Chapter 6: Deal with the Vultures! Keep Fishing!
Are there rewards for taking down supervillains?
You've got to be kidding me. I'm just a guy with connections to superheroes.
Shouldn't my role be that of an ordinary person—powerless, running errands under their shining glory, or maybe providing a warm, cozy haven for them? So why does it feel like I'm the one playing hero here?
Ethan Lee, who had just taken down the Vulture, pondered this thought without much hesitation.
Imagine if Iron Man was suited up for battle, only for Pepper to say, "Hey, Tony, I've already dealt with all the enemies. Stop playing with your Iron Suit and get back to work."
Oh god. In that case, the Iron Man movie would have to be renamed Iron Woman.
This Extraordinary Relationship System doesn't seem all that serious. It feels like I'm constantly being dragged into other people's business.
Even as he complained, Ethan still checked his rewards carefully.
Hmm… maybe it's like the difference between completing NPC quests in an online game versus grinding in the wild. Compared to the rewards from Gwen and the others' missions, taking down villains on his own didn't seem to pay as well.
One million dollars? Nice for an average person, but money wasn't exactly a concern for him.
A Captain America collectible figure? Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. would probably love that.
Absolute loyalty from the Vulture? What was he supposed to do with an old man's unwavering devotion?
Still, having another assistant to run errands didn't sound too bad.
After some thought, Ethan made his choice.
[Option 3]
At the very least, Toomes was a former electrical engineer—far more useful than the other two options.
---
The Vulture, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, tensed up again when he saw Ethan suddenly stop and turn around.
"You…."
Just as Toomes was about to speak, his vision blurred.
A moment later, both he and his battle suit transformed into a stream of data before vanishing.
"What the—?"
Ethan glanced at the system notifications and opened the control panel on his suit. Curious, he pressed a button.
The data stream reformed, and Toomes reappeared, armor intact.
…This wasn't what I expected.
So "absolute loyalty" basically turned him into a summonable entity?
---
A Few Days Later
Ethan sat in front of his laptop, casually browsing the latest news.
That night, Fisk had shifted his operations, just as the Vulture had warned. Ethan had searched several locations Toomes mentioned but found nothing.
Annoying.
Since Fisk wasn't an immediate threat, Ethan decided to leave him alone for now. He could deal with the so-called underground king later.
After all, they hadn't even crossed paths yet, and Ethan didn't feel particularly vengeful.
"Oh, you're reading about this too?"
Jessica leaned over his shoulder, glancing at his screen. She carried a small black shoulder bag and had a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"The Black Spider that appeared a few days ago looks a lot like Ghost-Spider. Do you think they're a couple or something?"
Ethan sighed.
He had explicitly called himself Spider-Man. How did the media end up labeling him Black Spider?
He wasn't Miles Morales.
Jessica kept talking beside him.
"But he's so mysterious! The super-criminal Vulture disappeared right after fighting him, and some people think Black Spider killed him!"
"I heard from Gwen that her dad is pissed about it. He says criminals should be handed over to the police and that vigilantes have no right—"
"Jessica, if you don't leave now, you're going to be late for school," Ethan interrupted, raising his wrist to show the time on his black ring.
Jessica tilted her head and tapped a finger against his watch.
"Nice watch," she remarked. Then, she leaned in, lightly patted his cheek, and grinned.
"Anyway, don't forget about the party tonight! Gwen's coming too~"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there," Ethan waved her off.
Once Jessica left, he turned back to his screen, skimming the news.
"Stark hasn't even become Iron Man yet, and there are barely any supervillains these days."
No worthy opponents for Gwen or Jessica, either.
Ethan sighed, disappointed. Maybe he should give up the whole fighting villains for rewards thing.
Why bother taking down supervillains when he could just befriend future superheroes, take on a simple mission, and ride the wave of their success?
Yeah. That sounded way easier.
Maybe it was just the habit of playing the lazy route in video games catching up to him.
---
Midtown High School
"Gwen, you look kinda off today," Jessica observed.
"Do I?"
Gwen took out a small mirror and examined her reflection. She smiled. "I look perfectly fine. Not sad at all."
"It's your appetite," Jessica pressed. "You've been eating way more than usual. Even more than me. I heard people overeat when they're stressed."
Gwen scoffed. Fighting crime takes a lot of energy. What's wrong with eating a little more?
Jessica smirked.
"Just don't go overboard at the party tonight," she teased. "Wouldn't want you ruining your figure."
Gwen rolled her eyes.
She was innocent. What was wrong with eating more when crime-fighting was such hard work?