Chapter 6: Challenges?

Peter's eyes flickered open, greeted by the faint morning light filtering through his curtains. As he stretched, he instinctively glanced at his arm, expecting to see the remnants of the cut from the previous night's encounter. To his surprise, the skin was flawless, as if the events of last night never occurred, but the XP he gained said otherwise. It took a moment for the realization to dawn on him—the Gamer's Constitution had healed him completely during his rest. A sense of gratitude washed over him, coupled with the awareness of the extraordinary abilities at his disposal.

On his way to school, Peter's mundane morning took an unexpected turn when he spotted a newspaper stand. The front page of the Daily Bugle caught his attention, and his eyes widened as he read the headline, "New Hero? Or Just Another Menace?" The accompanying image froze him, a shot of Spider-Man in action, subduing one of the thugs from the previous night. The realization struck him, someone had witnessed the entire fight.

Reading some of the articles, he found who had witnessed it. A nosy neighbor who requested their identity to be kept anonymous, originally recording the break-in, had inadvertently captured the entire confrontation. The footage not only showcased Spider-Man's abilities but also highlighted his mysterious disappearance post-confrontation, Peter had even seen a group of excited kids watching the fight on their StarkPad. The news had already hit the city, and Peter couldn't help but feel the weight of the implications.

Throughout the school day, Peter struggled to maintain a semblance of normalcy. The hallways filled with discussion about who this new 'hero' could be, some even trying to come up with a name for the hero, only to be made fun of by their peers.

After school, Peter wanted to get some more training in, but instead of going to the dojo or an ID, Peter opted for a more challenging route, patrolling the streets of New York. Peter decided to test his web-slinging in the bustling streets of New York, exposing himself to the chaotic reality of the urban jungle. The speed and precision required to navigate through the labyrinth of buildings, cars, and people forced him to adapt on the fly. Although he strained his muscles with the exertion, he embraced the challenge, knowing it was a crucial step in becoming the Spider-Man he aspired to be, plus the addition of the newly gained attribute points in strength and agility, one in each. While swinging through the concrete jungle, his senses alerted him of the first group of thugs of the night indulging themselves in the crime of breaking and entering. Peter swung into the alley and landed in front of the thugs. "What the hell" the thug closest to Peter yelped in fright from being jumpscared. Peter, seeing the chance to say something witty, spoke out "You fellas lost your Keys?" Annoyed by his comment, the largest of the thugs pushed through the group "Let's teach this freak a lesson"

His enhanced senses and complete focus allowed him to dance effortlessly through their attacks, avoiding every blow with some grace. It was a true test of his abilities, pushing him to the limit without the safety of controlled sparring. The encounter not only honed his combat skills but also served as a reminder of the potential dangers that lurked in the city.

After the first fight of the night, Peter Finally hit level 2, giving him 1 new point in every attribute, plus giving him 3 new points to spend on his chosen attributes. Peter, realizing the importance of attribute points, decided to save them, wanting to first raise them as much as he could training before spending them. Peter continued to swing through the city to find any more thugs looking for some discipline.

Later that evening Peter returned home to not worry his aunt. Later in the night, Peter, determined to create a better training space, recalling a feature of the comic he read based on the gamer system. He locks the door and closes his curtains to keep what he is about to do away from anyone looking through his window. He then proceeded to constantly open and then destroy Instant Dimensions resting when his MP ran out, giving it time to recover, he pushed the limits of his ID Create/Destroy skill. Despite his efforts, he could only manage to raise it to level 5. The realization hit him. It would take consistent usage of the skill at night over a week to reach level 10. However, the journey wasn't without its rewards. At level 5, a new sub-feature emerged—a unique type of dimension.

To Peter's surprise, his Gamer system seemed to be intricately tied to Spider-Man's world. The newly unlocked sub-feature introduced Taskmaster's challenges, mirroring those from the 2018 Marvel Spider-Man game—Bomb, Combat, Drone, and Stealth. Excitement surged through Peter as he saw this as an opportunity to hone the crucial aspects of being Spider-Man. The challenges also hinted at future milestones, leaving Peter eager to uncover the full extent of his abilities.

As Peter grappled with the consequences of his newfound attention, throughout the day he became acutely aware of the need to keep his civilian identity hidden. The safety of his loved ones depended on it, and he couldn't afford to let the city connect the dots.

Meanwhile, deep within Oscorp, the frustrated one-armed scientist toiled tirelessly on the regeneration serum. Close to completion, the scientist's frustration mounted as a crucial element continued to remain elusive. Norman Osborn's relentless pressure only intensified, pushing the scientist to the brink. The urgency to finish the serum became a race against time, with the threat of losing everything looming over him.

The night concluded with a montage of Peter patrolling, reflections on his growth and promises to use the newly gained feature of his ID skill to train all of the weekend, and the back of a dark figure talking on the phone. The mysterious figure, stared at a file on his desk with the subject of the call being about the new enhanced individual going about New York. An indication that Spider-Man had piqued the interest of a certain one-eyed pirate, Nick Fury. The challenges were just beginning for Peter, and the city held secrets yet to be unveiled.