"You know that's impossible, right, Jarvis?"
'I know, sir.'
"Then what's happening?"
Tony asked, as a possible explanation crossed his mind. However, before he could voice it, Jarvis had already shattered the thought.
'I don't know, sir. Furthermore, according to the analysis, the chances of it being a coincidence are virtually zero. The painting appears to depict that exact moment from three days ago. Every element matches perfectly.'
"So, all our movements were planned by someone—or something?"
Tony said, trying his best to ignore the other, far more incredible possibility. But it seemed that today, Jarvis was determined to break all of his illusions.
'Sir, based on the analysis and existing records, it would be completely impossible for someone to have orchestrated everything like that. As improbable as it sounds, it seems that someone...'
"Painted the future."
Tony interrupted, not waiting for Jarvis to finish. The implications of such a thing were enormous. If it was even remotely possible, he had to find the artist at all costs.
"Find the author."
'I already did, but it appears to be impossible.'
"Impossible? Nothing is impossible for me to find. And if it is, I just need to keep trying until I succeed. What happened?"
'I gave up, sir.'
Tony didn't have time to process what he'd just heard. Jarvis had been created without even the option to give up. Shocked, he was about to respond when he was interrupted again.
'Sir, it appears to be some sort of non-scientific interference.'
"Non-scientific"
'That's right. I can think about finding him, even initiate the search, but once I begin, I simply choose to stop, as if it's not something I can carry out.'
"Were our systems compromised?"
'No, sir. As I said, it doesn't appear to be scientific in nature. In addition to searching online, I also conducted a physical investigation, but any witness who saw the painting claims not to remember where the gallery is. What's stranger is that they don't find it unusual. It's as if that's just the way things are supposed to be.'
"Huh. Something this unscientific has been happening all this time and I didn't even notice. Alright, I'll look for him myself. But first… Jarvis, does this "Leonardo" have more works?"
'Yes, sir. Displaying the three existing works created by Leonardo Valentino.'
---
~ SHIELD Helicarrier ~
Seated behind a desk, Fury listened to a report from Maria Hill while frowning deeply.
"You're saying we still have nothing? It's been three days. A painting from four months ago depicted an event that happened three days ago. If whoever did that truly knows the future… you understand what that means, right?"
"Sir, the agents can't make any progress due to suspected magical interference."
"Magical?"
"All the investigators seem to give up when it comes to tracking his whereabouts. We know everything about him: name, age, parents, favorite food... But when they try to locate him, they just stop as if it's the most natural thing in the world. And unless someone calls them out on it, they don't even realize. When questioned, they simply say they stopped because "that's what they had to do.""
"Strange… though it sounds more like mental interference than magic."
"We suspect the same, so we tried automated searches, resistant individuals, even something as simple as dropping a stick to see where it points. Still, everything stopped—like it was normal to do so. Even the stick stood upright and didn't fall."
"That's bizarre. Though the stick trick could be useful for something else. Still, if every attempt fails only when trying to locate Leonardo Valentino, then maybe it is some kind of spell specifically meant to block tracking."
Fury furrowed his brow even more as he thought. They couldn't afford to stop the search—not with so much at stake. If this person could truly see the future, they had to find him before someone else did.
"Keep searching. Try different methods and see if you can find any loopholes in the suspected spell."
"Understood. I'll be on my way."
As he watched her leave, Fury continued thinking.
'Finding this painter is a matter of critical importance, given his abilities. More importantly, I can't let him fall into the wrong hands. If an enemy finds and uses him... I don't even want to imagine the consequences.'
He quickly archived all information on the individual, locking it behind high-level clearance. Even those tasked with researching him only knew they were looking for someone—without understanding why.
Unknown to Fury, infiltrators within SHIELD had already reported on Leonardo, and were making plans to use him.
---
Leonardo was sitting comfortably on his couch, thinking about what to paint next, when a notification sounded.
[Ding!]
[Your works 'I Am Ironman', 'Hammer of the Unworthy' and 'Whip in Monaco' have triggered extreme reactions among concentrated groups of individuals.]
[+372 Exp]
Leonardo wasn't surprised. Even though he didn't know why he'd gained much more experience over the past three days, he certainly wasn't going to complain about increased recognition or improved artistic skill.
"And to think I can improve my artistic abilities just because people react to my paintings... Incredible. If someone told me I was living in a world with superpowers right now, I might just believe them. Well... not really. If we're talking about powers or something like that, the only thing I have is that strange ability the system gave me, right?"
---
~ Four Months Ago ~
"I should've expected that my first work wouldn't get much attention on day one... but still, seeing so little interest is a bit depressing."
"It's fine. That just means I still have a lot of room to grow and improve."
After giving himself a pep talk, Leonardo was already thinking about what to paint next. But then, an unexpected sound startled him.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations on your first work. The "Artist System" has been activated.]
[Ding! The host's world has been identified as dangerous and may interfere with the host's mission.]
[Preparing countermeasures…]
[Ding! An exception has been made to the system's functions. A one-time ability has been granted.]
[Received Ability: Anonymous Whereabouts]
[Your work has received reactions from 17 individuals.]
[+17 Exp]
"Wait, wait… what are you talking about? System? Mission? Ability?"
After taking a deep breath, Leonardo asked:
"Let's start with the basics: what are you?"
[The System is a superior AI designed to assist the host in fulfilling their mission. To that end, it can enhance the host's artistic abilities using Exp, which is obtained from the emotional value felt by those who view the host's work. The amount of Exp varies depending on the emotional impact on the viewer.]
"That sounds… amazing. Improve my skills just because people see my art? Of course, they have to feel something for it to count, but that's always been my goal anyway, so it's not a problem."
The more he thought about it, the better he felt. But before getting carried away with excitement, he grew serious and asked the most important question.
"You mentioned a mission. What is it?"
[Ding! In exchange for the host's final wish in their past life—to remember the scenes that marked them—a mission has been assigned.]
[The host's mission is to gather emotional value from humans in this world. To do so, the host must become the number one artist in the world and have their work seen by billions.]
"I see. So that's where those images come from… and why I always felt like something was missing before remembering them. Become the number one artist? What a coincidence. That's always been my goal anyway."
[Continuing with the explanation: It was detected that powerful individuals and organizations in this world would eventually take interest in the host. Therefore, an ability was granted to ensure the host's safety.]
[Ability: Anonymous Whereabouts
Prevents any attempt to track the host or their work if the intent is not purely artistic or involves harm or invasion of the host's privacy.]
"I see. So it hides my location from those who want to harm me or investigate me for non-artistic reasons. But why would anyone want to investigate me?"
Still, just to be safe, Leonardo activated the ability and left it on. Then, feeling a bit excited, he smiled.
"Heh... I've always wanted to say this without sounding crazy:"
"Status!"