177A Bleecker Street.
In the early hours of the morning, Manhattan didn't exactly feel like home.
Luke stretched lazily and stood on the steps, watching the pedestrians pass by. He still couldn't quite believe he had come to another world.
This was the New York Sanctum, Luke's temporary residence. Guarding the place was a Kamar-Taj sorcerer named Asad, an Indian man. Meanwhile, the Ancient One had returned to Kamar-Taj to recuperate—due to the spike in energy density in the Dark Dimension, she was suffering from something akin to oxygen intoxication.
As Luke walked back into the main hall of the Sanctum, Asad happened to come down from upstairs.
"Good morning, little junior brother."
It felt weird hearing Chinese come from a foreigner's mouth, even though Luke had a cheat-like ability where "everyone speaks the same language."
Due to the influence of Doomsday's genes, Luke—despite his human appearance—looked like a mixed-race individual, though his mannerisms bore strong Eastern cultural traits. Asad could already guess his nationality without Luke even needing to introduce himself.
Of course, it could've just been Luke's accent.
Asad assumed Luke was the Ancient One's newly accepted disciple.
Luke didn't explain otherwise—he needed an identity.
And the Ancient One didn't clarify either, since she had foreseen the future and believed Luke truly was her disciple.
And so, just like that, Luke haphazardly acquired a legal identity in the Marvel Universe.
Luke was quite happy to study magic. He was curious about everything in this new world. Compared to well-known artifacts like the Time Stone, magic itself was more enticing to him.
Asad had somehow gotten his hands on Chinese soy milk and fried dough sticks and hung them on Luke's doorknob before starting his day. Luke, on the other hand, found a stack of beginner-level books and sat in a corner to study. Most of the books were dictionaries and translations. Now that he could control his Doomsday powers, Luke could occasionally channel some energy to boost his brain function—though becoming Superman-level intelligent was out of the question.
In his human form, Luke's body could only generate great power through gradual cultivation. At best, within a year, he might reach Spider-Man-level strength. But if his power output ever exceeded that limit—whether physical or supernatural—he would uncontrollably transform into his Doomsday form.
It felt like the classic setup for a "cool guy transformation followed by dramatic consequences" trope.
However, when it came to magic, those limitations didn't apply. Magic power came from spellcasting, not physical strength. Combined with Doomsday's energy reserves, Luke in his human form was essentially a walking magical artillery unit.
He also really needed a spell that could conjure clothes to fix Doomsday's "wardrobe malfunction" issue. In any high-spec battle, no clothing material would survive. The Hulk's indestructible pants were protected by cosmic laws—logic simply didn't apply there.
Seeing Luke weave golden spell energy into clothing and wear it, Asad nodded in approval. The Ancient One had good judgment—Luke was a magic prodigy.
Though he still had no idea what kind of monster his "junior brother" really was…
A sorcerer's life—especially that of one stationed away from Kamar-Taj—wasn't just about burying your head in books or training day in and day out. Every afternoon, Asad would drive out to pick up his girlfriend from work—just an ordinary office lady in New York. As for guarding the Sanctum, Asad claimed they had infrared sensors and security cameras at key points. If anything happened, he'd just open a portal and come right back.
Luke also discovered two AKs in the Sanctum's armory.
Sorcerers were truly next level.
In his untransformed state, Luke was simply an energetic human. As a "guest student" at Kamar-Taj, he didn't want to fall out of touch with regular society. Through Asad's girlfriend's network, he even landed a part-time night job as a hotel doorman. His duties included maintaining order, directing parking, and reading in his downtime—sometimes physical books, sometimes sorcerer-specific e-books.
Yes—Kamar-Taj had a digital library.
Once again: sorcerers are ridiculously awesome.
Within a week, Luke had figured out the work routine. Late at night, the hotel rarely had guests. It was pretty much a "getting paid to loiter" kind of job. The salary wasn't great, but since Luke didn't have any real-life plans yet, and nowhere to spend money anyway, he was fine with it.
…Though it wasn't entirely true that he had nowhere to spend money.
"You're—? That guy from the other day?"
One afternoon, while sitting at an outdoor café radiating "retired grandpa" vibes, Luke bumped into the first person he had met in this world.
"Mary. That's my name." The kind-hearted woman who had once helped Luke looked surprised to see him again. "Looks like you're back to normal."
Luke wasn't great at guessing women's ages—especially Western women. His only reference points were, frankly, magazine shoots. He guessed she might be anywhere from 20 to 40. Especially now, wearing sportswear, she looked quite young.
"Sorry, didn't expect to run into you here. Are you feeling better?"
"Spent a day lying in bed," Mary said with a half-smile, sitting across from Luke. "Compared to getting stomped into the pavement by that monster, I'd say I'm doing pretty well."
That day, Emil Blonsky (the Abomination) had killed twelve civilians. None of them had died cleanly.
"Uh… want something to drink? My treat."
Though her act of kindness may have been casual, this encounter with the woman who had helped him—now one of only a few people he knew besides his supervisor and two sorcerers—made Luke unexpectedly happy.
Maybe it helped that she was also quite pretty…
Although Mary had seen his other, monstrous form, she didn't seem afraid or concerned. Life, after all, wasn't a movie—it wasn't always so dramatic. And in a sense, Luke had saved her life.
Mary was from D.C. and had come to New York on a business trip. As for how long the trip would last, she made a sour face—clearly proving that all employees everywhere feel the same way about their bosses.
When the topic shifted to jobs, Luke felt a bit embarrassed. Being a hotel doorman wasn't exactly glamorous.
"If it's that hotel, then we might even be headed the same way," Mary said with a bright smile. "I'm staying there. I figure it's probably the safest place in all of New York right now."
Luke could only shrug.
Mary was on a roll. "Have you thought about moving to another city? I could recommend you to my company. The benefits are way better than at a hotel. With your cost-performance ratio, I bet my boss would happily pay you double."
"…Maybe in the future." Luke scratched his head. Women were just naturally better at saying the right things. Or maybe it was a cultural difference? Either way, she made being a security guard sound kind of honorable.
The two chatted idly until dusk, then headed to the hotel together—one to rest, the other to start his shift.
For the next month, Luke would often "bump into" Mary at that same café. He even learned her age—twenty-eight.
Hmm… that's not bad. I always thought female leads in these stories were eighteen.
Then again… I did start this one at twenty-five myself.
Luke mused to himself, half jokingly.
But before even a full chapter could pass his peaceful life was shattered. Some "space junk" fell in New Mexico. At first, Luke thought it had nothing to do with him—until the Ancient One sent word.
He had been assigned to assist with Earth's security.