At this time, Peter Parker had recently encountered that fated event—the pivotal tragedy that would change his outlook on life forever.
His Uncle Ben had been murdered by a robber because Peter had chosen to stand by and do nothing. Filled with remorse, Peter decided to don a skin-tight suit at night to act as a vigilante, punishing criminals everywhere. His primary goal, however, was to find the man who killed Uncle Ben.
In Queens, New York, "Spider-Man" was already becoming a local legend.
"Peter, about Uncle Ben... I'm so sorry for your loss." After school, Basel caught up with the dejected Peter, speaking with genuine concern.
After the Violence Gaia Memory was destroyed, Basel had regained his senses. He felt a lingering sense of dread and palpitations whenever he remembered the madness he displayed under the influence of the memory. He was deeply grateful to Peter for stepping in and stopping him before he committed an irreversible mistake.
Peter gritted his teeth slightly. "I will find that bastard who killed Uncle Ben."
Hearing this, Basel felt a surge of worry. He asked seriously, "What do you plan to do once you find him?"
Basel knew that Peter possessed strength far beyond that of a normal person. In a moment of heated emotion, it would be far too easy for him to accidentally kill an ordinary human.
Peter blurted out immediately, "I'm going to make sure he gets the punishment he deserves!"
Basel sighed. "Peter, have you forgotten the lesson I learned so quickly? I know you have special abilities and power beyond others. But if you use that power recklessly for the sake of your own hatred, you might end up like I did—controlled by the power itself."
Peter froze for a moment, subconsciously replying, "But you were under the influence of a Gaia Memory."
Basel shook his head with a bitter smile. "The influence of the Gaia Memory actually just amplified the darkness already in my heart. When I gained that power, all the negative emotions I'd suppressed from being bullied for so long exploded. That's what allowed the influence to expand infinitely. At the slightest threat, I immediately thought of killing to solve the problem."
He continued after a pause, "I thought back then that with such power, I could do whatever I wanted. If someone crossed me, I'd crush them. Looking back, I was truly terrifying. Peter, if you let hatred dictate your actions, your mindset will eventually be warped by your power. I don't want you to become what I was. I still remember what you told me: if you take a life with your own hands, there's no turning back."
Peter fell into a long silence, remembering Uncle Ben's words to him.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Great power, without the restraint of a resilient self-will, invites catastrophe.
"Basel, thanks for waking me up," Peter said, his expression softening with realization.
Basel smiled. "I'm just reminding you. You understand these things better than I do—you're the one who stopped me from abusing the Gaia Memory, remember? Once you calm down and think about it, you'll see the right path."
Peter scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile.
That night, Peter put on his suit and swung between the skyscrapers of New York City on strands of web.
Although he was no longer obsessed with personally taking revenge on Uncle Ben's killer, he still wanted to find the man and hand him over to the police so he could face legal justice. Furthermore, Peter had decided to continue his vigilante work, dedicating his abilities to helping others and curbing crime. This was the only way to honor Uncle Ben's teachings.
After teaching a few muggers a lesson, Peter checked the time and decided it was about time to head home. He had to wake up early for school; as a high school senior nearing graduation, his workload was far from light.
"AAAHHHHH—!"
A sudden scream pierced the air. Peter looked toward the sound and saw a man flailing his arms and legs wildly in mid-air, falling straight toward the ground from dozens of meters up.
Peter immediately shot out a web, catching the man.
"Sir, you're safe now. But what happened? Did you slip? Or were you trying to... end it? Though, if it was the latter, you sounded a bit too terrified for that," Peter remarked, looking at the man who still had his eyes squeezed shut and was screaming.
Hearing a voice, the man opened his eyes. Seeing he had been saved, he let out a sigh of relief and snapped, "Who in their right mind would try to end it when life is going fine?! I was grabbed by a monster, taken hundreds of feet into the air, and then dropped!"
"A monster? Another Dopant from a Gaia Memory?" Peter's heart skipped a beat. He looked upward and saw a figure with distinct grasshopper-like features standing on the edge of the roof.
The Grasshopper Gurongi was also curiously observing Peter. In his memory, aside from Kuuga, the "Rinto" were supposed to have no special abilities. Moreover, Peter's ability to shoot webs was very similar to that of the Spider Gurongi who had been killed challenging Kuuga. Was this another spider-type Gurongi?
At the thought, the Grasshopper Gurongi felt a flicker of annoyance. To interfere with his game was unforgivable!
Peter placed the man on the ground and prepared to move out to see what this grasshopper-man was all about. However, the Grasshopper Gurongi had already leapt from the building, landing right in front of him.
The man Peter saved didn't even stop to say thanks; seeing the monster appear again, he scrambled away on all fours.
"Do you not know that when the Gegel is in progress, no one else is allowed to interfere?!" the Grasshopper Gurongi questioned Peter, his tone inquisitive yet demanding.
Peter was completely baffled. What language is this guy speaking? I've never heard anything like it.
"Sir, I don't understand your language, but I will stop you from harming anyone else," Peter said sternly.
"Not of my kind?" The Grasshopper Gurongi looked Peter up and down, eventually becoming excited. "A Rinto with special abilities. While not as good as Kuuga, you should be worth more points than a regular target. It seems my luck is good; I encountered a special subject right at the start of my game. I'll take your corpse back and see how many points it's worth!"
The Grasshopper Gurongi leapt high and brought his foot down toward Peter.
Peter had been on high alert. Seeing the monster move, he nimbly dodged backward. Looking at the deep crater the Grasshopper Gurongi's foot left in the concrete, Peter yelled out, "Whoa, that's dangerous! You've got some serious kick in you!"
Snorting at Peter's dodge, the Grasshopper Gurongi pulled his foot from the concrete and lunged forward, pouncing at Peter.