The notifications finally stopped.
The black spines shattered, and the so-called "corruption" from Hydra's power didn't seem like a bad deal for Charlie.
In the end, Hydra's power boosted his strength by nearly sixty tons.
With denser muscles and bones, plus his base strength of 140 tons, Charlie's physical power hit 200 tons.
Alongside this, his Titan physique and Spider-Man traits leveled up, keeping his defense and endurance in step.
As for self-healing, it reached Level 3.
Charlie would need to test its effects, but it definitely wasn't on Wolverine's level.
That was a relief.
If he had Wolverine-tier healing, his future would be grim.
As Logan once said, eternal life is a curse.
Especially for him.
Next was mental resistance.
Hydra hosts could emit consciousness-disrupting soundwaves, but Charlie didn't gain that. Instead, he got another 50% mental resistance boost.
With his previous 50%, even an Apocalypse-enhanced Charles couldn't easily breach his mind.
Finally, his nano-suit, corrupted by Hydra's power.
The red parts were more vibrant, Venom mode replaced by Hydra mode—promising a surprise in combat.
Real-world testing would tell.
For now, winning the Resurrection Match was key!
With a thought, the earlier notifications appeared.
[As Friendly Neighbor, you stopped Wanda from stealing the Time Tablet. Retry +1]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you defeated low-purity Inheritors. Retry +3]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you saved Electro Max. Retry +1]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you saved Mysterio Quentin. Retry +1]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you captured Kraven the Hunter. Retry +2]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you stopped Kingpin's particle collider. Retry +1]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you repelled Ghost Rider. Retry +3]
[As Friendly Neighbor, you resisted Hydra's dimensional invasion. Retry +15]
[Retry Count: 32]
Charlie nodded slightly.
This resurrection's challenges were minor, yielding few retries.
Thankfully, the last effort paid off.
Thirty-two retries should suffice.
Taking a deep breath, Charlie leaped from the cosmic web.
His figure was swallowed by the void.
The next moment, scorching air hit him.
Opening his eyes, everything was bathed in fire.
No blue skies or green hills—just endless despair and fear.
Atop a distant volcano, black flames roared skyward, emitting a foul stench as cursed souls wailed.
At its base, a molten lake boiled, lava surging like dragons, ghostly screams echoing through the grim sky.
By the lake, grotesque demons wielded chains and fire whips, mercilessly lashing tattered, filthy bodies.
Around the volcano stretched a boundless wasteland.
Giant beast carcasses littered the ground, their bones crawling with bizarre hell creatures.
Charlie stood atop a dragon skull the size of a building.
Two elephant-sized black birds perched on its jagged horns, their snake-like eyes fixed on him, pondering dinner.
Centered on the dragon's remains, a sea of pale beast carcasses spread for hundreds of miles.
Among them, oddly shaped humanoid creatures moved, forming a makeshift settlement.
Vendors hawked wares, and alien creatures brawled in the streets, sparking cheers and screams.
"Where am I?"
Charlie's blue eyes flickered, and the Resurrection Match details appeared.
[Scene: Mephisto's Hell]
[Objective: Rescue Tony Stark's soul.]
[Reward 1: Resurrection Slot x1.]
[Reward 2 (Choose One): Spider-Man Exclusive Magic - Summon More Spiders, Two-and-a-Half Clones, Spider-Man's Restless Soul]
[Participant: Charlie Parker.]
[Retry Count: 32]
[Time Until Mission Start: 30 seconds.]
[Time Until Mission End: 1 hour.]
"One person? One hour?"
Scanning the info, Charlie's triangular eyes narrowed.
This Resurrection Match was different.
He'd thought that before, but this was really different.
A solo match.
A one-hour time limit.
And Mephisto's Hell, where he had zero connections.
No leads on Tony.
And in Mephisto's domain, he could be spotted any moment.
This was his least confident Resurrection Match yet.
Worse, Mephisto, a multiversal hell lord, was on par with Dormammu, who sensed Strange's time hacks. Mephisto might detect his retry cheat.
If he did, Charlie was screwed.
He could only hope his retry cheat was stealthy enough to evade Mephisto, the multiverse's bottom-tier lord.
As the countdown ended, his living aura spread.
Nearby spirits caught the scent of delectable prey.
"A living person!"
"I smell it, I smell it!!"
"Hahaha, it's no illusion—a living person, so delicious…"
"Ah!! Centuries without food—I want it!"
"Where is he? Where?!"
"There!"
"It's him, look, it's gotta be him!"
A horde of grotesque humanoids surged toward the dragon skull.
Staring at Charlie, they drooled, eyes gleaming with greed.
"He's mine!"
A suit-wearing bull-headed demon screamed, and the spirits scrambled up the skull, eager to devour Charlie.
Charlie's heart died a thousand deaths.
How do you play this?
Yaya~
Foul winds hit as the two giant birds struck first, their two-meter claws slicing the air, blocking Charlie's escape.
As shadows loomed, Charlie's eyes blazed, his form turning into an electric arc, zipping past the birds.
Ya!!
Pfft pfft pfft
The arc coiled, and the birds screeched, crashing down.
"What!"
"Run!!"
The birds smashed into the crowd, tearing spirits apart.
Shattered souls turned to black smoke, rising into the sky. The arc zipped over the skull, vanishing into the bone city.
"He's gone!"
"Chase him!"
The spirits surged after Charlie, drawing curious onlookers.
"What's happening?"
"A living person's here."
"I smell him—he's fast!"
"After him!"
"Wait, my drool—"
Learning of the "food," they eagerly joined the hunt.
The area buzzed with chaos.
Hiding in a giant ox skull, Charlie's back dripped with cold sweat.
He wasn't scared of being chased.
But being caught and cooked by demons? That was inhumane.
Was he that tasty?
No way—he'd show these starving ghosts a bug's wrath!
Grumbling, shadows flickered outside the skull's eye sockets.
"He's nearby. The scent's too strong."
"This guy smells good!"
"Time to heat the oil."
"Fuck you, you shit-brained pig. We're spirits—raw is tradition!"
"But I miss my old life…"
As the pig-headed demon spoke, an electric arc burst from the skull.
"It's him!"
Pfft!
The arc hit, surging through the pig-head, shattering its soul.
"He's here!!"
Nearby spirits rushed in.
The arc shot upward, then plunged as a dazzling meteor.
The dim world brightened.
Buzz!
Boom!!
The ground cracked into a web, a magical shockwave sweeping through, shaking bone buildings and turning spirits to ash.
In a corner, a suckered octopus demon narrowly escaped.
Seeing this, he screamed in terror.
"A mage!"
Charlie's attention snapped to him.
Swish!
A web shot through the octopus demon, hitting the wall.
"Hm?"
Charlie frowned, firing another web laced with magic.
Pfft!
The magic web locked onto the octopus demon.
With a tug, he was yanked to Charlie.
"I ask, you answer."
Charlie, radiating magic, stepped on the demon's tentacle.
"Know Iron Man?"
"N-No…"
"Tony Stark?"
"Don't know."
"One plus one times one equals?"
"Don't know."
"Three strikes, you're out."
Boom~
A punch obliterated the octopus demon. Charlie eyed the lurking spirits, flaunting his body.
"Find Iron Man Tony Stark, and I'll give you a leg." He slapped his thigh—pure temptation.
"Or a meatier spot if you prefer." He patted his backside. "Queens' finest, worth having."
The spirits: "?????"
They swallowed hard, eyeing Charlie's muscles.
"Can't hold back! Why wait—trade with him?"
A dinosaur demon with a giant axe roared, only to be pulverized by Charlie's fist.
"Anyone else?"
Charlie blew on his fist, magic rippling.
The spirits froze.
For a normal human, they'd risk it all.
But this guy was scarier than them—not worth it.
"Um…"
A small goat-headed demon raised a hand. "I'm just a kid. Can I have your least meaty part? I'm still growing."
He acted cute, greedily eyeing Charlie's "caterpillar."
Charlie's face darkened, webbing the demon to him.
"Kids shouldn't obsess over food. Homework done?"
"I… never went to school."
"Delinquent, huh?"
Charlie grinned, crushing the goat-head's skull.
"That's what happens when you don't study!"
"No!!"
A wool-clad goat-woman wailed from the crowd.
"Damn spider, he was just a kid!!"
"I'll fight you!!"
She charged, only to have her head slapped off by Charlie.
Thud~ Thud thud~
The head rolled, and the spirits gaped in fear.
Charlie clapped. "A family should—"
"No!!"
"She was just a woman!!"
The goat-kid's father wailed, rushing Charlie.
Slap!
Another backhand took his head.
"—be together."
Charlie finished, feeling relieved.
These goat demons were slow and barely funny.
Useless spirits!
"No!"
Another wail came. Charlie snapped.
"Enough!!"
He charged the old goat-head who cried out.
Bang!!
Pfft pfft pfft
In seconds, every goat demon lost their heads to Charlie's brutal hands.
"Anyone else?"
After the massacre, he glared at a shrimp-headed demon cowering on the ground.
The shrimp demon shook his head. "N-No more."
"Good."
Charlie scanned the terrified spirits, smiling.
"Find my guy in an hour, and I'll add another leg!"
The spirits perked up, scrambling into the bone buildings.
Charlie laughed, hands on hips.
"Hahaha, that's me!"
"That's you, little spider."
A familiar voice froze his smile.
Turning, he saw Old Steve leap from a rooftop.
"How'd you get here?" Charlie gaped.
If he recalled, he was the only participant.
But Old Steve sniffed.
Sniff~
"Little spider, you smell good!"
He hugged Charlie, savoring the moment.
Charlie: "..."