"So it wasn't a dream after all."
I stared at the ceiling. Still Harry's room.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself upright and stretched my arms, feeling the easy pull of muscle under my skin. There was a sudden urge to go running, to drop down and start doing push-ups or something similar, probably Damian's influence leaking into me but I decided to ignore it. Harry doesn't do morning workouts and I'm not about to flip his routine overnight to make people curious.
After all Sudden changes attract attention.
I walked into the washroom and took off my clothes. My movements felt… precise. Which I can even tell now somehow.
Looking myself in the mirror, my mouth remained stayed open for a few seconds.
Wow.
The muscles are more defined than they were yesterday. Even the face looked clearer. Another quiet sign that things are changing.
If the guys at gym saw this, they'd probably lose their minds over how unfair life is.
I opened the System to check my status.
Harold Theopolis Osborn
Race: Human
Characters Assimilated:
Fully Assimilated:
– None
In Progress:
[Peter Parker — 11%]
[Damian Wayne — 8%]
So it definitely went up while I was sleeping. That explains why I woke up with random bits of knowledge and instincts that didn't feel entirely mine.
I closed the screen and hurried to shower.
First day of school in another universe. No way I'm being late for that.
…
Midtown High School.
I parked the bike and got off, taking a moment to look at the building. I won't lie that I was a little excited. It's the first time I'm about to meet people I used to watch on a screen.
Instead of heading straight to class, I decided to walk around. It was still early, and there weren't many students yet. Good time to observe.
And to check whether the staff actually staff? Or was someone cosplaying?
Peter is Spider-Man. There's no way that secret isn't known by certain people already. I don't doubt it for a second. A masked teenager suspected to be mutant or mutate swinging around New York and stopping criminals regularly isn't something S.H.I.E.L.D would ignore. If they haven't found his identity I would start to doubt their competence.
The classroom could be bugged. The cafeteria too. His house should already be. For all I know, a couple of neighbors are agents just keeping quiet watch.
That made me think.
Do they know about the Goblin?
The glider is advanced, sure, but not impossible to replicate. And even if he doesn't show himself often, it's obvious he's enhanced, whether artificially or naturally.
They should've figured that much out.
There's also a chance Peter already knows who he is and has said his name out loud while alone in his room.
Tch.
I really hope not.
But what if they already did? Or will soon? If they connect the dots, the first thing they'll want be the formula of the serum if not the serum itself.
As for Norman, as long as he doesn't go too far they'll probably look the other way.
Even if he does get exposed and dragged to prison, they can't directly target me without a reason. I'm just his son on paper.
But that doesn't mean I'm safe. The real problem wouldn't be the government. It would be the shareholders.
If Norman falls, they'll circle like vultures. Some would try to control me, use me as a puppet to secure their positions. Others might think it's cleaner to remove me entirely and consolidate power without complications.
Now, the safest option in that situation would be to give up the shares and secure my own safety. But leaving a billion dollars corporation out of my assets would be stupid, especially when I'll soon be able to take care of myself and will need access to advanced tech to build gadgets and other tools.
I can't let the Goblin continue, not only because of the chaos he will cause, but because of the consequences that follow. There's a chance someone else may find his identity. Someone who wants revenge and might redirect it toward me.
If someone wants the Super Soldier Serum, they might target me thinking Norman would care enough to hand it over in exchange for my safety.
There are too many possible reasons and I don't like any of them.
The best option would be for him to die, but on my terms, in a way that gives me the most benefit. Oscorp would suffer for a while, of course, but that could work in my favor. A temporary decline would mean lower stock prices and uncertain shareholders.
That creates room.
I could slowly buy more shares from those who panic or want to distance themselves, increasing my control without making it obvious. After that, I can stabilize the company and rebuild it gradually, no need for rapid changes that draw unnecessary attention. It's better to move carefully and let things improve step by step.
Still, all of this depends on one thing.
That the Goblin is truly dead.
And that's not something I can assume. He's good at pretending, good at hiding. I don't want him to disappear only to return later under a different identity and undo everything I've built.
Should I kill him myself?
That thought stayed with me as I made my way back to class.
I didn't bother scanning the seats and went straight to the back. I'm a proud backbencher. Always have been.
I took my seat and waited as the classroom slowly filled up. Gwen Stacy. Liz Allan. Sally Avril. Ava Ayala. Betty Brant. MJ… actually MJs. Mary Jane and Michelle Jones.
Apparently both are Watsons, but they're not related.
From the boys, I spotted Flash Thompson, Jason Ionello, Brian McKeever, Seymour O'Reilly, and Ned Leeds.
None of them looked exactly like the actors who played them, but there were small similarities here and there. Ned, especially, looked closer to the movie version. Even his vibe was similar.
I just hope he doesn't get involved with the Hobgoblin.
My eyes shifted to Parker as he walked in. The bruises on his face were obvious. No wonder people have started whispering about him joining some underground fight club.
He took the seat beside Ned, and I casually looked around to see if anyone else was paying special attention to him. To my disappointment, no one was. Only Ned looked concerned.
When the teacher finally walked in and class began, my mind drifted again.
Since I won't be able to stay out of the Chaos, then it's necessary to decide the path I should take to fight it.
I don't want to be a hero. Well… that's not entirely true. I want to be one. A little. Okay, I really want to.
But being like Spider-Man or Batman comes with too many responsibilities, too much pressure, too much sacrifice. I don't want to dedicate my entire existence to it.
Maybe something like Saitama. A hero when I feel like it. A hero "for fun"
That sounds better.
Then there's the villain path.
And seriously, I don't want to completely reject that either. The simplest reason? They're cool.
Madara. Aizen. Darth Vader. Doom.
Each of them leaves an impression. There presence brings fear and respect from others.
I want that too. That AURA.
Also Wouldn't it be cool to see Avengers, Guardians of the galaxy, fantastic four, X men and all others heroes standing against me. They want to stop me from achieving something. Our fight would be legendary.
Maybe I don't have to choose one side completely. Hero and villain aren't always mutually exclusive. Anti-hero and anti-villain are options. Walking the line instead of standing at an extreme.
Then there would be less chance of being used, more chance of being the one who uses. At the end of the day, I'm looking out for myself. If the world benefits along the way, it can have a slice of the cake too.
As the class went on, I kept thinking about my path while casually observing everyone around me. After a while, though, I got bored. There was nothing thrilling about any of it. Most of the students were half-asleep because of the lecture. A few were already drooling on their desks. Some were entertaining themselves in other ways.
Flash kept throwing paper balls at Peter, one after another. The rest of his group was enjoying the show, MJ, the Michelle one, was frowning but not stepping in. Gwen was seated at the front so didn't notice. The ones who did simply ignored it.
Oh. Peter finally had enough. Though Instead of reacting directly, he simply ducked his head at the right moment, and the paper ball flew past him and smacked right into the back of Mrs. Smith.
There was a brief silence.
She slowly turning around and her gaze dropping to the floor before scanning the classroom. It didn't take long for her eyes to land on Flash's desk, which was practically decorated with identical paper balls. Her face started turning red.
"Mr. Thompson, get out of my class immediately."
"Ma'am, I—"
"I said get out. Can't you hear me?"
"Ma'am, I was just—"
"OUTT."
Yeahhh. That echo carried.
One look at her face and Flash knew there was no winning this. He clicked his tongue, gave a sharp "tch," and shoved his chair back. As he walked past Peter, he shot him a glare that clearly said, this isn't overrr.
Peter, of course, kept his head down, staring at his notebook like it contained the secrets of the universe.
While Everyone else was trying sooo hard not to laugh I shifted my attention to the board.
Reflection and refraction.
It's technically my first time seeing this topic in this world… but the moment my eyes landed on it, the concepts felt familiar. Like I'd studied it properly before.
I looked down at the numerical problem in the book. The formula surfaced in my head instantly. I ran through the calculation mentally, step by step.
Done.
I flipped the page to check the answer.
Correct.
…
I'm a genius.
Tony Stark? Reed Richards?
Who are they?
Never heard of them.
Must be ants that have been crushed under my shoes.
Well Jokes aside, Peter is a genuine genius when it comes to science and engineering. And Damian inherited Bruce's intelligence, plus years of intense education with the League and under Batman himself. Strategy, languages, combat theory, history, science, leadership… the kid was trained in everything.
And I'm inheriting all of that.
At this rate, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I'll soon be one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people on the planet.
Which is good.
Brains with muscles? That's the best combination.
Classes went by, and soon it was time for lunch break. Flash's group waved me over since Harry usually hangs out with them. But I declined since I didn't feel like sitting through loud joke.
I'm an introvert, completely opposite to Harry.
So instead, I roamed around the corridors. If I'm going to spend time here every day, I might as well know the layout properly. I checked the areas I skipped in the morning, mentally mapping everything as I walked.
Even though I have Harry's memories, I still prefer verifying things myself.
For the remaining classes, I kept my head down, pretending to focus while actually thinking about the design of the supersuit I might use publicly.
By the time school ended, I didn't waste a second. I headed straight to the parking area, started the bike, and took one last look at the building behind me before driving off.
I don't want to stay there for another second. I'm pretty sure I spotted one of the spies inside. The guy mopping the floor looked off.
He was an agent. Most likely S.H.I.E.L.D.
Or the SNAKE S.H.I.E.L.D.
This school was way too much involved in the plots. Accidents. Villains showing up out of nowhere. Clues somehow always leading back to Spider-Man. I remember Taskmaster even worked here as a teacher once, was it in the comics or the animation?
Then again, considering who studies here, maybe it's not that surprising.
Maybe I should just graduate early. Harry wasn't a genius like Peter, but he was still above average. Actually, more than that. He did well academically. With my current mental upgrades, skipping a few grades wouldn't even be difficult. And it shouldn't attract too much attention either, right? Every year there are students who graduate early. It's not unheard of.
A billionaire's son suddenly getting serious about his career doesn't sound far-fetched. In fact, it would probably be seen as growth.
I have to think of this seriously.
***********
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