[China]
[[Marcellus]]
"This will hurt a lot. But do not move at any cost." Shifu said in a stern voice. "If you move, your nerves will explode."
Well, that will be bad. I definitely do not want that. So I nodded.
"Lay down." He pointed towards a stone bed and following his command, I laid down with my back facing up.
"Do not move a muscle." He took out his acupuncture set which he told me… were made from actual dragon scales. I don't remember any dragons from marvel other than Fin Fang… and even he wasn't exactly a dragon.
He plunged the needle into my neck which nearly made me flinch. These needles were laced with multiple medical herbs thus making them extremely painful and itchy.
"That's one out of 769." I sighed.
768 more? I couldn't even cry thinking about how painful it was going to be.
[36 needles later]
It hurts! It hurts real bad but I couldn't say a word about it as the results of this acupuncture were already visible.
I felt my muscles relaxing and my heartbeat slowing down. This also made my hearing capacity extremely sharp… sharp to the point that I could hear the heartbeats of everyone and everything around me, including Shifu.
"The next 163 needles will help you enhance all your senses. And it will hurt thrice as much."
I bit down my bottom lip, waiting for the feeling of pain.
[163 needles later]
*Huff* *Huff* I was sweating a waterfall. My pores expelled most of the dead cells and impurities that were flowing inside my bloodstream and the excess chemicals that were inside my tissues and bones.
My body felt far lighter and calmer than ever before. And this was all despite being in pain and tired.
"569 more to go. You are doing good." He said as he poked a needle in my vertebrae. "The next set will be responsible for adjusting the thickness of your nerves."
"That will allow your blood flow and blood pressure to adjust according to any situation you might be in." He puts another needle near my spine.
[Many needles later]
"Only the last few needles are left." This will be used on my head… as he said before.
"This last set will hurt the most so do not give up. You are almost done." He used a longer needle this time and put it in my head.
I felt myself blacking out. "Do not lose consciousness at any cost! You can sleep as much as you want once this set is completed but not during the process."
I bit my lips to the point of drawing blood… and started counting the needles.
The second needle he used made me almost scream. The third one nearly made me puke. The fourth one almost made me cry…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I felt myself drifting into the darkness with the 78th needle.
"Final one…" He poked another needle and I instantly blacked out.
…
…
[Unknown Time]
I woke up groggily as the sunshine hit my face. "*Arrgh* That was… horrible."
"No shit." Came a male voice. Turning around, I find one of Zheng Zu's henchmen… what was his name again? Eh… it doesn't matter.
"How long was I out for?" I asked as he rolled his eyes.
"A little over 52 hours." This was within my and Shifu's estimation. So it didn't surprise me that much.
I tried standing up but my legs wobbled the moment I put them on the ground. "Damn… I need to get used to this."
*Tch* The guy clicked his tongue which made me raise an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"I just don't know why Shifu even decided to teach you."
Ah, I see now. He is jealous. In the comics, Zheng Zu never thought this to anyone other than his son. And me being a complete outsider learning these techniques was bound to make a lot of people angry.
"*Chuckle* Maybe because I am talented?" He clicked his tongue again but didn't say anything else.
Zheng Zu doesn't allow any of his students to fight amongst each other and the slightest of a spark between one another… can result in immediate expulsion.
"*Tsk* Forget it. Shifu said to meet him after you wake up." He rolls his eyes. "And you are pretty much awake… so go and meet him."
*Sigh* This guy is annoying.
…
…
[Moments later]
"Good morning, Shifu." I walked into the garden with wobbly legs. "I heard that you requested my presence."
He nods and stands up. "Your training is completed. So you should be leaving today."
Right to the point aye?
"Yes, I will." I answered.
"Very well. But remember that if you do reveal any of the techniques… You will be hunted down." His worries were useless… as there was no reason for me to teach anyone else.
"I won't. If I do, I will take my own life." He nods at that.
"Care to join me for tea?" It's a routine here.
Whenever I am with him. Morning and evening tea is a must… Honestly, it has become a habit for me.
"Sure."
…
…
"You never answered my question." This drew my attention to him. "Why did you decide to learn from me? You have multiple ways to grow stronger… why here?"
That was a fairly decent question… why?
The answer was my limitations. I am still human… and even if I inject the wolverine serum it won't turn me into some unstoppable mutant. I will still have my limits.
But his acupuncture helps in removing those limits. It's basically an infinite potential cheat. The harder I train, the stronger I get.
"I find martial arts fascinating. And in this world, you are the best martial artist." Other than Ancient One… but she would smite me the moment I go near her.
"Also, you are the only one who has the ability to remove human limitations." I took another sip. "No matter how much I train or who I train under… I will always reach a bottleneck...no." I shook my head.
"With time I would reach a point beyond which 'evolution' will be impossible. And I don't want that! With your skills, no matter how much I train, I can grow stronger. And that's why I chose you… Shifu."
And this can all be solved if I gulp down the sentry serum… Which I won't. Sentry and Void are the two sides of the same coin and without figuring out a way to deal with the Void… I will have to keep my powers sealed even if I take the serum.
He chuckled. "I chose the right person as my student… and that vibranium was a nice touch." He looked towards the sun. "You should leave soon. I will be leaving for Germany… I have 'work'."
I already knew what he was talking about. But following his command nonetheless.
The wolverine serum will be completed within a week… but before that, I should go and meet my mother.
_____________________________________________________
[A/N: I haven't proofread or edited this chapter yet.
Now... Even after this, he is still a Beta level mutant (Peak-Beta) who can fight a few alpha level mutants. He will become an Alpha, soon enough.
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•Marvel: Starting from the Bottom (Weak to Strong MC)
•DC: A Spatial Manipulator (Extremely Strong MC)
•Percy Jackson: A New Thread (Strong-ish MC)
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