Template: Street Ruffian

Jack Frank, Charlie Hunters, and Billy Parbol.

Two Black men and one white man, none of them particularly thin, and each with a vibrant green name floating above their heads—it was clear that all three were players.

Name: Jack Frank

Strength: 1

Constitution: 9

Intelligence: 0

Spirit: 8

[Template]:

Commoner (Basic) Lv2 / Student (Common) / Street Thug (Common) [Identity Locked]

Others: Omitted.

Lee Stein casually cast an Appraisal spell on the trio, and their attributes were laid bare.

They were all essentially the same: a basic Commoner template around level two, with an additional Street Thug template of common quality.

Seeing their stats, Lee couldn't even be bothered to ask why they had attacked him; it was nothing more than a daily task or a minor side quest.

"Keep your eyes peeled in the future."

Since it wasn't wise to take a life in broad daylight, Lee gave the three of them another cold-eyed kick, swept a glance over the onlookers who were now silent as cicadas, and then walked toward the infirmary with Gwen, supporting Peter Parker.

"Oh my god, that was real Chinese Kung Fu!"

"I remember his name is Lee Stein. I thought he was just a nerd, but he's actually this strong!"

"I really want to learn Kung Fu from him. I heard you have to take a master, is that true?"

"I bet he used the Monk's Shadowless Kick just now!"

"He's so handsome. Do you think he'd say yes if I asked him out?"

"..."

As soon as Lee left, the crowd, which had been too stifled to breathe, erupted into exclamations. The entire playground became boisterous once again, attracting even more people.

Those who hadn't seen the scene asked questions out of curiosity, while those who had witnessed it danced with excitement as they recounted what happened, often trying to demonstrate the moves themselves only to trip and fall, making the surroundings as noisy and chaotic as a wet market.

"Thanks, Lee. If it weren't for you, I'd be in real trouble today!"

Peter Parker clutched his stomach with one hand and his face with the other, hissing in pain, yet he still forced himself to thank Lee.

"Don't mention it. I'm not the type to watch my friends get beaten up."

Lee was a bit distracted, but he still offered a smile.

"Lee, was that Chinese Kung Fu? My god, is there anything you can't do!"

Gwen looked eager to try, clearly very interested in the legendary Chinese Kung Fu.

Even Peter Parker looked on with curiosity, staring straight at Lee as if his pain had vanished.

"It wasn't just Chinese Kung Fu; I just applied some simple force-generating techniques. It was mostly mixed martial arts. If you want to learn, I can teach you when I have time."

Lee's mind was currently filled with thoughts about the Spider-Man plot, so he just shook his head and gave a perfunctory reply.

Gwen and Parker noticed his distraction and said no more, delivering Peter Parker to the infirmary in silence.

After settling Peter Parker in, Gwen pulled Lee aside as soon as they stepped out and stared straight at him: "Lee, is something bothering you?"

"It's nothing. I just suddenly have a bad feeling that something big is about to happen. Of course, it could just be my imagination."

Lee shook his head, though his brow remained furrowed.

"If something is wrong, you have to tell me!"

Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, Gwen didn't press further, only saying it with great seriousness.

"Don't worry, I've just been a bit sensitive lately."

Hearing Gwen's words, a smile bloomed on Lee's face once more.

Just then, the bell for class rang, so the two didn't linger at the infirmary door and returned to their classroom to take their seats.

Only then did Lee have the time to look at the system notification that had popped up earlier.

[Notification: You have participated in and won a small street brawl. You have obtained a clue for the [Template: Street Thug].]

[Template]: Street Thug (Common)

Attribute Bonus: Strength +1

Special Effect Bonus: Intimidation success rate +5%

Template Skills: None

Evaluation: Please always remember that you are just a fledgling brat, not the underworld emperor Kingpin. Intimidation and threats are more effective and safer for you than resorting to physical violence.

Acquisition Requirements:

1. Participate in a street fight and emerge victorious. (Completed)

2. Join a street gang. (Incomplete)

3. Collect your first protection fee. (Incomplete)

"White-tier common templates really don't have anything good!"

After just a glance, Li Si shook his head.

The Street Thug Template—the only thing even remotely useful about it was perhaps that +1 to the Strength attribute, but he had little interest in such things.

Although the attributes granted by templates could stack, it was not without a price. This wasn't just a statement on a panel; it influenced the potential perception others—the NPCs—had of him.

Take this Thug Template, for example: even if you didn't lock this template as your current identity, you would still appear roguish and unrefined in the eyes of other NPCs. You would be detestable to righteous people, and in the eyes of gangsters and criminals, you would be neither here nor there, failing to please either side—a typical negative template.

"Sigh, I must pick up the pace. I hope I can make it in time!"

Casting the Thug Template to the back of his mind, Li Si anxiously scratched his hair.

If he remembered correctly, the plot of the first Spider-Man movie took place over a very short period, at most eight or nine days.

Tomorrow, Peter Parker would go to Osborn, get bitten by the spider, and become Spider-Man. A few days later, Lizard would appear, not only attacking the school but also turning many people in New York into giant lizards.

In his current out-of-shape state, he could handle ordinary people, but he had absolutely no confidence in dealing with Lizard.

Moreover, Spider-Man wasn't exactly reliable. Although the Spider-Man plot in this game was a fusion of the new and old versions, it was primarily based on the new The Amazing Spider-Man, with the old version serving only as supplementary content.

The old Spider-Man had decent combat power, but the combat power of the one in The Amazing Spider-Man was worrying. He hadn't grown into his power in the early stages; he spent the entire movie getting beaten up by Lizard, only managing to pull back a win by relying on his spider silk.

"The top priority is to finish building Bumblebee first. I hope it's not too late."

Li Si sighed and began calling the parts manufacturers one by one to urge them to speed up their progress.