Mark of the Multiversal Pretender

It didn't take long before a pungent smell invaded Leo's nostrils, scrunching his face up by the sheer smell alone.

'Shit! I wasn't expecting this!' Regretting that he took his Panther Habit off earlier, Leo decided to wear it again to prevent the smell.

Seeing him wear the suit again, he soon gathered Ann and everyone's attention on him.

"That looks familiar...." One of the nearby black panthers wearing nothing but rags stopped in his tracks to stare at Leo's figure, muttering to himself.

"That's the lord panther!" Another black panther pointed at him and yelled, recognizing the familiar suit.

"He really is! Has the prophecy come true? Will we finally ascend from miserable lives?" An impoverished black panther that looks malnourished spoke with slight hope and reverence in his eyes, looking at Leo as if he was their saviour even though he just arrived and met them.

"Come with me. I don't think this is a good place to talk." Seeing that the commotion is slowly gathering the entire population of the black panthers, Ann quickly held Leo's hand and dragged him towards a certain place.

"Ok...." Although he was weirded out by the hand holding, seeing the slowly forming crowd, Leo decided to let himself be dragged by her.

***

Arriving at an inconspicuous and dilapidated yet the largest hut among the slum-like village, Ann casually went inside while Leo followed her like a duck.

'This reminds me of my old home in Moana's world.' Leo said to himself, reminiscing about his past adventure in the seas.

"What's going on here? What happened back there?" Facing Leo's question, Ann stopped in her tracks and sighed.

"It would be better for you to hear it from our chief." After Ann said those words, Leo's senses picked up a heartbeat approaching the hut or more specifically them.

'This must be the chief.' Leo assumes in his mind and just like his assumption, an old black panther that looks frail and fragile as if a single blow of air would kill him entered through the front door.

"Ann....What is this prophecy....coming true that I kept hearing about....outside? Did you cause trouble again?" The old panther wheezed as he spoke, as if he would be out of breath just by saying a few words.

"Father. I didn't cause trouble outside. In fact, I brought someone." After a short reply, Ann then gestured at Leo's presence with a short tilt of her head.

"Hm?" Opening his slightly closed eyes due to ageing, the old black panther finally saw a glimpse of Leo's fully suited panther habit.

"This....this...." His eyes widened in surprise while the protagonist simply waved his hand.

"Hello there."

"...I-I can't believe it. The prophecy....it's happening! The Lord Panther has truly returned!" 

*Thud!*

Letting go of his cane, the frail old panther dropped to his knees as tears slowly formed under his eyes.

"Father! Stop it, stand up!" Quickly rushing to her father's aid, Ann kneeled down and helped the chief panther stand back to his two feet.

"P-please! Make yourself at home!" Once he's successfully back in his two feet, the chief panther rubbed his hands together, offering Leo hospitality.

"There's no need. I'm just....here for some answers. Ann here told me you'd be able to quench my curiosity." Sitting on a wooden chair, Leo hunched his back and leaned towards the chief panther.

"That's....." The chief panther stopped and sighed.

"As a servant of the lord. It is my duty to serve you to the best of my abilities. Please ask." Bowing his head slightly, the chief finished.

"First of all. What's your name?"

"My name is Kha'an, my Lord."

"I see, Kha'an. I'm curious about what happened here. To your race, from what I know, you guys used to be prosperous and well-known across China as strong warriors. But ever since you disappeared, you guys were never heard of again."

".....That's....a bit complicated, my Lord. But I will answer what I can." After clearing his throat as if to prepare himself in narrating a very long story, Kha'an started.

"According to what my father, the previous chief told me, our service used to be sought after by many rich figures thanks to our strong constitution and innate ability to use chi to strengthen our own bodies, but it all changed when we were hunted down by the devil. At first, he was kind to us and willing to offer us a chance to train under him in exchange for training him on our way in Kung Fu." Kha'an then stopped for a few seconds, probably just to take a small breather before continuing.

"But it all changed when we heard what he tried to do against our allied tribe, the pandas. Fortunately for them, they were saved by Master Oogway." At this moment, Kha'an is clenching his fists.

"But while the pandas have Master Oogway on their side, we don't. It didn't take long for him to appear back in our village to massacre our kind. We might be strong, but this devil is on another level. Our best warriors were left to be killed and absorbed by their chi. While the rest of us evacuated." As soon as he finished, Kha'an was breathing heavily while Ann on his side was wiping a small tear from her left eye.

Meanwhile, Leo felt like the mentioned 'Devil' in Kha'an's story was familiar.

"Could this devil be.....Kai? General Kai?" Asking out of suspicion, Kha'an looked at him in shock before being replaced by reverence.

"As expected of our Lord!"

"....Then what happened to Kai?" Instantly as Leo asked the question, both Ann and Kha'an looked at him in confusion.

"...You....do not know my Lord? It was you who defeated the devil Kai and brought his terror to an end! Unfortunately, no one but us was a witness to your glorious feat! Rendering Master Oogway as the one who defeated Kai instead of you." Shaking his head in disappointment, Kha'an was about to continue when Leo interrupted him.

"Then since he's already defeated what else are you doing in hiding? You could've come out of hiding, and then maybe you wouldn't find yourselves in this kind of situation."

"That's what is supposed to happen back then, my Lord. But since your disappearance after the defeat of Kai, we were left with nothing. Our best warriors were dead thanks to Kai, our ancient texts about our way of Kung Fu and Chi have disappeared and perhaps have been lost or destroyed. We might be strong but our strength lies in our legacy. Now that our legacy has been lost and we were left with a bunch of civilians, not to mention, we have made quite a few enemies in china especially bandits, coming out of seclusion would only lead to our demise."

"Thankfully, Master Oogway has told us a prophecy that someday, you'll come back and bring us back to our previous glory!"

Once Kha'an finished his sentence, Leo's eyes went unfocused as a pop-up screen appeared in front of his vision.

[• Quest Title: Fix your mistake!

Main Quest: In the future, you managed to draw a time travelling card and went back to the past to complete your Make Wakanda Great Again bonus quest. However, your 'future' self made a few mistakes that almost caused the Black Panther tribe their extinction. Now go and fix your mistakes!

Bonus Quest: Defeat General Kai before he can start his massacre against the Black Panther Tribe.

Secret Quest: ???

• Rewards:

Main Reward: 20% of Daredevil Template, 10,000 Reputation Points, 2 Golden Gacha Tickets, New memories of the changed timeline.

Bonus Reward: Legendary Skill: Chi Manipulation

Secret Quest: Random Legendary Skill]

It took Leo a few seconds to read the entire description and rewards of the quest, which made Kha'an and Ann misunderstand him for coming up with a decision to solve their situation.

After all, Leo is their Lord and saviour.

"....I think I know what to do." Grinning to himself, Leo looked at Kha'an and Ann, who in turn looked up to him with hope-filled eyes.

"F-Finally. The prophecy is being fulfilled! Ann! Go out and tell everyone that our Lord Panther has returned and will bri-" Before Kha'an could finish his sentence, Leo interrupted him.

"Not yet. Don't give them hope yet." Shaking his head, Leo stood up and asked.

"Is there any place I can stay in?" Upon Leo's question, Kha'an turned his attention to his daughter, Ann and gave an order.

"Ann, do you remember your uncle's room? Our Lord can stay there temporarily while K'oba is still out hunting." Whe Kha'an mentioned the name K'oba, a slight displeasure can be seen on Ann's face before being replaced by a calm expression.

"Please follow me, my Lord."

***

"If there's anything you need. Please don't hesitate to call me." After those words left her mouth, Ann gave him a last bow before walking out.

Now that he's alone in his room, Leo shifted his attention to his recently accomplished Quest.

[• Quest Title: The Truth

Main Quest: Find out why the tribe of Black Panthers went into hiding. [Completed]

Secret Quest: Give the Black Panther Tribe hope.

Reward: 5% of Daredevil Template, 5,000 Reputation Points, Upgraded Panther Habit, Loyalty of the entire Black Panther tribe. [Claim]

Secret Reward: Blessing from the Panther Goddess [Claim]]

'Claim!' Yelling in his heart, Leo quickly sensed something changing in his Panther Habit suit.

Quickly looking down, Leo noticed something different from the suit.

The suit turned even more black, as if light was being absorbed by it. The sharp nails turned more sharp and Leo felt like he could now adjust its size and length.

However, the most noticeable change that happened of the physical appearance of the Panther Habit was a black cape that slides down from his neck down to his body.

'What in the Bat-Fucking-Man is this shit?'

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[Next Chapter: Ch. 63 - The Great Pretender, embraced by the Goddess of Panthers]