New York, Queens – Alex's POV
My name's Alex Orzat — well, Alexander Orzat in this world — but everyone calls me Alex.
Actually, I'm not originally from here. I transmigrated from another Earth — my Earth.
The funny (or terrifying) part? This Earth isn't normal. It's the Marvel Universe.
Yeah, that Marvel.
The one with gods, monsters, and superheroes constantly blowing up New York.
So yeah, I'm screwed.
I don't even know which version I landed in. MCU? Comics? Some fanfiction multiverse? I've seen most of the movies and read a few comics, but I'm no hardcore fan. What I do know is that I'm 18, powerless, and living in New York — the worst place to be if you don't want to end up as collateral damage.
And I know this isn't the MCU for one simple reason: I just recovered the memories of this body. Let me explain how it all started.
A few hours earlier
I woke up like any other day… except something was off. It took me a few minutes to realize what: this wasn't my bedroom.
It looked familiar, but wrong — like a near-perfect copy with all the details scrambled.
First clue: the alarm clock on the nightstand.
Who the hell still uses one of those in 2025? I always used my phone.
Second clue: posters on the wall — one of a girl band I'd never seen before, and another of Captain America.
Nothing too weird for a guy my age… except I'm Team Iron Man.
And speaking of weird — my phone and laptop were missing. The computer on the desk looked straight out of the early 2000s, with a chunky monitor that could probably stop a bullet.
I got up to look around — and froze.
I was naked.
And more importantly… that wasn't my body.
In the mirror stood someone vaguely familiar, but definitely not me.
Same messy dark-blond hair, same blue eyes — but the rest?
Taller, leaner, athletic. My old overweight self had been swapped for a fit, toned body straight out of a teen drama.
Not bad, honestly.
Then my eyes drifted lower, and… yeah. Let's just say the new equipment was upgraded. A solid win, all things considered.
I was still processing that when the door burst open.
"Big brother, wake up!" a cheerful voice called out.
A girl — probably a high schooler — stepped in, brown hair, bright green eyes full of energy.
Then she froze.
Our eyes met.
"Ahh! You're naked!!" she screamed, blushing furiously before slamming the door shut.
I'm fucked. Completely and absolutely fucked.
I scrambled to throw on some clothes, trying to process everything.
Not my body, not my world, and apparently… I have a sister now.
The nerd in me immediately started theorizing. Was I dead in my old world? Did my soul just transmigrate?
If it's the usual setup, then either I took over a dead body… or I'd have to fight its original owner for control.
Before I could spiral any further, something new appeared before my eyes.
[Star link with the system…]
[Initializing memory synchronization…]
Then, a flood of memories hit me — this body's entire life rushing through my head like a tsunami.
Pain, confusion, too much information — and then… nothing.
I passed out.
I woke up again — this time lying in bed, which was already an improvement.
A quick glance at the mirror reminded me why: I had passed out standing next to it, right after the whole "naked in front of my sister" incident.
Whatever urgent reason she had for barging in that morning was long gone. Hours had passed.
I shifted to check the clock. Yep — several hours later. A post-it slapped to the edge of the alarm read, in my mother's familiar handwriting:
"Rest. I had to go to work. Don't burn the house down."
Outside, the city was alive — or at least, alive as it had always been in my memory. Car horns blaring, kids laughing, the faint hum of buses — the familiar, chaotic symphony of New York.
I remembered this city not as it appeared right now, but as it had always been to me: the neighborhoods, the streets, the places that defined my life here.
Brooklyn, where the Captain America Memorial stood as a reminder of heroism and sacrifice. Hell's Kitchen — a name that evoked crime, danger, and relentless fights — the kind of place that made this universe both thrilling and terrifying. Skyscrapers like Stark Tower and the Baxter Building weren't just landmarks; they were symbols of power, invention, and chaos lurking just beneath the surface.
Knowing where I was didn't comfort me — it terrified me. Because if those names were real, then so were the monsters, the gods, and the wars that came with them.
The memories that had flooded me after the blackout finally began to settle: childhood, school, friends, family — all mine, not someone else's.
This wasn't a fake family. I had lived this life from birth.
And yet… with my old memories resurfacing from another Earth, everything felt different. Familiar, yes, but also alien — like watching my own life through someone else's eyes, hearing a song I knew by heart but couldn't quite sing anymore.
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling, letting myself catch up. I was finally "here" — fully awake in this body, in this world.
Then a thought struck me. I was… younger. Much younger. My old self had been in his late twenties, alone, without a family. No parents, no siblings, just a vague network of friends and coworkers that had slowly drifted apart. And now… I was eighteen again, a full decade younger, and surrounded by people who cared for me.
My mother was devoted, entirely focused on her children, and my sister — adorable, energetic, a little clingy — had already fussed over me that morning. It was almost overwhelming to feel this kind of attention. I remembered the loneliness of my previous life, the endless nights of coming home to silence. And now… warmth, chatter, the small chaos of a family that loved each other.
It felt almost cruel — to regain what I had lost, but in a life that technically wasn't mine.
The person staring back at me in the mirror wasn't just younger — he was lighter somehow, more vital. And yet, inside, I was still that older, wiser Alex — the one who had lived through loss and hardship. A strange combination: youthful body, experienced mind, and a family I had never known.
Then my thoughts turned to my "new" life. In this world, I was a student at Empire State University (ESU) in Manhattan. Funny thing was, in my memories of the "original" Marvel world, ESU was where Peter Parker had gone — Spider-Man himself. But here, Peter Parker was still in high school, attending Midtown Science and Technology High School, just like my little sister.
And that's when the unease started to creep in. Peter Parker lived across the hall from us, with his Aunt May… yet our common neighbor wasn't Aunt May but the Stacy family: Captain George Stacy and his daughter Gwen, who, incidentally, was also an ESU student.
Then another, sharper realization hit me — my relationship with Gwen Stacy wasn't just that of neighbors. In this life, we were… dating. A smile almost crept onto my face at the thought of being with her, but my mind recoiled at the idea of handling the relationship when I still hadn't figured out how to navigate my own family.. I wasn't ready for that, not yet. Not with all the chaos and confusion swirling in my head.
Alexander Orzat, born and raised in this world… and yet, still Alex, the guy from another Earth trying to navigate someone else's life.
For a brief moment, I thought maybe I could just… live. Pretend this was normal. But the universe had other plans. And I wasn't ready to face that part of this life.
The familiar buzz returned, soft but insistent, like an alarm you can't ignore.
[System initializing…]
[Memory synchronization: 100%]
[All previous data loaded.]
I groaned, hand over my face.
"Of course," I muttered. "Because why not add a talking UI to my identity crisis?"
Everything was there. Complete. Perfect. And terrifyingly real.
Then, before I could even think of what to do next, glowing text appeared again — hovering right above my field of vision like some AR interface straight out of a sci-fi movie.
[System configuration complete.]
[Welcome to the Conquest Gacha System.]
I squinted at the name. Conquest Gacha System… Okay, let's think logically. Conquest could mean missions, battles, world domination. Gacha… random loot. So maybe this is some kind of system where I do quests and get rewards? Sounds convoluted, but maybe manageable.
The interface pulsed again and displayed the main menu:
— Status
— Quests
— Inventory
— Gacha
[Tip: As a newly awakened User, you are advised to review your current status.]
"Yeah, sure," I muttered. "Let me just 'review my status' while I finish having an existential meltdown."
Still, curiosity won. I selected Status. Another holographic panel blinked to life.
[Name: Alexander Orzat]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 18]
[Abilities: — None —]
[Template (In Progress): —]
[Template (Assimilated): —]
I stared at it, blinking.
"Human… age 18… abilities none… template in progress… template assimilated…" I muttered aloud. Spoiler: it didn't make any more sense.
"Yeah, great. Totally normal. Nothing terrifying here. Just me, a blank slate in a world that may or may not try to kill me."
Next, my eyes landed on Quests. The word glowed softly, almost beckoning me. With a sigh, I selected it.
[No active quests.]
[Tip: New Users are encouraged to explore their environment to trigger their first quest.]
I groaned. "Exploring my new life, huh? Oh sure, why not start with something potentially life-threatening right out of bed?"
Despite my sarcasm, a small spark of excitement tingled in my chest. Maybe this wasn't just chaos. Maybe it was… a chance to figure out what the hell I was capable of.
Curiosity nudged me again, but this time I tried to be practical. I hovered over Inventory. Surely, any self-respecting transmigrator would start with a beginner pack, right? Something to make life a little less… apocalyptically unfair.
The panel flickered to life. My eyes scanned it, and I almost laughed. A classic RPG-style grid appeared — neat little squares for weapons, items, consumables, templates… all empty. Not a single icon, not even a starter potion.
[Inventory: Empty]
I stared at the grid, dumbfounded.
"All these neatly labeled slots… empty. Not a damn thing in any of them," I muttered.
For a moment, I thought about testing the slots, seeing how the system worked. But the emptiness was discouraging. I closed the panel. Better not think about it.
I sank back, letting out a long, dramatic sigh. "Okay, universe. Message received. You're here to mess with me."
And with that disappointment fresh in my mind, I turned to Gacha. My only hope for not being completely useless.
"Gacha? Really?" I muttered, squinting.
A tiny burst of sparkles appeared, followed by a cheerful chime. A small text floated before my eyes:
[Gacha allows Users to randomly acquire Templates, Items, or Abilities from any world across the Omniverse.]
[Note: All rewards are temporary until assimilated.]
[Tip: Use Gacha to improve your progression.]
[Pulls require Conquest Points.]
[Welcome gift: 10 free Gacha pulls available.]
I froze. Conquest Points? Great. So now I needed currency just to gamble on random multiversal loot.
I rubbed my temples. "Of course. Nothing's ever free in this universe."
Then I noticed the ten free pulls. My lips twitched into a reluctant smirk.
"Finally," I muttered, "the system actually gives me something useful… or, you know, totally useless, because it's a Gacha."
I glanced around, half-expecting some invisible tutorial voice to explain how to earn more points. Nothing. Just the panel floating there, smugly silent.
I leaned back, groaning. "So basically, my life is a slot machine with multiversal loot… and I'm broke. Fantastic. Just fantastic."