Somewhere in an eastern region, a desolate and war-torn desert.
Inside the dim cave serving as a stronghold for the Ten Rings, a white man slowly woke up.
Intense pain caused the man to instantly furrow his brow and let out a groan.
Ugh, where am I?
As the man slowly sat up, he felt something attached to him.
Reaching up to pull the oxygen tube out of his nose, he then looked at the chunk of scrap metal on his chest wired to something, wearing a bewildered expression.
At that moment, a voice came from beside him.
"If I were you, I wouldn't move around."
"There is shrapnel inside you, very close to your heart. Without this thing, your little life would be gone."
Hearing these words, the man's expression changed at once. He did not know whether what this old man said was true or false, but he dared not gamble.
Just as he was about to ask for more information, a sharp pain suddenly surged into his mind.
At the same time, a flurry of memory fragments flashed rapidly through his mind like a movie.
A few minutes later, the pain in the man's head subsided, but his expression grew even uglier.
A mix of oddness, astonishment, and various other emotions intertwined within it.
He had merely gone to sleep as usual, never expecting that he would time-travel upon waking up.
And he had even crossed over to become the renowned Iron Man, Tony.
As an immensely popular character in Marvel, Tony was famous worldwide, hailed as an existence that rivaled gods with mortal strength.
Realizing this, Tony felt a surge of joy first. His past life had not been going well anyway, and he had no attachments.
Now that he had crossed over to become the famous Iron Man, what else could he be unsatisfied with?
However, his inner joy did not last long before his expression quickly turned grim.
The reason Tony could rival gods was not because of any mutation, but rather because of his brilliant brain.
Now, although he had taken over Tony's identity, he had not inherited that brilliant brain of his.
And if he guessed correctly, he was currently right in the middle of Iron Man 1, during the plot where Tony was kidnapped.
At this point in time, Tony hadn't even built the Iron Man Armor yet!
In other words, while he had inherited Tony's identity, he had also nipped the existence of Iron Man in the bud.
After all, he had been a model youth in his past life and couldn't possibly build the Iron Man Armor.
If it were only this, although Tony would feel distressed, he wouldn't be too sad, as he didn't have much interest in being a superhero.
Being an ordinary billionaire like that wouldn't be bad either.
However, his current situation was that he was kidnapped, and those kidnappers were about to threaten him into making a missile!
Yet what kind of missile could he possibly build!
Once those terrifying kidnappers found out the truth, would he still be able to live?
They would probably just chop him up and feed him to the dogs.
Thinking of this, Tony instantly panicked like crazy.
And right while he was in a state of utter panic, a cold, synthesized electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.
Ding, you have become the inheritor of the Shadow Kingdom. The Dark Lottery System is at your service!
Name: Tony Gender: Male Identity: Inheritor of the Shadow Kingdom Abilities: None Novice Gift Pack: Unopened Lottery Draws: 0 Mission Release: Escape Alive Mission Introduction: Your current situation is extremely dangerous. You might be chopped up and fed to the dogs by armed kidnappers at any moment. Please escape this place as soon as possible and get out of danger. Mission Rewards: Lottery Draws +1, control authority over the Shadow Kingdom's ninja corps.
Looking at the series of information floating before his eyes, Tony stood in a slight daze, his expression changing constantly.
Finally, a trace of wild joy welled up in his heart, making the corners of his mouth curl up into a delighted smile.
They all said time-travelers must have golden fingers, and the netizens did not deceive me!
Although he might not be able to build the Iron Man Armor, making this world lack an Iron Man,
with the system's help, he would only become an existence far more powerful than Iron Man.
Fortunately, he was not carried away by the surprise and knew what his most urgent task was right now.
"Open the starter pack!"
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining ten Shadow Ninja!"
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the authority to travel through the Shadow Kingdom!"
As the brief prompts ended, Tony merely felt an inexplicable new power settling within his body.
As long as he drove this power, he could summon ten ninja soldiers and freely enter and exit the Shadow Kingdom.
Tony looked around. The old man who had spoken just moments before had already left at some unknown point.
Settling his mind, Tony quietly sensed that power and silently issued a call to the Shadow Ninja.
"Come out."
The moment the words fell, a patch of black mist materialized before his eyes.
When the black mist dissipated, ten figures wrapped entirely in black ninja garb appeared before him.
Unlike ordinary ninja, their entire bodies were pitch black.
Even their exposed hands were black; the only thing contrasting with the blackness was their pair of scarlet eyes, radiating a desire for slaughter.
Watching them, Tony examined them closely, as if looking at some earth-shattering masterpiece.
Within the Shadow Kingdom, there were nine distinct Shadowkhan, and the Shadow Ninja were precisely one of them.
They might not be the most powerful among the Shadowkhan, but they were definitely the most versatile in ability.
Whether for combat or daily life, they could easily lend a hand.
Compared to combat, the Shadowkhan possessed an even more formidable ability: immortality!
As soldiers born from darkness, whenever they died, they would be reborn within the Shadow Kingdom.
Moreover, they were absolutely loyal to their master, making them the finest subordinates.
According to the introduction in the anime, the Shadow Kingdom where the Shadowkhan lived could connect to all corners of the world. Could he use the Shadow Kingdom to escape this place?
At this thought, Tony was immediately tempted and gave an immediate command: "Take me into the Shadow Kingdom."
As the words fell, two Shadow Ninja immediately stepped forward to his sides, each placing a hand on his shoulders and plunging him down into the ground together.
As Tony vanished, the Shadow Ninja he had summoned likewise sank into the ground.
Time ticked by second by second. Suddenly, Tony's figure reappeared on the ground inside the cave, panting heavily with a trace of lingering fear still in his eyes.
He had thought of the convenience of the Shadow Kingdom, but had forgotten to consider its dangers.
As a realm of Dark Creatures, the Shadow Kingdom was inhabited not only by the Shadowkhan, but also by powerful Dark Creatures.
Although Tony was the Inheritors of the Shadow Kingdom, it was only in name; he had no real power yet!
At present, he was merely able to summon ten Shadow Ninja, and even that was just the starter gift pack given to him by the system.
As a living human, barging into the Shadow Kingdom was like a bright lamp in the darkness-dazzling in the extreme.
Tony, who had just entered the Shadow Kingdom, hadn't even had time to look around properly before he was met with a fierce attack from the Dark Creatures.
If not for the protection of the ten Shadow Ninja, his little life would almost have been left behind in the Shadow Kingdom.
"It looks like I might have to gain control of all nine Shadowkhan first. Only then can I become the true master of the Shadow Kingdom."
A bitter smile touched the corner of Tony's mouth. He looked at the sunlight outside the cave, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
"No choice. I can only fight my way out!"
Before you continue