He lowered his head and thought for a moment.
"All right, I'll take you demon hunting."
With no other choice, he pulled Mark into the room.
He had no experience looking after psychiatric patients. All he could do was put the patient to bed.
The instant Mark entered, he darted back out and locked the door.
Seeing that Bruce intended to keep watch alone, Mark pounded on the door and shouted:
"Bruce, what are you doing? It's cold outside. You'll catch a cold...
You bastard, Bruce! We're the best of partners! Don't underestimate the buns between us... pfft, I mean bonds!"
"Mark, I'm not underestimating our bond."
Peter Parker murmured softly outside the door.
Inside the room, Mark raised his sword, ready to break down the door.
[Quest: Bruce has discovered traces of a demon. Follow Bruce immediately.]
The quest notification that suddenly appeared before his eyes perked Mark right up.
"Bruce, good work! So you found a demon. Wait for me!"
Virtual arrows appeared on the ground again. Without hesitation, Mark opened the window and jumped straight down from the second-floor windowsill.
Outside the door, Peter Parker waited a while. Only when he heard no more noise from Mark did he relax.
"This medicine works so much better than painkillers. Tomorrow, I'll take on another job and buy more medicine for Mark."
Peter Parker smiled happily.
Anything he did for his family was worth it.
Elsewhere.
On Bleecker Street in the dead of night, the mysterious Demon Hunter crept through the forest alone.
The forest was dangerous at night, and Mark was cautious.
"Mommy, I saw a strange man crawling past."
At a desk by the window, a little girl playing with building blocks spotted the mysterious Demon Hunter.
Hearing her voice, Mark immediately dove into the bushes to hide.
"The Holy Light Continent really is full of talented people. I was being so careful, and another Demon Hunter still nearly spotted me!"
Mark couldn't help marveling.
He summoned his status panel.
[Demon Hunter: Mark] [Rank: Apprentice] [Talent: None] [Attributes: Overall strength 1, overall speed 1, overall defense 1, spirit 1, stamina 50, health 50.] [Skill: Quick Movement (Level 1)] [Equipment: Common Helmet, Common Longsword, Common Cloth Robe.] [Demon Hound: Bruce (Elite)]
He was only an Apprentice Demon Hunter. If he encountered a higher-ranking Demon Hunter with bad intentions out in the wilderness, he might well end up being used as bait to lure out a demon.
Otherwise known as cannon fodder.
He had to guard against that.
"Mommy, that weird mister hid in the trash can."
Suddenly, as the little girl spoke again, Mark's expression changed.
"Damn it, what a powerful Demon Hunter! He must have activated the Heavenly Eye skill."
Without a moment's hesitation, Mark sprang out of the bushes and activated [Quick Movement].
[Quick Movement (Level 1): Using this skill increases movement speed by 10%, consuming 1 stamina per second.]
"Run!"
"Whoosh!"
The wind whistled as Mark leaped more than ten meters, then landed steadily on a treetop.
Mark: "????"
Isn't this a little over the top?
Wasn't it only a 10% boost?
Yeah, I must be playing a real game now.
Keep going!
"Mommy, that weird mister flew away."
Meanwhile, the little girl by the window clapped excitedly. "He's amazing!"
"Annie, you're four years old now. No lying. Besides, it's time for bed."
"But I really saw him! Something shot out of the weird mister's hand, and then he pulled on it and flew away."
"Annie, it looks like I need to teach you about how bodies work..."
And so, the mysterious novice Demon Hunter escaped disaster.
Before long, Mark finally left the forest and followed the virtual arrows to a nearby town.
The town should have been silent at night.
But now, the town was brightly lit and bustling like Hoboken.
Something's wrong!
As Mark walked down the street, he had no interest in examining the curious objects displayed at the roadside stalls.
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. He activated his movement skill again, intending to find Bruce as quickly as possible.
"Whoosh!"
Another gust whistled past, and Mark vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile, in a bustling New York neighborhood, a strangely dressed fellow leaped onto a roadside GG Sign, drawing startled cries from the crowd.
"What the fuck?"
"What did I just see?"
"That weird guy flew away!"
"No, wait! Threads shot out of his hands. That's what carried him away."
"Look, he's climbing up the wall! Like a spider."
"Spider-Man! He must be a mutant!"
"Call the police! Wearing a motorcycle helmet at night, draped in a bedsheet, and carrying a broom-he's obviously up to no good."
The scene descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Curt Connors had just returned home and immediately washed up, preparing for bed.
He was getting old and didn't have as much energy anymore.
Besides, using the Regeneration Serum to transform into a Lizard Man and frighten Peter had left him exhausted.
But before going to sleep, he had to watch three minutes of news.
It was a habit.
"Breaking news: There has been a new development in the terrorist attack on the psychiatric hospital.
According to a tip from a concerned citizen, the culprit behind this attack was a mutated green lizard. Police have reason to suspect a mutant with lizard abilities..."
The instant he heard that, Curt Connors shot upright in bed, his face full of anger.
"Damn you, Peter! You actually reported me... wait, I didn't even do this!!"
They couldn't suspect him of doing something like that just because he was green too.
Curt Connors's face darkened. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Because he knew who had attacked the psychiatric hospital!
He couldn't take the fall for that guy, so he took a vial of green serum from the drawer,
and injected himself without hesitation.
"Crack, crack..."
In an instant, his muscles swelled to several times their size, green scales emerged across his skin, and his long tail swept out, shattering the glass on the table.
He had become a terrifying Lizard Man!
Curt Connors intended to settle the score with that guy.
He wasn't going to give Peter trouble, because he still needed Peter's help.
But that other green guy-he would never forgive him!
Just as he opened the window, ready to slip into the night, a strange head suddenly appeared outside.
No, it was a helmet. A motorcycle helmet!
And, yes, a bedsheet and a broom.
"Holy shit!"
Curt Connors, now transformed into a monster, jumped in fright.
"What kind of monster are you?!" he exclaimed.
Mark: "????"
"Bruce, I finally found you! Come, set off on a demon hunt with the great Demon Hunter!" Mark ignored Bruce's roaring.
Curt Connors: "..."
Bruce?
He studied the other man's bizarre outfit.
Hah, I get it. He's a lunatic.
"Get lost. Stay out of my way."
He cursed angrily and raised his claws, about to tear apart the man's disguise.
But in the next second, his slit pupils abruptly contracted.
The strange fellow had merely lifted his hand slightly and caught his wrist.
This strength...
He couldn't resist it at all!