With mixed feelings, Evan Li turned to look at Gwen on his left.
But as he turned his head, he found himself face-first against something soft—a surprise close encounter.
It turned out that both Jessica and Gwen had been leaning over to read the report on the phone, while Evan was sitting down. This turn of his head had resulted in... an unintentional face wash.
"It's fine, no harm done," Gwen said, her fair cheeks slightly pink as she instinctively covered her chest. "I know you didn't mean it."
Evan was momentarily speechless.
Since Gwen was Spider-Woman, she must have spider-sense. So… she hadn't avoided him on purpose.
Admiring her shy expression, he felt the charm of a young girl's blush.
Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his ear.
[Extraordinary Relationship System loaded]
System?
Evan kept his expression neutral, suppressing his excitement. It wasn't uncommon for a traveler to get a system, even if it arrived late.
Quickly processing the system's information, Evan grasped its function. To activate it, he needed to reach the status of an Extraordinary Relationship Holder, which would then trigger specific tasks.
Roles like Iron Man's confidante Pepper, Spider-Man's best friend Ned, or Uncle Ben, who instilled heroism in Peter, would all count as Extraordinary Relationship Holders.
Fortunately, because of his relationships with Jessica, Gwen, and others, Evan already met the requirements; he only needed to trigger the task.
"Intentional?" Jessica asked, glancing up. "What did you do, Gwen?"
She'd been focused on her phone and hadn't noticed the close encounter between her big brother and her friend.
Gwen casually lowered her hand. "Evan just accidentally bumped into me."
Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "Jessica, what do you think about the Ghost Spider?"
"Oh, I think she's awesome!" Jessica held up a photo of Ghost Spider next to her face and winked at Gwen. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Gwen stifled a laugh. "Other than being awesome, anything else, dear Jessica?"
"Well… she has a great figure, too," Jessica teased, eyeing Gwen up and down. "But I'd say you've got her beat in that department, Gwen."
Evan noticed Gwen's subtle cringe, clearly struggling to hold back a reaction. There's something oddly satisfying about "friends complimenting you without knowing it's you."
"What about you, Evan?" Gwen's bright eyes fixed on him. "What do you think of Ghost Spider?"
Go ahead, compliment me, she thought.
Freshly donned with her superhero identity, Gwen was eager for praise from her childhood friend.
Oh, so you want a compliment, huh?
Evan thought with a slight smile. The two of them were definitely in sync.
"I think you're in even better shape, Gwen," Evan said.
"Evan! You shouldn't say things like that—it's embarrassing…" Gwen's ears flushed red. She hadn't exactly been expecting that kind of compliment, although she was secretly pleased.
Evan shrugged innocently. "Didn't you ask what I thought?"
"There's no other aspect?" Gwen asked, almost reluctantly.
[Convey your views on superheroes to Jessica and Gwen to receive the novice Extraordinary template upon approval.]
Here we go, Evan thought. Instilling a heroic philosophy in Gwen and Jessica?
Though he was willing, Evan knew that Gwen had been raised with strong morals by her father, a police chief. So, to win their approval, he decided to play along.
Borrowing a famous line from Uncle Ben, he said, "Well... Ghost Spider has extraordinary power and she uses it to help the weak. I think that's admirable. After all, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility."
[Note: The protagonist is reciting "with great power comes great responsibility" for reward purposes; this may not reflect his personal beliefs fully.]
"With great power comes great responsibility…" Gwen echoed, slightly taken aback.
Initially, she'd used her powers to teach thugs a lesson and test her abilities. Her police chief father's upbringing also played a role, but she hadn't expected Evan to view her actions so… nobly.
So that's what you think of me, Evan?
Feeling both shy and lighthearted, Gwen was touched by Evan's words.
"Is there really a saying like that?" Jessica wondered aloud, contemplating.
[Idea approved by "The Knightress" Jessica Ye]
[Idea approved by "Ghost Spider" Gwen Stacy]
[Mission complete]
[Initiating integration to load novice Extraordinary template—Spyder Knight]
[Obtained Extraordinary Ability: Super Strength]
[Obtained Extraordinary Ability: Ghost Spider Module]
[Obtained Extraordinary Ability: Knightress Module]
[Obtained Extraordinary Ability: Flight]
[Obtained Extraordinary Ability: Spider Sense]
[Obtained Extraordinary Ability: Static Adhesion]
[Bonus: Spyder Knight battle suit—super defense, auto-repair, absolute stealth, data isolation…]
[Bonus: Web Shooter research knowledge]
...
If you find any mistakes in the chapter. Please point it out in the comment section and I will try to correct them as soon as possible.