Chapter 3. City Crawler

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

Does whatever a spider can

Spins a web, any size

Catches thieves just like flies

Look out

Here comes the Spider-Man

nanananana... That's all I remeber, lol

---

(Spider-Man's POV)

Clad in his usual red and blue suit, Marvel's famous web crawler was swinging high and low with skill while using the buildings in the financial district as his support. His spiderman senses had alerted him to a situation that required his immediate action.

Swoosh!

Flip!

The web-slinger applied pressure to his fingers again and unleashed two web lines while in flip mode. One attached to a traffic pole and the other to a corner building.

Applying his core, he used the new position to push himself not only higher in the air, but also nearer to the building on the opposite for dash.

Kaiji, while observing Spiderman in action for the first time in real life, couldn't help but wonder if the kid inside the costume had a death wish. If not for the background he had on Spiderman's unique style, he would have never stopped to wonder.

But watching as Spiderman jumped from the building into the street Kaiji was in, and the dive to close in on the target, Kaiji felt a rush of excitement run all over his body. Was that what performing heroic feats felt like?

It looked incredible to the observer's eye.

But Spiderman's mind wasn't hang up on whether he looked cool or not. He was instead juggling several thoughts that all revolved around his mundane life.

"I need to find new and better excuses for missing school." He thought back on Midtown High, and his consistent attendance (his inconsistency had become consistent). "I'll wear out the fact that I always ace it in tests."

From the corner of his eye, he saw a taxi and it reminded him of something. "I almost forgot about the buzzers. It's been a week since I last updated them. My allies won't be happy about that." He saw the taxi driver eye him with a hint of disappointment, but chose to ignore that he had seen it.

"Don't forget to swing by the shop later and grab Aunt May's medication, Peter." Spider-Man reminded his alter-ego while still soaring down. "I hope she's doing better today."

"And most importantly, don't forget what brought you to the Financial district this early in the morning." He thought back on his core goal for being in this particular part of New York. "I have to scale up and expand, and work on my product. Significant improvements are due."

"I wonder what he stole." His mind came back to the present.

He had set his sight on the hooded criminal brushing violently past the people in his way. On almost all occasions, the norm was simple: swing above them and shoot them with spiderwebs. Maybe engage in combat for a few minutes while protecting innocent civilians. But it all ended with webbing up the criminal for the actual law enforcers to find him.

And they did not like him doing their work for them (legal law enforcers). Something they had made very clear. Them, and the guy from the Daily Buggle with a daily crusade against Spiderman.

But what could he do? He couldn't just stand back and watch criminals take lives just for a few bucks!

His mind reflected back to a memory of his past, but he dismissed it by stretching his hand and shooting some webs to the running criminal. The hooded guy managed to evade the first two shots, but the third was a web-line on the guy's back that Spiderman used to pull himself closer to him.

Using both his knees, he hit him on the back, forcing him to the ground as Spider-Man himself cartwheeled seamlessly until a standing position. How uniquely and cool he had put down the criminal!

Spider-Man then turned to face the criminal and searched him with his eyes to find out what he had stolen. The criminal was standing up, though feigning struggle, but Spider-Man could tell.

He didn't seem to have anything on him, and from the way he had fallen, it wasn't concealed in his clothes. It would have otherwise fallen.

But why was he running away? He must have done something, clearly.

"Maybe what he took wasn't a big object." Spider-Man thought as he tried hard to make out the face of the standing criminal. His hoodie was covering up his face area very well, but one could make out the beaded masculine jaw.

Behind the guy, Spiderman saw someone running and thought that it was perhaps the victim of the crime. But little did he know that it was a guy who had seen this action countless time, and couldn't believe he had gotten the opportunity to experience Spiderman putting down criminals, first-hand!

"Mister. I'll take back what you stole." Spider-Man relied on the norm to trigger a reaction from the completely silent criminal.

"Spider-Man." The hooded guy said in a deep voice as he raised his chin slightly, still not revealing his face. "Just who I was looking for."

Zzzzz...

Spider-Man's senses had buzzed even before the hooded criminal had said those words. This was not the norm. It felt bigger. One of those situations he had to go all out, and far beyond being the friendly neighborhood superhero.

"What are you?" Spider-Man wondered out loud. Striking an action-ready pose, he put one leg behind and hung his hands in a combat position. The danger level he was sensing was not that of a normal criminal.

He might have not fully known what was going on before, but Spiderman knew what would happen next, and he had to be prepared for a supernatural show down.

"Why don't you come up and find out." The hooded guy said and bent his knees slightly, before leaping into the air.

And then...

(Kaiji's POV)

As I watched Spider-Man swing into action with a mix of awe and excitement, I couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline at the unfolding events. I ended up instinctively following him, abandoning my breakfast task and half-baked training schedule in my mind.

This was a once in a lifetime chance, and I couldn't let it pass. Strangely, I couldn't recall my past life at all but still retained memories of mangas and comic books (and some hentai for some reason - maybe a part of the bigger cause).

Which meant that all those stories I had binged meant the world to me, since they were the only connection to my past life.

As Spider-Man made another daring leap to close in on the hooded criminal and thwart him, my curiosity awakened. What had the criminal stolen? And why was he running with such urgency?

Spider-Man's presence had lightened my desire to engage in the unfolding confrontation. My heart was pounding with anticipation.

But then, something extraordinary happened.

With a swift motion, the hooded figure leaped into the air, defying gravity with an agility that rivaled Spider-Man's own acrobatics.

(General POV)

Spider-Man's spider-sense buzzed with heightened intensity, warning him of the impending danger. He knew he had to act fast.

Reacting instinctively, Spider-Man shot a web line towards the airborne assailant, aiming to ensnare him mid-air and neutralize the threat.

However, to Spider-Man's surprise, the hooded figure effortlessly dodged the web line, twisting and somersaulting through the air with an otherworldly grace. He then held onto something, four-floors above on the towering building that on my left.

Spider-Man's mind raced as he recalibrated his strategy on the fly. This was no ordinary street criminal; this was someone with abilities and agility far beyond the norm.

The hooded figure stalled for a bit to look below, and then swiftly started ascending towards the top of the building. It was as if he was beckoning spiderman to follow him.

Quick to react, spiderman shot a web line to a hooking mechanism on the building and jumped as high as he could. His feet gently landed on the building's wall and stuck on it firmly (he's not called a web crawler for nothing). Immediately, he sprung to action to pursue the hooded figure while running and using his web lines as much as needed.

As the supernatural events unfolded, people in the streets were pulling out their phones to take videos and pictures. Reporters made sure that the cameras captured all the right angles, and they were already brainstorming titles for the headlining articles they were about to write.

---

"City Crawlers: Supernatural Showdown in the Financial District."

"Hero or Menace? Spider-Man continues to attract attention in Financial District."

The Daily Buggle: "Chaos in His Wake: Spider-Man Strikes Again!"

---

Kaiji didn't want to be left behind as he watched the adrenaline-fueled spectacle unfold. He wanted to participate too, and get a piece of the action.

However, his abilities didn't provide a way for him to effectively climb up the building, as those guys were, at the moment. It would require summoning a flight Shikigami or gaining a shadow attribute equal to the task to make it to the top easily. Basically, improving his Expertise.

With his current abilities, he had the potential to leap and hop along the building to the top, but he didn't have the experience. Naturally, it wouldn't be the easiest task, from inexperience.

However, with the sense of exhilaration he was feeling, he knew he would find a quick way to the top too.

Amidst the excitement of seeing the hooded figure leaping, he awaited the big revelation, curious to find out which Spiderman villain it was.

"This can't be a coincidence." Kaiji thought to himself as he studied the buildings for the way up. "Fighting vagabonds in the night and now finding myself in a Spiderman situation! This must be fate."

---

(Kaiji's Mission Update)

Mission Extension:

4. As part of your training, make a stand on Spiderman. Ally or Foe? (Don't forget to meditate on it.)

---

"I guess I'll find out soon enough, which is which." Kaiji mumbled to himself as the Interface dissipated with a small burst of purple air flow. "The showdown must be at the building top. I'll be there for the big villain reveal."

Plotting his path to the top, Kaiji made his first step for the ascension.

---

Spider-Man and the hooded figure finally reached the top of the building, leaving the building sides with scars from their, not-so-friendly, ascension. Tension hang thick in the air like a tangible presence as the two faced each other in premonition of a great clash.

Spider-Man's senses informed him on the danger of rushing headlong into things. He thus chose to wait for a perfect striking moment as he made his calculations.

His mind had been completely averted from focusing on mundane things into focusing on the immediate situation.

On the other hand, the Hooded Guy had finally got the City's Web Crawler this far, for his grand plan. Countless hours of planning for this perfect moment, and all it took was a petty crime and fate's intervention.

"Here." He said with his deep voice as he threw an object in the air, straight to Spider-Man. Instinctively, Spider-Man unleashed a web line to catch the item and throw it in the air, supposing it was rigged for explosion, or maybe poison.

But his senses didn't alert him to such a mild threat. He was currently concentrating on the energy the hooded guy was exuding and uncovering his face.

"All I had to do was steal a watch, and New York's Spider hero would come to save the day. Can you imagine?" The hooded guy humored himself and chuckled lightly with his deep voice. "And with your ridiculous scheme to alert yourself to crimes with Spider Buzzers, you allowed yourself to be quite vulnerable, and easy to manipulate."

Spider-Man was currently confirming that the object was indeed a watch, and safe before the hooded guy made a most shocking revelation. A really expensive Rolex, however.

"What are you getting in exchange, Parker?!" He said with a voice and tone that was filled with boundless hatred for the name. "A few bucks to spoil yourself and proclaim your love for your little girlfriend?"

Spider-Man's mind was racing, searching through his mind and listing all the people that knew his secret identity yet. Not even Aunt May was aware. Closest to him, only his best friend knew.

However, his search results arrived at one other person. Tony Stark! He might've not been the hooded guy, but there was no telling if he managed to leak out Spider-Man's true identity to other players.

Something Spiderman deeply regretted - not being careful and thoroughly disabling all surveillance before changing into his costume.

"Or is it enough money to cover your ailing aunt's piling medical bills?" The hooded guy continued, striking a really emotional nerve for Peter Parker.

Spider-Man's senses were no longer buzzing. They were rattling! Just who was this guy??! How did he know so much about him?

How did he know his alter ego?

"One would think that with the power you have, money would never be a problem." The hooded figure continued as Spider-Man tried hard to comprehend the current situation and revelations. His life wasn't as secret as he thought and hoped. Somehow, he had been compromised. "But not you. You're just too righteous that you'd let your aunt suffer when you could make all the money she needs in just a few minutes."

"In just a few crimes." The hooded guy added. "But what is the catch-phrase again? With great power...?"

The hooded guy was now really getting to Spider-Man's bad side. Spider-Man's veins were rushing with a collection of anger hormones that made it feel like he could instantly snap the guy's kneck and pull his head out.

Killer instincts (that he never fell for in his entire career).

"But no matter." The hooded guy said. "Today I've come to tarnish your perfect record, and the Financial District happens to be the perfect place."

"In the name of righteousness, you ruined my life, Peter Parker." The Hooded Guy staged his grand reveal, his deep voice shifting and changing as if it was more than one person speaking. "And today, I'm here to destroy yours."

Revealing his vendetta with the web crawler, he lowered his hoodie to reveal his hungry face.

"What?" Spider-Man's eyes widened in shock at the face of the man standing before him.

No. It wasn't the face of the man that made him wonder. It was the other half of the familiar face he knew.

"E-e-ed..." Spider-Man couldn't bring himself to refer to the half-man in front of him with his original name. He had done more than change. He had transformed!

"What happened to you?" Spider-Man asked, his voice tinged with a mixture of surprise and concern while subduing his inner rage momentarily due to the shocking revelation.

"The same thing that's about to happen to you." Eddie Brock replied with a serious expression on his split face, and the mixture of two different sounds for his voice.

"Y-you are not yourself, Eddie." Spider-Man acknowledged the gravity of the situation, and chose to subdue his anger a bit longer, before it exploded and transformed him. "You need help."

"That's not my name!" The dual voices snapped and shouted angrily. "We are Venom!"

"Enough with this childish talk. Let's finish him, Eddie." Now, only one very distinct voice spoke, the Symbiote Venom, urging Eddie to finish up Spiderman. "Let's welcome Spider-Man to the dark side."

"We have other places to be at."

Edited.

Early Access in Patreon.com/CursedMillennial - Stories for another Millennium.

A Symbol to remind you there's more to see.