Chapter 3. Immortality? The First Mission

"System, is this a World Rune?" Noah asked, swallowing hard as he stared at the rune before him.

[Yes, Summoner, providing information on the World Rune.]

After his question, Noah saw details about the rune pop up on his system panel.

[World Rune: Courage]

[This powerful rune grants you the power of immortality!]

[The Rune of Courage will continuously enhance your physical strength and greatly improve your recovery abilities.]

[Other powers of the rune will be for the Summoner to discover on their own.]

Reading the information, Noah first felt a surge of joy, but then anxiety and doubt crept in. He knew that World Runes were incredibly powerful artifacts, their possession greatly amplifying one's strength. But he also understood that such power could drive one mad. History had already seen cases where people, like Brand and Ryze's mentor, Tyrus, lost their minds upon coming into contact with these runes.

Noah voiced his concerns to the system, and it quickly responded:

[Do not worry, Summoner. The power of this rune of Resolve has already been adjusted and limited by the system, so it will not affect your mind. As your strength grows, the rune will gradually restore its full power.]

"I see... That's a relief. Well then, let's test out this rune's power," Noah said, finally feeling reassured by the system's response.

He feared becoming like Brand: though his fiery form looked impressive and beautiful, Noah considered himself more appealing in his current state. He reached out to the rune, and instead of harming him, the surrounding energy felt warm and pleasant. The rune hovered calmly in his palm.

"The power of immortality," Noah muttered, excitement in his voice.

He had already experienced death once and, although he had only recently regained those memories, the fear of death still haunted him. Yet, the rune before him promised immortality, and he couldn't wait to harness its power.

"System, how do I use the rune?"

[The Summoner must accept the power of the rune with their mind.]

"With my mind?"

Noah placed the rune against his chest and concentrated on the process of absorbing it. The Rune of Courage slowly merged into his chest.

"What a feeling! I can sense an endless power awakening within me!"

After merging with the rune, Noah felt an unimaginable force spreading through his body. His form, already enhanced by Yasuo's abilities, became even stronger. Every moment, he could feel his physical power increasing.

Noah watched as the rune gradually transformed his body. He stared at his hands; the muscles, already strengthened by Yasuo's prowess, grew even more powerful and defined. His entire body felt fortified, and he realized he was now far stronger than before. Noah ran his hand over his muscles.

"Let's test the power of the Rune of Courage."

He had just begun using the rune and wasn't sure how to control it yet, but he decided to try out abilities reminiscent of the game's runes, like Grasp of the Undying.

Noah clenched his fist, and with focus, enveloped it in a powerful energy field. He swung at a nearby table but then remembered he was still in his bedroom.

The energy, concentrated in his fist, burst out even though he tried to hold back upon realizing the consequences.

"Bang!"

The table exploded into splinters, along with part of the floor and chairs, scattering wood and dust all over the room.

"Cough-cough~."

Noah waved away the dust, feeling like a crazy husky puppy. He had already destroyed his home once while testing Yasuo's abilities, and here he was, wrecking things again.

He continued to manipulate the rune's energy. The recent energy burst had happened because he thought of Grasp of the Undying, and he realized that he could absorb a being's life force, which matched its function in the game.

Now he would have to try other key runes like Guardian and Aftershock, as well as Conditioning, Overgrowth, and Unflinching. Though these were game terms, Noah decided to use them as a guide for mastering the Rune of Courage's abilities.

The rune's energy flowed through his body, forming a protective barrier. Noah thought this might be the power of Aftershock, but it also reminded him of Guardian, as he could explode the barrier to deal damage or transfer it to others or objects. At his command, the nearest furniture was covered in a similar energy field.

The powers of Conditioning (Bone Plating, Second Wind, Conditioning) and Overgrowth (Revitalize, Overgrowth, Unflinching) also manifested in his body, continuously reinforcing it.

He didn't dare test the destructiveness of Demolish since he feared it would bring the house down. The ability Revitalize should allow him to heal others with the rune's power, but there was no one around to test it on. Though he could try it on himself, Noah felt that even if he inflicted a wound, it would heal instantly thanks to Second Wind.

Noah realized the immense power of the World Rune. Taking a deep breath, he wondered whether such a powerful rune had attracted the attention of beings like the Ancient Ones or Odin.

He posed the question to the system.

[Summoner, you need not worry. The system has concealed the energy fluctuations of the World Rune, and no one will detect its power.]

"Well, now I can relax. Though it's a bit strange, starting with immortality," Noah mused, looking down at his body. He had just regained his memories and had immediately received the buff of immortality. It felt surreal, as if he were in a dream.

"Well, let's check the quest system."

Noah felt strong, and he was eager to test his new powers. He needed to earn 2,000 essence to perform another ten summons, so he decided to dive right into quests and rack up as much essence as possible.

He opened the quest panel and was a bit puzzled to find it completely empty. His excited state shifted to disappointment, and he asked the system:

"System, explain how to take on quests and why the panel is currently empty."

[Summoner, I will now guide you through the quest system.]

[Quests are generated based on the system's scan of the Summoner's surroundings. The Summoner can also assign quests themselves, which the system will then evaluate for difficulty.]

[Quests are divided into three levels: A, B, and C.]

[The higher the quest level, the greater the rewards.]

[Initiating scan... Scan complete. Summoner, please check the quest list.]

"Alright, let's see."

Noah reopened the quest panel, and this time it wasn't empty. Several C-level quests and one B-level quest appeared on the screen. He first glanced at the C-level quests, which seemed similar to one another.

[1. C-level quest: Teach the local criminals a lesson.]

[2. C-level quest: Teach the local criminals a lesson.]

There were several quests related to dealing with local criminals. It wasn't surprising that there were so many around, considering Noah lived in Manhattan, and in the Marvel Universe, Manhattan was home to Hell's Kitchen, a notoriously dangerous area. Noah lived near this part of town, so the night-time atmosphere was quite perilous.

After looking through the C-level quests, he switched to the B-level quest.

[B-level quest: A certain superhero is in a dangerous situation and needs help.]

"A superhero? Who could that be? Daredevil, maybe?"

Reading the quest, Noah immediately decided to accept it. He was curious to find out which superhero needed help. This was his first encounter with a Marvel Universe superhero, and he was filled with anticipation. Maybe he'd even run into a villain since it would take a significant threat to put a superhero in danger.

"Well, time to head out!"