New Goal

"Dugan! Did you see that? He lifted that Ford-modified military jeep with his bare hands!"

"I've got eyes, I don't need you to tell me! And he twisted my beloved Winchester into a pretzel!"

"Can anyone explain why my tactical knife can't break his skin?"

"Is this guy even human?"

"..."

An hour later, the Howling Commandos, who had followed Luke to Fort Drum Army Base in Jefferson County, New York, witnessed the most unbelievable and horrifying scene of their lives.

As they'd said, every member of the Howling Commandos was a battle-hardened veteran with a unique skill.

Trenches that had buried countless bodies, barbed wire festooned with shreds of flesh...

They'd survived hell like that, seen the cruelest executioners, and played the butcher themselves.

Roaring cannons, machine guns spitting fire, tanks like steel monsters...

What kind of big scene hadn't they seen before?

But—

The sheer power Luke displayed in front of the Howling Commandos completely shattered the ingrained beliefs they'd built over decades!

Before this, Dugan and his men had never imagined anyone could lift a multi-ton military jeep like a barbell!

What the hell, was this even human?

"Don't stare at me like I'm some kind of monster."

Luke's face was calm, his breathing steady.

There was no sign that he'd just used a jeep to run through a full set of warm-up exercises.

"I'm just an ordinary soldier who longs for peace and a quiet life."

These past few days of absorbing Stellar Energy had pushed Luke's physique up another level.

Like Superman, he might still fall short of lifting a hundred-ton plane, but hoisting a few tons of jeep was no problem.

Still, in this era where even a Super Soldier could run rampant, people's capacity for acceptance wasn't as strong as in later generations.

Imaginations of superpowers, aliens, and the cosmic landscape were confined to science fiction novels.

So, Luke's performance left the Howling Commandos utterly stunned!

"You're clearly a monster, you know!"

Dugan, nicknamed "Dum Dum," glanced at the Winchester twisted into a pretzel and the military jeep sitting steadily in place, then silently swallowed his words.

"Cahill... sir, are you the Super Soldier the military's been talking about?"

After a moment, Dino Manelli—whom Colonel Phillips called a disguise genius and combat master—spoke up.

Having witnessed Luke's inhuman strength, at least Manelli himself had no more objections to this young captain leading them.

He still didn't know if Luke had the basic qualities of a commander.

But combat ability that could crush the Nazi army was enough to answer all doubts.

"No wonder Colonel Phillips sent him to lead the Howling Commandos."

Manelli felt a wave of relief, his inner dissatisfaction fading in an instant.

"Super Soldier?"

At that word, Dugan's look at Luke shifted.

He'd heard of that project.

It was said to be one of the military's research programs for human enhancement.

"That's right. Steve Rogers and I both received serum injections from the Strategic Scientific Reserve and became Super Soldiers."

Luke answered with a straight face.

Even though he had nothing to do with the Super Soldier program, that didn't stop him from using it as a convenient excuse.

He wondered if, later on, when people noticed the growing gap between Rogers and Luke's abilities, they'd suspect the former had gotten a fake serum.

"Alright, sir. I apologize for what happened earlier."

Dugan shrugged, his earlier cold, resistant attitude gone.

After seeing Luke's real strength and learning about his Super Soldier identity, he no longer worried about the guy holding the team back. Instead, he was hit with a strong doubt: "Can I really be his teammate?"

With Dugan's wealth of experience, he figured if you dropped Luke on a battlefield, those Nazi soldiers would be crying for their mommies!

And Hitler, far away in Berlin, might not sleep soundly anymore!

Side Quest: Howling Commandos, First Step to War Hero! (Completed)

Requirement: Join the team and gain recognition from three or more members. (Achieved)

Reward: Scarecrow's Fear Toxin ×10. (Obtained)

Luke received the task completion notification. Sure enough, when dealing with veterans, the fastest way to earn their respect was to show off exceptional ability.

Detected Reputation Points!

Store Unlocked!

Luke kept his composure and immediately opened his character panel.

The updated information now clearly showed fifty reputation points—likely contributed by members of the Howling Commandos.

"So it seems that respect, worship, and admiration are what generate reputation points..."

Luke deduced.

He opened the store, and as expected, it was packed with items, not much different from a game.

There were all sorts of interesting gadgets, like "Clark Kent's Glasses."

The description read: "As long as you wear them, you gain an absolute disguise that cannot be uncovered, taking the form of a tall, strong, sunny reporter."

Another was "Batman's Vanishing Trick," described as: "When any target has their back to you, activate this item to disappear from their field of vision."

There were also skill cards for various heroes, like "Martial Arts Master"—from Deathstroke—granting mastery over all kinds of firearms and cold weapons, allowing you to defeat enemies several times stronger than yourself in hand-to-hand combat.

Another was "Hustle Expert"—from the famous Exorcist Constantine—described as: "Possesses superb eloquence capable of convincing (or deceiving) even devils and angels."

And so on, and so forth.

All of these required reputation points to exchange.

"Now that's interesting!"

Luke's eyes lit up slightly. He was especially intrigued by the skill card in the store called "Cuckold Cap Dispenser"—from Nightwing, Dick Grayson.

Its effect was: "For women in a committed relationship, especially those whose profession is superhero, your charm will be fully unleashed."

How did such a bizarre ability even get in here?

After a quick scan of the store's items, Luke's expression returned to calm.

He cleared his throat and looked at the Howling Commandos. "I'm sure you all know that Colonel Phillips sent me to lead this team for a surprise attack mission!"

"I can't tell you the specifics just yet. But our final destination is Italy. I've already prepared the passes and suitable identities."

"So you can think of this mission as posing as smugglers, slipping past the naval patrol blockade, and infiltrating Sicily in Italy as a covert operation."

The members of the Howling Commandos exchanged glances. Most of their previous missions had involved striking Axis Powers supply convoys or assassinating high-ranking officers.

Infiltration and disguise weren't exactly their strong suit.

Still, after hearing him out, the members led by Dum Dum Dugan responded in unison, "We'll follow your orders, sir!"

"Good. I believe that after this mission, the name of the Howling Commandos—and all your names—will end up on the desks of the White House!"

Luke promised.

He wasn't making empty promises. If Colonel Phillips' plan could be carried out successfully, then Luke's name might spread throughout the Allied Nations.

By then, the reputation points he could harvest would probably be enough to exchange for a pile of skill cards, or even unlock a new template!

P.S. Readers, feel free to suggest some "items" and "skill cards." Of course, the author isn't trying to steal your comments—just genuinely curious to see your interesting ideas~