Marvel: Quest System

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Boxing Gym

After what we went through in the morning, I was half expecting Ned and Peter to just skip out on the second part of our training, which was hitting the boxing gym after school. Well, after they go to school. I'm happily unemployed. I mean, I make thousands a day already because Stark Industries stock just isn't going down!

Anyway, that was why I was surprised to see both Peter and Ned strolling up to the gym. I mean, Peter was strolling, and Ned was well... rolling. I guess he was serious about renting the wheelchair to get him around.

At least both of them seemed to be wearing something different, I don't think I would've been able to take the embarrassment if Ned rolled into the gym wearing his Star Wars PJs that he wore while jogging. 

Pete was still wearing the usual hoodie + sweats combo but unlike the grey-grey from the morning, he was wearing black-black, looking like he's on the most devious revenge arc ever. And Ned, is, well, Ned. I'm not giving any further explanation.

As we pushed our way through the front doors of the gym, the sudden change in atmosphere hit us like a truck. The rhythmic thuds of gloves against heavy bags echoed in the background, mixed with a strong scent of sweat and leather. The gym wasn't fancy, with concrete walls, occasionally flickering fluorescent lights and a couple of battered rings in the back. Unlike last time, there are actually some people here this time, giving it this gritty fight club aesthetic. Perfect.

The guy at the front desk barely spares us a glance as we step inside, too busy doomscrolling TikTok. I slap my membership card onto the counter, and he wordlessly waves us in, not even caring to inspect if it was the gym membership or a McDonalds card.

I stretch, wincing at my muscles that are still recovering from this morning.

"Alright! Time to warm up! Let's start with jump ropes and shadowboxing!" I encouraged them.

Peter got up and started warming up without complaining. I think at this point, he found out that complaining won't help him. I don't think Ned learnt that lesson though.

"Duuuuuude... I'm in a rented-out wheelchair for god's sake I can't do thisss... I'm not trying to learn how to fight, so how about I just like, sit in the corner and practice hacking?" Ned whined once again.

"You know what? Fine. But if you don't show any progress by the end of our training, I'm going to put you through straight hell." I threatened him in a low voice.

Not catching the threat, Ned happily wheeled himself over to the corner and pulled out his laptop from... somewhere... (a/n a man's secret!)

After warming up, me and Peter went over to the workout equipment.

I'm gonna be honest. I have no idea how to use this stuff. In my last life, I've never even stepped within a 500-meter radius of a gym. Luckily, it seemed like Peter knew what he was doing. 

Peter confidently walked over to the assist dips/chin-up machine, put it at its heaviest weight, gave me a look as if saying "Watch this!", and got on the machine.

...It didn't move. (for those who don't know the assist pull-up machine pushes you up with a certain amount of weight and by Peter maxing this, he's getting pushed up with like double his body weight lol)

"I- I don't think that's how you use the machine dude. I think it's supposed to go on a lighter weight." I prodded Peter.

Looking embarrassed, Peter Put the machine at 10lbs and got back on. Thinking that the assist pad wouldn't budge like last time, he put all his weight on it, and fell. The clang could be heard across the whole gym. Peter, now red in the face, decided to move onto a different machine.

(a/n This is actually what happened to me when I went to the gym for the first time back in the day with my friends. Twice.)

While I was looking for a piece of equipment that I actually knew how to use, I heard Peter calling for my name from behind me.

"I take you out of my sight for 1 minute and this is what happens." I deadpan.

Peter was stuck under the bench press, trying to lift the bar with a plate on both sides off of his body. 

"Seriously, what made you think that you could lift 135 lbs when that's probably more than you weigh???" I questioned him while walking over.

"My... Bad... Bro... Now... Help me... Before I get... A permanent dent... On my ribs." Pete managed to labour out while he was getting folded in half by the bar. Me and Pete had to use all of our strength to work together to lift the bar back to its rest.

"We need to start small bro" I pointed out to him. "I'm pretty sure my max right now is like 105 lbs, maybe less since my muscles are so sore."

"... You're right. I think my ambition is making me get ahead of myself." Peter muttered dejectedly. 

"Cheer up man! With the growth amplifier of 150%, you'll be able to lift that much in the blink of an eye!"

Me and Pete continued to try the machines one by one, slowly getting ourselves acquainted with the gym environment, and learning how much we could lift.

I was able to curl around 25 lbs, bench 95 lbs, row 75 lbs, and squat 105 lbs.

Meanwhile, Pete was curling 15 lbs, benching 70 lbs, rowing 65 lbs, and somehow benching 120 lbs. 

Sometime during our workout, we heard a thud and saw Ned lying on the ground. Apparently, he got some motivation to work out on his own after watching us, got on the treadmill, and somehow fell off of it without even starting the machine.

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For the last part of our personal hell, I mean training regiment, We decided to do a boxing match between me and peter to see how much we improved each day. During the first day of training, we were both too tired and sore to even really move, so we kinda just stood still and exchanged shots. Of course, me being stronger and more durable, I won.

By the first month, the battles were getting more even, now that we've adapted to the daily training. The fights usually consisted of Peter dashing around me trying to circle around me looking for openings, and me trying to trade blows with him, naturally being able to tank more than him.

By the third month, we changed the fighting style from boxing to more of an MMA style, as boxing had too many limits. This changed and started to actually shape our fighting styles. 

Pete adapted his fighting style to be more elusive and unpredictable, using his small stature to his advantage. Staying low to the ground like a spider lurking at the edges of its web, He moves in tight, controlled circles around his opponent, constantly shifting his position to stay just out of reach. His attacks come in quick bursts, fast jabs and sharp kicks, striking with precision before darting away again. He probes for weaknesses, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And when he found it, he would suddenly snare his opponent, tripping them up, breaking their balance by attacking their legs, and swarming them with a final, decisive flurry before they could recover.

My style, on the other hand, was more raw, relentless, and animalistic. A fusion of Muay Thai and whatever the hell Black Panther used, but with a heavier, more brutal edge. I fought like a wild animal cornering its prey, using my entire body as a weapon. If Peter was a spider, dancing just out of reach, I was a grizzly. Closing the distance, overwhelming the opponent with sheer force.

You know that famous Muhammad Ali quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee?" Yeah, I was more like "Prowl like a wolf, strike like a bear." Fluid, but devastating. I moved in with calculated aggression, every step bringing me closer, every strike meant to break. I'd weave through attacks, dodging what I could and tanking what I couldn't, just to land the heaviest hits possible. Knees, elbows, and hooks that are designed to end a fight fast, using every part of my body as a weapon. Where Peter chipped away at his opponents, I crushed through them.

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After fighting every day and refining our respective styles for 6 months, the locals at the gym, surprised at our speed of growth and our unusual fighting styles, started calling us "The Bear" and "The Spider". Of course, I still won a majority of the fights, but it's still really close, with a 6:4 win ratio over the last month.

Me and Peter both went through quite a bit of physical changes, including most of our body fat turning into muscle, with my excess fat turning into lean muscles, giving me a bigger build, not to the point of like bodybuilders, but to the point of those Instagram thirst trappers. 

On the other hand, Peter, as he was already pretty skinny, his muscles were built much more compactly, still making him look like he was skinny from the outside, but with a shit ton of explosive power on the inside, more built for agility, if mine was built for power.

However, both of our physical changes paled in comparison to Ned.

Ned was there as well of course, But he wasn't fighting. He did lose all of his weight over the 6 months though, due to our 5 am hell sessions. It was so amusing to see the reactions on the faces of the gym goers, as the fat kid who sits in the corner of the gym on his laptop all day comes in every single day noticeably leaner than the last. By the last day, his build could even be compared to mine, size-wise. I, no, even Peter, still massively dwarf him in raw power.

While me and Pete were refining our fighting styles, Ned didn't just sit around. During the 6 months, he went from someone who didn't even know how to hack, to a master. He even got multiple invites to infamous hacker groups like Anonymous, REvil, and even the White Hatters. Of course, he didn't accept any of them, fully infatuated with the idea of being the man in the chair for a bunch of superheroes. 

By the end of our 6 months, we tried to challenge him by asking him to hack into the NYPD database, and he actually somehow did it. In 3 hours.

"Well, this is gonna come in handy when you guys start being heroes!" Ned says enthusiastically as if he didn't just hack the goddamn NYPD

Me and Peter panic, sending Ned a flurry of questions about if they're gonna like, reverse track us and put us in jail.

With a smug look on his face, Ned replies "Well, actually, no, because I added a secure secret encryption to some yap yap yap..." (a/n I have no idea about hacking or computer stuff in general)

Me and Peter just looked at each other with an exasperated look.

Anyways, after training for the last 6 months, this is our progress. 

[Status]

[Name: Alex Lee]

[Stats]

[Strength: D+ -> C] (including the +1 strength from "On your left!")

[Agility: D ->C-]

[Durability: D -> C]

[Skills: None]

[Status]

[Name: Peter Parker]

[Stats]

[Strength: E+ -> C-]

[Agility: D+ -> C+] (Including quest reward)

[Durability: E -> D+]

[Skills: None]

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6 months left until the events of Avengers 1

(a/n Longest chapter that I've written! just over 2k words! I feel like the chapters are starting to get too long. I spent 2 hours writing this chap bro... I gotta learn how to write faster or smt.

I was gonna add the final Alex vs Peter fight, but I decided not to, because... well it's a secret that you'll find out later!)