“In the Marvel Universe, it would be far too difficult for an ordinary civilian like me to become stronger quickly.”
“Can the gate connect to other worlds?”
“Yes.”
“But because there isn’t enough energy, you currently can’t choose which fictional world it connects to.”
“So it can only be random?”
“That’s right.
Random connections only.”
Athena nodded again.
Jonathan remained silent for two seconds before ultimately accepting reality.
“Random it is, then.”
“But right now, I’m still just an ordinary person.”
“Don’t you have any enhancement serums or body-modification fluids lying around?
Give me one to start with.”
“Otherwise, if my luck is bad and I die the moment I enter a new world, who will be left to save this place?”
Athena did not take offense at his shameless demand for benefits.
Instead, she looked almost relieved, as though thinking that there might still be hope for him after all.
“When I resurrected you, this world should have already empowered your soul.”
“Now that your memories have awakened, you should theoretically be able to sense the ability that belongs to you.”
In other words, his cheat ability had already arrived.
Jonathan closed his eyes skeptically and calmed his mind, carefully searching within himself.
It did not take long before he sensed something.
An ability that belonged entirely to him.
Plunder.
“Plunder, huh?”
Jonathan opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
“This ability is certainly well suited to helping me become stronger quickly.”
“But honestly, why does the ability this world gave me feel a little sinister?”
He looked at Athena with a strange expression.
Athena, however, continued wearing the same innocent and harmless look.
“Jonathan, neither I nor this world decides what ability you receive.”
“You obtain whatever ability you possess the greatest affinity with.”
“So you’re saying I’m evil?”
Jonathan looked utterly speechless.
He admitted that he was no saint.
But surely that did not mean he deserved to be labeled a villain.
“That isn’t how you should interpret it.”
Athena blinked and explained with a perfectly serious expression.
“Power itself is neither righteous nor evil.”
“What determines good and evil is the person who uses that power.”
Her words sounded perfectly noble and righteous.
Unfortunately, the expression on her face clearly said, Yes, yes, whatever you say.
I still think you’re suspicious.
Jonathan could not be bothered to argue with her.
Whether his ability was evil did not matter.
His principles had always been simple.
Never cross his bottom line.
Everything else could be handled flexibly.
“How do I use the Dimensional Gate?”
Now that he had obtained an ability, he saw no reason to waste any more time.
“The gate’s access authority has already been bound to you.”
“From now on, as long as you find a door to serve as a medium, you can activate the Dimensional Gate whenever you wish.”
“A medium?”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow.
Athena nodded and continued explaining.
“You must remember this.”
“Whether you want to return here or travel to any world connected to this place, you must use a door as the physical vessel.”
“This world has too little energy remaining, so dimensional travel can only be performed this way.”
“You absolutely cannot forget that.”
“So, to put it simply, if I want to travel between worlds, I need to find a door first.
Is that right?”
Jonathan walked over to the white wooden door and placed his hand on the doorknob before looking back at Athena.
Athena nodded in confirmation.
The next moment, Jonathan turned the handle.
The door opened.
Beyond it was his bedroom in the Marvel Universe.
“So wherever I enter from is where I’ll return?”
Jonathan looked into the familiar room on the other side of the doorway as he casually asked the question.
“That’s right.”
“So when you choose a medium for your return journey in another world, you should be careful.”
“Don’t place your exit somewhere too dangerous.”
Athena’s voice carried a note of warning.
Jonathan nodded to show that he understood.
However, another question immediately occurred to him.
“What happens if the door I choose gets destroyed?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Athena waved a hand dismissively.
“The medium won’t be easily destroyed.”
“But if you place your exit somewhere dangerous, you’re far more likely to be killed the next time you return than the door is to be destroyed.”
“Any medium selected by the Dimensional Gate also receives protection from the laws of its world.”
“It’s part of the default agreement between worlds.”
“So instead of worrying about the door, you should worry more about yourself.”
After saying that, she rolled her eyes at Jonathan again.
Midtown High School.
Inside the classroom, Peter Parker sat attentively at his desk, listening carefully to the teacher’s lecture.
Sitting slightly behind him and off to one side was Jonathan.
The Asian teenager was almost unfairly handsome, yet he was currently gazing out the window, seemingly lost in thought.
Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell across the side of his face, illuminating features so striking that they were almost dazzling.
A blonde girl seated nearby could not stop herself from stealing a glance at him every so often.
She was doing her best to be discreet.