The silence of the library was broken by the soft scratching of a pen moving across paper.
Mark Grayson leaned over his desk, his fountain pen gliding rapidly across the pages of his notebook.
Compared to the relaxed pace encouraged by most classrooms around him, Mark had pushed himself far harder.
Long before reaching high school, he had already begun studying university-level material.
Years of discipline had become second nature to him.
Unfortunately, that dedication often made him stand out.
“Hey, Omni-Man’s son.
Mark Grayson, right?”
A rough voice suddenly cut through the quiet library.
A tall, muscular student strode over, glaring at Mark with obvious disdain.
“Your dad spends his time flying around the world saving people, and you’re hiding in a library writing notes?”
“A guy should be out on the basketball court, not sitting here pretending to be some genius.”
The moment he spoke, nearly everyone in the library looked over.
Their expressions carried more fear than curiosity.
Was this guy insane?
He was picking a fight with Omni-Man’s son.
Anyone who knew Mark understood that, compared to his father, he often looked far less approachable.
Clearly, this student was a recent transfer who had no idea who he was dealing with.
Without hesitation, the student stepped forward and swung his elbow toward Mark’s shoulder, intending to teach the “nerd” a lesson.
Instead of striking flesh, a sharp pain exploded through his arm.
He looked down.
A silver fountain pen had pierced straight through his elbow.
The pen still trembled slightly from the force behind the throw.
“Today is my eighteenth birthday.”
Mark slowly raised his eyes.
There was no anger in them, only irritation at being interrupted.
“I have something important to confirm, and I need to finish it quickly.”
“So why did you choose now to bother me?”
The student stumbled backward, clutching his injured arm.
Mark stood.
Though his frame appeared slimmer, the power behind his movements was overwhelming.
His foot shot forward.
The kick slammed into the student’s abdomen and launched him across the floor.
The student crashed down hard.
Mark walked over calmly, pulled the pen from the injured elbow, and inspected it with visible displeasure.
“This is my favorite pen.”
“You should compensate me for damaging it.”
He lowered his foot onto the student’s shoulder and pinned him to the floor.
The impact echoed through the library.
The student cried out in pain, struggling helplessly beneath the pressure.
Mark’s expression remained unchanged.
Then he stopped.
He knew exactly how much strength he was using.
One more serious strike could easily kill the boy.
That would only complicate things.
A strange but powerful force was surging through his body.
It flowed through his muscles and veins like liquid fire.
Every bone felt stronger.
Every muscle seemed to be evolving.
Eighteen.
The age when a Viltrumite’s powers awakened.
It had finally happened.
Mark clenched his fist.
A crisp crack echoed from his knuckles.
Power far beyond human limits condensed within his grasp.
He was not originally from this world.
From the moment he had been born into the Grayson family, he had known exactly who his father was.
Omni-Man.
Nolan Grayson.
Earth’s greatest hero.
He had also known the truth.
This was the world of Invincible.
The public saw Omni-Man as a noble protector, but behind that image stood a Viltrumite warrior sent to prepare Earth for conquest.
Nolan’s mission had always been simple.
Destroy Earth’s strongest defenders.
Weaken the planet.
Prepare it for the arrival of the Viltrumite Empire.
Only his love for Debbie and Mark had delayed that mission.
And the turning point had always been Mark’s eighteenth birthday.
In the original timeline, Mark’s powers awakened while he was taking out the trash.
The activation of his Viltrumite genes meant one thing.
He would now live for centuries.
At that point, Nolan could no longer avoid his duty.
What followed was inevitable.
The murder of the Guardians of the Globe.
Nolan’s brutal attempt to force Mark into joining the Empire.
Their devastating battle.
And finally, Nolan abandoning Earth after his remaining humanity resurfaced.
Mark had known all of this since childhood.
Yet one question had always haunted him.
Was this truly the original universe?
After all, beings like Angstrom Levy existed.
Infinite parallel realities existed across the multiverse.
A version of Mark Grayson who never awakened his powers was entirely possible.
Because of that uncertainty, Mark had never relied on his Viltrumite heritage.
He studied relentlessly.
If he remained human, he would still become the best version of himself possible.
But now?
The burning strength coursing through his body was undeniable.
His powers had awakened.
He possessed genuine Viltrumite strength.
The same power capable of dominating Earth.
Mark looked at his hand.
A grin slowly appeared.
If I have power beyond Homelander’s, why am I still studying?
Who cares about exams now?
Homelander isn’t faster than me.
He definitely isn’t tougher than me.
Mark casually stuffed his books and notebook into his satchel.
For the first time in years, he felt completely free.
A burden that had followed him throughout his life suddenly vanished.
No more endless studying.
No more memorizing mountains of information.
The feeling was incredible.
He glanced out the library window.
Sunlight poured through the glass.
Yet a colder determination shone in his eyes.
Nolan’s plan was approaching.
The fall of the Guardians of the Globe was drawing near.
So what?
He wasn’t the original Mark.
He knew exactly what was coming.
No one was going to destroy his Earth.
Now that his Viltrumite powers had awakened, this world needed a different future.
Mark turned around.
Ignoring the injured student and the frightened stares surrounding him, he walked toward the exit.
Sunlight washed over him as he stepped outside.
His shadow stretched across the ground.
The power inside him continued to grow stronger.
There were more important things to focus on.
Then, without warning, a cold mechanical voice echoed through his mind.
[Detected host awakening pure-blood Viltrumite power.
Compatibility confirmed at 100%.
Multiverse Transmigration System successfully bound.]
[This system can assist the host in traveling across dimensional worlds throughout the multiverse.
With sufficient growth, the host can become the strongest being in the multiverse.]
[System startup reward: One free universe traversal opportunity unlocked.]
[All future traversals require system charging.
Charging speed is directly related to the host’s physical condition.]
[Based on the host’s current constitution, one traversal per year is available.]