Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing-Chapter 205: Daily Life of the Fantastic Four

"Ben, your strength should’ve been much greater at the time, but your instincts as an ordinary person held you back."

Inside a penthouse apartment in Manhattan, New York, just like in the original story, Luthor had handed the place over to the Fantastic Four to use as both their base and home.

At the moment, in the living room, Dick walked in holding a file passed on from LexCorp’s internal research team and gave it to Ben.

According to the report, the man’s theoretical strength could reach up to one hundred tons, and it could continue to increase with consistent training.

It was hard to believe, but it was true.

Although Ben’s body looked like it had turned entirely into rock, those were just rock-like tissues. As long as he trained while in his transformed state, his strength could still grow significantly.

Ben looked down at the report. During the plane hijacking incident a few days ago, it had been him and Susan who met the aircraft at the end.

The latter had used her force fields to slow the plane’s descent as much as possible. Then he had positioned himself at the front, using his own body to stop the falling aircraft.

But he still remembered what he had been thinking at the time.

Unlike Nightwing, who showed a rush of potential and was trained for high-pressure situations, Ben had only ever been a soldier. A regular man. In his mind, catching a crashing plane was never even an option.

When he saw the massive commercial airliner barreling toward him, Ben had to admit, he was scared. That fear held him back from using his full strength.

In the end, he still managed to stop the plane, and with Susan’s help, there were no passenger casualties. But the plane itself had been severely damaged in the landing and could no longer be used, making the airline suffer a heavy loss.

While the public didn’t care how much money the airline had lost, and the company, partly owned by LexCorp, wouldn’t pursue compensation, it was still a mistake that couldn’t be ignored.

"I understand. I’ll try my best to get used to my strength."

Among the four of them, the one struggling most to adapt to their new powers wasn’t Susan, whose abilities were complex and powerful, nor Johnny, who now soared freely through the sky. Though both had gained new powers, humans are quick learners. Their bodies were still their own. Learning to control these new powers wasn’t impossible.

The real challenge fell on Ben. His body had changed so drastically that it no longer felt like his own. Everything about daily life had to be relearned, step by step.

"For now, just stay in your rock form," Dick replied. "You’ve explained it to your fiancée, right? It’s just part of the job. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"Got it."

Ben, a former soldier, was good at taking responsibility and adjusting when needed. And since he could turn back at any time, he didn’t resist the idea of staying in his rock form for work.

After the man agreed, Dick gave a slight nod and turned toward the TV. On the screen, they were replaying the route of their last mission. Watching his own heroic actions from a third-person view, Johnny looked absolutely thrilled.

"Sue, look! My flight speed totally outpaced that plane!"

The footage showed him flying at incredible speed with Dick in tow, closing in on the hijacked aircraft. At the last second, Johnny had used his flames to melt a hole in the plane’s hull, allowing his teammate to jump inside.

What followed was a clean takedown. Dick subdued all three hijackers without harming a single passenger.

However, the hijackers had clearly never planned to survive. They had already destroyed the plane’s control panel before the heroes arrived.

A similar event, a similar method—this was the Marvel world’s version of 9/11. It seemed that LexCorp’s rise had made the U.S. more aggressive in its foreign policies, which in turn triggered the 9/11 incident nearly six months earlier than it originally happened.

But also because of LexCorp, the scale of this attack was much smaller. The terrorists only managed to hijack one plane instead of the original four.

Of course, these details weren’t seen as that important anymore. Or rather, Dick had something else on his mind.

"Johnny, this stuff doesn’t really matter," he said. "HQ suspects the terrorist group will recruit a large number of mutant mercenaries. After the negotiations, we’ll represent the federal government and strike back. That’s when the real fun begins. For now, how about using those amazing powers of yours... to buy some groceries?"

As he spoke, Dick pulled out a bunch of crumpled Walmart plastic bags from his Batman-style utility belt.

One could only imagine what Batman would think if he knew his proud protégé was using the belt to carry something like that.

"What? But I’m supposed to fight that armed helicopter full of terrorists all by myself next!"

That’s right. Since they didn’t manage to hijack enough planes, the terrorists had somehow acquired an armed helicopter and added it to their plan.

Unfortunately, against Johnny, a slow-moving chopper was nothing more than a flying target.

"I’ll go instead."

Just then, Ben activated his powers and changed back into his rock form. He stepped forward, volunteering.

"Besides, it’ll help me get used to this body."

The best way to adapt was to use his new form for daily life. Dick had no reason to refuse and simply handed the Walmart bags to Ben.

"You should still remember everyone’s preferences. Once you’re out, I’ll send the full list to your personal device."

"Got it."

Ben nodded and left the apartment.

But clearly, as someone who had never been a hero or a celebrity, he had underestimated just how popular he had become.

In this world, Americans had spent decades idolizing Captain America as a symbol and a hero. People already had a natural admiration for heroes. So when the Fantastic Four stopped a major terrorist hijacking in their first mission, their fame skyrocketed instantly, and they became the new stars of America’s entertainment scene.

Which was why, the moment Ben stepped outside, he was swarmed by reporters and fans who had been waiting nearby.

If it had been the others—Susan could turn invisible, Johnny could fly, and Dick’s agility was unmatched—they all had ways to easily escape.

But Ben was different.

Still learning to control his new body, he didn’t dare to use any force. He was terrified he might accidentally hurt someone.

And so, surrounded and blocked for nearly an hour, Ben finally managed to get away from the crowd of screaming fans.

Realizing how famous he really was, he had no choice but to give up moving around in his rock form. He ducked into a side alley, shifted back to his normal appearance, and then quickly made his way to the Walmart.

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