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chapter 178 part 1
Chapter 3: The Dark Knight, but He's Eating a Boxed Meal
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
My name is Orin Vale. I'm 5300 years old. Unmarried. I'm an intern at the Land of Light Science and Technology Bureau, and I never work overtime, always heading home on time. I make sure to take a Plasma Bath before bed and never leave fatigue or stress for the next day. The Silver Cross Army all say I'm quite normal.
“.”
Yes, that's right. Orin Vale was a Transmigrator, and also an unremarkable young Ultraman from the Land of Light, a mere five thousand-odd years old.
Of course, it wasn't like this from the beginning. He was originally an ordinary Chinese student, but one day he blinked, and a lifetime passed just like that.
He had transmigrated.
However, his rebirth that time was quite lucky. Compared to the disastrous starts of various protagonists in web novels, his was a total Lucky Emperor run. He landed directly in the renowned Land of Light, born into the Ultraman Race, a species at the apex of the Universe, a God-like race from fantasy.
When Orin Vale landed from his transmigration, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Never have I had such a wonderful start." If he hadn't considered the Ultraman Race's peculiar weakness, he might have popped the champagne at halftime.
As the saying goes, the ultimate career is a civil servant. Born directly into the cosmic civil service with a secured position, Orin Vale originally thought he had landed an Iron Rice Bowl and would from then on walk the comfortable path of Immortality, laying low in the Land of Light.
He studied at the Ultra Academy, graduated at the top of his class with outstanding results, and was assigned to an internship at the Land of Light Science and Technology Bureau, where he aimed to secure a permanent position.
Yes, that's right. Although his graduation results were excellent and he had even received a Recommendation Letter to join the Space Garrison, which was at the pinnacle of the Land of Light, he refused it, ultimately choosing to join the Technology Bureau.
It wasn't that he was genuinely more interested in Science than in cultivating and strengthening himself. It was because joining the Space Garrison meant putting his life on the line at the front.
Even the Big Shots of the Space Garrison in the TV series, who had plot armor, had died two or three times each on average. Although Orin Vale was an outstanding graduate, in an Ultraman TV show, he'd just be a Background Character in a group fight. Without that plot armor, who knew which Mission he might not return from.
Longevity was one of the greatest advantages of the Ultraman Race. Since he was reborn as a member of a long-lived species, he naturally had to maximize this advantage. In any case, his goal was to level up in the Base while researching Black Technology, occasionally taking on simple missions on nearby planets within his capabilities to grind some Experience, and only emerge once he hit Max Level.
His life should have proceeded step-by-step toward its peak, but Destiny played a huge joke on him. He had freaking transmigrated yet again, and again, and again.
This time, it was a Laboratory accident. The great Scientist, Senior Hikari, who was well-known in the Science Technology Bureau for feeling blue all over if he didn't court death for a day, had newly developed a Hyperspace Bracelet. According to the original plan, it would allow the Ultraman Warrior who possessed it to gain the ability of free spatial travel.
The process wasn't important. In short, the bracelet was busted, the Laboratory exploded, and an intern Ultraman (nickname for MC) who happened to be passing by was sucked into a Vortex along with the bracelet. When he came out, he was completely dumbfounded to find he had transmigrated.
This time, after landing, he discovered with even more misfortune that his landing spot seemed to be the goddamn DC Universe.
What kind of place was the DC Universe?
It was a place where God-like Beings literally roamed everywhere, where Mutants who could shatter planets with a single punch were not in short supply, and where there was a whole slew of Destroyers who could annihilate the myriad worlds of the Multiverse.
Putting aside everything else, just look at the resident Superhero on Earth, the signboard character of the DC Universe, Superman. When he unleashes his power-ups, there's no logic to it.
And he, Orin, was just an Ordinary Ultraman.
One must know that even among the Ultraman Race, the individual Strength gap was enormous. The Ultra Brothers, who were most commonly seen on screen in the Space Garrison, were all Top Tier Experts. The gap between them and an Ordinary Ultraman was roughly equivalent to that between a high school student and an academician with a mountain of top-journal publications.
The Big Shots above could perform a Planet Burst like it was child's play, but he currently lacked such an ability.
As their Blue-skinned Director at the Technology Bureau often said, we're just scientists; we don't have their kind of Strength.
In any case, for the time being, he relied on his Racial Talent of Transformation to take on a Human form and quietly blend in. And although he could now change into any appearance, he still chose to revert to his appearance from before he transmigrated.
At most, he had made some minor adjustments based on beautification standards, becoming a little bit more handsome.
He didn't know whether to count it as fortunate, but he at least still had this Hikari-brand Bracelet.
Who was Hikari?
The chief Scientist of the Land of Light, the ultimate Source of ninety percent of the Ultra Race's Black Technology, who could hand-craft a plethora of heaven-defying, world-ending Equipment. You could distrust Hikari's Security measures, but you could never doubt the Power-ups he produced.
As everyone knew, all of the Ultra Race's technology was built upon an Energy Foundation known as "Light." This Light was energy in the physical sense, yet it wasn't entirely so. It existed in a subtle zone between materialism and idealism, leaning just a tiny bit more toward the idealistic side.
Therefore, when the great Scientist Hikari was designing it, he incorporated the idealistic technological Philosophy of the Ultra Race, allowing the Bracelet to be charged through idealistic Light. It felt a bit like piggybacking on someone's Wi-Fi hotspot, using the Light from an entire region to supply power.
However, as luck would have it, Orin Vale landed in the DC World. And it was at a point in time before the Justice League had appeared.
At this stage on Earth, the Crime Rate Curve in various places was taking off like Popeye after eating Spinach, with everyone seemingly scrambling to win the "rotting championship." Given the current state of this World, forget the Bracelet; even if Senior Tiga himself came, he'd probably just throw up his hands and say, "Just brew it all into soup. It's hopeless. I'm out."
Okay, that was just an expression. That's not what they taught in the School in the Land of Light.
At least when Orin Vale was in class, all the teachers said this—
—In a place without Light, we shall become the one and only Light.
So for Orin Vale, this was like having a built-in System Cheat. Anything that caused an Organism to produce positive emotions like joy, gratitude, enthusiasm, and positivity would directly feed back as his Experience Points.
Alternatively, directly eliminating a powerful Source of Darkness, an existence embodying great Sin and Darkness, could achieve a similar effect.
The equivalent exchange was basically that killing monsters let you Level Up, and stronger monsters gave more Experience.
A day ago, he saw the Giant Starfish that had fallen from the sky in the mountains on the TV news. From outside the cordon, a Reporter captured footage of the dozens-of-meters-tall extraterrestrial Giant Beast, as well as scenes of an unknown organization engaging it in a firefight.
That instantly triggered Orin Vale's long-sealed comic book Memory.
Isn't this thing that one guy?
Starro?
Starro, the iconic DC Villain with the appearance of a Giant Starfish, a cosmic Monster drifting through Interstellar Space, was the enemy the Justice League fought when they first assembled in the history of the Comics. He made a live-action appearance in *Task Force X 2*.
The movie version of Starro had his origins and abilities adapted to match the Power Level of the protagonist team, so he appeared weaker than in the Original Work. In the end, he was taken down by a dense swarm of rats that covered the city.
The version from the Original Work was a bit stronger, but only to a limited extent. Its main Threat was its Facehugger-style parasitic Mind Control ability. In terms of head-on Combat Power, most of the founding members of the Justice League could take it down single-handedly.
And regardless of which version's setting, Starro's Threat Level to the current Orin Vale was not high. It would most likely be a matter of one Specium Ray.
Thinking about it, that moving thing in the news wasn't a cosmic Monster at all, was it? It was practically a starfish-shaped, self-propelled experience pack!
Furthermore, Orin Vale knew that if this thing was dealt with even a little too slowly, the consequences would be unimaginable once its Brainwashing Facehuggers spread.
Of course, that didn't matter anymore.
Chapter 3: The Dark Knight, but He's Eating a Boxed Meal
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
My name is Orin Vale. I'm 5300 years old. Unmarried. I'm an intern at the Land of Light Science and Technology Bureau, and I never work overtime, always heading home on time. I make sure to take a Plasma Bath before bed and never leave fatigue or stress for the next day. The Silver Cross Army all say I'm quite normal.
“.”
Yes, that's right. Orin Vale was a Transmigrator, and also an unremarkable young Ultraman from the Land of Light, a mere five thousand-odd years old.
Of course, it wasn't like this from the beginning. He was originally an ordinary Chinese student, but one day he blinked, and a lifetime passed just like that.
He had transmigrated.
However, his rebirth that time was quite lucky. Compared to the disastrous starts of various protagonists in web novels, his was a total Lucky Emperor run. He landed directly in the renowned Land of Light, born into the Ultraman Race, a species at the apex of the Universe, a God-like race from fantasy.
When Orin Vale landed from his transmigration, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Never have I had such a wonderful start." If he hadn't considered the Ultraman Race's peculiar weakness, he might have popped the champagne at halftime.
As the saying goes, the ultimate career is a civil servant. Born directly into the cosmic civil service with a secured position, Orin Vale originally thought he had landed an Iron Rice Bowl and would from then on walk the comfortable path of Immortality, laying low in the Land of Light.
He studied at the Ultra Academy, graduated at the top of his class with outstanding results, and was assigned to an internship at the Land of Light Science and Technology Bureau, where he aimed to secure a permanent position.
Yes, that's right. Although his graduation results were excellent and he had even received a Recommendation Letter to join the Space Garrison, which was at the pinnacle of the Land of Light, he refused it, ultimately choosing to join the Technology Bureau.
It wasn't that he was genuinely more interested in Science than in cultivating and strengthening himself. It was because joining the Space Garrison meant putting his life on the line at the front.
Even the Big Shots of the Space Garrison in the TV series, who had plot armor, had died two or three times each on average. Although Orin Vale was an outstanding graduate, in an Ultraman TV show, he'd just be a Background Character in a group fight. Without that plot armor, who knew which Mission he might not return from.
Longevity was one of the greatest advantages of the Ultraman Race. Since he was reborn as a member of a long-lived species, he naturally had to maximize this advantage. In any case, his goal was to level up in the Base while researching Black Technology, occasionally taking on simple missions on nearby planets within his capabilities to grind some Experience, and only emerge once he hit Max Level.
His life should have proceeded step-by-step toward its peak, but Destiny played a huge joke on him. He had freaking transmigrated yet again, and again, and again.
This time, it was a Laboratory accident. The great Scientist, Senior Hikari, who was well-known in the Science Technology Bureau for feeling blue all over if he didn't court death for a day, had newly developed a Hyperspace Bracelet. According to the original plan, it would allow the Ultraman Warrior who possessed it to gain the ability of free spatial travel.
The process wasn't important. In short, the bracelet was busted, the Laboratory exploded, and an intern Ultraman (nickname for MC) who happened to be passing by was sucked into a Vortex along with the bracelet. When he came out, he was completely dumbfounded to find he had transmigrated.
This time, after landing, he discovered with even more misfortune that his landing spot seemed to be the goddamn DC Universe.
What kind of place was the DC Universe?
It was a place where God-like Beings literally roamed everywhere, where Mutants who could shatter planets with a single punch were not in short supply, and where there was a whole slew of Destroyers who could annihilate the myriad worlds of the Multiverse.
Putting aside everything else, just look at the resident Superhero on Earth, the signboard character of the DC Universe, Superman. When he unleashes his power-ups, there's no logic to it.
And he, Orin, was just an Ordinary Ultraman.
One must know that even among the Ultraman Race, the individual Strength gap was enormous. The Ultra Brothers, who were most commonly seen on screen in the Space Garrison, were all Top Tier Experts. The gap between them and an Ordinary Ultraman was roughly equivalent to that between a high school student and an academician with a mountain of top-journal publications.
The Big Shots above could perform a Planet Burst like it was child's play, but he currently lacked such an ability.
As their Blue-skinned Director at the Technology Bureau often said, we're just scientists; we don't have their kind of Strength.
In any case, for the time being, he relied on his Racial Talent of Transformation to take on a Human form and quietly blend in. And although he could now change into any appearance, he still chose to revert to his appearance from before he transmigrated.
At most, he had made some minor adjustments based on beautification standards, becoming a little bit more handsome.
He didn't know whether to count it as fortunate, but he at least still had this Hikari-brand Bracelet.
Who was Hikari?
The chief Scientist of the Land of Light, the ultimate Source of ninety percent of the Ultra Race's Black Technology, who could hand-craft a plethora of heaven-defying, world-ending Equipment. You could distrust Hikari's Security measures, but you could never doubt the Power-ups he produced.
As everyone knew, all of the Ultra Race's technology was built upon an Energy Foundation known as "Light." This Light was energy in the physical sense, yet it wasn't entirely so. It existed in a subtle zone between materialism and idealism, leaning just a tiny bit more toward the idealistic side.
Therefore, when the great Scientist Hikari was designing it, he incorporated the idealistic technological Philosophy of the Ultra Race, allowing the Bracelet to be charged through idealistic Light. It felt a bit like piggybacking on someone's Wi-Fi hotspot, using the Light from an entire region to supply power.
However, as luck would have it, Orin Vale landed in the DC World. And it was at a point in time before the Justice League had appeared.
At this stage on Earth, the Crime Rate Curve in various places was taking off like Popeye after eating Spinach, with everyone seemingly scrambling to win the "rotting championship." Given the current state of this World, forget the Bracelet; even if Senior Tiga himself came, he'd probably just throw up his hands and say, "Just brew it all into soup. It's hopeless. I'm out."
Okay, that was just an expression. That's not what they taught in the School in the Land of Light.
At least when Orin Vale was in class, all the teachers said this—
—In a place without Light, we shall become the one and only Light.
So for Orin Vale, this was like having a built-in System Cheat. Anything that caused an Organism to produce positive emotions like joy, gratitude, enthusiasm, and positivity would directly feed back as his Experience Points.
Alternatively, directly eliminating a powerful Source of Darkness, an existence embodying great Sin and Darkness, could achieve a similar effect.
The equivalent exchange was basically that killing monsters let you Level Up, and stronger monsters gave more Experience.
A day ago, he saw the Giant Starfish that had fallen from the sky in the mountains on the TV news. From outside the cordon, a Reporter captured footage of the dozens-of-meters-tall extraterrestrial Giant Beast, as well as scenes of an unknown organization engaging it in a firefight.
That instantly triggered Orin Vale's long-sealed comic book Memory.
Isn't this thing that one guy?
Starro?
Starro, the iconic DC Villain with the appearance of a Giant Starfish, a cosmic Monster drifting through Interstellar Space, was the enemy the Justice League fought when they first assembled in the history of the Comics. He made a live-action appearance in *Task Force X 2*.
The movie version of Starro had his origins and abilities adapted to match the Power Level of the protagonist team, so he appeared weaker than in the Original Work. In the end, he was taken down by a dense swarm of rats that covered the city.
The version from the Original Work was a bit stronger, but only to a limited extent. Its main Threat was its Facehugger-style parasitic Mind Control ability. In terms of head-on Combat Power, most of the founding members of the Justice League could take it down single-handedly.
And regardless of which version's setting, Starro's Threat Level to the current Orin Vale was not high. It would most likely be a matter of one Specium Ray.
Thinking about it, that moving thing in the news wasn't a cosmic Monster at all, was it? It was practically a starfish-shaped, self-propelled experience pack!
Furthermore, Orin Vale knew that if this thing was dealt with even a little too slowly, the consequences would be unimaginable once its Brainwashing Facehuggers spread.
Of course, that didn't matter anymore.
