Meanwhile, Drake's mind was in complete chaos.
Everything had happened too fast.
His original plan had been simple. He wanted to carefully build up favors, wait for the right chance, and eventually get the Superior Iron Man template.
That was the goal from the very beginning.
But now?
Instead of Superior Iron Man, his first template had somehow become Agent Venom.
For a few seconds, Drake just sat there silently while staring at nothing.
Then suddenly, his expression froze.
"...Wait."
His thoughts started moving quickly.
Agent Venom.
Venom.
Symbiote.
Superhuman strength.
Regeneration.
Enhanced senses.
Combat instincts.
Drake blinked.
Slowly... very slowly... the shock on his face disappeared.
Then the corners of his lips started rising.
A grin spread across his face.
"...Hold on."
He looked at the system screen again.
"...This actually isn't bad at all."
The more he thought about it, the more his eyes started shining.
This was Agent Venom.
Not some weak random ability.
This was a future version of Flash combined with one of the most broken alien lifeforms in existence.
Sure, it wasn't Superior Iron Man.
But suddenly...
Drake felt like he had accidentally hit a jackpot.
Drake kept staring at the screen while his mind worked at full speed.
The more he thought about it, the more details started coming back to him.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Wait... Agent Venom from Ultimate Spider-Man..."
More memories quickly surfaced.
Unlike normal Venom, Agent Venom wasn't just a mindless monster.
The symbiote had been modified and controlled.
It could create weapons.
Guns.
Blades.
Shields.
Its body could change shape however the user wanted.
And in the series, since Flash and Venom were a perfect match, it displayed far more abilities, Drake thought with a smile.
Not bad... now I just need to raise my symbiote compatibility to 100% and start integrating technology into it.
Just imagining a symbiote mixed with advanced tech made him excited.
Soon, lunch break ended and the remaining classes passed quickly.
After school, Drake immediately headed toward an old warehouse. It was a place he and a few others used as a secret hangout spot. Most people only came there during the evening, so at this time, it was completely empty.
Drake looked around carefully.
After confirming nobody was nearby, he finally relaxed.
"Okay... let's see what I got."
He closed his eyes and spoke inside his mind.
"System. Integrate the template."
[Loading Agent Venom Template...]
[Since this is Host's first template integration, the template will begin at 50% fusion.]
The moment the message appeared, Drake suddenly felt something moving inside his body.
His eyes widened.
A strange warmth spread through his chest and flowed throughout his entire body.
Slowly, his muscles tightened.
His body felt lighter.
Stronger.
Healthier.
He suddenly felt an odd sensation, as if something was cleaning him from the inside out.
Venom began purging toxins and weaknesses from his body.
Drake couldn't help letting out a relieved breath.
"...Damn..."
He felt refreshed, almost like years of exhaustion had disappeared.
Then he opened his eyes.
Black liquid suddenly spread across his arms.
The dark substance moved like living water before slowly forming around his hands.
His fingers changed.
Sharp black claws formed at the tips.
Drake stared.
"...Only this?"
He moved his hand around and nodded.
"So I can only partially cover my body for now."
He walked toward a nearby metal container and swung his claws.
Slash!
Four deep marks instantly appeared on the metal surface.
Drake froze.
Then his eyes widened.
He immediately punched the container.
Bang!
A visible dent formed.
Silence.
Then—
"Damn, that's cool!"
Drake laughed while staring at his hands.
This was only fifty percent synchronization.
Only fifty.
Then suddenly he remembered something.
The cooldown.
Drake quickly looked toward the system panel.
"System. Tell me about the cooldown."
"You said there would be a cooldown after getting my first template."
The system immediately responded.
[Cooldown duration depends on the strength of acquired templates.]
[Agent Venom has been evaluated as an S-Rank Template.]
[Base cooldown: 10 years.]
Drake nodded at first.
Then his brain caught up.
Silence.
"...Wait."
"...Ten years?"
He blinked.
Then looked again.
[First template bonus detected.]
[50% cooldown reduction applied.]
[Remaining cooldown: 5 years.]
Drake stood there silently.
"..."
"...Five years?!"
His face twitched.
What the hell kind of cooldown is this?!
A few moments later, he calmed down and sighed.
So stronger templates mean longer cooldowns...
That actually made sense.
Otherwise he could just collect overpowered templates endlessly.
After thinking for a moment, Drake asked another question.
"System, explain the ranking system."
The system responded immediately.
[Template Ranking:]
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS → EX
Drake looked at the ranking list and rubbed his chin.
"No wonder it takes ten years. Agent Venom is truly one of the top templates," he muttered while nodding.
Agent Venom was honestly broken.
Not only did it grant superhuman strength and regeneration, but it also had shapeshifting abilities, enhanced senses, combat instincts, and countless other uses.
Then Drake remembered something important.
"Though this one doesn't seem sentient."
He looked at the black substance around his hand.
According to the information entering his mind, this wasn't a fully living symbiote with its own personality. It was more like an advanced biological system merged into him.
Something between living and non-living.
Like having Venom inside him without actually having Venom inside him.
Drake immediately smiled.
"Which is honestly better."
He had no interest in suddenly hearing another voice in his head every day.
And more importantly—
"It saves me from problems with Knull and all that dark god nonsense."
The last thing Drake wanted was some ancient cosmic entity suddenly noticing him because of a symbiote connection.
That sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
After calming down, Drake focused again.
"System, show me the details."
A new screen immediately appeared.
[Agent Venom Template — 50% Integration]
Synchronization: 50%
Abilities Available:
Enhanced Strength
Enhanced Speed
Regeneration
Combat Instincts
Partial Symbiote Armor
Claw Manifestation
Basic Tendril Control
Locked Abilities:
Full Body Armor
Cloaking
Advanced Weapon Creation
Flight Mode
Full Symbiote Synchronization