Marvel: A Portal to the World of Swallowed Star

"Natasha, do you want to become stronger?"

Rowan finished his toast and sipped his milk, casually posing the question.

Natasha's eyes widened in an instant, locking on to Rowan with an eager gaze.

"Of course I do! But didn't you say that psychokinetics are born, not made? That I could never learn it?"

Her tone was full of hope.

"Could I become a martial artist like you?"

She was clearly imagining a future where she could once again toss Rowan around with ease.

Rowan shook his head.

"Not yet. Your physical condition still doesn't meet the minimum threshold to start down the martial path."

"Oh…" Natasha slumped forward onto the table, visibly deflated.

Rowan drew a sharp breath.

With that one lean forward, certain... assets seemed to surge against gravity.

He glanced at her and began considering alternatives.

The easiest way to help Natasha grow stronger would be to inject her with the RR Virus.

But the problem was its unpredictability. There was a fatality rate involved, and Rowan wasn't willing to take that gamble.

The second option was something much more viable the Extremis Virus.

It enhanced physical capabilities, gave the subject powerful regenerative abilities, and allowed them to wield intense heat capable of melting steel.

If Natasha were injected with Extremis, she'd likely surpass Captain America in raw ability.

"No, not the RR Virus," Rowan decided.

"If that ever leaks out, I'd be branded a full-blown supervillain."

He ruled it out entirely.

That left Extremis.

"Natasha," he said suddenly, "remember those crew-cut assassins I killed yesterday?"

"Yeah," she nodded. The image of Rowan levitating knives and killing with precision was still fresh in her mind.

"They were all stronger than you."

"...??"

Natasha's expression froze, her confusion quickly shifting to annoyance.

Rowan laughed.

"Don't look at me like that. It's true. They'd all been injected with a special compound. It enhanced their physical performance, gave them extreme regenerative abilities, and let them control high temperatures."

"Unless you decapitate them, they'll heal from nearly any wound in seconds. Your judo throws and grapples would be practically useless. Unless you go in guns blazing, you'd be toast."

Natasha blinked, clearly shaken.

She had assumed those men were just highly trained ex-military deadly, sure, but human.

This changed everything.

"I found their hideout yesterday and recovered their tech," Rowan said calmly.

Natasha's eyes lit up.

"The compound is called Extremis. It still has a few side effects for now, but with time I should be able to refine it. If you're serious about getting stronger, I can arrange for you to be dosed with it."

"Really? And how strong would I be afterward? Could I beat you?" she asked with growing excitement.

Rowan chuckled, watching her eyes sparkle with anticipation. Clearly, she hadn't grasped the true significance of what he was offering.

"You still wouldn't be able to beat me," he said matter-of-factly.

"But here's the thing Extremis can heal all damage to your body."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Natasha's body stiffened.

She stared at him, her lips slightly parted, stunned.

Rowan smiled, tousled her hair, then stood and left the apartment.

…

Rowan arrived at the corporate tower and headed straight for his office. The moment he stepped inside, he activated his dual-dimensional ring. A swirling vortex opened, and he entered the Devourer World.

He extended his psychic sense to scan the area and confirmed that Zhou Ping was still in the villa. Relieved, he turned his attention to something more immediate.

There were still a few pieces of beast meat in the fridge too valuable to waste. He took them out, cooked a quick meal, and satisfied his considerable appetite.

Maria Hill's sandwiches and milk were only enough to whet his appetite these days.

Strangely, though, this time after eating, he didn't feel the usual heat coursing through his body.

Made sense. His body had now reached Intermediate Warrior level. The beast meat that once supercharged him no longer held the same energy boost.

Still, Rowan suspected that meat from a Beast General or a Lord-Class Beast could still accelerate his physical progress.

But those weren't exactly grocery store items they were insanely rare and expensive, out of reach for all but the elite.

After eating, Rowan began meditating in a five-heart-to-sky posture, refining his Genetic Origin Energy.

Even though he had become a martial artist a year earlier than Luo Feng, Rowan knew the guy's growth was nothing short of monstrous. If he slacked off even a little, Luo Feng would leave him in the dust.

Rowan had his pride. He wasn't about to cling to Luo Feng's coattails unless absolutely necessary.

"Once I reach the planetary level," he mused, "understanding the Laws and Domains will become crucial. I wonder… could the Space Stone or Time Stone help me accelerate that understanding?"

As he cultivated, his thoughts began to wander.

The Universe Genius Tournament in the Devourer World was coming soon.

There was no doubt he was going to participate.

If the Space and Time Stones could help him grasp the Laws of Space and Time ahead of the curve, he'd have a massive advantage.

In the original story, the genius warrior Brolan stole the spotlight by mastering the fundamentals of both Wind and Space Laws, ultimately taking first place in the tournament.

Brolan was a natural when it came to space manipulation.

But Rowan figured that if he got his hands on the Space Stone, he might just catch up or even surpass him.

"No matter how gifted Brolan is, he's not exactly running a cheat code like I am."

With that thought, Rowan finally felt a sense of balance.

Sure, Luo Feng was strong but he wasn't hacking reality like Rowan was.

At least for now, Rowan had a real chance to get ahead.

About thirty minutes into his cultivation, he began to feel full his cells saturated with energy. Pushing further would be uncomfortable.

Just then, the doorbell rang downstairs.

His eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in them.

Without hesitation, he vaulted over the second-floor terrace and landed smoothly on the first floor.

Sure enough, standing at the front door was a deliveryman in a blue vest and baseball cap, his posture neat and professional. He was carrying a metallic alloy case.

"Good morning, Mr. Rowan," the man said with a nod, clearly having memorized Rowan's face beforehand.

"Here's your package. Please confirm receipt."

"Sure," Rowan replied, crouching down and placing his thumb on the biometric scanner atop the case.

Beep!

The lock clicked open.

The top layer revealed five books.

Rowan glanced through the titles:

Ninefold Thunder Blade

Thunderclap Draw Slash

Mental Shockwave

Beast Mastery

Disguise Techniques

Satisfied, he looked into the second layer.

It was roomier, neatly arranged with gear: a dragon-inscribed saber, a reinforced combat shield, tactical uniform, throwing knives, and more.

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