Peter froze, almost not believing what he'd just heard.
He'd had his spider powers for over a month now. His homemade web-shooters and webs had been with him for a good two weeks. And in all that time, he'd only figured out a single firing method—shoot web, stick target.
He only learned about new types of webbing after visiting the Shadow Spider-Man's world, and even then, there were just a handful of variants.
And now, this suit from Tony Stark came with… five hundred and seventy-six scientifically designed web combinations?
Impossible.
It had to be a joke.
It almost felt like a slap in the face to all his hard work over the past month.
But then, Peter looked at the training module. Row after row of unique names—no duplicates—jumped out at him.
Things like Web Grenade, Separation Web, Electric Web, Rapid-Fire Web, Bouncing Web, Web Parachute…
Two facts hit him hard:
First—his beloved homemade shooters were officially obsolete.
Second—science really was unbeatable.
Tony might not rely on webs as a primary weapon, but the firing methods he'd designed were incredibly practical.
For example, the Bouncing Web—a projectile that delayed its burst thanks to special engineering. Fire it around a corner, and it could ricochet straight onto an enemy hiding behind cover.
Or the Web Grenade—a capsule containing a massive amount of web fluid, expanding instantly into a giant net on impact.
That one had immediate uses. Peter thought about the times he'd stopped drunk drivers who lost control. He'd always had to physically stop the cars, which was risky and often caused extra damage.
Sure, he didn't have to pay for those damages… but if he was going to help, he wanted to do it right.
With the Web Grenade, he could catch a falling car midair, then set it down gently.
Every firing mode had its own niche.
Even without running through the tutorials, Peter could tell just from the names and descriptions how useful they'd be.
He skimmed the rest of the training protocol. Some options were locked—requiring higher "training levels" to unlock—but the ones available already made him feel like he'd struck gold.
The suit's material, design, and AI were one thing… but the knowledge built into it was just as valuable.
"Mr. Stark…" Peter didn't know why Tony had gone to such lengths for him. But he knew one thing—this was a favor he'd never forget.
Whether it was a "deal" or not, there was a huge difference between a half-baked gift and one made with genuine care.
Full of gratitude, Peter resumed bouncing around the room.
Thwip!
Thwip!
Thwip!
Knock, knock, knock!
Peter flipped over to the door, peeked through the peephole—nobody.
Huh?
Knock, knock!
The door swung open—it was the connecting door to the next room.
Happy stepped in, expression blank. His eyes scanned the web-covered ceiling and corners.
"What is this, a spider nest? You're Spider-Man, not Spider-Monster."
Peter scratched his head, embarrassed. He'd gotten carried away and forgotten this was a hotel room. If housekeeping saw this, his identity would be blown.
Happy seemed to read his mind. "Stop. Now. You can test the suit when you're home. I'll extend the room another day and have it cleaned before we check out."
"Thanks—seriously, thanks," Peter said in relief.
He didn't mind heroes knowing his real identity—Tony, Ant-Man, people like that. But civilians? That was dangerous.
He'd seen it firsthand in the Shadow Spider-Man's world. Even without the hero's identity being exposed, just being close to someone in the know had put lives at risk. If Peter had been a second too late that day, Aunt May would've met the same fate as Uncle Ben.
No way he was letting that happen here.
Happy left after his warning, and Peter flopped onto the bed, bored. Eventually, he drifted off into a long dream.
In the dream, he saw countless Spider-Men—
A huge, black-suited Spider-Man.
A slender, white-suited Spider-Woman.
A steampunk exoskeleton Spider-Man.
A pig-nosed… Spider-Ham?
And finally, a massive web with a shadowy figure sitting at its center.
---
Morning came quickly.
Peter never saw Tony again that night. The next day, Happy got a message—time to head home. They boarded the same private jet back to New York.
Word was, Tony had gone to Siberia… and fought Captain America and the Winter Soldier. A brutal, deeply personal fight.
When Peter finally saw him again after landing, Tony didn't share the details. But his occasional quiet moments spoke volumes.
There were no further "assignments" either. Peter had done well, sure, but Tony clearly wanted him to focus on school—not the "superhero business"… if it could even be called that.
On the drive, Tony repeated the same advice over and over: study hard, stop overthinking.
Peter could only nod along, offering the occasional "uh-huh."