Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

Peter Parker has been feeling very happy lately. Since he was bitten by that spider, he has gained extraordinary superpowers. He's no longer the weak nerd he once was, but has become extraordinarily powerful and agile. This, for a high school student, couldn't be any better.

However, he also has some concerns. The doctor who has been talking with him online arranged a comprehensive medical examination for his entire family. But this check-up revealed a host of problems.

Peter wasn't the one with issues. He was incredibly fit, and the hospital's equipment couldn't detect his unique condition

The ones who had problems were his uncle and aunt: Old Parker and Aunt May. Given their age, they had various ailments, but that wasn't the problem. The test results revealed a shadow on his uncle's lung - not good news at all.

Anyone with common sense knows that the next part of that sentence might be either cancer or a tumor.

The doctor recommended that Ben Parker get a comprehensive lung checkup. But this was expensive, especially considering the possible need for further biopsies - something the Parker family couldn't afford.

Although medical expenses can be reimbursed, the cost of these tests wasn't covered. There isn't an insurance company that would take responsibility for it.

If that doctor Peter knew from the internet was still working at this hospital, Peter might have asked him for help. Even if it couldn't be done at this good hospital, he could have found a slightly worse one where things would be cheaper.

The Parker family has always lived hand to mouth. Peter often went through the year without getting a single new piece of clothing, but Peter also knew that his uncle and aunt provided him with the best life they could. They earned too little and Uncle Ben wasn't willing to make a cent dishonestly. With meagre salaries and Peter's schooling to care for, they had little left over.

Ben Parker was quite optimistic about it all. A shadow in the lung didn't necessarily imply cancer or a tumor. Perhaps, it was just some insignificant inflammation that would heal. He was comforting Peter, maybe it was just a scare from the hospital. But Peter felt really upset.

He was filled with a sense of resentment. Thompson, who always bullied him at school, had sneakers that probably cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. In contrast, his own family didn't even have enough to cover diagnostic costs.

But then Peter thought, things were different now. He had these superpowers - what were they for if not to make money?

Of course, Peter was extremely smart. He came up with the quickest way to earn money - participating in underground boxing matches.

Perhaps playing cards in the casino may have been even quicker, but Peter knew his spider-sense didn't always work as it should. If it became unstable, he wouldn't just fail to make money, he might actually lose.

But underground boxing was different. His immense strength was enough to defeat any ordinary person, regardless of how fierce or cruel they were. The absolute power he had guaranteed he would be undefeated.

Where in New York was the underground boxing industry most prosperous? Surely Hell's Kitchen was the place.

But as a model student who had always studied diligently, Peter wouldn't voluntarily venture to such a chaotic place. Perhaps out of fear, or perhaps out of caution, Peter hovered around Hell's Kitchen for several days without daring to step down.

But then, one day, on his way home from school, Peter found out that his aunt had sprained her waist. She didn't even have money for medication and had to stay in bed. Peter was unable to endure this situation anymore. His frustration gave way to anger, and he really wanted to beat someone up.

So he put on his self-made mask which looked quite hilarious. But since his transformation, he had also become a bit more robust, not as skinny as before. Therefore, he didn't look too bad in his costume.

Like a headless fly, he stormed into Hell's Kitchen. Since no one could beat him and he had his spider-sense to dodge bullets, he eventually found his way.

Two streets away from Mary Street in Hell's Kitchen, on Bill Street, there was an underground boxing rink run by the mob. After Peter knocked out the strongest fighter there with one punch, he was noticed by the ring's management. They recommended him to go to the largest underground boxing ring on the same street.

And it was there that Peter gave himself the code name 'Spider-Man'.

Everything went smoothly. Peter had continuous victories. Hardly any boxer could survive his messy punches. The power he gained from the spider mutation was too strong. In just a few days, Peter earned tens of thousands of dollars.

Meanwhile, Daredevil Matt had been resting at Shiller's for a couple of days. After all, he didn't have any superpowers and his wounds healed at a normal pace. Fortunately, the assassin had shown mercy - the bullet hadn't damaged any vital organs. After a few days of rest, Matt was much better.

So, one night, Matt bid Shiller goodbye. He had to continue his crusade for justice. Stopping just because of Kingpin's assassination attempt was just what he wanted. Hence, Matt didn't just persist in his acts of justice but sought to hit the Kingpin even harder.

His target was Bill Street. The two nightclubs, a casino, an underground boxing ring, and an illegal car modification shop there were all part of the Kingpin's business. It can be said that this whole street was controlled by the Kingpin's gang, annually bringing in profits of millions of dollars.

Matt's first target was the underground boxing ring.

Don't forget how his father died. These underground fighting rings should have never existed. They only want to make money off the gambling addicts without caring for anyone's life. Matt's father was brutally killed by the mob because he simply wanted to give his son a victorious show. He refused to throw a fight, causing the bookie to lose money.

This cruelty birthed Night Devil. Thus, Matt would never let any underground fighting ring off the hook. In fact, Kingpin's underground fighting gambling industry had been severely crippled by Matt.

This was why Kingpin sent an assassin after him. If Matt didn't die, Kingpin could never make money off these fights again.

Of course, Matt was savvy. He didn't just barge into the fighting ring. He cannily observed for a few days and picked up a drunk. From what they gabbled, he obtained all the information he needed, and afterwards he picked some people from the management to take down. He repeatedly disrupted their betting games which drove the gamblers away.

After a few days of observation, he heard 'Spider Man' mentioned by more than a few people. Apparently, he had been making a name for himself in the fighting ring recently. Matt had seen him, but only in passing. However, he knew that this guy's good days wouldn't last long.

One day, the boss of the underground fighting ring approached Peter. He wanted Peter to throw a fight. Anyone who understood these kind of betting rules knew that with Peter continually winning, his odds would be very low. Everyone would bet on him winning, almost no one would bet on his opponent.

If Peter lost at a moment like this, the bookie would only need to pay out the few people who bet on his opponent and pocket all of the money from the people who bet on Peter. That would be a huge fortune.

The underground fighting ring operated in exactly this manner. There was no fair competition to be had. Everything was manipulated by the bookie just to clean out the gamblers' pockets.

The boss of the underground fighting ring promised Peter a cut, but Peter wasn't keen for two reasons. Firstly since he had already earned enough money. The tens of thousands of US Dollars he'd made were sufficient for Uncle Ben to undergo a full health check, and even if Aunt May needed major back surgery, this money would be more than enough.

Secondly, Peter was still a high school student. His judgment wasn't mature, and the euphoria of consecutive wins made him addicted. For a teenager, it's almost impossible to deliberately lose to an opponent. Peter, who had finally gained pride, would surely not do that.

The boss didn't say anything. Peter naively thought he had no power here. After all, he was quite strong. Who among ordinary people could beat him?

All of this was noticed by Daredevil Matt.

He had cunningly disguised himself as a drunkard and snuck in early, seeming to slump drunk in the crowd while his keen hearing allowed him to eavesdrop on the backstage conversation between Peter and the ring boss.

He was there for the match the next day.

When Peter climbed onto the stage, cheers erupted from the audience below. He raised his hands in acknowledgment and prepared for his next victory. The opponent that walked onto the stage was a burly black boxer. Peter noticed the cunning smile on his face and didn't understand what was happening.

In the beginning, Peter thought it was nothing. He almost sent the boxer flying with a single punch, but the boxer didn't fight back directly. Instead, he was evasive, dragging out the time.

Soon, Peter realized something was wrong. His stomach began to cramp, his legs becoming weak and his vision darkening.

In his dizzy state, the black boxer landed a punch on his cheek. He stumbled backward, dizzy and disoriented. Seeing this, the boxer seized the opportunity to continue the assault. In the moment he was hit, Peter's spider-sense activated. He could feel heavy lead concealed within the boxer's gloves. If he took hits from these gloves, his brain might splatter.

Desperately, Peter bent down and evaded the punch with difficulty. The audience below responded with jeers; in past fights, Spiderman had never been one to dodge.

At this point, Peter couldn't afford to care anymore. He was in great discomfort, gasping and out of breath. The boxer's punch sent him collapsing to the ground. Unlike legal matches, there was no proper judge here. After he fell, no one tried to stop the boxer who rained merciless blows down on him.

All Peter could do was defensively cover his head with his arms, but the blows from the lead-weighted gloves made him feel his internal organs were shifting. Unable to bear it, he vomited on the floor. An onslaught of insults from the audience ensued.

The spectators, believing they'd lost their money, became more vociferous with their taunting.

Peter, who had never heard such vehement abuse, listened as they hurled it at him.

Before passing out, Peter saw a figure rise. With a swoosh, their cane strike landed on the boxer's neck and put an end to the beating. But Peter couldn't hold on any longer and fainted.