After Spider-Woman's fight against the Vulture, a flood of news spread across major social media platforms and online forums, sparking heated debates.
But Gwen neither knew nor cared about any of it.
Thanks to Ruby, she didn't have to waste her time scrolling through hundreds of negative comments—most of them from a certain J. J. Jameson—ranting about her so-called "evil deeds."
Leaving the Vulture incident aside, something else ended up drawing even more attention.
Someone had noticed Arthur's signature stitched into Spider-Woman's new suit.
Suddenly, Gwen's social media was flooded with questions asking if she was also a fan of Arthur's books.
She eventually confirmed that she was, and now, both her fans and Arthur's began to mix together.
Luckily for her, those fans didn't know—and never would—the true depth of her relationship with Arthur.
A few weeks passed without much chaos. No major villains showed up, so Gwen spent her days going to college, stopping muggings, hanging out with friends, shopping, dragging Arthur out on countless dates, and enjoying her sweet, "syrupy" moments with both Arthur and Jean.
Arthur, however, wasn't exactly living in peace.
Let's just say meeting his girlfriend's father was harder than fighting any enemy he'd faced so far.
On the bright side, he might have earned a new reader for his crime drama novels.
During this time, Arthur also continued to log into the system diligently every day. Unfortunately, all he got was junk—or things completely useless to him. All except for two items. One of them, however, brought him a world of trouble.
---
Arthur twirled the small golden card between his fingers, like a kid who had just gotten a new toy. The letters on the system interface glowed with an almost hypnotic light:
[Dimensional Theft Card — Steal anything, from anyone, anywhere in the Multiverse]
He tilted his head, studying the item with a mischievous grin.
"So… basically, I can take… anything?" he muttered to himself, eyes sparkling.
"This is dangerous… and by dangerous, I mean ridiculously fun."
"What kind of thing will I end up with, hehehe~"
Without a second thought, he tore the card. A golden light burst in front of him, sparkling particles swirling together until something softly landed in his hand.
Arthur looked down curiously—and instantly froze.
It was a piece of fabric… red… small… anything but modest… and definitely not the kind of thing that screamed "useful mission gear."
"…No. No, no, no…" he muttered, dumbfounded.
The fabric was silky, with delicate black embroidery. It was… a pair of panties. And worse—they were still warm.
[Congratulations! You have stolen — Rias Gremory's Panties]
Arthur's eyes went wide.
"Holy shit…"
"What kind of stupid joke is this?!" he demanded, completely thrown off.
He was still processing the situation, torn between laughing, crying, or throwing himself out the nearest window, when a voice spoke up behind him.
"Arthur… what's that?" Gwen asked.
Her tone carried curiosity with a trace of amusement.
Arthur reacted on instinct—he hid the item behind his back.
"It's nothing. Just… uh, a tactical cleaning cloth."
(Wait… why the hell did I even say that?)
Gwen raised an eyebrow, stepping closer with a sly smile—the kind that screamed "I know you're hiding something, and I'm going to enjoy finding out what it is."
"A tactical cleaning cloth, huh? Now I'm even more curious, Arthur."
"No, seriously, it's just—"
(Seriously, why am I dodging this?)
"Arthur." Jean's voice cut in, sharp and unforgiving. Her eyes seemed to look straight into his soul.
"You're sweating. What is it?"
"I…" He tried to make something up, but Jean sighed, lifting her hand. A red aura flared, and the object was yanked from behind his back, floating until it hovered right in front of the two women.
The silence that followed was lethal. Gwen stared at the item… blinked… then looked back at Arthur in disbelief.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Jean held the panties with her telekinesis, examining them coolly.
"These aren't mine. And I'm sure they're not Gwen's either—she'd never wear something this… revealing. And it's not exactly the kind of thing you'd buy in a normal store." Her gaze narrowed.
"Arthur… whose are they?"
"Technically… that's not relevant." He forced a smile that looked more like a plea for mercy.
Gwen crossed her arms, leaning to the side with a predator's grin.
"Oh no… now I definitely want to know. How, where, and why did you get… this?"
"It was an accident, okay?" Arthur said quickly.
"Let's just say I found an item in my inventory and—"
"What item?" Jean interrupted.
"…A card that steals anything from anywhere in the Multiverse."
He immediately realized he had just dug his own grave.
(Damn…)
Jean arched an eyebrow.
"So out of all the possible options… you ended up stealing… some random girl's panties?"
"Hey! I didn't choose it! It was completely random!" Arthur protested.
"I could've gotten a powerful weapon, a mystical artifact… maybe even a giant burger! But no… I get this!"
Gwen was already laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach.
"So, somewhere out there, there's a girl who just felt a little 'plink'—and suddenly realized she's not wearing panties anymore?"
"…You didn't have to phrase it like that," Arthur muttered, burying his face in his hands.
What followed was a relentless interrogation that lasted over half an hour: "Is she pretty?" "Do you know her?" "Why was it warm?" "What are you keeping it for?" "Why were you hiding it?" "Are you going to return it?"
By the end, Arthur found himself exiled to the corner of the room, the two girls ignoring him completely. Rias's panties remained on the table like damning evidence, practically glowing under the light.
Arthur sighed.
"…I really need to start reading the manuals before I use this stuff."
---
The second thing he got from the system was a small golden ring.
[Ring of Concealment]
In short, it could hide some aspect of the user. For Arthur, it allowed him to conceal his divinity.
It was, by far, the most useful item he'd received in a long time. Thanks to it, Arthur no longer had to worry about attracting unwanted attention—whether in this world or in the DC Universe.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."