Ch.363S++

Of course I thought there would be a rank after S+.

Because if we’re just talking about records.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

Because I haven’t yet hit Hollywood’s all-time movie rankings TOP 1 and 2.

Something that S+ isn’t enough for.

‘Avatar and Endgame.’

I thought I couldn’t surpass those two in terms of box office yet.

But with this, I could guess I’d at least surpassed Endgame.

‘It must be the effect of people seeing Arcborn as the perfect successor to Iron Man.’

Legitimacy.

A flawless sequel.

That’s a rare setting these days.

‘Are Marvel fans who had turned away coming back to watch Arcborn 2 after seeing Arcborn 1? Along with new viewers?’

The advantage of a series is that people are more likely to watch the next connected work.

Even if it’s a terrible failure.

A failure that continues a series has a better chance of success than just a standalone failure.

Anyway.

‘So does this mean there’s an S+++ and such?’

While confirming the already guaranteed success with my own eyes, I once again pondered about rankings.

The format of continuously adding pluses doesn’t seem to make sense.

It seems like the S rank will end here.

‘After S++, is it SS? Or maybe EX?’

Does that mean I could aim for first place too?

With such happy thoughts.

“Then I’ll read it right now.”

“Oh! Donghu Kim! I’m so moved!”

After giving an appropriate response to Director Zenker.

‘Immersion.’

I immediately entered the script.

+++++

‘Huh?’

The first thing I noticed upon entering the script was that what I was seeing was completely different from my previous view.

Before, I clearly became the protagonist directly and shared their vision and experience.

But now, how should I put it?

‘Like watching a movie in a theater?’

Indeed.

Thud.

With that sound, I suddenly found myself sitting in a chair.

In front of me, a large screen slowly lit up.

And before the lights fully came on, I heard.

Howwow.

A strange interjection.

A somewhat raspy voice that seemed to scratch the throat.

‘That symbiote from the post-credits scene?’

That thought was brief.

Bam! Bam! Babam! Bam!

The all-too-familiar Marvel intro filled the screen.

But there was one difference.

Wriggle wriggle wriggle.

‘Huh?’

Originally, comic scenes and various screen shots should appear.

Those should stack up and end with the Marvel spelling.

But a symbiote was constantly moving through those comic scenes and screen shots.

As if trying to show that the symbiote had moved through multiple worlds due to the multiverse setting.

True to the intention, the symbiote’s tentacles kept traveling across the screen.

Finally.

Swoosh!

I, no.

The tentacle slipped into the world of <Arcborn>.

Whoosh!

And at that moment, everything around changed.

Suddenly, just like when I used to immerse myself before.

I existed in the script from EJ’s perspective.

“EJ! What’s wrong, are you sick? Not feeling well? Should we skip today’s operation?”

“Uh, um… no, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

As Hali spoke, the script’s dialogue popped out as if it had been waiting.

EJ looked around.

‘What was that just now?’

It felt like I’d seen something intense.

An inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

I wondered if there really was something wrong with my body, but.

-Body scan results show no abnormalities.

-Detailed examination requires additional updates.

“…”

The AI built into the Arcborn suit kindly informed me of my current physical condition.

Even pressuring me to update.

‘It really is like a human.’

The reference material about the suit and AI received from Morgan.

It showed exactly how powerful Stark was.

And made me realize the truth that knowing something and implementing it are completely different things.

“…Whether it’s AI development or suit development… nothing is easy.”

“In the end, it’s all about money.”

“That, and the suit’s durability is too low. I wish there was something new.”

On the way to the operation.

EJ discussed future directions with Hali.

It was good to have imprinted the existence of the hero ‘Arcborn’ on people.

But unfortunately, that imprint alone wasn’t enough to sustain vigilante activities.

Of course, Morgan had promised some support because she viewed Arcborn favorably.

But that wasn’t a sustainable model, so it was hard to be completely happy about it.

“I wish vibranium would fall from the sky or something.”

“I wish there was a serum too, like… what was it? Purple Heart? I heard that’s good.”

“Yeah, we need something like that for a commoner to live as a hero…”

The usual complaints.

But it couldn’t be helped.

“Maintaining a lab! Developing suits! It all comes down to money! If we had money, we could at least save time!”

We weren’t receiving government support.

Couldn’t receive it, and couldn’t even run fundraisers.

So there was nothing to do but vent frustration into the void.

Then.

As we approached the operation area, we fell silent as agreed.

Now that we were in a life-or-death zone, there was no time for chatter.

Hali headed to the backup location as always.

Thud!

EJ secretly took out the suit hidden in an immigration carrier and guitar case.

Click.

Click.

As soon as the familiar metallic sound that was now familiar to the ear was heard.

Recognizing that all parts were perfectly worn.

Thud!

EJ immediately entered the building.

-Rumor has it there’s a hidden floor in the underground parking lot elevator. They say illegal human experiments are being conducted there.

The basement of what was known as an abandoned building.

Unknown which company it was, but illegal human experiments in this day and age.

‘Do they think that makes sense?’

Had they let their guard down because it was an abandoned building?

The security forces were fewer than expected.

Two at the entrance.

Five guarding the underground parking lot elevator.

Seven internal patrol personnel.

Fourteen in total.

It sounds like a lot when listed like this.

But since they were monitoring the entire abandoned building including the underground parking lot.

If only the radio was broken.

Crackle!

“Huh? What’s this, is the radio broken?”

“Can you hear me? Alpha here. Alpha here, any team respond.”

They were too far apart to contact each other.

After cleanly knocking out exactly two of the fourteen who were guarding the elevator door.

EJ headed to the hidden floor without being detected.

The fact that it was hidden was actually quite laughable.

You just needed to insert a key and it would take you there automatically.

‘It’s like hiding house keys in an apartment fire hydrant.’

Or under the doormat.

Anyway.

Ding!

With a cheerful sound, the door to the hidden floor opened.

As soon as EJ saw it.

“Call the police right away, Hali.”

His expression immediately hardened.

The strong smell of blood.

With evidence of crime that needed no situation assessment.

EJ moved immediately.

Thud!

If there was anything learned from the previous battle with Maderus.

It was that the suit needed to be sturdy first and foremost.

Being sturdy and light enough to fly would be ideal.

But of course, at this stage, it was impossible to have all three.

So for now, sturdiness and flight were prioritized.

‘Though it’s more like high jumping than flying now.’

But there was no need to fly inside a building like this.

So just being brutally sturdy was helpful.

Indeed.

“Who the hell are you!”

Ting-tidididing!

Bullets hitting the entire body were now laughable.

Of course, there was the minor issue of the impact being transmitted directly to the body.

But even so, this was more than enough to be grateful for.

“Arcborn.”

Having been asked who I was, I answered.

EJ immediately scattered shock buttons around to subdue the situation.

Crackle!

Nothing beats electricity for subduing people.

Researchers and the guards protecting them.

Before electricity, they were just weaklings who convulsed and fainted.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Please save us! They deceived us saying it was a clinical trial job!”

“I don’t know how many have died! Please get us out!”

And the cries of victims who belatedly came to their senses and assessed the situation.

Honestly, EJ also wanted to release them immediately, but.

‘Since the effects of illegal human experiment victims haven’t been confirmed yet, I can’t release them.’

Because the impact they might have hadn’t been properly measured yet.

EJ repeatedly asked them to wait a little longer.

This wasn’t like rescuing people from a disaster zone.

Since we didn’t even know what they had been experimenting with.

The priority was to assess the situation first.

‘What were they experimenting with, symbiote? What is this?’

A name I’d never heard before.

According to the research results, it was something that parasitized certain organisms.

‘What on earth is this?’

The questions were brief.

EJ heard from Hali that the police had been called.

He began to thoroughly understand what kind of experiment was taking place, and.

Right then.

Slither.

Behind EJ.

A wriggling tentacle quietly watched EJ, and then.

“Howwow, I’ve waited a long time, partner.”

Whoosh!

It covered EJ completely.

+++++++

Thud.

‘…So this is how the story unfolds.’

Consciousness returning after being covered.

“It’s really good! Good enough to make me want to shorten my rest period.”

“Oh… such high praise! I’m so happy! I understand!”

First, I delivered my review to Director Zenker.

Right after that, I immediately boarded the private jet.

And about two months later.

“Murciélago! Finally released!”

<Murciélago – Black Smoke> was revealed to the world.