Gwen shot Lucas a look. Ever since they were kids, whenever the topic of studying came up, he'd act like it was the end of the world.
"You don't need a fancy degree to become a cop. A high school diploma works too," Gwen said.
Lucas drawled lazily, "I don't want to be a cop anyway. You saw what happened when your dad got shot. If the same thing happened to me, your mom would be devastated."
Besides, I've got the system. Why the hell would I go be a cop? No future in that at all~~ he thought smugly.
"Fine, fine. I can't argue with you," Gwen muttered, burying her face back in the sea of books.
"Oh right, before graduation, we're going to tour Oscorp. You're coming too, right?" Peter asked, looking up from his notes.
"Of course I'm going! No way I'd miss it!" Lucas nodded firmly. This was the big moment—Peter's fateful encounter that would make him Spider-Man. He had to see it happen with his own eyes.
Still, a trace of doubt lingered. In his memory, Peter hadn't gone to Oscorp this early. The timing felt off, not quite like the movies he remembered.
But the thought passed quickly. This was reality, not a film. Things weren't bound to follow a script.
"Then it's settled!" Peter grinned. With Harry still abroad, his only real friends were Lucas and him. If Lucas didn't go, Peter would've been stuck going solo.
Not that Peter was truly antisocial—he just wasn't great with strangers. Around friends, he could talk nonstop all day long.
Just then, the system chimed in his mind.
[Ding~ New mission issued! As a demon hunter and the owner of an office, how can you not have an assistant? Recruit an assistant as soon as possible. Mission reward: Blessing of the Moogle King!]
"??" Lucas sat up straight.
"System, what exactly is this Moogle King's Blessing? Some kind of buff?"
[Ding~ Moogle King's Blessing: The host gains the ability to create a designated barrier. Within the barrier, all things are immune to damage. Absolute defense.]
"Holy—! That's straight-up invincibility! Immunity to all damage, absolute defense? That's basically a safe zone!" Lucas's eyes almost popped out of his head. With how often disasters would hit New York, and with it always being the epicenter, this blessing was like it had been custom-made for him!
"Wait, System, you're telling me this barrier could withstand, say, a nuke?" Lucas asked. With America's track record, whenever something went south, their first thought was to "nuke it."
[Ding~ Don't worry, host. Forget nukes—even if the Earth itself were destroyed, everything inside the barrier would remain intact.]
Lucas laughed in relief. "Now that's what I call reliable, System!"
"Any requirements for this assistant?"
[Ding~ The host may freely recruit. The system will not interfere. However, the assistant must be substantial, helping with daily affairs and logistical support.]
"Easy peasy. Piece of cake. Just wait for my good news!" Lucas agreed cheerfully. Worst case, he still had Gwen or Peter around. If Gwen qualified, she'd also be protected inside the barrier.
---
Soon, the day of the Oscorp visit arrived. In the meantime, a few people had applied for the assistant position at Devil May Cry, but none satisfied Lucas.
Sure, he could've hired someone just to complete the task and then found an excuse to fire them. But the system wasn't dumb—it blocked every half-baked attempt. And Lucas didn't want to deal with an annoying assistant anyway.
---
Ding-dong~ ding-dong~~
Early in the morning, Gwen rang Lucas's doorbell over and over, dragging him out of his sleep. Groggy and grumpy, Lucas yanked the door open.
"Ahh! Lucas, put some clothes on!!" Gwen squealed, rushing inside to slam the door.
Lucas stood there in nothing but boxers, rubbing his eyes.
"What's the big deal? It's not like you've never seen it before," he muttered, still half-asleep, running purely on instinct.
"That was when we were kids! It's different now!" Gwen's cheeks burned red. She yanked a can of soda from the fridge and pressed it to her face.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say." Lucas waved it off and stumbled back into bed, brain powering down again.
"Lucas, get up! Today's the Oscorp tour. If we don't leave now, we'll be late!"
Storming into his room, Gwen found him already face-planted back on the mattress. She shouted loud enough to wake the dead—but thanks to the apartment's soundproofing, the neighbors couldn't hear a thing.
Lucas, however, snoozed right through it.
Gwen's patience snapped. She'd been the one responsible for waking him up since childhood. Looked like today she'd have to dig deep into her old tricks.
"Get up already!!"
She grabbed his ankles and dragged him right off the bed, kicking him repeatedly until he groaned awake. Half-asleep, Lucas was shoved into the bathroom for a forced wash-up.
Meanwhile, Gwen laid out the breakfast she'd brought.
A dozen minutes later, Lucas shuffled out, holding his back with a wince.
"You know kicking someone in the waist can kill them, right? Good thing my body's tough. One of these days, you're gonna cripple me!" he complained, dropping into a chair to chew on a sandwich.
"That's your punishment for not waking up!" Gwen snapped, biting into her own sandwich like she wanted to bite him.
Punishment? Sis, you sure about that? In that skirt, you gave me quite the show when you were kicking me. Who's punishing who, really…
Of course, Lucas only dared think it. Saying it aloud would've gotten him killed on the spot.
After breakfast, the two strolled toward Oscorp. With Lucas's snail pace, catching the school bus was hopeless. Fortunately, Devil May Cry wasn't far from Oscorp, and they could get there on foot—passing Stark Tower along the way.
When they did, Lucas craned his neck curiously. Businessmen in sharp suits came and went, all looking busy.
Not spotting the infamous playboy, Lucas clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"What are you staring at?" Gwen followed his gaze toward the sleek skyscraper.
"Stark Tower… No wonder it rivals Oscorp. I heard it's even taller than Oscorp Tower, and there's a platform at the top. You can see all of New York from up there," Gwen said, looking wistfully at the building's peak, like she wanted to climb it herself.
"I've actually got an idea to make us some money. Done right, we'd be set for life. Wanna hear it?" Lucas said suddenly.
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