Marvel: Neo Journey

Neo is at home right now, with only one thought running through his mind: "HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO BEAT THE KINGPIN?"

The real problem with the Kingpin isn't the man himself, but his damn army of goons—who might even include cursed energy users. So yeah, he's completely screwed trying to pull off this mission.

For the first time, he's facing a task so dangerous that he isn't even sure it's possible to complete.

He doesn't even have half of Sukuna's fusion, and the damn system expects him to take on a whole damn legion of enemies?

No. Absolutely not. Neo will never let that happen. He has his own subordinates, and he's going to use them to help him achieve his goals.

But… if you take a good look at Neo's subordinates, they're… a bunch of incompetents.

Neo knows this. And honestly, it's not really their fault—they've never actually trained a day in their lives. Well, except for Adrian, but even he doesn't count as properly trained in this case.

Adrian isn't considered trained because he was prepared to fight normal humans or mutants, not curses or sorcerers.

Carina isn't a major issue—she knows how to fight and use her powers fairly well. However, she's completely useless against curses if she ever runs into one on her own.

Alex, on the other hand, is a huge problem. His physique is, frankly, garbage—almost as bad as someone who's been bedridden for five years. His body is in such terrible shape that Neo has no clue how to even start fixing it.

Neo sighs as he looks at Adrian, Carina, and Alex, who are sitting in front of him, while he sits cross-legged on a cushion, Urahara-style.

Carina is happy to be close to Neo but worried about the serious expression on his face.

Alex is panicking, convinced that he did something wrong and that Neo is about to replace him with that damn busty woman he hired—Natasha.

Adrian doesn't seem to care much, but he's secretly sweating at the thought of getting kicked out for not bringing in any money.

After a few seconds, Neo finally speaks.

Neo: You guys are too weak.

The room freezes.

Alex starts panicking even harder, convinced he's getting replaced. Carina's eyes go blank. Adrian, despite his usual attitude, starts sweating even more.

Neo wants to laugh at their reactions, but he holds back and continues.

Neo: That's why I'm going to train you all after school.

Everyone is stunned—especially Adrian, who has trained his whole life to fight. And now Neo is telling him he still needs more training?

Just as Adrian is about to complain, Neo cuts him off.

Neo: Before any of you say anything, think about all the fights you've had recently and ask yourselves—how many did you actually win?

The moment Neo says this, Adrian remembers how that giant skeleton beat the hell out of him. He didn't even get the chance to fight back. Clenching his fists, he stays quiet, pissed that Neo is right.

Carina looks down at her own hands, realizing just how weak she truly is. She hasn't been able to help Neo at all so far—she needs this training.

Alex thinks back and realizes that, out of everyone, he's the only one who hasn't contributed anything. If anything, he's been more of a burden than an actual subordinate.

Seeing that they all silently agree, Neo looks at them and speaks.

Neo: While I'm at school, you'll follow a strict training regimen that I'll assign. And if, at any point, you feel like the training isn't pushing you hard enough…

Hearing this, everyone suddenly gets excited at the thought of getting stronger.

Neo watches their hopeful expressions—then grins.

Instantly, all of them lose their enthusiasm.

Neo: Alex, you're going to train your body nonstop until I get home. You'll ask Adrian for advice. Speaking of Adrian, you'll also be training your body—but with a minimum of 200kg in weights.

Neo then looks at Carina, who still seems eager, and speaks.

Neo: You'll be using this to enhance your skills.

He hands her a pair of batons, similar to Daredevil's.

Neo: I want you to train with these until Adrian approves of your technique. Once you reach that level, you'll continue training—but this time, I want you to channel your electricity through them while fighting.

Hearing this, Alex salutes, Adrian simply nods, and Carina gives a thumbs-up with a smile.

Seeing that everyone is ready, Neo gets up and speaks.

Neo: Training starts tomorrow. Go get some sleep.

He heads to his room, already thinking about how to train them—only to end up falling asleep in the process.

The Next Day

Neo wakes up with a slight headache, but as he gets up, he nearly jumps in shock.

Right in front of his bed, Alex stands at attention, saluting like a statue.

Seeing this, Neo starts to wonder if not cutting this weirdo down the moment they first met was the biggest mistake of his life.

But he quickly recovers from his shock and, already annoyed, asks Alex:

Neo: What the hell are you doing, Alex?

Alex, hearing this, responds almost instantly, his speed a little unsettling.

Alex: I've been waiting for you to start my training, sir!

Hearing that, Neo facepalms, already fed up, but then a sudden idea makes him smirk.

Neo: Since you're so eager to start, how about running around the block a hundred times?

Alex remains still, unfazed—until the next words leave him wide-eyed.

Neo: While carrying Brownie the entire way.

Alex almost wants to protest against his master's command but remembers just how useless he's been. So, without another word, he turns toward Brownie, who is lazily sleeping on a bed Neo made for him, and starts lifting him.

Brownie wakes up with a start, looking at Alex in confusion—until Neo speaks to him.

Neo: Brownie, this is part of his training, so don't worry about it. Just think of it as a special walk.

Brownie, who was about to complain, immediately goes silent and lets Alex lift him. Even though he's shaking and sweating profusely, Alex begins his lap around the block, carrying a giant leopard on his back.

Watching Alex leave, Adrian realizes it's now his turn. As Neo steps out of his room, Adrian stands before him and asks:

Adrian: So, boss, how am I supposed to train?

Neo looks at Adrian, tosses him a credit card, and says:

Neo: Go buy your gear. We don't have anything in this place.

drian is stunned by the fact that he has to buy his own training equipment. He looks at Neo with an incredulous expression but soon gives up on trying to understand this kid.

With a sigh, Adrian simply grabs the card and heads out to buy the necessary gear, while Carina stares at Neo, clear excitement on her face.

Seeing her standing there, Neo sighs and speaks.

Neo: Carina, the most important part of your training is learning how to fight while keeping your batons electrified the entire time.

Hearing this, Carina looks at Neo, her mind racing. How the hell is she supposed to do that? She's never trained her powers before—she's only ever been used as a battery.

Seeing her deep in thought, Neo reassures her.

Neo: Don't worry, Carina. I don't expect you to master this in two days. Take your time. Besides, why not focus on refining your fighting style first?

Carina's mood lifts slightly at that. She grabs the batons and heads to the backyard to start training.

Seeing that everyone is off to train, Neo begins getting ready for school.

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Gwen was on her way to school. Since she lived about fifteen minutes away, she usually walked alone.

It was just another normal morning—until, just five blocks from school, she suddenly heard something.

???: H-h-hel… help…

A weak cry for help echoed from a nearby alley, sending a chill down Gwen's spine. She froze for a moment, fear gripping her, but concern quickly took over.

Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly stepped into the dark alley, moving cautiously toward the voice.

What she found at the end of that alley was something she never wished to see.

A woman's body—brutally torn in half.

The sheer violence of the scene made Gwen stumble as she instinctively tried to back away, her foot catching on uneven pavement.

As she hit the ground, she got a clear view of the one responsible.

A grotesque creature, like a hairless rat, stood hunched over, gnawing on the woman's severed leg. Its sharp teeth glistened with blood, and its oversized ears twitched as it sensed Gwen's presence.

The monster dropped the body and turned to her, a twisted grin spreading across its face.

Tears welled up in Gwen's eyes as sheer terror took hold of her. But then—pure adrenaline surged through her system.

She scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward the alley's exit.

As she ran, another voice reached her ears.

???: H-Help…

Without thinking, she turned her head toward the sound—only to freeze in horror.

The voice repeated. Again. And again. Over and over, like a broken record.

And it was coming from the monster's mouth.

Gwen's eyes widened in shock as realization hit her.

The creature's grin stretched even wider, its grotesque satisfaction evident in her reaction.

Panicked, Gwen turned back and tried to escape.

But before she could take another step, the monster hurled a trash can straight at her.

The impact sent her crashing to the ground.

Dazed, she shoved the garbage off herself and looked up—only to see the creature barreling toward her at terrifying speed.

Her instincts kicked in, and she pushed herself up, running as fast as her legs would allow.

She almost made it.

But just as she was about to reach the street—

The pavement beneath her transformed.

A massive mouth, lined with countless razor-sharp teeth, opened beneath her feet and clamped down on her leg.

A searing pain shot through her body as the fangs dug deep.

And then, suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind.

A friend of hers once said:

"Curses can do all sorts of things. Some even have unique abilities beyond anything we know."

With those words ringing in her head, Gwen, in a desperate cry before the teeth could sever her limb, shouted:

Gwen: CURSE!
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Sorry for the delay in posting another chapter—I ended up getting sick and I'm still stuck in bed. Writing is a bit difficult right now, but other than that, I'm doing okay.

If you're not enjoying the story, or if you have any questions, criticisms, or suggestions, feel free to send them my way—I always read everything!