Mistress?" Serena asked, tilting her head in confusion, "I think it was endearing how, during our travels, you kept reaching into-" Her voice became muffled as Olivia covered her mouth while giving me a wry smile.

"You should go~," she said with a wry smile, her cheeks colored crimson, making me internally chuckle. "Alright, I'm heading out. Mai will keep you updated, but I estimate it will take about half an hour." With a final nod towards the girls, I folded the dimension around me and appeared back in the Library, right next to my trusty old friend Index.

"Hey, Index-" I was about to greet the book, but I was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a person I hadn't seen in months.

"Mr. Thompson, If I could have a moment of your time." Greeted me, Rob, in an extremely polite tone.

"Rob?" As a result of his teleportation having no impact on space itself, I was quite surprised by his unannounced appearance. Another thing caught my interest, so I couldn't help but ask, "What's with the overly polite tone?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir." He said with a wry smile, making me roll my eyes.

"Yeah, stop that. It's awkward."

"As you wish." He politely nodded, "I was, amongst other things, tasked to inform you that you are extremely close to the threshold the system can support." He explained, "When you pass the threshold, the Library will continue to stay open to you until your time here is up, but the system itself will be unable to assist you."

"I had my suspicions." I nodded in understanding, "I won't lose anything I've gained except for my system access right?"

"That's correct," he nodded, surprised at how calmly I was taking this news, "The system sub-users under you will still retain their status in the system, up until they reach the same threshold or otherwise perish. All augmentations gained through the system will stay, as well as skills and even the acquired background settings systems. However, inventory, titles, races, or even level-ups will be inaccessible."

"And that threshold is tier 9, right?" I asked tilting my head to the side.

"Correct, the same tier the system itself is." He nodded, a grim expression marring his face, "This is an extremely rare situation." He explained with a sigh, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. "Don't get me wrong, it happened a few hundred billion times already, but that number is extremely small when you're working with infinity." He said with a small chuckle.

"Why though?" I tilted my head in confusion, "It seemed extremely easy for me."

He snorted and shook his head, "Though, you had some external interference and more importantly, help, your world, class, and skill choices, as well as skill mergers were phenomenal." He chuckled, "A textbook example of how it should be done."

"Thanks?" Not expecting praise, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, and a wry smile spread across my cheeks.

"Don't mention it," he waved it off, "If, or should I say, WHEN you succeed, you'll be the second to advance to tier nine in 17 eons under my management." He said with a proud smile, "Gregory, my coworker, will definitely kill me from jealousy," he added with a chuckle.

The timeframe he mentioned made my eyes almost pop out – he was older than the Universe itself. I almost couldn't help but look at Rob in a new light, yet the only question that popped into my mind was: 'Rob had friends?'

"Anyway," his words pulled me out of my musing, "Now to the main point of why I'm here." He took a deep breath and straightened himself, "The Library would officially like to extend an invitation to you to become an Apprentice Librarian."

"Umm... No thanks?" I replied without giving it a second thought.

"Wait, don't dismiss the job offer just yet." He raised his hands in an attempt to stop my rejection and summoned a contract, which he unceremoniously shoved into my hand, "Take a look at the contract; the pay is good, and so are the benefits, with vacation times that could span millennia." He said with a smile, "You don't need to make a decision right now; the job offer will be there until your last moments in the Library. Please give it some thought." With those words and a small bow, he disappeared without, once again, affecting the fabric of space within the Library.

I gave the contract a quick glance, reading through all of its contents in a fraction of a second, and dismissed the whole thing in an instant.

"Who the heck would like to work as an apprentice for up to a million years?" I voiced my shock.

Yeah, the benefits were quite substantial, with knowledge, technology, and resources that could be obtained from any and all worlds, but only when the apprenticeship concludes. Also, like always, there was a caveat: there was no getting out from this; it was a choice you made and were stuck with for all of eternity, as you became soulbond to the Library itself.

That didn't mean you couldn't go on vacations to different worlds, or even create your own worlds, but your soul belonged to the Library itself.

Another thing that made me reject the offer even more adamantly was the fact that upon accepting the contract, an unbreakable mental connection to the Library and its staff would have been forged.

Funnily enough, this wasn't plainly stated but hidden between the lines, covered up in flowery words.

It felt like a deal with the devil, and I wanted no part in it.

Yet another suspicious thing was the fact that even with all these benefits, Rob was only tier six. Assuming he didn't lie about his time in the Library or have some kind of ability to conceal his true power, while also assuming he had the same exact contract, he was unable to advance to a higher tier.

Why was that? I didn't know, nor did I want to find out.

"Sorry, Rob, not gonna happen," I stated, fully aware that he could still hear me, then raised my hand and disintegrated the contract.

Turning back to Index, I finally greeted him, "Hey buddy, did you prepare the world we talked about?"

"It's ready," he tilted forward, imitating a nod, "Though, I do need to warn you. Your entrance to this world won't be a stealthy one."

"Any specific reason for that?" I asked suspiciously.

"The system is unable to conceal the power of your Authorities, especially in tier eight world," he explained.

"So... Do I need to go in weapons blazing?" I asked with a grin, Hanmugen appearing in my hands, its tip already distorting the surrounding space.

"You might as well," Index shrugged, then froze and gave the weapon a curious glance, "Though... The Library is unwilling to move you while that thing is summoned." He pointed it out with a surprised tone. "It seems to be interfering with the system's ability to displace you."

"Huh," I mumbled, de-summoning my spiritual weapon and reaching for the book that appeared on Index's pedestal.

The fact that Hanmugen was disturbing the system's ability didn't come as a surprise. After so many entrances and exits, I've already noticed how finicky the thing was, especially considering that an entire universe resided inside my spear.

In reality, I didn't even need the spiritual weapon to deny the system's temporal and dimensional displacement; my Authorities were enough for that.

I flipped open the world book, completely ignoring the quests and simply looked at its main description.

[Marvel Universe 199,998]

World Tier: 8* (High)

World Language: Multilingual World

World Systems: None

Doomed: With the One abandoning this version of reality, the Beyonder, a multiversal entity of unfathomable power, will set its sights on it with a sinister agenda. When he begins his machinations, the very fabric of the universe will start to unravel. Pockets of space and time will collapse in on themselves, creating chaotic anomalies that will defy the laws of physics. Superhuman abilities will become increasingly unstable, and the boundaries between different realms—Earth, Asgard, the Quantum Realm, and more— will begin to blur.

"Yep, this will be fun~," I said with a grin, shutting the book. I turned back to my trusty old friend, bidding my farewell, "Thank you, Index. I'm not sure when we'll meet again, so this is goodbye for the foreseeable future. Take care." I said with a smile as I waved at him, then sent a command to the system, "Enter."

The world blurred around me as I set the entry parameters, and the Library struggled to move me into my chosen world.

"See you later, Andy! Have fun!" Index's voice cut through the roar of mana surrounding me, and I flashed him a smile just before the world twisted, and I disappeared from the confines of the Library, maybe for the last time.

[??? POV]

Crimson eyes snapped open, widening to their fullest extent in a shock that marred the emotionless expression, a rarity since her birth eons ago. Her gaze pierced through the veil, fixating on blue marble billions of light-years away. Her lips quivered as her dominion over what she embodied diminished significantly.

"B-Brother," she called out in desperation, and instantly, he, whom she is one with, materialized by her side.

"He is muting my powers as well," his ever-stoic voice sounded worried, a grimace forming on his face as he squinted his eyes, "The past has become uncertain, and the future inaccessible." He stated, observing a projection of what seemed to be a human appearing out of nowhere in the heart of a city called New York, on a significant universal hotspot called Earth.

"Impossible," she muttered, her eyes widening even further as the human's head snapped right towards the origin of the projection. As if aware of her observation, he locked eyes with her. His lips moved, and his crude words echoed throughout their domain unobstructed, "Fuck off, or I'll really make you my bitch."

A spear materialized in his hand, one that held more power than The Stones themselves. It made her tremble, both in excitement and in fear, and with a single swipe of that weapon, their domain shook.

What froze her in shock, however, wasn't the power it extruded, but the fact that the screen before her, made out of the essence of the universe itself and deemed indestructible by all she knew, fell to the floor, perfectly cut in half.

She, the embodiment of space, hadn't even perceived the attack.

And from the expression of her brother, the embodiment of time, it seemed he hadn't either.

"Know your place." The words echoed through their domain, shaking its very foundation.

She gulped as an unfamiliar fire ignited within her, while her brother quietly seethed in rage. "That was the first warning; there won't be another." With those words, the presence they felt vanished, prompting them both to release a pent-up sigh.

"We should seek out the Tribunal," stated her brother through gritted teeth, though she was sure it already knew about him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

[??? POV]

Suddenly, a new pair of eyes snapped opened, this time in a shade of blue. They belonged to a bald woman well beyond her prime, yet appearing as if in her early thirties.

The abrupt and unexpected surge of energy she felt from the other side of the globe disrupted her early morning meditation.

Her brows furrowed as she attempted to recall the future she had glimpsed. "There shouldn't have been any significant events today," she whispered, reaching for the pendant adorned with a green stone that had hung around her neck for centuries.

Her magical essence flowed through the artifact, activating it in the hope of discerning what had changed. However, in a departure from every other instance she had employed it, the pendant refused to unveil the future.

Her eyes widened. "Impossible," she muttered in shock, as she understood the true nature of the green gem. Her hands trembled as her head turned sharply westward, a grim expression clouding her face. "What, or who could mask the future from the stone?"

[??? POV]

"What is happening?" I murmured calmly, strolling toward the control room as the ground shook more intensely this time.

It took me a mere minute to reach my destination. However, upon entering the room, the complete and eerie silence that met me was unexpected, especially considering the relentless tremors rocking the base.

"Loki?" I approached the man-child and self-proclaimed god, resting my palm on his shoulder. "Any idea what's happening?"

He didn't respond, but simply pointed toward the screen at the far end of the room.

My gaze followed his finger and confusion marred my expression as I tilted my head, observing the screen now displaying what seemed to be a completely new timeline just above the 'Sacred' one.

This timeline, contrary to what I knew was possible, appeared devoid of any history or future, yet it persisted as a single point in time as if its existence was being written and erased at that very moment.

"Huh... This is new." I mumbled softly, an excited smile spreading across my cheeks.