Marvel : Master of Role-Playing

"Regarding this, Host, there's no need to worry."

Just as Reid was worrying that he might accidentally use the Joker Venom to turn this place into a Laughing Marvel Universe, the system spoke up again.

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"When the Host acquired the Joker's abilities, you also gained immunity to laughing gas and the Joker infection. In fact, the Joker infection has already started appearing in your body. However, this disease won't affect you or your thoughts in any way. You don't need to worry about gradually becoming the Joker because of the Joker infection."

It had to be said—this was the first time the system had truly put Reid at ease.

Being naturally immune to the Joker infection was undoubtedly the best-case scenario.

Although his previous crazy antics had earned the Joker's approval, that didn't mean Reid actually wanted to become the Joker.

That said, he didn't mind using the Joker's methods on other Marvel characters.

Whether it was Iron Man or Captain America, if they posed a threat to him, Reid certainly wouldn't hesitate to put a bit of laughing gas on their faces—letting them experience what it means to laugh out of sheer terror.

With his mind made up, Reid shook his head, composed himself, and began analyzing the current situation.

As he pondered, Reid also opened the Wayne family's database on Gotham City.

As one of the four major families controlling Gotham behind the scenes, the Wayne family's internal database was perhaps even more comprehensive than the Gotham Police Department's. At least, during this timeline—when Bruce was still training abroad—this held true.

Using this information, Reid began searching for forces he could leverage.

Before Batman, the symbol of fear, appeared, he intended to establish a symbol of madness in Gotham. This madness would suppress those who were itching to stir up trouble in the city.

The Joker, after all, wasn't merely a symbol of madness because of who he was. His madness was infectious, capable of rallying countless people to his cause. His keen, almost instinctual understanding of human nature allowed him to incite waves of destruction across Gotham at will.

First, Reid ruled out villains like Falcone and Penguin, who represented significant existing powers.

Falcone, for instance, didn't need much elaboration. As a massive crime family, they had already been mentioned multiple times and had made it clear they would not take any additional unnecessary actions.

As for Penguin, he wasn't even the Penguin yet. He was still just a member of the Cobblepot family, one of Gotham's four major families.

When it came to the Cobblepot family, Reid knew it would already be a blessing if they didn't take this opportunity to kick the Wayne family while they were down. Gaining their assistance was simply out of the question.

Similarly, the other two of the four major families, as well as all the other mafia families in Gotham, were currently unreliable.

In the face of the massive benefits brought by the collapse of Wayne Enterprises, no matter how adept the Joker was at manipulating people, he couldn't compete against such overwhelming interests.

At least, the Joker in his current state—one without a name or reputation—didn't yet possess that capability.

"Deathstroke hasn't appeared yet. Perhaps he's tied to an independent character card or requires specific environmental triggers. The same goes for Bane."

Reid continued scouring Gotham's database, searching for those who would become Batman's villains in the future.

"Harvey Dent hasn't gone through the long Halloween that transforms him into Two-Face. Scarecrow is still just a psychology professor. Poison Ivy is merely a college student. But... the Riddler..."

Reid's focus locked onto the Riddler.

This man was a natural-born lunatic. Even the Joker, as insane as he was, couldn't claim to be innately so—but the Riddler was. His obsession with riddles bordered on pure madness.

Even when he genuinely wanted to evade capture, even when he truly wished to escape Arkham Asylum, even when his first instinct after committing a crime was to disappear completely, he couldn't resist leaving behind cryptic clues.

Riddles. He always left them, giving others the chance to solve them and find him.

At this point, the Riddler had yet to truly become the Riddler. Instead, he worked as a consultant for Earle within Wayne Enterprises.

However, the Riddler's usefulness was minimal—especially since he was just an ordinary person, not someone playing a defined role. In such circumstances, his value was even lower.

Finally, after systematically eliminating villains who hadn't yet emerged, Reid narrowed his focus to two individuals. These two, at present, were the most valuable to his plans.

"Maybe I can take care of both of them at the same time."

...

Gotham City's sewers.

The sewers were filthy and grimy, but compared to Gotham at night, they felt like a sanctuary—a breeding ground for monsters.

Dressed in a purple suit, embodying the Joker's persona, Reid jumped into the sewers. With a jaunty sway of his arms and an unsteady yet playful stride, he moved forward through the narrow passageways.

"Hello there, my friend!"

The sudden greeting wasn't directed at anyone in particular. Playing the Joker, Reid had simply cheerfully addressed a random rat in the sewer.

However, the rat clearly couldn't understand human language. With a quick squeak, it darted into a crack and vanished from sight.

"It seems you don't know where my friend is," Reid said, his face showing a hint of disappointment before his expression brightened again with excitement.

"Ahem..."

He cleared his throat briefly, raising both hands, and began to sing slowly in the Joker's raspy voice, a strange, unsettling tune.

"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday..."

But after just that one line, the song abruptly stopped. Then, as if forgetting the rest of the lyrics, Reid began again.

"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday... What comes next? How did I forget...?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than, as if in response to the rhyme, the wall of the sewer was violently shattered. A massive arm, resembling something from a horror movie like Frankenstein's monster, reached through and grabbed Reid by the collar, lifting him up and slamming him hard against the wall.

"Cough!"

Blood sprayed from Reid's mouth, but thanks to playing the Joker, he had already forgotten the pain. It was as if the Joker's body had long been accustomed to such wounds.

"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday..."

Standing before him was Solomon Grundy, Reid's target, and the very name of the hulking figure now looming over him.

Despite the blood and grime covering his face, Reid gave a faint smile as he looked at the giant.

"Found you... Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday... What is it you want to know, Solomon Grundy?"

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