After confirming that the "Little Spider" threat was non-existent in this world, Peter was in such high spirits that he polished off two extra bowls of dinner.
For the rest of the evening, he stayed home, quietly honing his connection to the "Ki" through the K'un-L'un ring.
At the stroke of midnight, when the world had fallen into a deep slumber, he slipped out of his second-story window and vanished into the night.
He arrived at the Stacy residence with practiced ease. Under the silver glow of the moon, Gwen was hanging upside down from the rooftop railing, her blonde hair cascading down like a silken waterfall, shimmering softly.
As their eyes met, Gwen's gaze instinctively drifted downward, landing on the sharp line of Peter's throat as he looked up at her.
Gulp.
She swallowed hard, her heart skipping a treacherous beat. This guy... why does he have to be so damn charming without even trying?
She quickly flipped upright, hiding her flustered state with a nimble landing, and spoke with a touch of forced casualness: "Peter, you seem to be in a great mood today. Did something good happen?"
"Something like that," Peter replied. He wasn't about to explain the whole Maynes situation, so he simply mentioned that he had scouted the Prowler and intended to invite him to join the "Shadow Hand" later.
Gwen's eyes lit up instantly. It wasn't just because the team was growing—it was because Peter had taken her suggestion to heart! To a girl in the honeymoon phase of a relationship, knowing her words carried weight with her boyfriend. A wave of sweetness washed over her, and she couldn't hide her smile.
"That's wonderful! Congratulations on expanding your hero squad."
Gwen reached down to pull him up, but Peter didn't take her hand. He felt the need to maintain his "mysterious powerhouse" image.
To Gwen's shock, he shook his head slightly and performed a Moonwalk (Geppo)—stepping on the air itself in a double-jump that spat in the face of Newtonian physics.
By the time he landed gracefully on the roof, Gwen was staring at him as if he'd just turned lead into gold. "How... how did you just do that?"
She knew he was strong and had a glider, but she had no idea he could literally walk on the sky.
"Think of it as... a variation of magic," Peter explained. He couldn't exactly break down the theory of Moonwalk; without the system's assistance, Gwen could train for a century and never replicate the feat. He didn't want to lead her down a dead-end path.
Hearing it was more "Dragon Magic," Gwen felt a tiny pang of disappointment, but it was quickly replaced by pride. Her boyfriend was a walking cheat code, and she loved it.
"So... what are you teaching me today? Some of that 'Kung Fu' the Dragon taught you?" She struck a playful "Craning Wing" pose.
"In a way." Peter shrugged. "I'm a pragmatist. I'm not going to teach you rigid forms or katas."
He stepped forward and traced a circle in the concrete with his toe, no more than five feet in diameter. Standing in the center, he tucked his left hand behind his back and beckoned her with his right, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
"Today's training is simple."
"Use everything you've got to attack me. I'll only use one hand, and I won't move from this circle. If you can force me out of it, the training ends early."
Gwen, who had been basking in the sweetness a moment ago, puffed out her cheeks in mock outrage. "What?!"
"Stay in the circle? Using only one hand? Mr. Arbiter, you're seriously underestimating Ghost-Spider's moves!"
With a huff, she snapped her wrist, firing a web line straight at him. She intended to use raw strength to yank him out of the circle and prove her power.
But Peter was faster. Before the web could even latch on, he snatched the sticky strand out of the air. With a fluid circular motion, he gathered the spreading web into a tight rope and gave it a violent, calculated yank!
"Eek!"
Gwen felt a colossal force from the other end. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and flew forward, crashing right into his firm, warm chest.
Peter caught her with his one free arm, and his hidden left hand "accidentally" gave her a light pat on the rear. He chuckled softly in her ear. "Consider that a warning. Next time, I won't be so gentle."
"You! Stop messing around!"
Blushing furiously, Gwen scrambled out of his arms. Realizing webs wouldn't work, she dropped into a combat stance and lunged. Because she was used to pulling 99% of her punches against common thugs, Peter caught her fist with ease.
Then, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, causing Gwen to let out a muffled, high-pitched groan that could easily be misinterpreted.
"Quiet down. The elderly are light sleepers," Peter whispered, his voice a devilish murmur against her ear.
"You wouldn't want... Grandma Pauline to hear any 'strange noises' coming from the roof, would you?"
Gwen's face turned so red it practically glowed. She clapped her hands over her mouth and glared "viciously" at him.
She was 100% certain now! This guy was doing it on purpose! He loved saying these suggestive things just to see her squirm.
But... where the heck did he learn these lines? There wasn't anything like that in the 'study materials' Gloria sent me!
If Peter could hear her thoughts, he would have snorted. "materials" were all the same—mostly just yelling and eye-rolling
If you really wanted to open the door to a new world of psychological warfare and "subtle" techniques, you had to look to the master instructors from all around the world.
The resolution might be low, but the technical mastery was light-years ahead!
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