After breaking out of the gang's prison, Sam Moore used the original owner's memories to orient himself. Sure enough—Hell's Kitchen.
With his mutant status exposed and both law enforcement and the gang on his trail—and after learning the crew likely worked for Kingpin, New York's crime lord—Sam knew Kingpin wouldn't let a ruined deal slide. Hunted from both sides, there was only one priority: get stronger, fast.
But he was running on fumes. Infinity had been active for long stretches, he'd fired Technique Shift — Blue twice, and his reserves were nearly empty. If a pursuit team found him now, he'd have nothing left.
He rounded a corner and spotted a transformer. Relief washed through him.
Electricity was the most accessible energy source around—and his best early-game lifeline.
With Six Eyes guiding precise control, Sam pressed a hand to the housing and began siphoning current, carefully pushing his storage toward its limit.
[Energy Point +1]
[Energy Point +1]
[Energy Point +1]
[Energy Absorption EXP +1]
[Energy Absorption EXP +1]
…
Watching his Energy Points climb and feeling strength seep back into his limbs, Sam couldn't help but smile. Nearing overflow, he switched to practice. Panel-granted skills started at Level 1 and needed repetition to grow.
Blue, for instance—his current output was nowhere near Gojo Satoru's. Only grinding and upgrades would bring real power. With the system, maybe he could surpass the original template entirely.
Of his toolkit, Six Eyes didn't directly boost attack, while Energy Absorption leveled fastest through constant use. Infinity's upgrades mostly reduced cost; it would need a high level before it truly evolved. That made Technique Shift — Blue his best offensive focus. At Level 1, though, it only formed a tiny, slow-moving singularity—fine for normal humans, too slow for most supers.
Under Six Eyes' precision, Sam condensed a ping-pong–sized azure sphere and practiced guiding it through space.
[Blue EXP +1]
[Blue EXP +1]
[Blue EXP +1]
…
Level 1 skills climbed quickly. Hidden by the substation's bulk, Sam alternated siphoning power with technique drills. After three hours, the panel chimed:
[Blue EXP +1]
[Blue EXP +1]
[Technique Shift — Blue leveled up!]
[Blue Lv.2 (1/300): Creates a powerful suction centered on Blue. Maximum pull tends toward negative infinity, akin to a localized micro–black hole.]
The instant it ranked up, a new handling method clicked in his mind. The description hadn't changed, but the power had—dramatically.
He was about to test it when a gun cocked behind him.
"Hey, tough guy. Wallet. Now. Or I put you down."
Six Eyes had clocked the approach already, and Sam had Infinity up. He turned calmly to a scruffy middle-aged man waving a pistol—just another opportunist.
The guy took a step closer, emboldened by his find, then paused as he took in Sam's face. He licked his lips and smirked. "Change of plan. Cash first. Then hands on the wall."
Disgust flickered across Sam's eyes. He'd planned to test Blue's new bite—but maybe he'd just end this quickly.
Before he moved, a sharp whistle cut the air.
A lithe figure in a black-and-white suit and hood swung in on webbing and drop-kicked the mugger. As he flew, several strands of web snagged him and trussed him to a streetlight.
The masked girl clung to a wall with one side of her body, the other hanging loose. "You okay, sir? No need to thank me. I'm Spider-Woman—your friendly neighborhood, New York edition!"
Spider-Woman.
Sam recognized the silhouette instantly. Spider-Gwen. Not Peter Parker… Gwen Stacy. That meant this wasn't the MCU timeline—some parallel Earth, then.
Gwen, getting no response, peered closer. Up close, she saw the cuts and bruises all over him—mostly healed, but still raw and ugly. "You're hurt. Do you want me to get you to a hospital?"
Sam had always liked Gwen's version—tough, kind, steady. "I'm fine. Really."
"But—"
Her Spider-Sense flared.
Danger.
She lunged to grab Sam and swing him clear, but her hand… missed? It felt like space stretched between them. She launched anyway.
And then came the sound—walls cracking, concrete collapsing.
"Oh no."
A massive lizard-like figure tore through the substation, smashing the structure apart. Gwen's stomach dropped. There was no way that civilian survived a direct hit from that thing.
Because she'd been careless, someone had died. He looked so young—only a few years older than her…