Marvel: Sign-In System – Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

At this moment, Reacher and Natasha felt as if they were a small boat drifting on the vast sea, tossed about in a raging storm, liable to capsize at any moment.

Only after directly facing this overwhelming aura did the two of them truly understand the gap between themselves and Matthew.

It was an insurmountable chasm.

The two of them were already powerful enough. Under the entire Terra Empire, both were certain that aside from the Emperor, they were the two strongest.

Part of that was because they had been among the first group to follow Matthew in training.

And part of it was talent.

Their physical strength had long since surpassed one hundred tons, reaching an astonishing level of around one hundred and sixty tons—and that number was still rising rapidly.

They possessed high-level mastery of the first two types of Haki, were proficient in the Six Powers, and had already mastered the Six Powers' ultimate technique: Life Return.

Their bodies had already gained autonomous awareness.

On top of that, they had magic and many other methods.

Their strength could no longer be described in words.

Yet before Matthew, that strength still seemed so small.

This was clearly only a Conqueror's Haki seed.

But the Conqueror's Haki contained within it forcefully suppressed them until even their courage faintly showed signs of being crushed. Or rather, Reacher and Natasha could feel their wills being washed away, being destroyed.

And yet, destruction was rebirth.

The overwhelming spirit and will released by the Conqueror's Haki seed washed through their inner worlds, while at the same time transmitting this power to them.

Matthew watched in silence. This time was different from when he had passed on the seeds for the two types of Haki—it directly concerned the will, making it far more dangerous.

To put it plainly, it involved the spiritual world. One careless mistake could destroy their spiritual worlds, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

That was why Matthew was here—to serve as their safety net.

He had to make sure that if anything went wrong midway, he could intervene in time and interrupt the process.

But Matthew believed Reacher and Natasha would endure it and succeed.

Once he had the experience of this first success, Matthew would be able to receive feedback and make later adjustments. After that, transmitting Conqueror's Haki seeds would become easier and far less dangerous.

The Empire's two highest commanders would not fall here.

Matthew had never once doubted the firmness of their faith.

…

In central Colorado, deep within the Rocky Mountains, at an elevation close to three thousand meters, snow-capped peaks surrounded the area.

Yet within these mountains, there was a small town called St. Elmo.

The town was encircled by tall mountains on all sides, with dense pine forests, narrow valleys, and mist lingering throughout the year.

This town was very remote, but its population was not exactly small—around three thousand people. Even so, a population like this did not give it much presence in Colorado.

The buildings here had a strong nineteenth-century western style: classic wooden houses, shops, taverns, post offices, inns, and the like.

But unlike now, St. Elmo had been quite well-known in the 1880s, because at that time, America had been swept up in a fever called the gold rush.

Back then, someone had indeed dug up gold in St. Elmo. Because of that, large numbers of people flooded in, digging tunnels and mining for gold.

Quite a few people became rich because of it.

There were also many who gained nothing, yet still chose to settle down in St. Elmo—remaining there until the present day.

The town had always been fairly peaceful. Life there could not be called especially prosperous, but vicious, messy crimes rarely happened.

Most incidents were just minor disputes.

Recently, however, St. Elmo had not been peaceful at all, because a group of people had arrived in town.

And it was this group that shattered the town's original calm.

In the afternoon, the sky hung gloomy as a light snow fell. Deep in the mountains outside the town, everything was silent.

But faint rustling movements broke the quiet.

"Dammit, Robert, don't you think this place looks a bit like a horror scene out of a movie?"

"Shut up, Jackson. Compared to fearing those bastards, I'd rather be afraid of the cute little things in these mountains."

"Okay, whatever you say, Sheriff Robert."

"Fuck. Stay sharp. Don't underestimate those bastards. Those damned cultists' brains are already broken. They're even more dangerous than drug addicts."

"Yes, sir."

Two figures in thick coats pushed through the weeds, guns gripped in gloved hands as they carefully moved forward. Behind them followed three more men, all armed as well.

They were Sheriff Robert of the St. Elmo Police Department, Deputy Sheriff Jackson, and three officers.

Robert was a standard strong white man, very burly, with stubble along his jaw, looking almost like a brown bear.

All of them wore wool hats and coats, enough to help them march through the mountains and withstand the low temperature.

The group walked through the dense forest for a long time before finally reaching their destination.

They hid behind trees, brush, and weeds, crouching down. Using the cover, they carefully raised their binoculars and looked ahead.

In front of them was an old, abandoned mine.

But now, outside the mine, there were people who should not have been there.

"Fuck. That's Modell, Charlie… I can see Molly too. Those bastards really did bewitch them. Fuck."

Through the binoculars, Robert saw the group outside the mine pushing carts, and he could not help cursing under his breath. Beneath his wool hat, his broad face turned livid.

Those people had originally been residents of the town. But now, these honest, ordinary residents had been deceived by those damned cultists and brought here as slaves.

What was worse, there was not a trace of unwillingness on Modell and the others' faces.

That made Robert furious—but at the same time, his heart also turned cold.

Those people had arrived in town less than a month ago, yet they had already bewitched so many residents. From what he had investigated in town, the number was at least over two hundred.

Among them were even a small portion with their own faith, the very devout kind.

How exactly had those bastards done it?

"Robert? Those guys have a lot of heavy stuff. We need to go back and get backup immediately."

Jackson, through his binoculars, saw the strange guards holding Scorpion submachine guns and Ithaca M37 shotguns. He immediately knew that the five of them were not enough.

So he quietly suggested it to Robert.

They had to go back and call for help.

Robert had noticed this as well. He did not lose his reason because of anger, so he made a hand gesture, preparing to withdraw.

But before they had taken more than a few steps back, Robert suddenly heard movement around them.

A deep unease instantly surged from within his heart.

His eyes widened sharply as he scanned the surroundings in vigilance. He raised the gun in his hands and growled at Jackson and the others, "Someone's here. Stay alert."

Rustle, rustle—

A sound came from the left. Everyone heard it, and the tense officers all raised their guns at the same time, aiming in that direction.

Soon, a figure entered their sight.

It was a person wearing strange robes, dressed so lightly despite the freezing weather.

But that was not the important part. What truly made Robert, Jackson, and the other five officers feel a chill was that the person's face was covered in dense, writhing tentacles, and his eyes were cloudy.

Just one glance.

Just one meeting of eyes.

Mysterious whispers and murmurs were already ringing beside the ears of Robert and the other four.

The truth of all things, the universe itself, crossed over and linked to their souls. For a moment, their thoughts and consciousness gradually sank into chaos.

...

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