With his memories, he knew systems was like an external power that assisted its host. Whether it was some kind of God that gave him this system, some other magical entity or even the very force of the universe that randomly chose him, Sol didn't put much thought behind it.
In Sung Jin Woo's case, his system was something to help Ashborn, a god-like being, create a human vessel strong enough to completely absorb his powers.
It gave him quests, the ability to level up and other game like features.
Perhaps his system was also like that.
Although he didn't really expect a good answer, he asked anyways.
'System, what is your origins, why was I chosen, and what other features do you have that I'm not aware of?'
[Answering host: I am a spider that exists in the past, present and future, my powers stemming from the chaos and turbulent energies of the multiverse. As for why you were chosen, you were my original host...]
Sol expected the system to completely ignore the first two questions, after all, don't they usually keep it a secret in the movies and eventually do the big reveal, usually as the final boss? As for the second question, Sol felt even more perplexed. Original host? What is this system even talking about?
'Original host? How?' Sol asked, confused. To be beyond time itself sounded ridiculous, but his mind as a transmigrator found it somewhat believable.
His system answered loyally.
[I was only an ordinary jumping spider before being exposed to a lethal amount of radiation. You were my original host as I bit you, mutating your genes and turning you into Spider-Man. Unlike other spiders, a small piece of my soul also merged with the host before dying. Back then, you were just the average Spider-Man, however, you lost everything in that life. Everyone you cherished had all met terrible endings due to the fate and destiny of all Spider-Men.]
As he listened, Sol's expression slowly became darker, however, he stayed quiet as the system continued.
[Eventually, you invented a device that could sever dimensions and go to other worlds. It wasn't long before you became someone powerful, a being of unfathomable strength. On your journey, you had saved countless people and had made many friends you could trust with your life, but they too, also died. Feeling bitterness, you tried to find a way to remove your curse.]
Sol's expression became angrier as he listened, finding this information unbelievable. This system of his must be lying!
'Everyone I loved now and in the future dies? What kind of bullshit was this?' Sol silently thought.
Sol then asked, slightly irritated but trying to compose himself. "So... what happened to my future– past self? And how did you travel back in time?"
The system quickly responded.
[As you got stronger, your soul also improved, inadvertently helping me as well. With your capabilties and intelligence, you eventually discovered my existence in the depths of your soul. You had separated me and then gave me a vessel where I followed you on your journey. After thousands of years, we had grown stronger together. But all good things eventually come to an end as we also met enemies that outnumbered us, each able to destroy galaxies with a snap of their fingers. We fought hard and killed many, but we eventually had to flee. However, they had planned really well...]
The system spoke, its cold and mechanical voice carrying a tinge of anger.
It then continued, this time, its voice sounding grateful.
[I am truly in-debted to you. You were my master. When we were surrounded and with no options left, you sacrificed your life and saved me, allowing me to escape. I had searched and travelled endlessly before I eventually found myself in front of something that transcends all concepts. I had fused myself with the essence of the multiverse. It allowed me to manipulate causality itself, controlling space and time. However, I had used it to travel back in time where I found you. Although your future self and the you now are technically the same, this reality has some changes as I found you on the verge of death. Without my interference, you would've died prematurely.]
Sol contemplated over the system's words.
He then spoke in his mind, 'Was future– past me also... a transmigrator?'
The system seemed to understand.
[Yes. The host was someone from a modern world where he died and reincarnated into a world of 'fiction'.]
Sol was deep in thought before questioning, 'Why did you travel back in time here and not when I was still powerful... maybe a few years before our enemies surrounded us?"
The system quickly responded.
[That's because this was the host's desire. He had always searched for a way to break the curse of his misfortune that affects everyone he loves. To start at the beginning was in essence a way of removing the curse. And with my help, we will surely not be fate's toy in this life. You will become an 'Anomaly', unbounded by fate and destiny. Moreover, with my assistance, you will become powerful much quicker and be even more prepared. The day when we meet our enemies again will be the day that they die and have terror consume their whole being!]
Although he felt that the system's words were quite ominous, for some reason, he felt his emotions stir as if a part of him desired for that outcome.
If what it said was really true — everyone he loved had met terrible endings — Sol was of course going to do everything in his power to prevent it.
"Misfortune... I am cursed with it." Sol mumbled. Reading the comics and watching movies, he knew that Spider-Man was a character despised by the writers — having his loved ones dying in his arms and other awful things happening to him. It was a common occurrence. Peter Parker had countless tragedies befall him over and over.
Various versions of Spider-Man also had similar situations. It just seemed that being Spider-Man gave you a lot of bad luck...
To be Spider-Man is to have a terrible curse be binded to yourself. It was a gift and a burden. You can protect others but you sacrifice yourself and everyone you love in doing so.
As he was only Spider-Man for one day, he overlooked it, amazed and distracted of his new powers and not realising the gravity of what it really meant.
Like what Uncle Ben said: With great power, comes great responsibility.
Sol sighed, feeling quite overwhelmed with everything that had been told to him. His future self was someone that practically rivalled gods, being outnumbered by people that could literally destroy galaxies yet he could hold his own against them, even killing them.
And now, apparently, his system was the spider that bit him, calling him its master. And also! The spider is also a god-like entity that exists beyond time and space, able to control causality and 'the essence of the multiverse.'
He felt his brain hurt.
'Do you have a name, system or... spider?' Sol asked.
The system hummed.
[You named me Seraph, but you usually called me Sera for short.]
'I see... Sera. This is quite a lot to take in. Could you explain what you are capable of then?'
[It is a lot of information, but I know host will quickly wrap his head around it. As I travelled through almost a hundred thousand years back to the past, I am in a weakened state, but I still hold a lot of authority over the essence of the multiverse.]
[Host was actually supposed to have Omni Coins and something called Traversal Stones and Rebirth Stones, allowing you to travel to other worlds and purchase magical things, however, I sold them all to heal you. The essence of the multiverse follows a rule of equivalent exchange. Although I have authority and can bend the rules slightly, I can't go overboard else I might destroy myself.]
"Hm... how and where do I use these Omni Coins?" Sol asked.
[In the Multiversal Shop!]
Seraph quickly responded.
[With Omni Coins, you can purchase practically anything.]
[Displaying Multiversal Shop...]
It was then that a blue panel appeared in front of Sol's face. It was like he was looking at the front page of Amazon, just more futuristic and with much, much better quality stuff!
He silently read through it, scrolling through everything.
He saw many items, weapons, weird stones, armours, abilities and much more!
Moreover, some of these things were even from various fiction he's seen in the past.
There were things like Captain America's Shield, Mjolnir, Grimoires, Flying Thunder God Kunai, Black Panther suit, jutsus, sharingans, devil fruits — the list was infinite!
He felt a sense of excitement and desire for a lot of these things. Who wouldn't?!
Scrolling down further, Sol began seeing how the Omni Coins required to purchase some of the items started to sky-rocket. If some jutsus from Naruto cost around 10 Omni Coins, these costed millions, even billions!
Sol pressed on one of them.
Name: Ability Template — Goku.
Type: Template.
Description: Learn all of Goku's abilities and fighting techniques. However, you do not become a saiyan. If you want all of Goku's abilities, potential and constitution, purchase the true template which is much more expensive.
Price: 5,060,195 OC
Sol hissed at the price. He didn't need to guess that accumulating that much Omni Coins would be difficult. Goku was extremely strong, even if it's just his abilities. Moreover, he could even learn something like Ultra Instinct.
He looked at a few other things. The price of these were even more staggering. There were items like immortal peaches that grant immortality, Gate of Babylon(Full), Requiem Arrow, The Cosmic Cube and Pandora's Box. The more he read, the more he felt a sense of awe. Some of these items would literally make Gods themselves seem like ants, yet if he earned enough of this currency, he could purchase them for his own use!
The only limitation it seemed was that he couldn't purchase humanoid lifeforms such as humans, or creatures with too much intelligence. However, something like a dragon egg could be purchased.
'Sera, how many Omni Coins do I have and how can I get more of it?' Sol asked.
[Host has exactly 0 Omni Coins. If you want to earn some Omni Coins, you have to traverse to other worlds. In those worlds, I will give host achievements that you can try getting. It would usually be something like defeating opponents, getting titles, and becoming the strongest. Once you finish, I will evaluate you and calculate how many Omni Coins you've earned based off your achievements. Moreover, you can even set limiters on yourself to increase the multiplier of the evaluation!]
Sol showed an unusual expression as the system quickly said.
[Don't get me wrong, I'd love to give you free rewards, but the essence of the multiverse requires equivalent exchange. So the more you interfere with the world, the better! Moreover, the achievements would give you stat points to invest in your stats.]
"Oh, so that was the notification." Sol mumbled. "How many did I get from the achievement and did I get any Omni Coins?"
[Host has received 1 stat point to invest. Silas Crane was extremely weak, however, his position as lieutenant of Tombstone is quite significant. As for Omni Coins, that only applies to other worlds so host doesn't get any for getting achievements in this world.]
"I see... You mentioned how I needed those stones to travel to those worlds. Then, how do I get those stones? In the shop, it shows that I can purchase them, but I have no Omni Coins." Sol asked.
The system went silent.
"Sera... answer me..." Sol felt like he was about to get a headache.
[Um... Small miscalculation on my part...]
"So the only way to traverse worlds is with those stones, but you sold all of them... And also, I can't even purchase them? Then how are we suppose to do anything then? Is that what my dimension sever is for?" Sol asked. He remembered an ability he had.
Even without a physical body, Seraph was sweating.
[Answering your second question, dimension sever is only activated through these stones. However, once you've unlocked and completed a world, you can freely jump between them. So... host won't be able to use it to go to other worlds as of right now...]
Sol sighed. Well, it's not like he was mad. Seraph already did enough for him.
It was then that Seraph's voice suddenly shifted.
[Wait! Don't be too disappointed! I've found an alternative. In the future, there had been some issues of spider-people travelling through dimensions. During that time period, there had been portals appearing and sending people of different worlds to other worlds. With some of my control over space-time laws, I can use this incident to send the host there and you can get some achievements!]
Sol raised an eyebrow. Spider people in other worlds? Wasn't this the plot to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?
It was where the protagonist, Miles Morales, gets bitten by a spider of another world and got the help of other spider-people to help him defeat Kingpin.
Sol's interest was piqued. "That is a good idea, but will it work? Messing with space-time sounds dangerous. What if I get flinged into outer space or go into a completely different world that is much more dangerous?"
Envisioning himself in a dark world like Berserk or Warhammer 40k, Sol had to make sure his system knew what it's doing.
Seraph responded.
[It's only a minor manipulation of it. It would be like sending out a beacon, attracting the portal to this world.]
Sol nodded in relief. That sounded better.
***
A/n
Thoughts of this development? I can always change or improve it as it is still early on in the story. I'd only have to tweak a few things. As for why I did it like this, I don't like system's with unknown backgrounds, system's with ulterior motives or ROB giving Sol the system in return for something. Also, he won't be having an intimate relationship with the system. It would be like a loyal ally-pet / AI. Think of Seraph like Peni Parker's spider. It would also be more accurate with the title: multiversal spider.
Let me know what you guys think.