The city thrummed with unease. Tension coiled in the air like a storm just beyond the skyline — not loud, but palpable, heavy. Somewhere above the alleys and rooftops, beneath the gleam of neon signs and flickering streetlights, eyes watched. Unseen. Unblinking. Phantom's mark had already been carved into the heart of New York like a festering wound — the chaos, the whispers, the disappearances.
And now, it was Dante's move.
Cloaked in the flickering half-light of a broken lamppost, Dante stood between two legends — Daredevil and Spider-Man — as they reviewed the intel sprawled across the tablet in Matt's hand. The screen glowed dimly, casting eerie reflections on their faces.
"An underground lab," Daredevil said grimly, tilting his head as if listening to something only he could hear. Industrial district. Rumoured to be Phantom's primary hub for tech production. Not your usual warehouse." His voice carried that familiar gravel—calm, but taut like a bowstring. "Sources say it's buried beneath the old subway lines. Reinforced. Like a bunker."
Spider-Man let out a low whistle. "Underground, reinforced, and probably crawling with laser turrets and bad attitudes. Love that for us."
Dante cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the quiet. "Good. More challenges," he muttered, a faint grin tugging at the edge of his lips. "More opportunities to adapt."
They moved quickly. No wasted words. No wasted time.
By the time the trio reached the edge of the industrial zone, the city had dipped into silence. Even the street rats gave this place a wide berth. Chain-link fences wrapped the perimeter, rusted and sagging from age, but the deeper they went, the newer everything looked. Cameras tucked into corners. Drones zipped by high above, barely audible. The signs of Phantom's hand were clear.
They descended into the tunnels beneath the streets — shadows pressed close here, like they were watching. The clamour of the city faded behind layers of concrete and steel. Down in the old subway lines, the world felt different. Ancient. Forgotten.
And then came the hum.
Faint at first — just a vibration along the soles of their boots — but growing stronger with each step. A mechanical purr thrummed through the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Like the heartbeat of something unnatural.
The scent hit Dante next — oil and metal. Sterile and sharp. Synthetic.
They were close.
Just as they rounded a corner, the corridor ahead lit up with a blinding arc of blue energy.
Instinct surged through Dante's system. He raised his arm and braced. The energy struck like a whip, but his body, enhanced by the Gamer System, absorbed the blow, data filtering in through blinking HUD windows.
[New Ability Acquired: Pulse Wave (Lv.1)]
Emits a concussive burst of kinetic energy capable of knocking back multiple enemies. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Dante exhaled slowly, a smirk forming. "Thanks for the gift," he muttered under his breath.
Around the bend, shadows shifted — a squad of guards in sleek black combat suits emerged, moving in perfect formation. Their armour gleamed faintly, visors glowing a cold crimson. Unlike the usual hired muscle, these ones felt different — tighter coordination, smoother movement, enhanced reflexes. Phantom had invested well.
Without a second thought, Dante charged.
He slammed his foot down and unleashed his newly acquired Pulse Wave. A rippling burst of energy shot from his palm, colliding with the front line. The blast staggered them, sending two sprawling backwards — but their armour blunted most of the impact.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way," Dante growled.
Daredevil was gone in an instant, vanishing into the shadows. There was no sound, no movement — just silence, followed by the dull crack of a collapsing guard. Spider-Man swung in from the side, webbing rifles and yanking them out of reach before they could be fired.
Dante didn't hesitate. He surged forward, fists glowing faintly with energy. His Gamer System flared as he wove between attackers, dodging, striking, and adapting. Every movement fed data back to the System. Every block refined his timing. Every hit made him faster.
But then he appeared.
A tall figure emerged from the back of the formation — lean, sharp-featured, clad in advanced armour with faint green veins pulsing across its surface. His visor shimmered briefly before retracting, revealing a pale, angular face and a twisted grin.
"You must be Dante," the man said, voice smooth like glass but sharp as broken edges. "Been waiting to meet you."
Dante narrowed his eyes. "You the boss here?"
"In a way," the man replied, lifting a wrist-mounted device. "I prefer the term 'architect. You're in my system now."
The ground trembled. A moment later, the floor beneath Dante cracked — shattered like glass — and he dropped.
It wasn't a pitfall.
It was a trap.
Dante twisted mid-air, using momentum to flip and land hard on a metal platform far below. Sparks shot out in every direction. Lights flickered madly. Thick cables and rotating machines formed a labyrinth around him.
From above, the man watched with satisfaction. "Welcome to my playground."
The walls lit up with orange holograms, and turret ports snapped open with mechanical precision. Energy weapons hummed to life. From the corner of his eye, Dante spotted multiple security bots activating, their eyes scanning rapidly.
His system pinged again.
[Environmental Threat Detected: Hostile Defence Grid]
Objective: Survive and neutralise the system core.
Optional: Extract additional tech schematics.
Dante's grin widened.
He ran.
The first turret locked onto him with an electronic whine, firing a burst of plasma rounds. Dante dove into a roll, barely dodging as molten metal scorched the platform where he'd just stood. He flipped behind a maintenance console and launched another Pulse Wave, sending a nearby security bot tumbling into the wall.
He felt it — his body already responding, syncing faster to the rhythm of combat.
[Pulse Wave levelled up! Lv.2]
Increased blast radius and reduced cooldown to 8 seconds.
Above, Spider-Man swung through a breach in the ceiling. "Tried to follow you down," he called, launching a webline at a turret and yanking it off its hinge, "but your welcoming committee was rude."
Daredevil followed, flipping from a maintenance hatch and landing with practised silence. He crouched low, his billy clubs already flying in precise arcs, striking key circuits and disabling key systems.
Dante chuckled. "Glad you two could drop in."
"Focus!" Matt barked, catching a flying piece of debris midair. "That guy's not just another enforcer. He designed this kill box."
As if summoned, the architect dropped down onto a higher platform across the room. He tapped his wrist again, and a dozen energy pillars sprang up, encasing a large server core in the centre.
"Try not to die too quickly," he said mockingly. "I want to see what your system does under real pressure."
Dante's HUD flared with warnings, but he ignored them.
Instead, he stepped forward.
A faint glow pulsed from his chest as the system responded to the evolving situation.
[System Evolution Triggered: Adaptive Combat – Tier 1 Unlocked]
Trait: Minor stat scaling based on surrounding threats.
Bonus: Reflexes +10%, Power Efficiency +5% (temporary).
A wave of clarity hit him like a second wind.
He launched forward, weaving between incoming blasts and retaliating with brutal efficiency. He slammed a guard bot into a console, sending shockwaves through the defence grid. Sparks flew as Spider-Man took out two sentry guns in a single swing. Daredevil moved like a liquid shadow, dismantling reinforcements with surgical precision.
Together, they pushed.
The fight escalated into chaos — a whirlwind of tech, energy, and fury.
And at the centre, Dante thrived.
This wasn't just survival.
It was an adaptation.
And Phantom had just learned what it meant to challenge someone built to grow stronger with every fight.