Upgrade in Strength, New Ability

"I lack real combat experience, so no one is more suitable than you, the king of soldiers..."

Carl did not believe he was exceptionally gifted.

The reason he had improved so rapidly in such a short time was entirely thanks to the immersive experience brought by [Psychic Perception].

After every practice session, he would review the combat-related fragments in Frank's memories.

It was like watching a 5D movie.

Again and again, he experienced firsthand the stimulation and reactions brought on by life-and-death crises!

Then, when the next sparring session began, he would incorporate those insights into his attacks.

As a result, his growth could naturally be described as astonishingly fast.

Well, at least that was what Carl believed...

And the reason he worked so hard—

Was because he understood that without using [Energy Projection], he was ultimately just an ordinary person!

The more survival skills he learned now—

The less likely he would be to suffer a setback in the future!

Caution and steadiness were the name of the game.

During a break, Carl glanced at the [Reputation Points] displayed on the light screen.

A delighted expression immediately appeared on his face.

"I didn't expect it to grow this much in just a few days?!"

Since Frank would be heading to the [Caucasus Base] to take up his post in a few days.

And since the arrangements for exchanging hostages with [S.H.I.E.L.D.] had already been made.

Carl had devoted all his energy to practicing combat techniques.

Over the past few days, he had forgotten to keep an eye on the growth of his [Reputation Points].

Unexpectedly, that had instead turned into a pleasant surprise!

However, he also noticed that the growth rates of the various [Reputation Points] representing different events on the light screen had all slowed down.

Some were even on the verge of disappearing.

It seemed the influence caused by those earlier events was nearly exhausted.

But that was normal.

This was an era where traffic was king.

Even Homelander had to constantly create topics and trending searches to ensure the public would not forget him.

So he still had to keep stirring things up next!

A life that was too peaceful was ultimately not conducive to earning [Reputation Points].

[Name: Carl Mala]

[Age: 19]

[Identity: Lord of the Warp (Warhammer 40,000 era)]

[Current Reputation Points: 213,688]

[Current Dimension Size: 7.42 cubic decimeters (0.00742 cubic meters)]

[Current Dimension Strength: Level 2 Growth Dimension (0/100,000)]

[Friendly Reminder: 69 days, 13 hours, and 32 seconds remain until the dimension is exposed]

"I didn't expect to be able to raise [Dimension Strength] again so soon."

Anticipation flashed through Carl's eyes as he muttered to himself, "I wonder whether there will be any unexpected gains this time."

He signaled Frank with his eyes that he needed a break, then climbed into the spa tank filled with ice.

"System, consume 100,000 [Reputation Points] to raise the level of [Dimension Strength]."

As the command was issued, the notification text on the light screen changed accordingly.

[Congratulations, Host. Dimension Strength has successfully increased to Lv3. Current available Reputation Points: 113,688!!!]

[Current Dimension Strength: Level 3 Rapid Advance Dimension (0/1,000,000)]

It had finally reached Level 3!

He was less than 900,000 [Reputation Points] away from successfully unlocking the dimension's concealment attribute!!!

"Huh? As expected, there are new gains..."

Carl impatiently sensed the changes that had occurred within him during this upgrade.

This time, the range of [Psychic Perception] had increased again, reaching ten kilometers!

Without exaggeration, Carl was now like a walking brainwave radar, able to freely perceive the thoughts and memories of every human within its range.

"I wonder if Professor X can control a greater distance than I can now without wearing Cerebro?"

"And this is only Level 3. If I keep upgrading it, the range might expand even further, right?"

Carl was greatly looking forward to it.

But the true unexpected delight was that after [Mind Control] had been strengthened, it had produced an entirely new ability—he would call it [Mind Chains] for now!!!

Carl conducted a simple test using the security personnel stationed outside the training room.

He discovered that [Mind Chains] functioned more like a deluxe upgraded version of [Thought Imprint].

Carl could decide for himself whether to strengthen the intensity of [Mind Domination].

It would also establish an invisible psychic shackle between him and the marked person, one unaffected by distance.

Whenever he shifted his attention to the marked person, he could activate a shared perspective and track them in real time.

Furthermore, whenever the marked person's mental power fluctuated irregularly, [Mind Chains] would automatically issue a warning through flickering alerts!

This had undoubtedly solved Carl's most pressing problem!

Even if Samuel Stern possessed extremely strong mental resistance.

With the [Mind Chains] mark in place, Carl could detect any abnormality in him at the first possible moment, anytime and anywhere, then suppress him!

Naturally, he would no longer have to worry about him pulling any tricks.

"I'm getting more and more eager to see what changes will appear during the next upgrade."

With the problem before him resolved, Carl was in high spirits as he shifted his attention to [Energy Transmission], which still had not improved.

Unlike [Psychic Perception] and [Mind Control], the amount of [Energy Transmission] depended on the upper limit of his physique.

If the perfected version of the [Super Soldier Serum] could truly be developed.

Then Carl's physical upper limit would rise to four times that of an ordinary human.

Correspondingly, the [Energy Transmission] he received from the [Warp] would increase by at least fourfold as well!!

In that case, Carl's strength would most likely surpass Captain Marvel and barely reach, or at least approach, the level of Ancient One and Odin, right??

If he could later devour other [Infinity Stones], his overall strength would increase exponentially, perhaps even geometrically!

Because this was absolutely not simple addition, where one stone plus one stone equaled two stones.

It represented the ultimate fusion of two incomparable cosmic energies, perhaps even two [Laws]!

Just then, a blonde beauty dressed in professional office attire hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed in.

"Boss, this is bad! Mr. Zemo was attacked by some unknown giant creature during the hostage exchange with [S.H.I.E.L.D.]!!"

"What?!!"

A suspicious look appeared on Carl's face.

To prevent any accidents during the hostage exchange, he had specifically assigned Zemo, the most reliable man for the job, to personally lead the team.

What he could not understand was that San Francisco was not New York!

Aside from the Golden Gate Bridge occasionally... well, frequently being blown up, what kind of monster could possibly spawn there?!

However.

When the female secretary activated her portable electronic device and pulled up the live footage from the scene, even Carl could not help but stare blankly.

In the violently shaking footage, an enormous creature nearly a hundred meters tall and more than one hundred and fifty meters long—

Was rampaging through the seawater near the Golden Gate Bridge!!!

Thank you to the generous reader "Ending in 2781" for the monthly ticket, thank you to the generous reader "I Returned from Yharnam" for the monthly ticket, and thank you as well to all the readers who have continued to vote with recommendation tickets. This new author is deeply grateful!!!