American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 191 New Profession and the Tragedy of Belial

Well known.

New Land of Light is already the registered company name of Mr. Ian in America.

America belongs to the DC universe.

Without even rounding, we can conclude that New Land of Light is a trademark name that Ian himself can use, and anyone else who wants to use it would be considered to be infringing on his rights.

"How dare they! Not only did they steal my new Land of Light title, but they also tried to take away my new title of King of Ultra. I think someone ate Zero's head crumble as a piece of cake."

"And then he got electrocuted by the Plasma Spark Tower, didn't he?" Ian could certainly recognize who the so-called King of Ultra Belial was; he was a major villain from the Ultra Universe.

Belial was originally an Ultra Warrior from the Land of Light, a comrade-in-arms of Father of Ultra, and even a rival for the position of captain of the Space Garrison.

He was corrupted by darkness because he longed to obtain the power of the legendary "Plasma Spark Tower" and attempted to forcibly seize it. After failing, he was defeated and banished by Father of Ultra.

This betrayal and exile fueled his resentment, leading him to be lured into darkness by certain forces, whereupon he became "King Belial," vowing revenge against the Land of Light and the entire universe.

Belial is the Reionics in Ultraman, and also the most unique among the Reionics. He is the strongest Reionics, ranking first in strength among all Reionics. Furthermore, due to the possession of the Reiblood alien, he possesses the power to control monsters and has the "most evil soul" in the universe.

He has brought immense disasters to various dimensional universes on numerous occasions, and is a being feared by the Ultra race. In terms of strength, he belongs to a powerful life form at least at the multiverse level.

Ultimate life form.

No one knows what exactly happened in the Ultra Universe, but Belial, carrying a fragment of the Ultra Universe, parasitized Black Adam and proclaimed himself the new leader of the Land of Light.

Yes.

Space debris.

It belongs to the category of those that have not been completely and utterly destroyed, like the fragments of the mutant universe that Ian integrated into an extra dimension, in which some of the original universe's life still remains.

However, due to their extremely low level of existence, most life forms in the universe are unaware of this, and they are also influenced by the owners of cosmic fragments.

This is similar to Franklin's mutant universe, where Franklin became the manager and controller of the fragments of the universe, allowing him to exert the influence he desired on the mutant universe.

This can be understood as a type of administrator privilege.

The same goes for Beria.

After gaining administrator privileges over this part of the Ultra Universe, he altered people's perceptions, making them admire, respect, and believe in him, and even established the hatching of monster eggs as a fundamental rule of the world.

After all, Belial was a Reionics. Humans or aliens who have acquired the genetic material of the ultimate life form Reibrad or have been influenced by its spirit are called Reionics.

This race can use the Battle Device to summon their own monsters, so Belial just likes to play with monsters and is one of the "divine monster trainers" in the Ultra Universe.

Everything connected in Ian's mind. However, this did not change the fact that Belial had misappropriated the name of the New Land of Light, which still made Ian feel extremely annoyed.

"Some people have lived for tens of thousands of years, can't they even use their rotten brains to come up with a name that doesn't steal other people's ideas and has their own style?"

"'Dark Kingdom,' 'Belial Empire,' 'Ultimate Dark Realm'...aren't these all better than being a pirate? Seriously, they have absolutely no sense of copyright! Thumbs down!"

Ian seemed to have forgotten that he was facing a dark demon god capable of destroying one universe after another, and loudly complained in a tone as if he were picking on fish at a market for not being fresh enough.

His sarcastic and completely off-topic remarks caused the condensed Belial phantom to pause noticeably. Those eyes, composed of pure dark will, seemed to flicker for a moment, revealing a hint of... disbelief and astonishment? Of course, after a brief moment of surprise, the Belial phantom focused even more intently on Ian.

Belial seemed to see through Ian’s outward childlike appearance.

I sensed something more fundamental at its core, an "anomaly" completely different from all life in this universe. It was a chaotic, undefinable quality, yet containing unimaginable potential.

Greed surged within the dark, illusory shadows.

"Heh... I almost misjudged him, an interesting little kid." Belial's voice was no longer just authoritative, but also carried an alluring quality, like discovering a rare treasure.

“You… are very special. Completely different from that ancient human who possessed power but was bound by an ancient curse. Your soul… shimmers with a chaotic light that pleases me.”

The phantom leaned slightly forward, creating a suffocating sense of oppression, but its tone was much "gentler".

"Come, lay down your ridiculous defenses. Accept my power, embrace this ultimate darkness! I will give you everything beyond your imagination—power, authority, eternal life... everything you desire will be within your grasp!" These dark kings' seductive tactics were, as always, the same old routine.

of course.

A normal person wouldn't fall for it.

That doesn't mean Ian won't take the bait.

Seeing that Belial seemed to have some ideas about him, Ian, who originally thought he would have to go through a lot of trouble, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a brilliant idea.

The Mads Performance Laws are activated!

Ian Oscar is online! The arrogant and sarcastic expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an extreme, innocent and naive charm.

"R-Really? Darkness... Uncle?"

Ian blinked his big eyes, which seemed to sparkle with countless [Ding Zhen] within them. His small mouth was slightly open, and he spoke in a tone that was both timid and full of curiosity.

"Can you really give me anything? I want... I want an endless supply of Skittles! And a game console that Dad will never take away! And... and a complete collection of jokes that will make Uncle Bruce laugh like a dog! Can I have any of these too?" Ian almost gave himself away, but thankfully his acting skills were more reliable than his voice, which had its own ideas.

The dark outline seemed to freeze for a moment. Skittles? A video game console? A collection of jokes? What on earth is this? Isn't this kid's "desire" a little too down-to-earth?
"Why not your mother, but some Uncle Bruce?" Belial's phantom sounded confused, suspecting that Ian came from a family unique to humans on Earth.

The kind where there are two male fathers.

"That's not important. What's important is, are you really like the genie in the fairy tale?" Ian's expression remained unchanged as he tilted his head, his tone full of innocence.

He finally became the very thing he hated most: a dead trap.

"The genie? The genie in your ridiculous human fairy tale, the so-called Aladdin's lamp?" Belial scoffed, sensing that Ian was acting strangely.

But Belial quickly came to understand this as the limitation of the cognition of lower beings. Once he accepted the power of darkness, these petty desires and disharmony would naturally be replaced by more "sublime" pursuits and wills. For the universe he controlled to continue to survive, it needed to parasitize influential figures in other universes.

Despite not knowing Ian.

Through his observations, Belial realized that Ian's influence was far greater than Black Adam's, which was why he wanted to find a new host.

"You're even more powerful than the genie?"

Ian made an extremely shocked face.

"Of course!"

Belial's voice was filled with an undeniable allure, automatically ignoring those childish desires: "These insignificant things are worthless before boundless power!"

"Accept me, and you will gain the power to rule the stars!" His tone was full of pride and arrogance, but this "big bad wolf" was still trying his best to disguise himself.

"Rule the stars?"

Ian continued to play the naive and innocent character, his little face scrunched up, seemingly trying very hard to understand.

"Like...like shooting stars like marbles? But if I break them, won't I have to pay a lot of money? I don't have enough pocket money..." Perhaps his acting was a bit over the top.

But who can blame them when they're fooling aliens from another universe?

"Are humans in this universe really so devoid of ambition?"

Belial felt a blockage in his dark core. He patiently explained, "No! It's not about being a marble, it's about making all the stars submit to your will!"

"Let the universe operate according to your rules!" Belial wasn't completely ignorant of humanity; he just didn't understand DC humans. He was quite certain that his "pie" represented the romance that all men craved most.

"My rules?"

Ian's eyes lit up, as if he had heard something interesting.

"Can I make it so that every day is Saturday? Can I make it so that spinach tastes the same as ice cream? Can I make it so that Uncle Bruce has to wear his My Little Pony pajamas and dance in the street every day?"

He still can't forget his Uncle Bruce.

"??????"

The fluctuations in Belial's phantom image intensified significantly.

It was a sign of intense restraint. He began to wonder if he had chosen the wrong target? But the boy's nature and potential truly made him envious.

"Forget about your damn Uncle Bruce! Yes! Anything is possible!" Belial promised through gritted teeth. "As long as you accept me, all of this... all of this is possible!"

He decided to lure him in first, and once he had completely controlled this perfect host, there would be plenty of time to slowly "correct" his strange thinking that placed too much importance on Uncle Bruce.

"Wow! Uncle Darkness, you're so nice! Much better than my dad who always makes me do homework! So... so what should I do?" Ian clapped his hands and smiled so brightly and innocently.

He looked just like a child who had received a New Year's gift.

"Good good!"

Belial was overjoyed!
The other party is indeed still a child; they took the bait so easily!

“It’s very simple, relax your mind and don’t resist…” Belial’s phantom emitted an even more intense dark energy, and his voice became deep and magnetic, almost hypnotic.

"Open your soul to welcome my arrival... Yes, that's it... Let us become one..." Belial discovered that Ian would be a genius.

Before he had even finished teaching, the other party had already learned to open their mind without any instruction. The Dark King had no doubts. The enormous phantom, which was condensed with the ultimate darkness and the will to destroy, descended from the depths of the universe like a ghost that had found a perfect host, with incomparable greed and impatience.

It pounced directly on Ian, who stood there seemingly unguarded, with an "innocent" look of anticipation! As Ian looked at the overwhelming darkness, his "innocent" smile instantly turned into a crazy, extremely excited grin. This is what a high-level hunter looks like.

This isn't acting anymore.

Ian's expression was full of genuine emotion.

"whee……"

Ian opened his arms wide to the overwhelming dark phantoms, his face beaming with an almost reverent "welcome," as if he were greeting a dear friend who had come from afar.

Or rather, it's a lavish gift.

Belial's dark phantom, without hesitation, surged into Ian's seemingly defenseless body like a black torrent bursting its banks, filled with a greedy and arrogant desire to devour everything!
this moment.

The process went surprisingly smoothly.

Dark energy surged in frantically, attempting to instantly corrupt, assimilate, and control this vessel with limitless potential. Belial could even foresee how, with this new body, he would reshape his glory in the outside universe. Ideas are always appealing, but Ian's chuckles soon faded.

Just as the last wisp of the phantom was about to disappear into Ian's body.

Belial's immense dark will trembled violently!
"Come on, Uncle Darkness! Let's become one!" Ian shouted in the most innocent tone, but his expression was slightly out of control due to his excitement.

Beria saw it.

The other person's eyes gleamed with a greedier and more chaotic light than his own!

The Lord of Darkness sensed something was wrong.

As it turned out, his premonition was correct.

Beria realized something was wrong.

But it's too late.

In the deepest recesses of consciousness, beneath that seemingly innocent facade, he did not see the panicked soul or the easily distorted will he had anticipated. What he saw... was a boundless, churning, chaotic sea of ​​countless disordered rules and unrealized possibilities!

Ian's once "innocent" expression had completely collapsed. His mouth was stretched into an inhuman arc, and the light flashing in his eyes was no longer innocent curiosity. It was a pure joy that was more primal and greedy than his darkness! Like an ancient being that had been starving for billions of years.

Finally, the delicious food had been delivered right to his doorstep! "No! You're not—" Belial's shocked and furious roar exploded in his consciousness, filled with unbelievable panic. He realized he might have made a cosmically grave mistake! This child wasn't a vessel of innocence at all, but something far more terrifying in human skin!

this moment.

Beria was terrified.

But it's already been sent, so it doesn't matter whether it's in a hurry or not.

Just as he was trying to break free from and escape this bizarre body, everything around him—the Japanese-style streets, the bustling crowds, the vast square, and even the statue of Belial—all the illusions constructed by his dark power and mental strength, burst like soap bubbles.

It was like a vortex stirred by an invisible force, beginning to twist, break, and collapse wildly! And at the center of the collapse was Ian's body, which seemed to have turned into a black hole!
"No! What kind of power is this?! Let me go!" Belial was horrified to discover that not only the part of his will that he had invaded, but even his essence hidden within Black Adam's body, which served as the source of his power, was being forcibly pulled by an irresistible and extremely tyrannical suction force, threatening to be swallowed up as well!

What terrified him even more was that, as the devouring continued, he felt his invincible dark power being rapidly analyzed, dismantled, and then incorporated into a cold and precise system that he could not comprehend at all. An unprecedented sense of constraint descended, as if his power had been put on reins.

He is being enslaved!
They were branded with the steel stamp of their souls!
The other party is not human—but a creator with his own universe! Now, that universe is absorbing everything about him, trying to turn him into a part of the other party's control!

"No!!!!!"

Belial, once again in this alternate universe, used his signature line from the Ultra Universe. At the same time, a system notification sounded deep within Ian's consciousness.

[Occupational data obtained.]

[Obtain dimensional data.]

[Entry of occupational characteristics in progress...]

[Dimensional data extraction in progress...]

[You have come into contact with an unknown extraordinary substance. A new job template has been unlocked. You can obtain a [modified] extraordinary job—[Lord of Embers]—by fulfilling certain conditions.]

Lord of Embers: You once illuminated the galaxy and witnessed the end of the universe. Your existence is both the dawn of civilization and the twilight of the old world.

Light should not be prayed for; it should only be harnessed. Unquenchable light and blazing ashes burn within you, indifferent to justice, good and evil, measuring the value of all things solely by the standard of light. O king of light and ashes, you will ultimately, in your utter destruction, reshape the eternal cosmic order!

Ian completely ignored the job prompt; his entire focus was on "tasting" this unprecedented dark energy, and a look of extreme satisfaction and gluttony appeared on his face.

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +1999]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +2001]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +2048]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Experience Points +2009]

……

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Level Up!]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Level Up!]

[Entropy Annihilation Lord Level Up!]

[You have arrived at—Lord of Entropy Lv29!]

Strength: 741-1458

[Physical fitness: 995-1666]

Intelligence: 72.4-73.4

[Spirit: 459-618]

The rapid rise in professional level is intoxicating.

Ian smacked his lips, still savoring the surge of new power coursing through his body. No wonder it's called a fragment of a universe; the Ultra Universe isn't exactly low-level.

This wave of "Grey Wolf" delivered right to my doorstep has truly brought Ian a great deal of benefits.

"It really is Belial, the Genie!"

Ian didn't claim to be Aladdin either. It's well known that in Middle Eastern and Islamic cultural traditions, the prophet Solomon was believed to possess the power to control spirits.

In many folk tales and legends, King Solomon used a magic ring or seal to command or imprison spirits. Therefore, it is highly likely that the genie in Aladdin's lamp was sealed inside by King Solomon.

Ian took on the role of King Solomon, who sealed Belial, the genie of the genie, into his own body. How can this not be considered another form of honesty?

[Dimensional data extracted and is being analyzed—current progress 5%. This data contains incomplete universal laws, which can help the host forge their own additional dimensions.]

Ian floated in Black Adam's consciousness space, which was now calm and only had a few dark ripples, feeling the surging new power within him and the fragments of the universe that had been forcibly "formatted".

I'm in such a good mood I want to dance on the spot.

New cosmic information is being integrated into his dimensional world, which will also allow Ian to gain more space to contain divine power. This wave has truly allowed him to enjoy a really good meal.

"Most importantly, with this fragment of the Ultra Universe, I will be the rightful heir to the New Land of Light, and no one will be able to find fault with me!" After happily envisioning the future, Ian immersed a part of his mind in his ever-expanding and evolving extra dimension.

His will, like that of God, overlooked this world that belonged to him. At the center of the dimension, the sun, formed from his divine power, warm but not scorching, oscillated steadily. Ian's gaze swept across the nascent continent below, a blend of various styles, and quickly locked onto a figure going mad.

Yes, Belial has already merged into it.

It was Beria who went mad.

At this moment, he was no longer the towering dark giant, but compressed into a natural size indistinguishable from an ordinary human. However, his grotesque exoskeleton, claw-like hands, and ferocious face still made him stand out among the "normal" citizens around him.

Like a character actor who wandered onto the wrong set.

"Damn it! Let me out! I am Belial! The ruler of darkness! You ants! How dare you imprison me!" Belial roared and howled on a street that looked like it belonged to medieval Gotham, trying to destroy the surrounding buildings with his dark energy, only to find that his power was like a stone sinking into the sea.

It couldn't even lift a car.

Yes.

A car – the quantifier is correct.

The pedestrians on the street seemed to be used to Belial's roars and strange appearance, at most just turning away from him with disdain, as if he were just a noisy vagrant.

Belial was completely enraged. He grabbed a middle-aged man in a trench coat carrying a briefcase who was passing by, pulled him up in front of him, and roared, his ferocious face almost touching the man's, "Why aren't you afraid of me?! Can't you see my power?! I am Belial!"

The captured NPC pushed up his glasses, looked him up and down, and showed an impatient expression of "here we go again" on his face. His tone was indifferent and even a little disgusted.

"Afraid of you? Why should I be afraid of you? I've seen uglier ones. You must have come from that new continent in the north, right? A hybrid of a troll and some kind of hellfire monster? Tsk, the policies there are more lenient, all sorts of weird mixed-race people flock to the main city... Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to discriminate against mixed-race people."

The passerby's words were like a sharp knife, precisely stabbing into Beria's proud pride.

"Bastard?! Half-breed?! I'll kill you!!" Belial was so angry that flames almost burst from his head, transforming him into the new-era Flame-Headed Captain.

He roared as he prepared to tear the other person apart with physical force.

However, just before he made his move, the surrounding scenery blurred and shifted instantly! When he came to his senses, he found himself no longer on the noisy street, but in a huge, quiet library filled with the atmosphere of books. Towering bookshelves reached to the ceiling, filled with books in various languages.

Not far away, at a reading table, sat a little boy, quietly engrossed in a thick book. The boy looked ordinary, but his eyes were unusually deep.

"What's going on?" Beria was stunned for a moment, then his anger surged again. Although he didn't understand what had happened, his intuition told him it must be related to this eerie place. He strode towards the boy, intending to use the child as a starting point to force him to reveal how to leave this cursed place.

"Hey! You little human! Where is this place? Do you know something?" Belial lowered his voice, trying to create a sense of oppression, while extending his still terrifying claws.

The little boy—Franklin Richards, the mutant cosmic god who Ian had "invited" to visit the dimension—slowly raised his head and glanced at Belial.

That calm look sent a shiver down Belial's spine.

"Your power is meaningless here." Franklin's voice was soft, but carried an undeniable certainty. "Shutting up and threatening are even less effective."

"What did you say?!" Belial felt like he was being driven mad by this pervasive sense of powerlessness. Franklin didn't answer, but simply stretched out his small hand, pointed to the top of Belial's head, and then to the top of his own. Belial instinctively looked up—there was nothing there.

But when he looked closely in the direction the boy pointed, he was stunned! At the very top of his field of vision, like a game interface, floated a line of clear words made of light.

Nine types of ordinary NPCs

Beria: "???"

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and when he looked again, the words were still there. He then looked sharply at the little boy Franklin opposite him, and saw that the same words were floating above the boy's head.

[Ordinary NPCs]

“What the hell is this?!”

Beria felt his understanding had been shaken like never before. Franklin produced a small mirror from somewhere and handed it to Beria.

Belial took the mirror and looked at himself in it with trembling hands—sure enough, above that hideous head, the words "[Nine Ordinary NPCs]" were firmly nailed there like a pillar of shame!

"Do not--!!!"

Belial let out a desperate roar; this was worse than death! He, the Dark God Belial, had actually become... some kind of NPC character?!

Or is it just the lowest level of "Nine Ordinary"?!

"This is the social system established by the 'One God whose name cannot be mentioned here'." Franklin closed the book, his tone still calm, as if explaining common sense. "Here, everyone has only one identity. Strive to level up, and perhaps one day you can upgrade from 'common' to 'rare,' or even 'epic.'"

Franklin stood up, walked up to the completely petrified and existentially questioning Belial, stood on tiptoe, and patted his shoulder covered by an exoskeleton.

The action looked somewhat comical.

"Keep it up," Franklin said, pulling out a thick book with square characters on the cover from somewhere and stuffing it into Beria's stiff hands.

Beria subconsciously looked down at the title of the book.

"To Live"

Franklin's last words came softly, carrying a hint of barely perceptible sympathy.

"From now on, this book will be... a 'feel-good' novel for you."

Done.

Franklin left.

Beria held the book "To Live".

He stood frozen, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning. The boy's words echoed in his ears, while his mind was filled with the glaring line of "Nine Ordinary NPCs" above his head.

The dignity of the Dark God shattered more completely than dust at this moment.

"Hmm, it seems Franklin is quite good at ideological work. Not bad, not bad. Give him some 'experience points' next time. The dimensional world needs a novice mentor."

Beyond dimensions.

Ian nodded in satisfaction.

Even when talking to himself, he uses the empty promise of "next time".

Can be imagined.

Franklin certainly had a keen eye for talent.

(End of this chapter)