Peeking into the boy's face, the penguin opened its red beak again. "Eh? What's with that look in your eyes? What is it? What is it? Ah!!! Did death scare you, huh, kiddo? Oyee oyee, get a chill pill boy, your death was a necessary catalyst for your soul to get to this place after getting in physical contact with the OM-Stone, aight!"

Arthur was in no mood to entertain this irritating chattering penguin, he could guess where this is going when the penguin called him "newbie" and "mercenary" and all.

It was all due to that OM-Orb/stone, for sure.

Arthur was depressed, certainly, but his mind was clear enough to guess what was happening.

Honestly, he wished he had a system instead of this annoying fat blue bitch.

But first, he wanted an answer to a question. A question that will decide whether Arthur will play along or not...

"Hey, bird," Arthur spoke in the most polite tone he could muster.

But it came out to be unusually cold and stony.

The bird tilted its head, its eyes narrowed slightly. It was offended, perhaps?

Arthur continued, "Tell me, is there any chance to get back Luna?"

"..." The penguin paused forgetting about Arthur's great offense and stared intently.

Managers have answers to every query that the mercenaries ask. Why wouldn't they? They go through bone-shattering and mind-numbing intense training for this sole job. Studying and memorizing tales of every universe and its multiverse, making it their purpose of existence, and then if they're qualified, they wait for their fated mercenary in the white void using every ounce of patience can muster without breaking.

The penguin's eyes showed seriousness and focus that even its creator wouldn't believe, but there was something in Arthur's question that the penguin couldn't fathom and was pondering hard on it.

"....What's a Luna?" The bird tilted its head and scratched its chin with its fin. It gave up.

Arthur grumbled internally, 'This is gonna be soo draining!'

.

.

.

.

It seems like these managers are completely unaware of their mercenary's circumstances. Apparently, they're not given their mercenary's universe's handbook. That's why the penguin didn't know about Arthur's misery and when Arthur told him, it flooded the whole black void with its tears.

"WAaaah, Waaahhh" The blue penguin sniveled as it hugged Arthur.

Seeing the penguin- no Barnes crying, as if a dam blocking Arthur's emotions broke and he wailed along with the fluffy penguin too, hugging him back. Letting out all the emotions that he was trying to suppress till now.

After finally calming down enough, Arthur asked it- him for casual clothes. He was nakid, right now.

"I can only create authorized items in this space, so don't up your demands. Herrrre~, I can only make these clothes, these are the same ones you had when you died." Barnes handed a black hoodie and a grey pajama.

After wearing his clothes, he barraged Barnes with the questions he had and except for Arthur's world information, the penguin answered everything that Arthur asked.

Seems like the inability to answer Arthur's first question hit him hard which made him answer other questions with great detail and enthusiasm. Was he trying to gain some rep points?

Anyway, according to Barnes, after consuming the OM-Stone or Omniversal Mercenary stone and then dying, Arthur became an Omniversal Mercenary.

This job is similar to real-life mercenaries, they get hired, they finish the job and they get the payment simple as that, but the catch is that he will get hired by literal gods of some upper dimension and payment can be anything the gods see fit and his missions will be live streamed for every higher dimension's god to see.

The place where he is right now is called Black Void, a dimension through which he and Barnes can interact with higher beings and get hired.

The reward may or may not be specified in the beginning, but it will benefit him, of course.

After the trial mission, he will also be allowed to pass missions that he doesn't want to do.

The first mission is the most significant one for Omniversal Mercenaries, it gives them their initial ratings, which tells their worth to prospective contractors. And their likelihood to get good missions with good rewards increases. That's why it is also called a Trail.

"Now then, Mr. Arthur, this is the last entry you need to fill in. What kind of rewards are you expecting? This can be updated in the future if you wish as your goals might change." Barnes spoke through his red beak.

He was now wearing glasses and holding a pen and a clipboard in his hands, looking like an ideal penguin manager.

"Rewards that can make me strong, strong enough to mercilessly and easily eradicate the whole Devil race and anything that poses a threat to me and my family even in the future, and most importantly something which can send me back to my world... exactly ten years in the past," Arthur answered without delay.

"I'm guessing it's for revenge? Yeah fuck those bastards, give them a punch for me as well... Hm, Okay! All filled! Now we get you your enrollment pack!" The notepad and pen vanished from Barnes's hands and then the color of the spotlight on Arthur changed from yellow to blue.

"Hurray! All the processes are done, now we just have to wait till a bored enough contractor notices us noobs..." The penguin looked up and sighed.

These 'Contractors' are higher omnipotent beings or simply gods, they hire mercenaries to make some 'corrections' in the multiverses they oversee, or just simple entertainment if they're bored.

Sometimes they even hire them to eliminate a troublesome intruder's soul (Reincarnated or transmigrated person without a higher being's permission) who somehow got into their multiverse.

Anyhow, they don't often go for a newbie mercenary unless they are annoyed or bored with their current favorite mercenary. Sometimes they even send a wandering unregistered soul if they find it amusing enough.

But Arthur was more curious about this joining pack the penguin spoke of so he enquired and... the penguin flinched and apologized for not explaining, before telling him in great detail once again.

Basically, Arthur received a system that had only two functions: first, just showed him his mission details, and second, was an inventory function.

No exp or growth-related stuff but still, both were extremely useful for Arthur, especially the inventory function.

Surprisingly, Arthur didn't have to wait for long. In just about a few minutes of sitting idly, a blue screen appeared in front of him and Barnes. The penguin jumped at that.

"Woah, this is super ultra-rare to happen! Guess, we're super ultra-lucky, a being noticed us so sooonnn!" The penguin chimed in its squeaky voice.

Arthur hummed and read the mission written on the blue screen.

[ Mission ]

Contractor: Chaotic_Neutral@3639

World: Marvel

Objective 1: Survive for 3 hours in the last battle of Captain America- The First Avenger.

Reward: A perfected Super Soldier Serum (without the side-effect of the change in personality).

Time limit: 3 hours

Optional Objective: Neutrally Cause Chaos in this verse of Marvel.

Reward: ???

Time limit: 3 hours

______________________

Drop point: Hydra's base, at the beginning of the battle.

[                        ]

"Huh, a rather short mission, eh... Hey, Arthur, don't get your hopes up thinking that all missions will be short and you'll get your rewards just like that. Usually, the missions take at least a few years to complete... I think this one is testing mercenaries, that's why he gave a short mission to a newbie. He doesn't want to waste his time." Barnes explained.

Barnes had already explained to Arthur that fictional universes existed and he could be sent to any kind of world, so the World: Marvel statement didn't faze him much.

"I see," Arthur replied. Well, it really didn't matter how much time they take, or for whatever reason he was given a mission, he had only one goal: Get strong and save Luna and his parents and he's gonna accomplish it no matter how much time it takes.

"What is he testing for though?" Arthur asked anyway.

"Dunno, probably searching for a new favorite mercenary?" Barnes shrugged raising his fins upward and tilting his head.

"Oh yeah, before you go, let me tell you that you will have the accessories that you had before dying. Also, Optional Objectives are usually insanely difficult to complete, they might give better rewards but that's not set in stone, focus more on the main objective instead of the optional one, got it?

Ah! One more thing, if you die there then you'll fail the mission and simply spawn here in the 'Black Void', so dying there isn't a big deal for 'you'. BUT..."

Barnes paused looking dead straight into Arthur's eyes. "Since this is your Trial mission, you can't afford failure in this one, not in a million years! Cause if you do, no god will take interest in you again and you'll possibly have to wait for a millennia before such a higher being takes interest in you..."

Barnes's voice was oddly grim. "You got it, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Arthur nodded. "Okay then, if there's isn't anything else. I'll go then."

As soon as Arthur said those words, he vanished from the dark space.

Barnes narrowed his eyes, from the talks, Arthur seemed like a smart and maybe a little shrewd person but he had a 'desperation'.

Desperation to go back to his world and save his loved ones... It might cost him heavily if he is not careful with it.

---

Arthur's view changed, again.

He groggily opened his eyes, but his drowsiness vanished as soon as he saw the scene in front of him. He was transported to some kind of metallic tunnel, a slight blue illumination from the vents.

He knew this place very well, it was as the blue screen said. The place where the last battle in Captain America- The First Avenger took place, Hydra's base, and a place where he'd have to survive for the next three hours.

He checked his appearance, his hands still skinny and green veins visible from outside through his pale skin.

'I liked it more in that black void, at least there I could float there.'

'Oh well, at least I have my wheelchair and the 'accessories' which were tied in my wheelchair, or I'd have to crawl my way around here.' Arthur snorted.

"Mission!" He called out.

A blue half transparent flashed in front of his eyes.

[ Mission ]

Contractor: Chaotic_Neutral@3639

World: Marvel

Objective 1: Survive for 3 hours in the last battle of Captain America- The First Avenger.

Reward: A perfected Super Soldier body enhancement (without the side-effect of the change in personality).

Status: Ongoing

Time Left: 02:58:33

Optional Objective: Neutrally Cause Chaos in this verse of Marvel.

Reward: ???

Status: Ongoing

Time Left: 02:58:33

[                          ]

Arthur sighed. 'That's some weird name the contractor's got.'

This spot was empty with no soul except him, this place looked rather safe and he could maybe camp here and be done with Objective 1.

However...

He maneuvered the joystick on his wheelchair. He had no time to sit idly.

He had some chaos to unleash.

====================

Thanks for reading!

Here is the pic of Luna:

You can tell if there are any errors in the chapter, in the paragraphs comment. Or if you have any ideas for the story.