[Shock Points from John Schmidt +132]
[Shock Points from John Schmidt +213]
...
Florence, Italy, in the corner of an ancient tavern.
Under the night sky, the tavern's dim lights shone on the wooden tables and chairs. A few locals were gathered at the bar, conversing in Italian.
"Another damn day of war," the bartender said, wiping a glass. "I hear the Germans are attacking on the Eastern Front again."
In the deepest corner of the tavern, an Asian youth was drinking alone.
His presence was particularly conspicuous in Italy at this time, drawing many curious glances.
Rosen raised his glass of wine, feeling the continuous stream of information flowing into his mind, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
"Just as planned."
A week ago, the pawn he had sent out had finally succeeded in guiding the Red Skull to the "vampire ruins."
Through the system's feedback, he knew the plan had succeeded.
That's right, Rosen was not from this world!
He had simply gone to sleep one night and woken up to find himself on a battlefield.
After the initial confusion, various clues led him to a ridiculous but undeniable truth.
This was the Marvel universe!
And he had confirmed the timeline—it was during World War II. Captain America was still on his USO tour, and the Red Skull's HYDRA was in its ascendancy.
Watching the Marvel universe in movies was thrilling, but to actually live in it? Who could stand that?
This world had too many disasters—alien invasions, Thanos's snap, the vampire crisis, all sorts of monsters and gods...
And he couldn't even be sure which timeline he was in. The movie universe was chaotic enough; the comic universe was an even bigger mess.
For an ordinary person, surviving in such a world would be a miracle.
However.
As a transmigrator, he had naturally awakened his own golden finger.
With a thought, Rosen summoned a virtual panel that only he could see.
[Myriad Heavens Template System]
[Host: Rosen]
[Owned Template: Dio Brando]
[Emotion Points: 4321]
...
[Template: Dio Brando (Enhanced)]
[Rank: Bronze]
[Source: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood]
[Character Information: A natural-born villain with an exceptionally alluring appearance and the ability to survive in any environment and gather his own forces.]
[Note: The victor looks to the future; the loser can only look back at the past.]
In his first week in this world, the first template he drew from his starter pack was Dio Brando.
He had also drawn a basic Character Enhancement Card, successfully removing the fatal weakness to sunlight.
It was precisely with Dio's "Flesh Bud" ability that he had successfully infiltrated HYDRA.
More importantly, he had already inserted quite a few pawns among the Allied high command.
Immortality. How many people went mad for such an ability?
Those nobles, officers, and politicians who craved eternal life didn't care at all about a "side effect" like vampirism.
Besides, they were already bloodsucking parasites; now they were just realizing it in a literal sense.
Rosen opened the system interface and looked at the lottery page.
[Bronze Draw - 1000 Points]
[Silver Draw - 10,000 Points]
[Gold Draw - 100,000 Points]
[Platinum Draw - 1,000,000 Points]
...
He clicked on the Bronze Draw, and a large wheel appeared.
On it were various options: Character Templates, Items, Enhancement Cards... a dense array of choices.
The best prize among them was undoubtedly the Character Template, but the gacha-like ranking system and lottery screen made him feel a bit uneasy.
He could even see the same tricks used by gaming companies in his system.
And... the drop rate for treasures was really about the same as in those mobile games.
He sighed. He had already tried the lottery a few times in the past few days but had only gotten various useless items. He wondered when he would get another good drop.
"I'll save up some more and try a five-pull," Rosen said to himself and closed the system panel.
Through his experiments during this time, he had more or less figured out how the system worked.
Rosen soon discovered that as long as he initiated an event that caused a sufficiently strong emotional fluctuation, he would receive corresponding Emotion Points from the original characters.
So what he needed to do now was to expand his influence, create chaos, and even instigate major events to collect more Emotion Points.
At that moment, the waiter changed the channel on the television. A promotional clip of Captain America performing for the troops on the European front was playing.
On the screen, Steve Rogers, dressed in his brightly colored uniform, was holding his iconic shield high.
"Captain America! Fighting for freedom!"
"Hey, American," a drunk Italian shouted at the TV, "when are you clowns actually going to the front lines?"
A wave of laughter filled the tavern.
Rosen glanced at the news on the television, chuckled lightly, left a few coins on the table, and got up to leave.
Just as he turned, a burly, drunk Italian man suddenly blocked his path.
The man was half a head taller than Rosen, with a scruffy beard, and reeked of cheap alcohol.
"Hey, yellow-skinned monkey, what are you doing on our turf?" the drunkard slurred, his boozy breath hitting Rosen's face.
Rosen frowned. He didn't want to cause trouble in a place like this, but some fools were always courting death.
The chatter in the tavern gradually died down, and the air grew thick with tension.
Rosen glanced around and noticed that a dozen or so tough-looking men had put down their glasses and were reaching for their waists.
This remote Italian town was a gathering place for outlaws and thugs.
Not to mention, wartime always brought out the ugliest side of people, especially their hatred for foreigners.
Without a word, Rosen simply walked around the drunkard and headed for the door.
"Look, he's scared! The yellow-skinned monkey is running away!" the drunkard jeered from behind, drawing more laughter.
At that moment, Rosen stood outside the tavern door and raised his right hand.
Snap!
A soft sound.
The surrounding shadows suddenly came to life. A rustling sound emerged from all directions as countless dark figures swarmed toward the tavern like a tide.
"What is that?!"
"Damn it! Who—"
The tavern instantly erupted in terrified screams, followed by a series of rapid gunshots and the sound of tables and chairs overturning.
Bang!
The tavern's wooden door was kicked open, and a figure stumbled out.
It was the same drunkard who had provoked him earlier. He was now covered in blood, his clothes torn to shreds, and the flesh on his face was a mangled mess.
He saw Rosen, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. He stretched out a trembling hand. "Spare... spare me! I shouldn't have..."
The next second, a pale arm shot out from the darkness, grabbing the drunkard's ankle like an iron clamp and dragging him violently back into the tavern.
"No—!"
The scream was cut short, followed by a series of horrifying sucking sounds.
"Tsk, getting too into character..."
Rosen frowned slightly. With a thought, the template's skin covered him.
His original face gradually changed, and golden hair grew from his head.
He grew a few inches taller, his muscles became more defined, and an alluring yet malevolent face replaced his original features.
The one standing in the night now had the complete appearance of Dio Brando.
"To play the role, not become it," Rosen said to himself.
Dio Brando's cruelty and arrogance should only be tools.
His goal was clear—to collect enough Emotion Points, draw more powerful templates, and establish a foothold in this dangerous Marvel world.
Of course, he could have chosen to join Captain America's side and play the hero, or pledge allegiance to the Red Skull and be a villain.
But that would be far too boring.
The Marvel universe ought to be a little more lively.
Fear, anger, despair—these emotions were the best nutrients, allowing him to gain even greater power.
Manipulating both sides as a mastermind behind the scenes was far more interesting than picking a side.