When the countdown reached zero, nothing happened for a moment, just a moment. Suddenly the world around me began to act, or rather react, and just like when I left that dark world of the afterlife, I was pulled so tightly that I felt as light as a feather.

The system had done what it had promised, which was to get me out of this situation, but what awaited me on the other side was uncertain.

The moment I had the courage to open my eyes, I found myself falling into a tunnel of bright lights and unreal colors. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find my voice. I felt like I was being disassembled and reassembled a thousand times. When everything stopped, I fell to my knees on the hard floor.

I was panting and my inexperienced mind was trying to process everything that had happened in the last few minutes. I was alive, but definitely not in this filthy apartment. I slowly stood up, leaning on a brick wall that was thirty centimeters away from me.

[Congratulations, you have completed your interdimensional journey!]

[You have arrived on Earth-65. This universe is known for its unique version of many characters and events, but the risk of death is average.]

[You have spent 1,000 Card Points to complete this journey.]

[The return trip will be available in 24 hours for ZERO COST.]

Earth-65... That set off alarm bells in my mind. I remembered that universe very well. Of course, I didn't have much information because it was more of a tertiary comic book reality than a universe with a lot of focus and its own sagas.

There were several differences between this universe and the main Marvel Universe, but the main one was that in this universe, Gwen Stacy wasn't just a supporting character in Peter Parker's life. Here, she had the most important role in the world because she was Spider-Woman.

Despite my excitement at being in a Marvel universe and having access to the infinite multiverses, I had no idea what to expect. And the worst part was that even though I had a system, I still felt like a normal person.

In Marvel, being a normal human was literally asking to be a potential victim, because there were as many beings with superpowers as there could be.

Fortunately, I had a message flashing insistently in the corner of my vision that gave me hope of changing that.

[You have 500 Card Points left. Do you want to open the Item Shop?" (YES/NO).]

"I remember the system telling me that I can't buy skills yet, but there is an item shop? That's good. I hope I can at least get a robot suit to keep me alive."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I was about to click YES when I heard a sound nearby. It was the sound of a door and then a loud sigh.

"Sigh! Lucas! Hey man, what are you still doing out here?"

I turned to see a boy about my age, between 17 and 18, walking towards me down what looked like the back alley of a building. He was tall, strong, with short, shaggy hair and an easy smile. He seemed genuinely relieved to find me.

"I thought you were just getting some air. The girls are getting impatient in there, you know."

It was then that I realized that this boy hadn't mistaken me for someone else. Then, for a moment, I thought that this system had the skill to not only throw me out into the universe, but to take me in, or... I was taking on the mind of another variant of myself.

Either way, if the system could allow me to do that, this was probably the best multiversal travel 'technology' I had ever seen.

I stared at the blond boy for a second, trying to remember who he was and what was going on. For some reason, he seemed familiar. It took a few moments, but I recognized him. However, it wasn't the variant memory recovery that helped me recognize him, but my own memories.

This boy was Flash Thompson, and I recognized him not only by his superficial features, but also by the way he spoke.

"Ah, man, I just needed... a moment." I replied.

"Whatever, let's go. We don't want them to give up, do we? Especially Gwen. You know how that girl is."

My heart jumped when I heard Gwen's name. Was he talking about Gwen Stacy? It couldn't be, it would be too much of a coincidence, or not, since she's one of Flash Thompson's best friends in almost every universe.

Curious, I followed Flash, and we entered a karaoke parlor with dozens of private rooms. Luckily, coming to this universe, I had also changed my clothes and showered, so I was presentable.

"Are you okay, Lucas? You look a little confused," Flash asked, frowning as we walked down a long hallway. "Did something happen outside?"

I forced a smile to look nonchalant. "No, I'm fine. I just needed some air, that's all."

He looked at me for a few more seconds, but finally shrugged again. "Okay, then. Just don't disappear like that again."

Muffled sounds of different kinds of music came from the many rooms of this place, and it wasn't long before Flash and I reached the private room where the others were waiting for us.

As we entered, I saw how incredibly small the room was. There were two faux leather couches and a low table separating them. A large TV screen showed the lyrics of a song that two beautiful girls were singing together.

I didn't care about them for more than a second, though, because my eyes glazed over at the girl sitting on the sofa to my right. She had short blonde hair, cropped at the ends, and her blue eyes reflected the light from her cell phone screen as she typed quickly. There was no doubt in my mind that this was Gwen Stacy. She was the same and much more beautiful than in the comics.

I had read about her so many times, but to be in her presence, in the flesh, was something completely different.

At this point, of course, the system finally kicked in again.

[You have received the Main quest "Secret Friends"!]

[Main quest: Secret Friends.

Description: Gwen Stacy is a typical shy girl who interacts freely with only a few people, none of whom know her secret identity as Spider-Woman. Maybe it's because she doesn't have anyone she can really call a friend and trust with her biggest secret.

Objective: Get Gwen Stacy to reveal her secret identity.

Rewards:

+5,000 Card Points.

+5 Unusual Skill Cards.

+1 Assimilation slot (System Feature).]

*

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