Free Web NovelChapter 35: Ch 34: Dark Deku
After reaching the parking lot, the girls made a quick dash for the washroom, some to touch up their makeup, some probably because the ride back to campus was an hour long, and they definitely didn’t want to stop in the middle of the route for a bathroom break.
The boys, Manny, Peter, and Luke... waited in the car. Soft music played from the speakers while they relaxed in comfortable silence.
Luke leaned his head back against the seat and shut his eyes.
His thoughts drifted to T-Stream. The QnA event was only five days away now. After that, he had a big attack planned. He needed to be ready.
Then, his thoughts happily shifted to the new incredible power he had bought from the Shop a few days ago.
It was all thanks to the special [1000th Year Anniversary Loot Event].
Every item, skill, and upgrade in the store had its price lowered by five times, and Luke was able to use a special 75% discount coupon on top of that!
After spending 100 TP on his Explosion quirk to cross that 79% wall and upgrade it to 80%. He had exactly 331 TP left in his balance. He wished he knew the event was coming before he upgraded his quirk.
Well, anyway...
During the loot event, he bought the teleportation power he needed most.
The best deal he found was the [Flying Thunder God Technique (Naruto)].
Its original price was 6000 TP, but with the event and discount coupon, he got it for just 300 TP. It truly was the ultimate loot.
After buying the technique, he had 31 TP left. He decided to use it right away.
First, he spent a mere 4 TP to upgrade the last 20% of his Quirk, bringing it to a perfect 100% mastery.
Then, he spent 10 TP to upgrade his brand-new Flying Thunder God Technique, boosting it straight to 25% mastery right from the start.
But there was a minor downside with the Flying Thunder God Technique: it required Chakra. And Luke didn’t have the Chakra circuits. But the solution too was very simple... he just had to buy Chakra units from the shop.
1 Chakra Unit could be used to teleport 10 times. And 1 TP got him 10 Chakra units (without the 5x lower event). freēwēbnovel.com
With the loot event still active, he used 3 TP to buy 150 Chakra Units. And with the remaining 14 TP, he bought a [Seal Engraving and Seal Concealment Technique].
This would come in handy to instantly mark both inanimate and living beings with the Thunder God’s markings, as well as make the markings invisible.
If there were a bill for his purchase that day, it would look like this:
Item | Original Price | Purchased Price
[Flying Thunder God Technique (Naruto)] | 6000 TP | 300 TP
[Explosion Quirk Upgrade (80->100%)] | 20 TP | 4 TP
[Flying Thunder God Technique Upgrade (0->25%)] | 50 TP | 10 TP
[Chakra Units (150 Units)] | 15 TP | 3 TP
[Seal Engraving and Seal Concealment Technique] | 70 TP | 14 TP
Remaining Balance: 0 TP
"Luke!" Manny interrupted Luke’s musing.
The chubby guy turned around in the driver’s seat with a huge grin. "You won’t believe this. My soulful performance in the escape house actually struck a chord with Brie’s heartstrings. She just texted. She wants me to stay the night with her. Lana Del Rey truly is a goddess."
Luke chuckled. "Good for you, man."
Peter tilted his head. "But doesn’t Brie live in a dorm? Boys aren’t allowed after 8. Sneaking in could get her suspended."
Manny smirked, adjusting his collar. "My dear Brie is one step ahead. After dropping you all off at the campus, we’re heading to our own rented love nest."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "That’s great, Romeo, but don’t forget you’re my ride home."
Manny’s smile froze. He slowly turned to face Luke properly, eyes wide with panic.
"Luke, please!" he begged, hands clasped like he was praying. "Your place is two hours away in the opposite direction. Can you please, please take the subway just for tonight?"
Luke sighed, "Fine. Just drop me at the station."
A second later, Manny’s phone rang. It was Brie. He scrambled out of the car so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, disappearing into the night to take the call.
Luke watched him go, then turned to Peter with a small smile.
"So, Peter... how’s the research going? Think you’ll be traveling to some icy continent like Alex soon?"
Peter blinked, surprised but also a little happy. He didn’t have many people he could talk to about this. At college, most students acted like he was invisible. Only Gwen really listened when he talked about his work. But even she sometimes got annoyed.
But Luke had been fun and kind all day. After the whole day, Peter was starting to think Luke was one of the coolest people his age. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Well," Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The research I’m doing with Doctor Conners doesn’t need extreme weather or faraway places. It’s mostly lab work. So I think I’ll be staying right here for now."
Luke nodded, keeping his voice casual. "Is it actually interesting, or just boring math equations like Alex always talks about?"
He was trying to learn about the progress of Dr. Connors’ cross-species genetics project without sounding too curious.
Peter gave a small laugh at the joke, then leaned forward a little. His eyes lit up. "It’s actually really interesting! We’re working on cross-species genetics with lizards. Lizards can grow their tails back, right? We’re trying to use that science to help people with physical disabilities. The goal is to make it so no one has to live with injuries or conditions that stop them from walking or moving freely. It could change the world someday."
He explained further, telling Luke that they’ve hit a really hard wall for the past month. Nothing they tried was working well. And Doctor Conners hasn’t been coming to the lab much lately. Sometimes days go by without him showing up.
Luke nodded along, watching the boy ramble. ’Peter of this universe really reminds me of Midoriya from My Hero Academia,’ Luke thought.
’But knowing what he does in the future... isn’t he more like Dark Deku?’
"Sounds like world-changing stuff. All I can do is cheer for you, Peter."
Peter smiled ear to ear. He felt like he’d finally found a friend who understood him and supported him.
’Luke probably never got bullied,’ Peter thought. ’Someone that confident and likable... he wouldn’t know what it feels like to be invisible. Or to be a target. But... maybe I should still ask. Maybe he has advice anyway.’
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Luke seriously.
"Hey, Luke... weird question. What do you think a person should do if they’re... being bullied?"
Luke turned to him, and his voice softened with concern. "You’re not the one getting bullied, are you?"
Peter shook his head quickly, maybe a little too quickly. "N-no! No, it’s not me. I just... I wanted to know what you think. You know... theoretically."
Luke, of course, knew about the bullying Peter was going through. He knew the poor guy was suffering.
But he chose not to push him.
Instead, a rather sinister idea sparked in Luke’s mind. An idea that would profit him greatly. All while fulfilling Gwen’s unavoidable cannon event.
He answered with a calm voice. "I think the victim should fight back against the bullies. The more the victim fears his bullies, the more the bullies torment him. Stand up. Throw a punch if you have to. Show them you’re not prey."
It was seemingly genuine and generic advice, but there was a fatal flaw... it only worked when the Victim was prepared to face the consequences after that.
But Peter probably wasn’t aware of that flaw.
Poor Peter Parker...
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The ride back to campus was quiet. The day’s excitement had worn everyone out.
When they finally reached the campus parking area, everyone climbed out of the car. Luke stretched his arms, then reached up to the roof carrier and started handing down the backpacks one by one.
As he stepped back down, his eyes landed on a sleek black sedan parked under a tree nearby. It looked expensive, but it blended in with the other vehicles, except for one chilling detail: there was someone sitting inside.
And even with the interior lights turned off, the dark silhouette looked awfully familiar.
Luke’s heart pounded. Were they here for Gwen... or for him? He took a deep breath and considered every possibility. As the brief panic faded, logic took over. It was obvious. They were definitely here for Gwen Stacy.
But simply guessing wasn’t enough. Luke needed to know exactly what was going on.
Veritas needed answers.
As he smiled and waved goodbye to Peter and the girls, Luke casually let a one-dollar bill slip from his pocket. It fluttered to the pavement, completely unnoticed.
Hidden on the paper was his newly purchased, perfectly concealed Flying Thunder God mark.
Luke climbed into the back of Manny’s car. Brie was already in the passenger seat, looking clearly annoyed that Luke was still tagging along on her romantic evening.
As Manny drove off, Luke glanced over the rear view mirror. The black sedan stayed put in the shadows. It wasn’t following them.
A short drive later, Manny hit the brakes at the nearest subway station. He was in such a desperate hurry that he didn’t even say goodbye before stepping on the gas and speeding away into the night.
Luke just chuckled, watching the car disappear.
Then, his smile faded into something much more serious. He activated his anti-surveillance, turned on his heel, and vanished into the shadows of a quiet alley.
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