Fortunately for Luke, his fears were quickly proven unfounded, at least on the surface. Doggo's appearance hadn't changed at all. No flames, no extra heads, no aura of demonic doom.
Just the same chubby husky as before. Or so it seemed.
But when Wanda scooped the dog up into her arms, Luke noticed something strange.
Doggo glanced back at him, and in that gaze was unmistakable resentment.
Clear, human-like resentment.
It wasn't just that the dog looked annoyed. No, the look was loaded with meaning, as if it were saying:
You left me behind. You ran.
Luke blinked, stunned. That was definitely not something a normal husky could express. And certainly not this dumb furball, who once got his head stuck in a cereal box for two hours.
'…Did the mutation give it intelligence?'
Before he could ponder it further, a chime suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding~ Congratulations! The host has reached the system's full activation conditions. The Infinite Mutation System is now officially bound!]
Luke froze, then grinned.
So it was real! The mysterious voice he'd occasionally heard wasn't just his imagination after all. He actually had a system!
As a transmigrator, this was practically a rite of passage.
He asked mentally, 'Infinite Mutation System, what exactly can you do?'
The voice replied immediately, calm and emotionless.
[The core function of the Infinite Mutation System is to randomly mutate objects and beings in the host's vicinity. The depth and power of mutations increase as the system's level rises.]
[To upgrade the system, the host must collect Plot Points by participating in major Marvel plotlines. The more significant the involvement, the more points awarded.]
[Mutations are triggered under specific conditions, often when the host is in danger or under stress. The closer the object is to the host, the more likely it is to mutate.]
Luke nodded slowly. It matched his observations so far.
Unlike the systems in most web novels from his past life, this one didn't let him choose what to mutate. It acted on its own, instantly, unpredictably.
All he could do was increase its level and hope for better results.
'Then what level are you at now?'
[Opening system panel...]
A glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes.
System Level: 1 (3 plot points required to reach Level 2)
Plot Points: 2 (Gained for participating in the Hulk vs. Abomination plot — partial credit awarded since Hulk did not appear.)
Mutation Probabilities: First-Order: 100%
Second-Order: 1% (triggers in extreme cases)
So that's how it worked.
Luke glanced down at Doggo again, and now a new floating text appeared above the husky's head:
Mutation Type: Cerberus (Three-Headed Hellhound)
Mutation Level: Second-Order
Status: Currently undergoing further mutation due to ingesting Hulk-blood-contaminated material. Results unpredictable.]
Luke's jaw dropped. Wait, HULK BLOOD?!
When did that happen?
Then again, during the fight, Abomination had been bleeding everywhere… and Doggo did chew on a chunk of something green before he transformed.
"Lucky dog," Luke muttered, both impressed and concerned.
He turned his gaze around the store, and now that the system was active, text labels floated over various objects.
[Name: Lucky Cat Statue
Mutation Type: Luck Enhancement
Mutation Type: Breathability
[Name: Wanda Maximoff
Mutation Type: Emotional Bond (Attachment to Luke)
Luke blinked. Wait. What?
He rubbed his eyes and stared again.
Yup. It was still there. Wanda had mutated.
'When the hell did that happen?!'
He didn't remember hearing a prompt for it. Was it triggered while he was asleep?
Then it hit him, Wanda's habit of sneaking into his room at night to cuddle when she couldn't sleep. She'd been doing it since they were kids.
'Ugh… this is gonna get awkward fast.'
Still, the mutation description didn't say anything dangerous. Just attachment. That could mean anything, emotional reliance, trust, or…
He slammed the mental brakes hard.
Right now, he needed to focus on understanding how the system worked, how to gather more plot points, and most importantly, how to keep Wanda safe.
Because one thing was becoming painfully clear:
This grocery store… was about to become the eye of the storm after the recent events.