Rebirth Of the Phantom Web

Peter sat in his room, staring at the crumpled pile of bills he had stuffed into his bag after Aunt May had gone to bed. The sight of the overdue notices and final warnings made his stomach churn. He was Peter Parker now, and with that came a responsibility he couldn't ignore. But swinging around the city as Spider-Man wasn't paying the bills, and his desperate ideas of stealing from criminals had already been shoved to the darkest corners of his mind.

No. If he was going to help Aunt May, he needed a real plan—one that didn't compromise who he was.

He turned to the desk in the corner of the room, cluttered with old books and papers. The chair creaked as he sat down, staring at the dated computer Aunt May had managed to buy years ago. It barely ran anymore, its ancient processor struggling with even the most basic tasks.

Artur's mind raced. In his old life, he had always been decent with computers, dabbling in coding as a hobby. But here, as Peter Parker, he had an edge. Peter was a certified genius when it came to science and technology. If Peter could merge his own knowledge with Peter's talents, maybe—just maybe—he could create something worthwhile.

But first, he needed a real computer.

A New Goal

Peter spent the next few days scouring the internet for ideas. He found listings for used laptops, desktop parts, and refurbished computers, but even the cheapest options were still out of reach. He needed money—real money—and he needed it fast.

At school, he approached Ned Leeds during lunch. "Hey, Ned," Artur said, sitting down across from him. "Do you know if anyone's hiring part-time? I'm, uh, looking to make some extra cash."

Ned blinked, caught off guard. "You? Looking for a job? That's new."

Peter scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, well… Aunt May could use some help, and I figured it's time I stepped up."

Ned nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "I heard Mr. Delmar's looking for someone to help at the deli after school. It's not much, but it's something."

"Delmar's?" Peter repeated, brightening at the suggestion. "That's perfect. Thanks, Ned."

Working at Delmar's

The next day, Peter walked into Delmar's Deli, the smell of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon greeting him as the bell above the door jingled. Mr. Delmar, a short, balding man with a thick accent, looked up from behind the counter.

"Peter Parker, right?" Delmar said, squinting at him. "You're the one who helped save my cat last year."

Peter blinked, scrambling to recall the memory. "Uh, yeah! That's me."

Delmar grinned. "Good kid. So, you're looking for work?"

Peter nodded eagerly. "I can start right away."

The work was harder than Artur expected. Between cleaning tables, stocking shelves, and running deliveries, his days became a blur of activity. But despite the exhaustion, he felt a sense of pride. He was earning money—real, honest money—and every dollar brought him closer to his goal.

Buying the Computer

After weeks of saving every penny, Peter finally had enough to buy a refurbished laptop. He spent an entire evening setting it up, the hum of the machine filling the quiet room as he booted it for the first time.

The possibilities felt endless. Peter leaned back in his chair, staring at the blank coding editor on the screen. If he was going to make a difference, he needed to think big. He needed to create something that people would love—something that could stand the test of time.

His mind wandered to the games he had loved in his past life. Minecraft. Fortnite. Games that had defined a generation, bringing people together in ways no one could have predicted. Here, in this world, those games didn't exist. The thought sent a thrill through him. He could bring them to life.

"I can do this," Peter whispered to himself. "I can build something amazing."

Learning to Code

The next few weeks were a blur of work and study. Peter poured himself into learning coding, leveraging both his own knowledge and Peter Parker's natural genius. He spent hours reading tutorials, watching videos, and dissecting existing programs to understand how they worked.

At first, the progress was slow. Debugging errors kept him up late into the night, and there were moments when he felt like giving up. But every time he hit a wall, he reminded himself of Aunt May's tired smile and the stack of bills on the kitchen counter.

This wasn't just about him. It was about her. About their future.

Peter started small, creating simple games to test his skills. A basic platformer. A puzzle game. Each project built on the last, his confidence growing with every line of code he wrote.

The First Prototype

One night, as he sat hunched over his laptop, Peter finally had a breakthrough. Using the tools and knowledge he had pieced together, he created the first prototype of what would eventually become his masterpiece. The game was simple—a sandbox world where players could build anything they imagined, block by block.

He stared at the screen, his heart pounding as he moved his character through the pixelated world he had created. The controls were clunky, the graphics rough, but it worked. It worked.

"This is it," Peter murmured, a grin spreading across his face. "This is the start of something big."

He named the project "CraftWorld", a nod to the simplicity and creativity that had inspired him. Over the next few weeks, he refined the game, adding features and improving the mechanics. He worked tirelessly, his excitement growing with every update.

Sharing the Vision

Peter's first big step came when he uploaded the prototype to a small indie game forum he had stumbled upon. He wrote a short description of the game, explaining its concept and inviting others to try it out.

The response was immediate. Within hours, comments began pouring in.

"This is amazing! I've never seen anything like it."

"Can't believe one guy made this—great work!"

"When's the full version coming out?"

Peter leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen in disbelief. People loved it. They really loved it.

For the first time since his reincarnation, Peter felt like he was making a real difference—not just for himself, but for everyone. He wasn't just Peter Parker, the kid who swung through the city as Spider-Man. He was Peter, the creator of something that could change the world.

Balancing Two Lives

But as the game gained traction, Peter found himself struggling to balance his two lives. By day, he was Peter Parker, the high school student and part-time deli worker. By night, he was Spider-Man, swinging through the city and stopping crime. And in the quiet hours between, he was Peter, the developer of CraftWorld.

The exhaustion weighed on him, but he pushed through it, driven by the knowledge that every step brought him closer to his goal. Aunt May's smile, brighter now that the bills were slowly being paid off, kept him going.

He wasn't just surviving anymore. He was building a future—one block at a time.

(End of Chapter 5)