The moment Peter heard that voice, his emotions went on a roller coaster ride straight from the depths of hell to the gates of heaven.
'Hell yes!'
'So what if I can't become Spider-Man?'
'I've got a goddamn cheat system!'
The gloom that had clouded his eyes vanished, replaced by an excitement unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
Forcing himself to suppress his elation, Peter quickly came up with a way to conceal what he was about to do.
Without attracting any attention, he took a tissue from his backpack and carefully wrapped it around the dead spider. Then he made a show of preparing to throw it into a nearby trash can.
In reality, the instant the tissue covered the spider's corpse, he'd already issued a command in his mind.
'Sacrifice!'
[Sacrifice Successful!]
[Congratulations! You have obtained 5,000 Sacrifice Points!]
The cold mechanical voice rang out again. A translucent virtual panel appeared before Peter's eyes, visible only to him.
[Current Sacrifice Points: 5,000]
'It worked!'
The enormous weight pressing down on Peter's chest finally lifted, and he let out a long breath of relief.
With the points safely in his possession, he turned toward Gwen and leaned closer, lowering his voice with genuine concern.
"Gwen, how are you feeling? I checked the spider. It didn't look like a particularly venomous species."
"At worst... well, you might develop a fever or something. Just get some proper rest, and you should be fine."
His voice was gentle, and the concern in his eyes was unmistakably sincere.
Gwen had been feeling a little uneasy about the spider bite, but hearing Peter speak to her so tenderly filled her heart with warmth.
There was something different about him today.
He wasn't acting like the slightly nerdy science geek she'd known for years. He seemed noticeably gentler and far more attentive to her feelings.
Not the slightest suspicion crossed her mind. Instead, she nodded with faintly flushed cheeks and unconsciously moved a little closer to him.
...
Neither of them paid much attention to the remainder of the Oscorp tour.
Gwen kept stealing glances at Peter, her thoughts wandering in directions she couldn't control.
'Why is Peter suddenly being so considerate today? Has he finally figured things out?'
'Could it be that he... likes me?'
Every time the possibility crossed her mind, her cheeks grew warmer.
Peter, meanwhile, was entirely absorbed in the mysterious presence inside his mind known as the Sacrifice System.
After spending some time exploring its functions, he'd finally gained a basic understanding of how his newfound cheat worked.
As its name suggested, the Sacrifice System allowed him to offer items as sacrifices in exchange for points, which could then be used to purchase various powers.
Its underlying rules were remarkably straightforward.
Any item associated with a named character who had appeared somewhere in the Marvel Universe could potentially be sacrificed.
The number of points awarded depended on two factors: the item's inherent energy level and the personal significance it held for its original owner.
For example, Peter could theoretically get his hands on a pair of socks Gwen had worn and sacrifice them. But since an ordinary pair of socks meant virtually nothing to her, he'd probably receive a single Sacrifice Point at most.
A token reward, essentially.
On the other hand, if he somehow managed to obtain the Tesseract or Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet with all its stones...
The points he could earn might reach hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions!
There was, however, a built-in cooldown period. After sacrificing an item associated with a particular character, Peter would have to wait six months before sacrificing another item connected to that same character.
As for the points themselves, they served only one purpose: purchasing merchandise from the System Shop.
The shop refreshed automatically once every month, offering eight randomly selected mysterious items from across countless worlds and universes.
Those items would be Peter's greatest hope of surviving in the dangerous Marvel Universe!
...
The Oscorp tour finally ended amid an atmosphere that felt rather strange to both Peter and Gwen.
On the bus ride home, Gwen began feeling increasingly unwell. Her head grew heavier by the minute, and waves of dizziness washed over her.
Her breathing became rapid and feverishly hot, while her eyelids felt almost impossibly heavy.
Eventually, she couldn't hold herself upright any longer. Her body tilted sideways, and she instinctively rested her head against Peter's shoulder, drifting into an exhausted doze.
A faint, pleasant fragrance rose from her body, and her soft blonde hair brushed lightly against his neck.
Under normal circumstances, having a beautiful girl leaning against him like this would have sent Peter's imagination running wild.
Unfortunately, he was in no mood to appreciate the romantic atmosphere.
His attention was entirely occupied by the dazzling virtual storefront floating before his eyes.
Eight items, each radiating a different light, were arranged neatly across the translucent display.
[Item 1: Chakra Seed]
[Source: Naruto]
[Effect: Upon consumption, the user can cultivate chakra within their body, allowing them to perform ninjutsu.]
[Price: 500 Sacrifice Points]
[Item 2: Random Kakuhou]
[Source: Tokyo Ghoul]
[Effect: Generates a kagune-producing organ in a random location within the user's body. The resulting kagune possesses excellent offensive and defensive capabilities, but the user will develop an intense craving for raw meat.]
[Price: 500 Sacrifice Points]
[Item 3: Makoto Kyogoku's Karate Expertise]
[Source: Detective Conan]
[Effect: Instantly grants the user all of Makoto Kyogoku's karate techniques and combat experience. With rigorous training, the user can fight numerous armed criminals barehanded and dodge bullets at close range.]
[Price: 500 Sacrifice Points]
...
Peter's gaze swept rapidly across the available merchandise.
From an artificial body, or Gigai, from the world of Bleach to a Nichirin Sword from Demon Slayer, practically every item made his heart race.
These were supernatural artifacts and entire power systems originating from completely different universes!
Most of them, if developed to a sufficiently advanced level, could grant him at least the basic ability to protect himself in this dangerous world.
Every single item stirred an almost irresistible desire to buy it.
However, when Peter reached the final listing, his breath caught.
[Item 8: Random Talisman — Choose One of Three]
[Source: Jackie Chan Adventures]
[Effect: Randomly draws three talismans from the Twelve Talismans. The host may select one of the three and gain absolute control over its power.]
[Price: 10,000 Sacrifice Points]
'Oh, I'm in love. I can't take my eyes off it!'
Peter stared at the listing so intently that he could barely tear his gaze away.
'The Twelve Talismans!'
These were among the most famous magical artifacts in the entire world of Jackie Chan Adventures!
Each talisman represented a different supernatural ability.
Of everything currently available in the System Shop, this was undoubtedly the most valuable option, offering an absurd amount of power for its price!
Obtaining even one of those talismans would immediately transform Peter from an ordinary high school student into a genuine superpowered individual.
And if he got lucky enough to draw one of the truly exceptional talismans, such as the Dog Talisman with its immortality, the Dragon Talisman with its energy blasts, or the Rabbit Talisman with its super speed, he'd be set!
Unfortunately...
Peter glanced at his balance of 5,000 points, then back at the item's daunting price of 10,000.
He couldn't help feeling frustrated.
'I'm short by exactly half!'
'Don't tell me I'm going to miss an opportunity this incredible just because I can't afford it.'
Just as Peter was drowning in disappointment over the prospect of letting this chance slip through his fingers, another mechanical notification sounded inside his head.
[New Player Benefits Are Being Distributed...]
[Congratulations! You have received the First Purchase Half-Price Privilege!]
[You may purchase any single item in the System Shop at a 50% discount!]
[This benefit can only be used once!]