As The Only Mutant in Marvel

Luke Cage and Peter chatted for a while in the abandoned warehouse before they finally decided to part ways.

"Mr. Cage, this is my number and my social account. Let's add each other! I still have tons of questions to ask you!"

Before leaving, Peter eagerly pulled out his phone and exchanged contact information with Luke Cage.

This way, they could stay in touch moving forward.

"Kid, I'm usually busy, so unless it's important, don't come looking for me."

Luke made sure to warn Peter before leaving.

It was clear he had already figured out Peter's chatty nature, so he decided to set some boundaries early on.

Peter immediately agreed, but whether he'd actually follow that advice remained questionable.

Having met someone with powers like his and confirming that he wouldn't turn into a monster, Peter was in high spirits on his way home.

He was practically skipping down the street, barely holding back from bursting into song.

Meanwhile, Luke Cage was left standing alone, his thoughts swirling as he reflected on the encounter.

"Should I look into the Osborn Group?"

Luke hesitated.

His rational side told him to leave it alone.

But emotionally, he couldn't shake the unease.

Even if the Osborn Group hadn't crossed any lines yet, who was to say they wouldn't in the future?

And what if they already had?

As someone who had suffered through human experiments, Luke couldn't ignore the possibility that others might be enduring the same.

Yet, at the same time, he cherished the peaceful life he had managed to carve out for himself.

Was he really ready to throw that away?

Midnight.

Lance was already home, lounging comfortably on his sofa when the clock struck twelve.

"Alright, system. Let's do this—today's sign-in!"

Lance had a strong feeling that his luck was about to turn around.

Though he'd told himself the same thing for the past few days, this time felt different.

"Ding~!"

"Congratulations to the host for signing in and obtaining Energy Absorption Ability, from Mutant Sebastian Shaw!"

"Yes!"

Lance's eyes lit up as soon as he heard the notification.

He'd known it!

He had finally hit the jackpot!

For days, Lance had been hoping for a game-changing ability, but each time he'd ended up with mediocre powers.

Now, all that waiting had paid off.

Sebastian Shaw's Energy Absorption ability was one of the most powerful mutant abilities in existence.

Lance's excitement surged as he recalled how fearsome Shaw had been in the X-Men universe.

In the movie, it had taken the combined efforts of the entire X-Men team—and a fair bit of luck—to take Shaw down.

Lance didn't blame them.

With the ability to absorb all forms of energy—kinetic, electrical, magical—you name it, Shaw was nearly invincible.

Any attack directed at him only served to make him stronger.

He could absorb the energy and unleash it as devastating attacks.

Or use it to enhance his speed, strength, and durability.

He could even reverse his aging and remain perpetually young!

In theory, as long as Shaw kept absorbing energy, he could live forever.

Lance grinned.

He finally had a power that could turn him into an unstoppable force.

But as great as Shaw's abilities were, Lance also knew they weren't perfect.

Shaw had three glaring weaknesses:

First—Mind Control.

Shaw's powers couldn't absorb mental attacks.

Without his anti-psychic helmet, he was vulnerable to telepaths like Professor X.

Second—Energy Limits.

Shaw's absorption ability wasn't infinite.

If he exceeded his limit, the stored energy would overload his body, potentially killing him.

Third—Human Weaknesses.

Without energy to absorb, Shaw was just a regular guy.

He could be poisoned, suffocated, or drowned like anyone else.

But Lance wasn't worried.

Unlike Shaw, he had other abilities to fall back on.

Mind control?

He'd just have to avoid enemies with psychic powers—or find ways to counter them in the future.

For now, it wasn't even a concern.

This wasn't the X-Men universe, after all.

There were no armies of mutants running around, and psychics were rare—if they even existed here at all.

As long as he played it smart, Lance knew he could handle whatever came his way.

He was already thinking about how he could combine Energy Absorption with his teleportation and disguise abilities to become even more versatile.

His mind buzzed with possibilities.

"What can kill Shaw might not even work on me."

Lance's grin widened.

He had more than just one ability—he had options.

And he was just getting started.

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