"You mean… I was bitten by a spider, so I'm going to turn into a giant spider too?"
Gwen's beautiful blue eyes, which looked like clear crystals, widened in fear. She was still having a very hard time accepting the strange changes happening to her body. The thought of becoming a monster was terrifying to her.
"No! That's not it at all," Peter said quickly, correcting her. "To be more precise, your genes have gone through a mutation. This has caused you to have some of the powers of a spider, but you are still human!"
When she heard this, Gwen finally let out a long sigh of relief. As long as she wasn't going to turn into a scary insect, she felt she could handle it. Becoming stronger, faster, and having better hearing didn't seem like a bad thing. In fact, it sounded like a gift.
Peter had spent a long time explaining the science of the mutation to her. To make sure she believed him, he even took out the body of the irradiated spider he had saved earlier. Seeing the dead spider made his story very convincing, and Gwen quickly accepted the truth.
However, the clever Miss Gwen soon noticed something unusual. How did Peter know so much about this? This wasn't the kind of thing an introverted nerd would usually know. She took a deep breath, her eyes becoming serious as she looked directly at him.
"Peter! Are you hiding something from me? Why have you felt so different lately?" she asked. "And how do you know exactly what is happening to my body?"
Peter saw the suspicion in her eyes. He knew this was a real world, and Gwen was a genius, not a simple character in a game. It would be unnatural if she didn't get suspicious. Luckily, he was ready for this moment.
Peter suddenly raised his right hand. He slowly brought his index finger and thumb closer together. Gwen's eyes were glued to his hand.
Suddenly, several faint blue electric sparks appeared in the air between his fingers. They flickered and danced, looking beautiful and high-tech. Gwen covered her mouth in shock.
"Could it be… Peter, do you have powers too?"
Peter nodded and flicked his fingers, putting out the sparks. "That's right. Just like you, I awakened a special power not long ago. But mine is different. I can modify electronic devices and build interesting gadgets!"
This ability came from his talent, Mechanical Limit Breaker. While he had been waiting for Gwen to wake up, he had been testing his system. With the electric light from his fingers, he could reshape matter to build machines. For example, if he had a blueprint, he could turn a regular handgun into a high-tech revolver just by touching it.
He imagined that if he leveled up this talent, he might even be able to build a giant robot—a Gundam—with his bare hands one day! Of course, that was a goal for the future.
When Gwen realized Peter also had powers, she didn't feel so alone or "weird" anymore. Her suspicion disappeared, replaced by pure excitement.
"Peter! We can be superheroes!" she cried. "With this much strength, it's our destiny to protect people and defeat super-villains!"
Peter looked at her and silently shook his head. Gwen was still a bit too young and naive. He planned to slowly teach her that the world wasn't so simple. He didn't want to be a classic hero; he preferred the path of an Anti-Hero. However, now wasn't the time for that talk. He was ready to head home.
"Miss Gwen! Don't forget about breakfast tomorrow!" Peter teased as he prepared to leave. "I want a beef sandwich! And a cappuccino would be perfect!"
Gwen's face turned red again. "Who said I'd make you breakfast? I didn't promise that!"
Peter just laughed and climbed down the wall pipes to the ground. He jumped over the fence and ran home. Gwen watched him go, then collapsed onto her bed. Her head was spinning with everything they had talked about. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.
Back in his own room, Peter sat down to think. He knew this world was incredibly dangerous. He had seen news reports of hundreds of people dying just from being near superhero battles. He needed to be able to protect himself.
To get stronger, he needed to use his two talents: Mechanical Limit Breaker and Mechanical Wisdom.
He took his smartphone and placed it on the table. It was a brand he didn't recognize from his old life, but that didn't matter. He took a deep breath and placed his palm on the phone.
"Activate: Mechanical Wisdom!"
Buzz!
Bright blue electricity burst from his palm and soaked into the phone. The phone seemed to drink the energy until it disappeared. Then, the screen lit up on its own. Three straight lines appeared on the display—two for eyes and one for a mouth.
Peter was thrilled. Had he really created a true Artificial Intelligence? He picked up the phone.
Ding!
The lines on the screen shifted into a simple smiley face.
"Respected Master, thank you for creating me!"
"Do you… have your own independent mind?" Peter asked.
"Yes! Every 'Mechanical Wisdom' you create has its own consciousness," the phone replied.
"What is your core logic?" Peter asked, wanting to be sure it was safe.
"First: Never harm Master. Second: Obey all of Master's commands. Third: Protect myself, as long as I follow the first two rules."
Peter breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe.
"Very good! Since you are the very first one I created, your name will be… Deep Blue!"
"Your duty is to be my assistant!"
The digital face on the screen changed to a big laughing expression. "Understood, Master! Deep Blue will do its best to serve you!"
Looking at Deep Blue, Peter felt very curious. He wondered: Who is smarter? Deep Blue, or Tony Stark's AI, Jarvis? Just thinking about the competition between his technology and Stark's made him feel more excited than ever.