Neon lights glowed in the night.
Atop the Empire State Building.
The red-and-blue Spider-Man climbed the antenna tower and looked down over the city, glittering like a sea of stars.
"Wow, the view from the mountaintop is pretty great."
From the summit, Mark could see forests, towns, the Demon Hunter Guild, and the Holy Light Church.
As for the Kingdom of Locke, it was merely a city a little larger than those towns.
On the Holy Light Continent, that was all a so-called kingdom amounted to.
With that thought, Mark glanced at his quest interface.
With his current quest unfinished, it seemed he couldn't accept any others.
This game really wasn't very realistic.
Thinking that, he summoned Bruce, intending to continue exploring the Holy Light Continent.
He needed to find out where demons were more likely to appear.
He clicked Bruce's summoning icon.
[Notice: Bruce is on his way...]
Mark: "..."
This was his first time using the summoning skill.
So this game was actually far too realistic.
What a complete waste of a player's time!
"Woof!"
At last, he heard Bruce's bark.
Mark turned around and saw Bruce running toward him, drool spilling from his mouth.
"Good boy, Bruce! Come into my arms!" He clapped his hands at Bruce.
"Woof!"
Bruce leaped into Mark's arms.
Strangely, Bruce hadn't spoken today.
"Heh heh heh, the perfect host. We finally meet again."
Below the antenna tower, Gwen Stacy lay limp on the ground, unconscious.
Black liquid clung to the red-and-blue figure, staining him black in an instant.
It was utterly thrilled.
It hadn't expected to catch Spider-Man's scent just by wandering around.
This woman's bond with Spider-Man was incredibly deep.
Yes, that had to be it.
But... it felt that something was a little off about this perfect man.
His strength was fully unleashed now, nothing like the sealed state he'd been in during the day.
"Oh, I get it. You must be nocturnal." Venom grinned grotesquely.
Mark scratched his head. "Weird, my scalp's a little itchy. Maybe I need to wash my hair."
He slapped the demonic face apart, and the black liquid re-formed into a black spider mask.
"Bruce, I saw something fun in the Kingdom of Locke today. Let me take you to see it."
With that, he held the black Bruce in his arms and leaped off the summit.
The black Spider-Man swung down from the Empire State Building, then arced through the air and landed on the curtain wall of the building opposite.
Under the colorful neon lights, the mirror-smooth glass reflected a powerful black body.
The black inverted-triangle eyes had turned grayish white, while all of Venom's brutality and darkness were suppressed by a strange force.
This left Venom increasingly frustrated.
In the past, everyone it bonded with would reveal the darkest depths of their hearts.
But this guy was different.
He didn't want to do quests anymore.
He just wanted to have fun with Bruce.
The black Spider-Man darted between the city's high-rises, finally arriving at a church bell tower.
Beneath the enormous bell on the tower's highest level, Mark pointed at its bronze surface.
"Look, Bruce! This is the oldest musical instrument in the Kingdom of Locke. When I went to treat His Highness the Prince today, I spotted it from far away. I wanted to share this big toy with you."
Venom: "????"
The Kingdom of Locke?
His Highness the Prince?
What on earth was this guy talking about?
Oh, now I remember.
In Gwen Stacy's memories, this guy was a patient.
That doesn't matter, as long as he's strong.
Patients are people too. He's worthy of possessing a symbiote's power.
Symbiotes only discriminate against the weak, never the strong.
"Heh heh heh, perfect man. It seems you've accepted the great Venom." Venom was delighted.
But that delight didn't last long.
Because the mysterious Demon Hunter was about to make music with Bruce.
"Bruce, let's have some fun!"
The black Spider-Man abruptly clenched his fist and punched the enormous bell.
BONG~~~
An immense peal erupted instantly, sending invisible sound waves sweeping outward.
To Venom, the deep toll of the bell was unbearably piercing.
"HRAAH!!!"
The black liquid writhed wildly, and Venom's agonized roars echoed throughout the bell tower.
"No!!"
"Stop, man!"
"HRAAH~~"
BONG~
Another deafening peal rang out as Mark struck the bell, his face full of enjoyment.
"Bruce, can you hear that?"
"You bastard! Why are you doing this to me?!" Venom roared.
Mark beamed, closing his eyes to savor it.
"Can you hear it? That's a Demon Hunter's musical talent."
"My cells are falling apart!!" Venom writhed and wailed.
"Good boy, Bruce. Looks like you really appreciate my music."
"Stop!"
"All right, Bruce. Let me show you the perfect pitch of a music school reject."
BONG~
"AAAH!!"
As the piercing shriek rang through the night sky, the black liquid broke down and disintegrated.
It finally abandoned the most perfect man, turning into a mass of shadow and vanishing from the bell tower.
It returned to the Empire State Building and slipped back into Gwen Stacy's body.
"Bruce, don't you like this style of music?"
Seeing that Bruce had no musical talent whatsoever, Mark looked disappointed.
He stopped what he was doing and glanced around, looking bewildered.
"What did I come here for?"
He silently cursed himself for being crazy, then raised his hand and clicked [Exit Game].
He needed to go back and prepare His Highness the Prince's treatment plan.
The great Demon Hunter just wanted to complete his quest!
Osborn Tower.
"Argh!! Damn it, who's ringing a bell in the middle of the night?!"
In his office, Norman irritably
clutched his head and cursed.
On his desk sat company documents that had gone untouched for a long time.
Yes, he was still working overtime.
Perhaps he had aggravated the wound in his abdomen. A grimace crossed his face, and he got up to flip a switch on the wall.
Click...
The bookcase against the wall slid aside, revealing a passage leading into darkness.
He entered the passage and soon reached a hidden room.
Inside, all kinds of laboratory equipment were neatly arranged.
Professor Connors was no longer dressed like a destitute vagrant, either.
He was mixing his Regeneration Serum.
Seeing Norman enter, Professor Connors set aside his work.
"Are you here to keep an eye on me?" he asked unhappily.
Norman shook his head. "No, I'd like you to help me with the company paperwork. I can't handle it on my own."
Professor Connors looked at him as though he were an idiot.
"I don't understand business."
"Neither do I."
Norman looked troubled. "The other Norman does."
He meant the other personality inside his body.
Professor Connors scoffed. "Then let him out."
Norman sneered. "Impossible. If he comes out, he'll ruin our plan."
"But your plan seems to consist of nothing more than having me produce more Regeneration Serum."
Professor Connors continued discontentedly, "You may have helped me get rid of those annoying agents, but I'm not your employee.
If you want a better partnership, I need to know your real plan."
Norman hadn't intended to hide it anyway.