[System — Current Progress
Name: Matthew Scheunen
Status: Alive (surprisingly)
System: Character Template
Assigned Character: Choi Jong-In
Integration: 8%
Abilities:
• Fire Magic (Lv.1)
• Blazing Explosion (Lv.1)
Completed Missions:
• Survive the Invasion
• Eliminate 15 Chitauri
• Protect Without Being Detected
Status: Not Registered by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Public Classification: Unknown
Rumors: "The Faceless Fire Man"]
Waking up covered in alien debris, with the smell of gunpowder, Chitauri guts, and someone else's sweat was not in the top 10 ideal ways to start the day.
Matthew sat up with difficulty in the alley where he had collapsed the previous night. His scorched T-shirt was still smoking from the residue of his own magic. A melted Campbell's soup can and a bicycle split in half decorated the scene, as if someone had tried to make modern art with a grenade.
"I'm in the damn MCU," he muttered, looking at the New York sky with disbelief and a raised eyebrow. "And apparently, I'm an S-rank Korean flamethrower with a K-pop haircut. What a crazy multiverse."
(Author's Note: The Choi reference is for humor. He's my favorite character after Sung.)
He frowned as he swiped his finger through the air. The system floated before him like a holographic interface. His inner gamer smiled with a glint of satisfaction:
[Template Integration: 8%]
"So every time I do 'shonen protagonist' stuff, my percentage goes up," he said, rubbing his chin. "This is going to force me to work. I hate when gamified life makes sense."
He had already noticed during the invasion: every time he channeled that burning sensation in his chest, that warm, volatile energy like liquid lava, he could do things. First a small spark. Then a flame. In the end, he had pulverized an entire Chitauri patrol with an attack he could only describe as "a dragon with heartburn doing a Kamehameha."
The Avengers had been busy at Stark Tower. Matthew had been on the streets, incinerating.
And no one had seen him clearly.
"The Faceless Fire Man," he read from the system's rumors and let out a dry laugh. "How poetic. I'd copyright it if it weren't for the small detail that I technically don't exist here."
The system displayed stats, achievement notifications, and emerging missions like an MMORPG with a Hollywood budget.
[New Mission Available]
Name: Night Cleanup
Objective: Eliminate 10 remaining Chitauri scavengers in the Hell's Kitchen District.
Reward: +2% Integration | New Ability Unlocked | 500 System Credits
"Oh, no. Don't mess with me. There are credits too? Is there a store?" he said, sliding to the side menu.
[System Store Locked – Insufficient Integration Level]
"Of course. Because if there's one thing I've learned from chance, it's that life gives you temptations but doesn't let you touch them until you're mentally ruined."
He sighed and stood up. Sore, dirty, but with an inner fire growing. Not just literally. The world was upside down, and he—a guy who could barely pay rent in his own world—now had power.
And something dangerously close to a purpose.
He peeked out of the alley. Helicopters buzzed in the sky, and the city burned in the distance. But in this area, everything was… surprisingly empty.
Or almost.
"RAAAHHH!"
A wounded Chitauri, one of the few survivors, crawled out onto the street. Its weapon sparked. It coughed blue blood.
Matthew raised his hand. The system hummed softly.
[Fire Magic – Lv.1 Activated]
A fireball the size of a soccer ball ignited in his palm. The heat warped the air around it.
"You know what? I've been stressed, confused, with multiversal jet lag… and you're going to be my therapy."He launched it. The projectile struck dead-on.
BOOM.
A shower of orange sparks and smoke rose into the air.
[Target Eliminated]
[Mission Progress: 1/10] Matthew smiled.
"Let the cleanup begin."
Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier – Airspace Above New York
Time: 03:42 AM – Hours After the Chitauri Invasion
"What am I looking at, Hill?"
Agent Maria Hill didn't take her eyes off the surveillance screens. Across at least seven different feeds—unsteady footage, screams, explosions, and more chaos than usual in Manhattan—something didn't add up.
An orange flash. A blurry figure. Localized explosions that didn't match the Avengers' trajectory.
"I'm reviewing it for the fifth time," Hill replied. "Cellphone camera, security camera in Hell's Kitchen, a military drone, a YouTube video—"God, I hate this era."
The image froze. The face was unreadable. Covered by shadows, a hood, thermal distortion.
But the fire… the fire was real.
BOOM.
A group of Chitauri exploded in sync, as if someone had dropped mystical napalm on them.
"This isn't Stark. Not Banner. Not Thor. And Rogers was downtown," Hill listed coldly.
Nick Fury narrowed his one visible eye.
"Hulk doesn't do fireballs now, does he?"
"Not that I know of."
"And magic? Some ally of Loki's?"
"Nope. In fact… there's no trace. No one's reported him. We have no files. No biometric data. The guy simply doesn't exist."
Fury crossed his arms, walking slowly in front of the city map projection. Several points marked in red blinked with neutralized Chitauri activity… with no recorded presence of any Avenger.
"A civilian with access to fire magic. Invisible to radar. No history. Operating in Manhattan during an alien invasion without being detected by Jarvis or our thermal cameras."
He tapped the table lightly with his knuckles.
"What else do we know?"
"Only what the rumors on social media say: 'The Faceless Fire Man.' It's gone viral. Some think he's a secret Stark experiment. Others believe he's a mutant."
"Mutant."
Fury fell silent for a moment.
"Does Xavier know anything?"
"I haven't contacted him yet."
"Do it."
"You think he's one of them?"
"I don't know… but if Xavier doesn't have him registered, then I'll be even more worried."
Location: Hell's Kitchen – 4:17 AM
Matthew landed on his feet atop a metal container, breathing heavily. His clothes were still a mess, with cuts and burn marks, but he had managed to improvise something with black clothing and a hood from some poor thief who had tried to rob him an hour earlier.
[Mission Progress: 9/10]
Beneath his feet, the half-melted body of a Chitauri sparked with alien electricity.
"God… I'm drenched in cosmic guts, and I still have one left. I just want a shower, a bed, and a therapist who specializes in reincarnations."
Suddenly, a system alert flashed before his eyes.
[ALERT – External Scan Detected]
Source: S.H.I.E.L.D. – "Insight-One" Satellite
Status: Tracking Inconclusive – Your Current Location Has Not Been Revealed
"Damn it! They're already looking for me."
He slid across the rooftop, avoiding open lines of sight. The system still showed him as "not registered," but if S.H.I.E.L.D. was sniffing around, the clock was ticking.
"I need to hurry and increase that percentage before they start shooting first and asking questions later… though, knowing S.H.I.E.L.D., that sounds like their standard policy."
From the street, a final Chitauri whimpered. Crawling. Trying to shoot.
Matthew extended both hands.
[Blazing Explosion – Lv.1 Activated]
"Shhh… it's too early to scream."
The air warped before the blaze engulfed it completely. An intense, silent explosion. Just smoke. And ashes.
[Mission Completed]
Rewards Obtained:
• +2% Integration
• Ability Unlocked: "Pillar of Fire" (Lv.1)
• 500 System Credits
[Total Integration: 10%]
Matthew smiled.
"About time."