With his memories, he knew systems was like an external power that assisted its host. Whether it was some kind of God that gave him this system, some other magical entity or even the very force of the universe that randomly chose him, Sol didn't put much thought behind it.
In Sung Jin Woo's case, his system was something to help Ashborn, a god-like being, create a human vessel strong enough to completely absorb his powers.
It gave him quests, the ability to level up and other game like features.
Perhaps his system was also like that.
Although he didn't really expect a good answer, he asked anyways.
'System, what is your origins, why was I chosen, and what other features do you have that I'm not aware of?'
[Answering host: I am a spider that exists in the past, present and future, my powers stemming from the chaos and turbulent energies of the multiverse. As for why you were chosen, you were my original host...]
Sol expected the system to completely ignore the first two questions, after all, don't they usually keep it a secret in the movies and eventually do the big reveal, usually as the final boss? As for the second question, Sol felt even more perplexed. Original host? What is this system even talking about?
'Original host? How?' Sol asked, confused. To be beyond time itself sounded ridiculous, but his mind as a transmigrator found it somewhat believable.
His system answered loyally.
[I was only an ordinary jumping spider before being exposed to a lethal amount of radiation. You were my original host as I bit you, mutating your genes and turning you into Spider-Man. Unlike other spiders, a small piece of my soul also merged with the host before dying. Back then, you were just the average Spider-Man, however, you lost everything in that life. Everyone you cherished had all met terrible endings due to the fate and destiny of all Spider-Men.]
As he listened, Sol's expression slowly became darker, however, he stayed quiet as the system continued.
[Eventually, you invented a device that could sever dimensions and go to other worlds. It wasn't long before you became someone powerful, a being of unfathomable strength. On your journey, you had saved countless people and had made many friends you could trust with your life, but they too, also died. Feeling bitterness, you tried to find a way to remove your curse.]
Sol's expression became angrier as he listened, finding this information unbelievable. This system of his must be lying!
'Everyone I loved now and in the future dies? What kind of bullshit was this?' Sol silently thought.
Sol then asked, slightly irritated but trying to compose himself. "So... what happened to my future– past self? And how did you travel back in time?"
The system quickly responded.
[As you got stronger, your soul also improved, inadvertently helping me as well. With your capabilties and intelligence, you eventually discovered my existence in the depths of your soul. You had separated me and then gave me a vessel where I followed you on your journey. After thousands of years, we had grown stronger together. But all good things eventually come to an end as we also met enemies that outnumbered us, each able to destroy galaxies with a snap of their fingers. We fought hard and killed many, but we eventually had to flee. However, they had planned really well...]
The system spoke, its cold and mechanical voice carrying a tinge of anger.
It then continued, this time, its voice sounding grateful.
[I am truly in-debted to you. You were my master. When we were surrounded and with no options left, you sacrificed your life and saved me, allowing me to escape. I had searched and travelled endlessly before I eventually found myself in front of something that transcends all concepts. I had fused myself with the essence of the multiverse. It allowed me to manipulate causality itself, controlling space and time. However, I had used it to travel back in time where I found you. Although your future self and the you now are technically the same, this reality has some changes as I found you on the verge of death. Without my interference, you would've died prematurely.]
Sol contemplated over the system's words.
He then spoke in his mind, 'Was future– past me also... a transmigrator?'
The system seemed to understand.
[Yes. The host was someone from a modern world where he died and reincarnated into a world of 'fiction'.]
Sol was deep in thought before questioning, 'Why did you travel back in time here and not when I was still powerful... maybe a few years before our enemies surrounded us?"
The system quickly responded.
[That's because this was the host's desire. He had always searched for a way to break the curse of his misfortune that affects everyone he loves. To start at the beginning was in essence a way of removing the curse. And with my help, we will surely not be fate's toy in this life. You will become an 'Anomaly', unbounded by fate and destiny. Moreover, with my assistance, you will become powerful much quicker and be even more prepared. The day when we meet our enemies again will be the day that they die and have terror consume their whole being!]
Although he felt that the system's words were quite ominous, for some reason, he felt his emotions stir as if a part of him desired for that outcome.
If what it said was really true — everyone he loved had met terrible endings — Sol was of course going to do everything in his power to prevent it.
"Misfortune... I am cursed with it." Sol mumbled. Reading the comics and watching movies, he knew that Spider-Man was a character despised by the writers — having his loved ones dying in his arms and other awful things happening to him. It was a common occurrence. Peter Parker had countless tragedies befall him over and over.
Various versions of Spider-Man also had similar situations. It just seemed that being Spider-Man gave you a lot of bad luck...
To be Spider-Man is to have a terrible curse be binded to yourself. It was a gift and a burden. You can protect others but you sacrifice yourself and everyone you love in doing so.
As he was only Spider-Man for one day, he overlooked it, amazed and distracted of his new powers and not realising the gravity of what it really meant.
Like what Uncle Ben said: With great power, comes great responsibility.
Sol sighed, feeling quite overwhelmed with everything that had been told to him. His future self was someone that practically rivalled gods, being outnumbered by people that could literally destroy galaxies yet he could hold his own against them, even killing them.
And now, apparently, his system was the spider that bit him, calling him its master. And also! The spider is also a god-like entity that exists beyond time and space, able to control causality and 'the essence of the multiverse.'
He felt his brain hurt.
'Do you have a name, system or... spider?' Sol asked.
The system hummed.
[You named me Seraph, but you usually called me Sera for short.]
'I see... Sera. This is quite a lot to take in. Could you explain what you are capable of then?'
[It is a lot of information, but I know host will quickly wrap his head around it. As I travelled through almost a hundred thousand years back to the past, I am in a weakened state, but I still hold a lot of authority over the essence of the multiverse.]
[Host was actually supposed to have Omni Coins and something called Traversal Stones and Rebirth Stones, allowing you to travel to other worlds and purchase magical things, however, I sold them all to heal you. The essence of the multiverse follows a rule of equivalent exchange. Although I have authority and can bend the rules slightly, I can't go overboard else I might destroy myself.]
"Hm... how and where do I use these Omni Coins?" Sol asked.
[In the Multiversal Shop!]
Seraph quickly responded.
[With Omni Coins, you can purchase practically anything.]
[Displaying Multiversal Shop...]
It was then that a blue panel appeared in front of Sol's face. It was like he was looking at the front page of Amazon, just more futuristic and with much, much better quality stuff!
He silently read through it, scrolling through everything.
He saw many items, weapons, weird stones, armours, abilities and much more!
Moreover, some of these things were even from various fiction he's seen in the past.
There were things like Captain America's Shield, Mjolnir, Grimoires, Flying Thunder God Kunai, Black Panther suit, jutsus, sharingans, devil fruits — the list was infinite!
He felt a sense of excitement and desire for a lot of these things. Who wouldn't?!
Scrolling down further, Sol began seeing how the Omni Coins required to purchase some of the items started to sky-rocket. If some jutsus from Naruto cost around 10 Omni Coins, these costed millions, even billions!
Sol pressed on one of them.
Name: Ability Template — Goku.
Type: Template.
Description: Learn all of Goku's abilities and fighting techniques. However, you do not become a saiyan. If you want all of Goku's abilities, potential and constitution, purchase the true template which is much more expensive.
Price: 5,060,195 OC
Sol hissed at the price. He didn't need to guess that accumulating that much Omni Coins would be difficult. Goku was extremely strong, even if it's just his abilities. Moreover, he could even learn something like Ultra Instinct.
He looked at a few other things. The price of these were even more staggering. There were items like immortal peaches that grant immortality, Gate of Babylon(Full), Requiem Arrow, The Cosmic Cube and Pandora's Box. The more he read, the more he felt a sense of awe. Some of these items would literally make Gods themselves seem like ants, yet if he earned enough of this currency, he could purchase them for his own use!
The only limitation it seemed was that he couldn't purchase humanoid lifeforms such as humans, or creatures with too much intelligence. However, something like a dragon egg could be purchased.
'Sera, how many Omni Coins do I have and how can I get more of it?' Sol asked.
[Host has exactly 0 Omni Coins. If you want to earn some Omni Coins, you have to traverse to other worlds. In those worlds, I will give host achievements that you can try getting. It would usually be something like defeating opponents, getting titles, and becoming the strongest. Once you finish, I will evaluate you and calculate how many Omni Coins you've earned based off your achievements. Moreover, you can even set limiters on yourself to increase the multiplier of the evaluation!]
Sol showed an unusual expression as the system quickly said.
[Don't get me wrong, I'd love to give you free rewards, but the essence of the multiverse requires equivalent exchange. So the more you interfere with the world, the better! Moreover, the achievements would give you stat points to invest in your stats.]
"Oh, so that was the notification." Sol mumbled. "How many did I get from the achievement and did I get any Omni Coins?"
[Host has received 1 stat point to invest. Silas Crane was extremely weak, however, his position as lieutenant of Tombstone is quite significant. As for Omni Coins, that only applies to other worlds so host doesn't get any for getting achievements in this world.]
"I see... You mentioned how I needed those stones to travel to those worlds. Then, how do I get those stones? In the shop, it shows that I can purchase them, but I have no Omni Coins." Sol asked.
The system went silent.
"Sera... answer me..." Sol felt like he was about to get a headache.
[Um... Small miscalculation on my part...]
"So the only way to traverse worlds is with those stones, but you sold all of them... And also, I can't even purchase them? Then how are we suppose to do anything then? Is that what my dimension sever is for?" Sol asked. He remembered an ability he had.
Even without a physical body, Seraph was sweating.
[Answering your second question, dimension sever is only activated through these stones. However, once you've unlocked and completed a world, you can freely jump between them. So... host won't be able to use it to go to other worlds as of right now...]
Sol sighed. Well, it's not like he was mad. Seraph already did enough for him.
It was then that Seraph's voice suddenly shifted.
[Wait! Don't be too disappointed! I've found an alternative. In the future, there had been some issues of spider-people travelling through dimensions. During that time period, there had been portals appearing and sending people of different worlds to other worlds. With some of my control over space-time laws, I can use this incident to send the host there and you can get some achievements!]
Sol raised an eyebrow. Spider people in other worlds? Wasn't this the plot to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?
It was where the protagonist, Miles Morales, gets bitten by a spider of another world and got the help of other spider-people to help him defeat Kingpin.
Sol's interest was piqued. "That is a good idea, but will it work? Messing with space-time sounds dangerous. What if I get flinged into outer space or go into a completely different world that is much more dangerous?"
Envisioning himself in a dark world like Berserk or Warhammer 40k, Sol had to make sure his system knew what it's doing.
Seraph responded.
[It's only a minor manipulation of it. It would be like sending out a beacon, attracting the portal to this world.]
Sol nodded in relief. That sounded better.
***
A/n
Thoughts of this development? I can always change or improve it as it is still early on in the story. I'd only have to tweak a few things. As for why I did it like this, I don't like system's with unknown backgrounds, system's with ulterior motives or ROB giving Sol the system in return for something. Also, he won't be having an intimate relationship with the system. It would be like a loyal ally-pet / AI. Think of Seraph like Peni Parker's spider. It would also be more accurate with the title: multiversal spider.
Let me know what you guys think.
"It's good that I can get Omni Coins at Miles' world." Sol muttered before asking, "When will this portal appear then?"
Seraph answered.
[It should be in 2 weeks.]
"2 weeks... That should be fine." Sol mumbled.
He then began looking at his stats before casually adding a point into his strength.
Clenching his fists, he immediately noticed a difference in the power behind them, showing the wondrous abilities of his system.
His stats were quite uneven due to his gene mutation that took on the traits of a jumping spider. He planned to make them all even eventually, so he wouldn't have obvious weaknesses. The first thing he'd do was to raise all his stats to 100 first — starting with strength. Viewing his panel, his strength of 85 turned to 86.
After that, he wanted to test and try out something. He wanted to know how much his symbiote strengthens him.
Sol once again shrouded himself in darkness as the symbiote enveloped his entire body.
Despite not wearing his jacket, the symbiote had remembered his appearance, the logo, the assassin like style and even the hood was still all there.
Sol then asked, "Sera, what are my stats with me fusing with the symbiote?:
[Calculating... Displaying stats with Calamity suit:
Strength: 86(286)
Speed: 140(180)
Endurance: 90(200)
Agility: 105(135)
Reflexes: 125
Durability: 80(180)
Looking at his vast increase in stats, his eyes widened slightly.
"You said you sold everything to save me, which I'm guessing was this symbiote... how many Omni Coins did it cost?" Sol had read the description of his symbiote and learnt of its history and origins. It was a creature closely related to Knull, being an offspring of a symbiote dragon, molded by the void itself.
Such a description sounded quite impressive, but he didn't get any abilities to back that epic description.
It's description said it was weaker than its ancestor, Knull, which was reasonable considering he was literally the eldritch god of darkness, the creator of symbiotes. However, he didn't get any noteworthy abilities. He had black tendrils and could fuse with his symbiote. But such abilities was common even with other symbiotes.
The only thing different was his devour ability, which he guessed was an ability of his symbiote.
Seraph replied.
[You shouldn't underestimate this symbiote. I bent the rules slightly for the host to get this. The actual price was around 87,000,000 OC. But that price was for its full power. The current symbiote hasn't even existed for a minute before it was suddenly summoned by me and placed in front of the host. After selling everything, I had about 100,000 OC. Using 75,000 OC, I bought it for the host to heal you.]
[As for the rest of the Omni Coins, I used the rest to terminate its sentience. Even at its youngest form, Calamity was too much for the host to control or handle. It is currently at level 1, giving host the basic abilities you have currently. However, by devouring, the symbiote can level up — evolve! You just have to eat lifeforms such as humans, beasts and magical creatures. The stronger, the better.
[You can 'eat' them in two ways: literally eat them and digest it in your belly or use the devour skill where you will spawn the manifestation of darkness that will slowly envelope and corrode the target into energy(EXP). Of course, the target would have to be dead. This was a key ability of Calamity that allowed it to become extremely powerful. In the distant future, Calamity was nicknamed the Devouring Scourge.]
"That... makes more sense... 87,000,000 OC worth of potential..." Sol couldn't help but chuckle. He pretty much got early access to an overpowered item at the beginning of his journey. Although it is weakened, it is still very good and can even get stronger as he trains himself and go to different worlds.
"Even at its weakest form, it managed to triple my strength stat and nearly double all of my other stats. As long as I find monsters and beasts, I can level up my symbiote which would likely unlock more powers." Sol mumbled, contemplating. He obviously wouldn't actually eat them and instead use his devour skill.
After finishing his observations of his symbiote, Sol felt a little tired so he decided to go to sleep.
He was going to continue with his vigilante work in the morning. Though, he was definitely going to be more mindful with the time.
...
Pitter-patter.
Droplets of rain fell over New York, causing ripples on puddles that were scattered over the city. Gray clouds hung overhead as cars splashed through the shallow puddles. Although it was just a little past the afternoon, the weather wasn't too pleasant.
Pedestrians hurried under their umbrellas, feeling uncomfortable against the chill and wetness caused by the weather.
It was strangely peaceful — the kind of calm that only existed in the rain...
However...
At this moment, instead of peace, someone was currently feeling a sense of dread.
In a narrow alley, hidden from the bustling crowds, a man sprinted, his face pale with panic. His breath was hurried, coming out in desperate gasps. It felt as if he had been running endlessly!
The alley was like a maze and fatigue started to consume him, but he didn't dare stop. His heart pounded in his chest as he glanced over his shoulder.
He didn't know what was chasing him, but he knew he had to get away.
The alley narrowed further until he found himself at a dead-end, with only trash cans and dumpsters scattered around.
He felt his heart drop. How unlucky could he be!
He quickly hid behind one of the dumpsters, pressing his back against the cold, damp bricks. His chest heaved, his eyes cautiously locked on the shadows as if something will jump out of it.
For a moment, there was silence — just the rain and the distant noise of the city.
Maybe he had lost him. Maybe—
He then suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder.
The man froze. His stomach dropped as his body turned cold. He felt goosebumps before he slowly turned his head.
There, standing behind him, was the vigilante that was becoming a hot topic in New York.
Shrouded in black, his suit was still nightmare fuel, the strange material of the symbiote repelling the rain. A hood covered his head, casting a shadow over his face, making his appearance even more unnerving.
"You really thought hiding behind a dumpster was gonna work?" Sol's voice was calm, though there was a hint of amusement.
The man's mouth opened, but no sound came out. He was trembling, his body locked in place by terror.
"Man, you really ran as if your life was on the line." Sol said with a sigh. Tilting his head slightly, he crouched down to the man's level, his gaze on him. "Running feels like a good idea. But it really just made things more difficult. We could have sorted this out through a friendly conversation, but you had to get your buddies to attack me..."
The man wanted to run away from fear.
However, before the man could even think about it, a black tendril shot out from Sol's back, wrapping tightly around his wrists. The man let out a scream as he was yanked out from his hiding spot and into the open.
Sol spoke. "I don't really enjoy chasing people. And I'm not a fan of this weather either. So how about we make this easy? You just tell me what I need to know and this will all be over."
"I-I don't know what you're—" The man stammered, his voice shaking.
"Cut the crap," Sol said, his voice becoming colder. The tendrils tightened slightly, but not enough to hurt him — just enough to remind him that there was no escape. "Got any information of some powerful gangs or groups? Maybe even anything on Tombstone?"
The man's eyes widened, feeling a sense of helplessness and fear. "Y-yes... okay! I'll tell you everything I know!"
The man began telling Sol literally everything. However, as expected, it was just more useless information. This guy thought his life was on the line if he couldn't provide any useful information so he just thought of anything about the topics Sol had asked for.
But it wasn't anything he didn't already know from the other thugs he had beaten up.
With a breath of helplessness, Sol released the grip on his tendrils.
The man's knees trembled, dropping to the floor. Sol then binded his wrists with his black silk.
"Relax, you're not gonna die." Sol added, his voice steady as he glanced over the man. "I'll only be sending you to the authorities. Happy with that?"
The man's lips quivered, but he remained silent, too terrified to even mumble a sound. He gulped, only able to give a small nod. He remembered how they had 12 men surrounding him, yet they had all got beaten up within seconds!
Any place where he wasn't near this demonic looking guy would be a million times better!
After Sol forced the man to call the cops to hand himself in, Sol webbed him up.
As Sol was preparing to leave, he caught a shift in the shadows of the alley. The droplets of rain fell lightly, masking nearly all sound, but there was a subtle movement, almost imperceptible in the shadows. Due to his sharp senses and keen eyesight, he had managed to notice such a small detail.
"You can stop hiding now, you know?" Sol spoke casually, though he raised his vigilance. To nearly go undetected from his senses was a whole different level of skill...
With his words, a figure stepped out from the darkness. Sol's eyes slightly narrowed as he observed cautiously.
A woman emerged from the shadows, her silhouette slowly materializing under the dim light of the alley. Her black attire hugged her curves, as she gave off a feeling of elegance and a dangerous gracefulness...
Sol felt like she was some kind of feline. Moreover, the way she had removed any presence of her footsteps made her also feel like a ghost.
'What... is Black Cat doing here?' Sol contemplated. He obviously knew her from the comics. She was quite the beauty and also a dangerously charming individual. Her unique white hair flowed to her waist as her red lips curved into a playful smile.
She stopped just short of him, smirking. She seemed confident and her expression was one of playfulness.
"You're not as easy to sneak up on as thought. I'm quite impressed." she spoke, crossing her arms, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
She continued. "I've been watching you, you know. You're making quite the name for yourself for someone who's only been around for… what, two days?" Her voice held some admiration as she glanced at the thug webbed up to the wall.
Sol pondered slightly as he replied.
"I'm not sure if I should be worried or flattered that I'm being watched and sneaked up on... You a fan or something?" Sol replied, joking a little.
Felicia's smirk deepened. "You could say that... though, I just have a habit of sneaking up on people. It's one of my charms."
"Not sure if I'd call that a charm," Sol said, "More like a hazard sign — approach with caution, or you might regret it later..."
Felicia chuckled, as she playfully said, "You wound me, Spider~ " Giving Sol a nickname casually.
She continued, "Well, enough with the formalities, I'm just here to have a nice conversation with you. You interested?"
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