The bell hadn't even finished ringing before the hallway buzzed like a shaken beehive.
Ethan walked through it all with quiet steps, but everywhere he turned, voices trailed behind him.
"I swear Flash threw, like, six punches—"
"No, bro, it was eight!"
"New kid didn't even blink."
"He dodged like he downloaded Flash's moves before he even moved!"
Ethan pretended not to hear, but the corner of his mouth twitched once.
Peter hurried beside him, backpack bouncing. "Dude… you broke the school."
"I didn't do anything."
"You did plenty." Peter lowered his voice. "Flash hasn't been embarrassed like that since he tried to ask Liz out by doing a backflip."
Ethan raised a brow. "How'd that go?"
"Hospital," Peter replied instantly.
"…Oh."
Peter nodded somberly. "Three stitches."
Ethan sighed. "I just avoided getting hit."
Peter gave him a very yeah, right look.
They reached the cafeteria doors, pushed them open, and a wave of noise, chatter, and the smell of reheated pizza hit them.
It was chaos—teenagers rushing for food, trading snacks, arguing over seats.
Peter pointed toward a small table near the windows. "C'mon. We sit there. It's kinda like… the side-quest area. Safe from bullies."
Ethan followed, tray in hand. The food wasn't great, but edible. As they sat, Ethan got a few looks—quick glances that snapped away when he noticed.
Peter leaned across the table. "Okay… just so you know… rumor number one: you're a parkour prodigy."
Ethan blinked. "What?"
"Rumor number two: you trained at a secret dojo."
"Definitely not."
"Rumor number three: you have eyes in the back of your head."
"…Seriously?"
Peter nodded. "Yeah. Someone swears they saw it."
Ethan stared at him. "They saw eyes on the back of my head."
"—I said someone swears. Doesn't mean it's true."
Before Ethan could reply, a voice shouted, "PETER!"
A boy practically slid into the seat next to Peter, tray wobbling dangerously.
Short hair.
Round glasses.
A Star Wars shirt two sizes too big.
Ned Leeds.
His eyes zeroed in on Ethan.
"You…" he breathed dramatically. "You are the guy who destroyed Flash Thompson."
Ethan frowned. "I didn't destroy him."
Ned grabbed Peter's shoulders. "PETER, HE'S HUMBLE! HUMBLE AND DANGEROUS!"
Peter facepalmed. "Ned, stop. You're weirding him out."
Ned scooted closer to Ethan with sparkly eyes. "Can you teach me how to dodge punches like that? Like—whoosh—whoosh—" He swung his arms around, nearly knocking over Peter's milk.
Ethan leaned back slightly. "I don't think that's teachable."
Ned gasped. "He speaks in mysterious vague wisdom!"
Peter groaned louder. "Ned. Please."
He turned to Ethan. "Sorry. He's like this. Always."
Ned beamed proudly. "It's part of my charm."
Ethan found himself exhaling a short, quiet laugh.
They all dug into their food, and for the first time, Ethan realized how long it had been since he'd sat at a lunch table with people who weren't mocking him or avoiding him.
It felt… normal.
Nice, even.
Peter snapped him out of his thoughts. "So, Ethan… how're you liking Midtown so far?"
Ethan poked at the fries. "It's… louder than I expected."
"That's the polite way of saying it," Peter said with a grin.
Ned nodded. "The bathroom hand dryers don't even work. Like, half the school budget goes into fixing stuff Flash breaks."
"That makes sense," Ethan murmured.
Peter nudged him. "Seriously though… if he comes after you again, you're not alone."
Ethan blinked. "Not alone?"
Peter shrugged, suddenly shy. "I mean, yeah. We've got your back."
Ned puffed his chest with pride. "I wield the mighty power of moral support."
"Useful," Ethan said deadpan.
"It is!" Ned insisted.
Ethan took another bite, slower this time.Belonging.
He hadn't felt that in… he couldn't remember.
He listened as Peter and Ned argued about Star Wars vs. Star Trek, their voices overlapping, hands waving, pointing fries as if they were swords.
Ethan didn't join the debate.
But he didn't feel left out, either.
He just… existed with them.
Comfortably.
And that was new.
When the bell rang again, the three stood up together. Peter tightened his backpack straps. Ned placed his arm around both of them dramatically.
"Behold," he declared, "the formation of a new trio. A mighty trio."
Ethan shook his head. "We're just walking to class."
Ned gasped. "Modesty. Again."
Peter sighed. "Let's go before Flash sees us and starts round two."
They walked out of the cafeteria—together.
And for the first time since arriving in this universe, Ethan didn't feel alone in the slightest.
The three of them stepped out of the cafeteria doors, merging back into the crowded hallway. Students hurried past, lockers slammed, and from somewhere far behind them, Flash shouted angrily about "floor wax making him slip."Peter snorted quietly.
Ned whispered, "He's in denial."
"Let him be," Ethan said simply.
They kept walking, but just as Ethan adjusted his backpack strap—
A faint chime echoed in his head.
He blinked.
The system interface flickered into his vision like a translucent hologram only he could see.
[ Quest Completed ]
Objective: Neutralize Flash without direct physical contact.
Status: Complete.
[ Reward Granted ]
New Skill Unlocked: A.I. Making
Description:Your analytical thinking and adaptability have reached the threshold to conceptualize and construct artificial intelligence on a digital level. Your mind automatically identifies optimization pathways in coding, data structures, and digital frameworks.
Ethan's steps slowed for a moment.
A.I. Making.
That was… big.
Huge, actually.
More than Detect.
More than Alternative.
This wasn't just a combat or survival tool—it was something he could use to build, create, earn money, design technology… and carve a place for himself in this world.
His lips twitched upward—very slightly.
"Yo, Ethan?" Peter's voice snapped him back. "You spaced out there."
"Just… thinking," Ethan replied casually.
"Well think fast," Ned said, swinging his backpack forward, "because Peter's about to invite you to something he never invites anyone to."
Peter's eyes widened. "Ned!"
"What? It's true!"
Peter looked at Ethan, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "So uh… yeah. About that. I was gonna ask…"
Ethan raised a brow. "Ask what?"
Peter inhaled.
"You wanna join one of the clubs I'm in?"
Ethan blinked. "Which one?"
"Well, uh… technically two," Peter said. "There's the Robotics Club. Not many students care, but it's fun. We build stuff. Fix stuff. Design things the school ignores."
Ned chimed in, "And sometimes we fry the electricity by mistake. But only on Wednesdays."
Peter glared. "That was one time."
Ethan felt something stir inside him.Robotics Club.A place with tools.Equipment.Computers.Projects.
A place he could use his new skill.
"I'm interested," Ethan said without hesitation.
Peter brightened. "Great! Great. Uh—cool."
"But wait," Ned said suddenly, raising a finger. "Shouldn't we tell him about the field trip?"
"Oh—right, yeah." Peter nodded. "That's actually why I thought of inviting you."
They reached their next classroom door, but before heading inside, Peter continued:
"Tomorrow, the school's taking us on a field trip."
"Where?" Ethan asked.
"A genetic research lab," Peter said. "Some big partnership Midtown has. They're working on cross-species genetics and bio-enhancement projects."
Ned leaned in dramatically. "They even have spiders the size of your fist."
Ethan blinked once. Ned shrugged. "Could be an exaggeration. Or not."
Peter continued, "Our class will get a full tour. It's a rare chance. They don't usually allow students."
Ethan processed that. A genetic research facility.A field trip with Peter.And in this universe… places like that never meant something simple.
"Sounds interesting," Ethan said calmly.
Peter grinned. "Then sit with us tomorrow on the bus."
Ned raised a fist. "Trio squad assembled once more!"
The bell rang overhead, echoing down the hall.
Peter turned toward the door. "Come on, let's get to class."
Ethan followed, but inside his mind, he replayed the system notification again and again.
A.I. Making.
This world was full of threats.But it was also full of opportunities.
And now he had a tool powerful enough to shape his own future, one line of code at a time.
Tomorrow's field trip would be interesting.
Very interesting.