Multiverse Stories (Multicross: DC, DXD, Marvel, ETC,)

(Floating Cloud City Outskirts)

You know, I was always a fan of scavenger hunts. Fun little games that would sometimes appear in various areas. The best part is that if they were public scavenger hunts, no one would mind you taking some of their stuff.

But that's neither here nor there. It is the closest comparison, as I am essentially using this green pearl as a plant locator. I have noticed that it seems to glow green around medicinal herbs. Some of them I have begun to recognize.

However, they are mostly lower-level ones—well, low-level ones in comparison to the ones shown in the other parts of the Miracle of Life book. But from what little I was able to see from the later chapters, those things sound like they could destroy entire worlds just to find one.

Speaking of which, I look down to my left hand and see it beginning to glow. As I bend down, I see something that I was not expecting. The plant itself seemed harmless enough, yet as I carefully picked it up and stored it within the pearl, I smiled to myself. The couple of stalks that I have just picked up are prime ingredients for the invisibility pill or, if I was being precocious, the star concealing pill.

Honestly, I consider that pretty lucky, as according to my knowledge, these herbs are decently rare, with only a couple being found every few decades. But knowing me, I have just used up all of my luck, and I'm going to suffer some kind of bad luck.

However, as I looked up to the sky, I didn't find any storm clouds growing, so I didn't have to worry about getting struck by lightning or something. But seeing as the sun was setting in the sky, I wondered if I should return to the city to find an inn or a hotel.

But if I was being honest, I am tempted to just lay against the ground and stare up at the starlit skies. Even now, I'm trying to find any of the constellations that I could remember, but there were definitely more stars in the sky than I remember, and they seemed almost closer.

I do admit that I found myself staring into the sky a bit longer than I should have, but soon enough, I refocus and begin to walk back towards Floating Cloud City.

Thankfully, I wasn't too far away, and I definitely have noticed that I am slightly faster than I was. Although I have few things to reference, I could say that I'm definitely at least at the level of a professional athlete.

And if the beginning of this cultivation grants benefits this early, I am starting to begin to see why people like doing this. But what I found odd was that with every passing second, I felt myself getting ever slightly stronger.

It was barely noticeable, but with every step I took, and every breath I swallowed, I noticed that my body was naturally taking in profound energy, nourishing my cells. And if I were to compare cultivation to a download bar, I would be around 25% towards the next level, with it growing a percent every hour. It was nothing amazing, but it was slightly noticeable.

Not to mention the fact that I hadn't felt so good in a long time, although the comparison isn't very apt, as I am now in a body that is at the peak of health and not in the body of a man who has had multiple bones broken, a decent amount of burns, and a couple of bladder deficiencies due to the amount of times I've been tasered.

Even now, the memories cause a slight chill on my back. But after reminiscing on some less-than-fond memories, I found myself back at the entrance to the city. And as I passed through the streets, heading towards the town center to see if there's some kind of place where I can stay, I found the crowds bundled up to the side of the streets.

Wondering what they were staring at, I walked over and saw possibly the weirdest wedding procession. The boy on top of the donkey looked almost as old as I was but was definitely a lot more feminine. He was definitely a male, but he just seemed off to me. Not to mention the people guarding the procession looked like they were extras off of a low-budget zombie film.

One of them was even picking his nose as they were walking by. I mean, I'm not one to judge a man digging for gold, but at least don't do it in public. Either way, as my eyes met his, I found little of interest.

Walking through the crowds of people that were throwing trash as well as insults in equal measure, I found the town square, and it actually had a decent map of the city, like one of those amusement parks.

Walking over to the closest one, I found the hotel I was looking for—the Rainy Days Rest. As I went inside, I found the general aesthetic to be close to pretty much every other building, that being a combination of what seemed to be Chinese and other Asian influences.

As I walked over to the front desk, the man seemingly roused from his short nap.

"Well, hello there, good sir. How may this lowly one serve you today?"

"Are there any rooms available for the night?"

The man then went over to what I assumed to be some type of room ledger and looked down the list.

"Well, good news, sir—you're in luck. We have a few available rooms on the second floor. Are there any specific tastes you require?"

"No, I just need to have a comfortable bed and a place to find some good food in the morning."

The response seemed to make the man breathe a sigh of relief as I wondered what type of customers he has to deal with on a daily basis. The man himself seemed like he was walking on eggshells the second I started talking to him.

"Well then, sir, a night stay costs a few hundred yellow profound coins."

I then summoned a single purple profound coin and placed it on the desk. As he looked at me like I was insane, I simply smiled.

(One Purple Profound Coin = 10,000 Yellow Profound Coins)

"Keep the change, and I do wish not to be disturbed."

He then quickly nodded his head almost as fast as a bird would peck a tree. He then hastily handed me the room key and gave me some basic directions.

Giving him a nod in thanks, he bowed to me and wished me a good night, which I returned. But after doing so, he almost looked like he had gone into a state of euphoria.

Okay, seriously, man, what kind of customers are you dealing with here?

But with that ominous thought in my mind, I found my room to be of a decent size. No wait, who am I kidding? This looks like a room the size of an entire floor of somebody's house.

What is it with this universe and making everything extraordinarily large?

That's not even mentioning the fact that this entire world is only 3% land and 97% water.

But before I can go into the nightmare that is this planet's geography, I sit down on the bed to test the softness, but to be honest, I would take anything that is softer than a rock.

Wanting to see if I can make any more progress towards the next level, I again focused and took out the green pearl. As the energy began to swirl around me, I found new information beginning to echo within my mind.

And almost on pure instinct, I reached my hand outward as if to grab something in front of me. As a bright light formed in front of me, I gripped something I never would've expected.

Opening one of my eyes, I saw that in my right hand I was holding a decently ornate bearded ax. And to be honest, I was very confused…

However, as I held the ax and gave it a few swings, I found that it had the perfect weight and form. Giving it a couple of twirls, I decided to test something. Looking towards the edge of my room, I saw what looked to be some kind of target, which I assumed was most likely due to the fact that some people play darts in these rooms.

Taking the ax in my right hand, I aimed and threw it with a lot more power than I admittedly should've used. As the ax landed dead center, I focused on its presence. After doing so, the ax shook against the target before shooting outward and ending up back in my hand.

I feel like this is a reference to something that I'm just not getting, but I won't say no to a free weapon. As I went to place it within my storage ring, the weapon itself glowed again before disappearing. On the back of my left hand, I found a small ax symbol had formed, and I wondered just how many more tattoos I'm going to get.

Already I have a spear tattoo on my upper right arm, along with the two tattoos on the palms of my hands, in addition to the sword tattoo on my upper left arm.

But I'm just thankful that I didn't have to go through the painful process of getting these tattoos made.

Returning my focus to cultivating again, I focused my mind, and the energy began to swirl towards the green pearl. As the golden liquid entered my being, I found the proverbial progress bar beginning to fill. But instead of taking longer, the process began to get faster.

Like gears in a motor vehicle that start off slow and just begin to turn and turn faster and faster.

I don't even know how to describe the feeling of strength entering the body at such a rapid pace, and the bar that was maybe at 26% went up to 80%, then 90% in a matter of minutes.

And soon enough, I got that feeling of being put up against a glass wall. As I took in more profound energy, I felt the dam begin to burst, and soon enough, that same cracking and explosive sound burst within my soul and mind as I had seemingly broken through to the next level.

(Third Level of Elementary Profound)

Opening my eyes, I saw my aura clouding my body once again, and I now definitely understand why people like to do this. However, even I am not so socially inept as to not understand that I am definitely an enigma. And if there's one thing about outliers, it's that they barely last long enough if they're not careful.

So as I refocused again, I wondered just how far I could get… and I needed more time to plan my next move, as I definitely don't want to stay in the city forever.

But for now, I rested my head against the pillow and fell to sleep almost instantly, more content than I would care to admit.

At least that was until I saw the same draconic eyes from before staring at me.

"Oh, well, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon… You just couldn't stay away from dear old dad now, could you?"

If a dragon could smirk, he was definitely doing so.

As I sat up, I found myself in that same cave, but unlike before, I was in a more wisp-like form instead of having a physical body.

"That's because you're not really here, you see. Since you have become my son, we are bonded in a mental and spiritual way—at least in the beginning. You are essentially younger than even a babe. I wouldn't want my son off the leash just yet."

Ominous undertones aside, it does make sense.

He then lay down upon his pile of gold and asked, "So, how was your first day of new life?"

"Are you not in my mind? You already have the answer to this question."

Again, that smirk just appeared on his face.

"While I am tempted, I am not so careless as to read the minds and souls of family. I want to trust them—and you—more than that. And I also want your honest opinion, unaffected by the possibility of me reading your mind."

He then inched his head closer to me, waiting for my response.

Taking a breath, I spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"It was so quiet."

One of the dragon's eyebrows raised ever so slightly in curiosity.

"There was never a day where I didn't fall asleep to the sound of cars passing by or the crackling of garbage can fires. That and not having blankets doesn't exactly help going to sleep, especially during the winter. But in this one day, I fell asleep within seconds. I am honestly astonished. The world was so beautiful. The people… definitely less so."

The dragon snorted in amusement.

"I assume you haven't met any young masters yet. Trust me, once you meet one of them, you've met all of them."

"You sound as if you want me to just go out and start beating them up…"

He did what I assumed to be the closest thing to a shrug he could do in that form, but he didn't say no.

After a slight sigh of exasperation, we just stared at each other for a few moments before a voice that was definitely mine, but softer than I would've liked, said, "Thank you."

No words were said in response other than a simple, slight nod of his head and a small smile before he reared his head back.

"Now, with the mushy stuff out of the way, it's time that you receive your beginning test. I'm going to implant a technique in your mind. In the universe you are in, it will definitely be a great help, but I advise becoming a bit stronger in body and soul before using it or trying to comprehend it."

He then placed a singular tip of his claw on my head, and behind me, a silver pagoda appeared. As I was barraged by information, all I could wonder was that if this is a simple technique, how strong are the complex ones?

He then retracted his claw before touching my heart, as well as my stomach. A small light emanated from both places and, seemingly reacting to my heartbeat, I saw changes within my soul. Where once was a blank canvas of fiery red and white, there now was what seemingly looked like a small sphere, not too dissimilar to the green pearl, but this one felt more connected.

"I have now also gifted you the Nine Profound Exquisite Body—or, as I like to call it, the Profound Energy Reactor Physique—along with activating other aspects of the bloodline that I placed into you. In the world you are in, there are certain seeds that exist. If you are to devour them, you shall gain great power. In addition to control over various elements, you shall gain immunities to them as well."

However, before he could send more shocks down my spine as well as break my worldview even more, he picked me up in his claw. But instead of in a crushing manner, he more placed me in his palm.

"I have also given you a weapon and a set of armor connected to you. It shall grow with you, and with time, it shall become as invincible as the scales you shall soon wield. Also, I noticed that you were worried about going to the bathroom in that world, and I, being the ever-so-benevolent dragon, have also gifted you a personal dimensional estate that has a few decent upgrades."

He then waved his other clawed hand, and the vision of a seemingly small world not too dissimilar to the Profound Energy Reactor appeared. Yet this one was a lot more real, and inside was a mansion that looked bigger than anything I've ever seen.

"It's got the classic upgrades that all cultivators need, from modern amenities to a cultivation room, and best of all, an herb garden as well as a toilet. But soon enough, you won't even really need it. However, I don't want to make things too easy for you, so don't think you could just camp out in this pocket dimension. If you aren't actively working or cultivating, this dimension shall only be accessed when you need it. So if you go an entire 24 hours doing nothing, it will kick you out."

He then condensed the vision into a small smoky ball before placing it in my chest.

He then put me back down before laying down on his pile of gold.

"We shall meet again—maybe soon, or maybe not. Now that is all I have for now. Fare thee well, son."

And as he took a large breath and blew towards me, I was shunted out of the cavern, wondering if my sanity would survive more visits from my new father.

(Well that's another chapter and if anyone is confused, what our main characters father just did is begin to activate the main character's inheritances. If you require further details, do feel free to reference the build in the previous chapter. Also, I am beginning to plan out the next chapters for other various snippets so stay tuned.)