Queens, New York.
At Dawes Elementary School, classes ended at 2 PM.
To maintain his cover, Luke had no choice but to follow his adoptive parents' arrangements. Miserably, after many years, he had once again returned to the life of an elementary school student.
At the moment, he carried a small backpack—Lotus hidden inside—as he walked down the hallway with the stream of students heading home.
His eyes were fixed on a boy walking just ahead of him.
The boy was from the next class.
About the same height as Luke.
Thin.
Fragile-looking.
For reference—
At seven years old, being just one meter tall was considered short, especially in a country where children tended to develop earlier.
The boy had brown hair and pale skin.
His name was—
Peter Benjamin Parker.
Luke had learned this after some casual inquiries.
For someone with the mind of a twenty-year-old, gathering such information was trivial.
From Peter's classmates, Luke learned:
Peter was living with relatives.
His uncle was Ben Parker.
His aunt was May Parker.
That confirmed it.
This was undoubtedly the future Spider-Man.
But right now?
Just a small, skinny kid.
A very, very small Spider-Man.
Discovering Peter Parker had been an unexpected bonus.
After confirming his identity—
Luke had been quietly observing him.
Waiting for an opportunity to approach.
And now—
The opportunity came.
As they passed a broom closet along the hallway—
A pair of hands suddenly reached out—
And dragged Peter inside.
Luke paused, slightly startled.
The other students continued walking, completely indifferent.
Outside, the school buses were already waiting.
Inside the broom closet—
Four boys stood in front of Peter.
Two Black kids.
Two white kids.
Two of them were noticeably overweight.
They cracked their knuckles, putting on a show of intimidation, surrounding the frail Peter Parker and pinning him against the wall.
"Parker, didn't I tell you not to leave after school?"
One of the Black boys jabbed a finger into Peter's chest, his tone hostile.
He stood a full head taller than Peter.
"I—I didn't mean to bump into you earlier…"
Peter shrank back, his voice weak.
"But you did."
"…I'm sorry."
"And that's enough?"
The boy sneered, stepping closer.
The others followed.
"Looks like you need to learn some respect."
"Who's the boss here, huh?"
Just as the beating was about to begin—
A sigh came from the doorway.
"…Seriously?"
Luke stood at the entrance.
Watching the scene.
Kids this young already bullying others…
Then again—
Peter Parker being bullied…
That was practically part of his story.
"Who are you?" the lead boy turned, sneering.
Then added mockingly:
"Hey, yellow kid."
Luke shrugged.
"That's not very polite."
"Yellow kid!"
The boy repeated loudly.
The others burst into laughter.
Luke tilted his head slightly.
Then said calmly:
"You know, there are two kinds of people I hate."
"One—racists."
He paused.
Then added coldly:
"And the other is people like you."
The boy's expression instantly darkened.
"Get him!"
The four boys charged.
Luke stepped forward.
Focused.
And struck.
Inch Punch.
A signature skill of the Martial Artist class in DNF.
In the real world, it was also a famous close-range technique, emphasizing explosive power over minimal distance.
Thanks to the system—
Luke had mastered it perfectly.
His technique alone—
Was already beyond what most adults could achieve after years of training.
Of course—
His physical strength was still limited.
After all—
This was the body of a seven-year-old.
If he had an adult body—
He might even surpass Bruce Lee.
But even now—
Against a few unruly kids?
More than enough.
Before Peter could even react—
It was over.
In just a few quick strikes—
The four boys were already on the ground, groaning in pain.
"Chinese Kung Fu?!"
One of them shouted in shock.
Luke raised his hand slightly.
"Then you should know what to do next."
At that moment—
Lotus shouted from inside the backpack:
"Finish them! Kill them!"
"RUN!!"
Terrified, the four boys scrambled to their feet and fled in panic.
Luke clapped his hands lightly.
He had no intention of chasing them.
He hadn't even used thirty percent of his strength.
He had deliberately held back—
So as not to actually injure them.
This wasn't Lotus.
He wasn't that extreme.
Driving them away—
Was enough.
Still—
Luke couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
Today… I've accomplished something incredible.
A true milestone.
Beating up school bullies.
Yes.
He had done it.
"Hi," Luke said, stepping forward.
"My name is Luke Nelson."
"And you are?"
Nelson—
His adoptive father's surname.
Also the name registered at school.
Peter snapped out of his daze.
"Oh—uh—Peter! Peter Parker!"
"Thank you! Really—thank you so much!!"
"It's nothing," Luke replied with a smile.
"No, seriously! Those guys have been bothering me forever!"
Peter's gratitude was obvious.
He had been bullied by those four boys repeatedly.
Threatened.
Cornered.
But never able to fight back.
And in American school culture—
Telling a teacher?
That would only make things worse.
Luke's clean, decisive victory—
Had deeply impressed him.
Peter's eyes lit up.
"That was amazing! Was that Kung Fu? Can you show me more?"
Luke shook his head, putting on a serious expression.
"Martial arts are for fighting."
"Not for performance."
Peter froze.
Then—
His expression turned respectful.
As if he had just heard profound wisdom.
At that moment—
A system notification appeared:
[Peter Parker Favorability +10]
A faint smile appeared on Luke's lips.
This—
Was exactly what he wanted.
Favorability mattered.
Max it out—
And he could learn abilities from others.
And Spider-Man's abilities?
Web-slinging.
Wall-crawling.
Enhanced healing.
Luke wanted all of them.
Currently—
10 points.
Target—
100.
As someone with an adult mind—
Luke wasn't worried.
This would be easy.
After helping Peter—
Becoming friends came naturally.
The two walked out of school together.
Boarded the bus.
Sat side by side.
And then—
Luke realized something.
Peter Parker…
Was a chatterbox.
A serious one.
Within minutes—
Luke was overwhelmed.
Was getting close to Spider-Man really the right choice?
One Lotus is already noisy enough…
The school bus passed a roadside billboard.
A large screen displayed news footage—
Iron Man flying through the sky.
Peter immediately pressed his face against the window.
Eyes wide.
"Whoa…"
"THAT'S SO COOL!!"
Even now—
Before becoming Spider-Man—
Peter Parker…
Was already Iron Man's biggest fan.