Then he looked at the Game Interface in front of him.
[You drove the Dark Soul Fighter Demon out of the prince's body. Quest complete!] [Reward: overall strength +1, spirit +1] [You obtained the Dark Soul Fighter Demon's treasured possession-Dragon-Slaying Sword crafting blueprint!] [You obtained 10 points of demon power from the Dark Soul Fighter Demon.]
[Dragon-Slaying Sword] [Required materials: Demon Dragon's Fang x1, Demon Dragon's Bone x1, Demon Dragon's Wing x1, Demon Dragon's Claw x1, Demon Dragon's Tail x1, pure magic power x10.] [Tip: collect all the materials, then visit the Weapon Shop to forge it.]
[Demon power: can be used to forge demon-hunting weapons, shorten the growth cycle of attribute plants, brew Demon Potions, improve pets' strength, and more.]
After giving the rewards a quick look, Mark nodded in satisfaction.
Good. The attribute rewards weren't much, but both the Dragon-Slaying Sword crafting blueprint and the demon power were things he desperately needed.
What surprised him most, though, was that he and Bruce had actually managed to drive off a Dangerous-class demon together.
It seemed he already had the protagonist's plot armor that let him fight above his level.
Right, Bruce!
He suddenly remembered that Bruce had been injured earlier.
Frantic with worry, Mark hurried to find Bruce, following the virtual arrows on the floor.
"Bruce, please be okay! What am I supposed to do without you?!"
Spider-Man left, wailing.
Natasha was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she suddenly jolted.
"Oh no, he's heading toward Nick!"
The Medical Room.
Nick Fury had the injured Steve brought to the operating table.
"Steve, hang in there. We'll get you patched up," he solemnly promised.
Seeing that Nick Fury's concern was genuine, Steve regained a little color in his pale face.
"Cotton picker, are you really my superior?" he asked, still skeptical.
Nick Fury nodded. "Of course. S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, used to be the Strategic Scientific Reserve. You should know it well."
At those words, Steve's expression shifted slightly.
He knew it very well.
Agent Carter had been a member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
He still owed Carter a dance...
Steve's expression grew forlorn.
Nick Fury didn't notice the change in Steve.
He continued, "I'll let you meet those guys in a bit. Then you'll believe me."
"Yeah, maybe." Steve closed his eyes and let the medical staff examine his wounds.
After examining him, however, they found that his injuries weren't serious.
More accurately, they were healing at an extraordinary rate.
It wasn't quite fast enough to see with the naked eye, but both his blood clotting and his cells' ability to repair themselves far exceeded the limits of an ordinary person.
It left Nick Fury marveling at the power of a Super Soldier.
"By the way, what's the deal with that bug?" Steve suddenly asked.
At the mention of Spider-Man, Nick Fury shook his head.
"That was my mistake. I thought I could use his condition to control him."
"So he really is sick?" Steve looked at Nick Fury.
Nick Fury nodded. "Yes, severely. He thinks he's a demon hunter."
"And I'm a demon," Steve finished for him.
"Yes. In his eyes, you're a demon."
"What about you?" Steve asked him.
Before Nick Fury could answer, another barrage of gunfire erupted outside the door.
The gunfire soon cut off abruptly, and Coulson rushed into the Medical Room, looking frazzled.
"Bad news. Spider-Man's back."
"What?"
Nick Fury shuddered.
"Move the Captain, now! We can't let him attack Steve again."
But it was already too late.
Spider-Man charged into the Medical Room as though no one stood in his way.
No one in all of S.H.I.E.L.D. could stop him.
Just as Steve thought he was about to become a demon again, Spider-Man rushed straight at Nick Fury instead.
"Bruce, you're injured. Stop running around."
He gently stroked Nick Fury's bald head. "I know you don't want me to see you hurt, but don't underestimate the eggs... the bond between us!"
Nick Fury: "..."
Steve: "..."
He understood now.
He was a demon, and Nick Fury was Bruce.
But what exactly was Bruce?
He didn't understand.
Neither did Nick Fury.
He stood frozen in place.
As much as he hated having his head petted, he couldn't beat Spider-Man.
He could only grit his teeth and accept it.
"Spider-Man, it's time for you to log off," he reminded him, his face darkening.
Mark nodded. "Don't worry. I'll heal you."
[Bruce] [Status: injured] [Health: 10%]
Seeing that Bruce had only 10% health left, Mark looked heartbroken.
"Bruce, you almost died! Good thing I picked some herbs on my way to find you."
As he spoke, he flicked his wrist to shoot out some webbing, then vigorously rubbed it over Nick Fury's bald head.
Nick Fury: "!!!!"
"Motherfucker, stop!!"
He began to struggle.
But pinned down by Spider-Man's terrifying strength, he couldn't fight back.
He could only let himself be kneaded and squashed.
Natasha, who had arrived at the scene, struggled to keep a straight face.
Coulson tried to intervene, but she stopped him.
"Don't. Nick isn't in danger right now."
Coulson thought for a moment. "But..."
"Unless you want Spider-Man to turn into an Unknown Evil Entity again."
"Right. Never mind, then."
And so, everyone watched the humiliated Nick Fury and silently lowered their heads.
Their shoulders shook as they fought back their laughter.
Nick Fury's face darkened further.
But it wasn't over yet.
The next second, something strange was shoved into his mouth.
It was webbing.
"No, mother... fuck... er..."
"Be good. This is the Dark Soul Fighter Demon's magic power. Eating it will improve your attributes."
Under Steve's shocked gaze, Nick Fury dropped to his knees and dry-heaved.
It was too brutal!
Steve silently averted his gaze.
Don't look at me.
Don't look at me.
Don't...
"Bruce, is this your girlfriend?"
Mark petted the Red-and-Blue Hound.
Yeah, much prettier than that Red-Haired Bitch.
Steve: "..."
He took a deep breath and silently closed his eyes.
As long as I'm not a demon.
Girlfriend it is, then.
Then Mark heard Bruce howl.
He checked Bruce's attributes.
[Demon Hound: Bruce] [Status: happy] [Rank: Elite] [Talent: Keen Scent] [Keen Scent (level 2): can detect the scent of demons within a two-kilometer radius.] [Attributes: overall strength 15, overall defense 15, overall speed 10, spirit 10, stamina 300, health 500.]
His talent had leveled up, his overall strength and overall defense had each increased by 5 points, and his health had increased by 200 points.
His injured status had disappeared too.
"Good boy, Bruce. You're all healed."
Mark breathed a sigh of relief. "Go home first, and no running around this time.
I've still got something to do. See you tomorrow."
With that, he clicked to log off, ready to attend Gwen Stacy's birthday party.
Spider-Man's head drooped, and then he stopped moving.
Steve was left bewildered and uneasy.
"What happened to him?" he asked.
Nick Fury pushed himself up and spat out the last of the webbing.
"He logged off."
"Logged off?"
Steve looked utterly lost. He had never played a video game.