"Peter, wake up, you're gonna be late for school."
A clear, sweet voice cut through Peter's grogginess, pulling him back to consciousness.
Peter Parker's eyes fluttered open as memories came flooding in like a tidal wave.
After a brief moment of disorientation, his eyes went wide.
He'd transmigrated!
He'd actually transmigrated into the Marvel Universe and become the legendary Spider-Man—Peter Parker!
And today was the day he was supposed to visit Oscorp Tower!
The second he realized this, pure excitement surged through his chest.
In his previous life, stuck in his soul-crushing nine-to-five, his favorite Marvel character had always been Spider-Man.
That red and blue figure swinging through New York's skyscrapers, fighting for justice—it embodied every heroic dream he'd ever had.
Now he actually had the chance to become that superhero himself!
The moment it hit him, Peter looked up eagerly.
An impossibly beautiful young face immediately filled his vision.
A tall blonde girl stood beside his bed.
Her skin was pale as porcelain, her eyes a striking emerald blue, and her delicate features currently wore a perfectly placed look of mock annoyance.
Memories surfaced rapidly, and Peter quickly recalled who she was.
Gwen Stacy!
His childhood friend from next door, daughter of NYPD Captain George Stacy.
And in The Amazing Spider-Man, she was Peter's canonical girlfriend!
Awesome! Starting off with a love interest already locked in!
Wait... something seemed off about this setup.
According to the movie plots he remembered, whether it was the Tobey Maguire version or the Andrew Garfield version, before Peter became Spider-Man, his relationship with Gwen definitely wasn't close enough for her to casually walk into his bedroom to wake him up, right?
Though confused, Peter quickly accepted this setting.
The Marvel Universe had countless parallel universes anyway—maybe the one he'd landed in was a timeline where Peter and Gwen were childhood sweethearts!
Shaking off his confusion, Peter smiled and greeted her:
"Morning, Gwen."
He got out of bed naturally.
And then... he felt a sudden draft and heard Gwen's ear-piercing scream...
At the narrow dining table, Peter, Gwen, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben sat together.
Looking at the thoroughly embarrassed Peter and the beet-red Gwen, Uncle Ben and Aunt May exchanged knowing glances, both wearing matching matchmaker smiles.
"Peter, Gwen was so worried you'd miss the Oscorp visit today that she woke up extra early just to make sure you didn't oversleep. You should really thank her properly."
Uncle Ben adjusted his glasses, looking at Peter with obvious amusement.
Hearing this, Gwen turned toward Peter with the expression of a proud kitten, practically begging for praise.
"Thanks, Gwen. But next time you wake me up, maybe knock first?"
Gwen's face flushed crimson again, and she shot Peter a massive eye-roll.
How was I supposed to know you sleep naked!
After a warm breakfast, Uncle Ben drove off to work in his beat-up fifth-hand sedan while Peter and Gwen boarded the bus Oscorp had chartered, heading toward Oscorp Tower.
Since this visit was specifically for honor students, those school bullies who always loved causing trouble—like Flash Thompson and his crew—weren't showing up.
This put Peter in an amazing mood, and he grew increasingly excited about the upcoming turning point in his fate.
As long as he got bitten by that spider and became Spider-Man, he'd never have to worry about problems like bullying again!
Plus, with his knowledge of the Spider-Man storyline, he could definitely break that damn "Spider Totem" curse!
To hell with "the beloved must die" and "with great power comes great responsibility"... They could get lost!
He wanted to be the happiest, freest Spider-Man ever!
The bus rolled forward slowly, and before long, the group arrived at the main entrance of Oscorp Tower.
Looking at the dazzling array of high-tech products displayed around him, Peter marveled internally while quietly staying alert.
His gaze constantly swept between the crowd and the display cases, always watching for that radioactive spider that was about to change his life!
"Next up, we'll be visiting the Radioactive Genetically Modified Spider Research Lab."
The tour guide's pleasant voice drifted over, and Peter's breath caught in his throat.
It's happening!
His moment was finally here!
Just as his heart was about to burst from sheer excitement, a very soft sound came from beside him.
"Ow..."
Peter instinctively turned to look.
He saw Gwen frowning, one hand covering the back of her pale neck, pain flashing across her face.
Seeing this scene—so familiar yet so wrong—Peter froze completely.
"What's wrong, Peter?" Gwen asked curiously, glancing down at her palm.
A small, colorful spider corpse lay curled up in her hand.
The moment he saw that dead spider, Peter felt like lightning had struck him from above, leaving him completely shell-shocked.
The spider... bit Gwen.
Not him!
An absolutely terrifying thought crashed into Peter's mind, making his vision swim and nearly causing him to lose his balance.
This is... the Spider-Gwen Universe!
The second that conclusion crystallized in his mind, Peter felt a chill rush from his feet to the top of his head, his hands and feet going ice-cold.
The reason he was so terrified was simple.
Because in the Spider-Gwen Universe, the person Gwen Stacy loses due to the Spider Totem's influence was none other than himself—Peter Parker!
In the Spider-Gwen Universe, the power-hungry Peter Parker, desperate for strength, injected himself with Lizard Serum, eventually losing control and transforming into a Lizard Monster, dying tragically in Gwen's arms!
And this meant... not only would he not become Spider-Man, but he'd also been handed the legendary death flag script!
As Gwen became Ghost-Spider, he could die at literally any moment!
"Peter, what's wrong with you?"
Gwen looked at his pale face with concern. "I'm the one who got bitten, so why do you look way more freaked out than me?"
At this moment, she thought Peter was just overly worried about her, which made two adorable pink spots appear on her cheeks.
But Peter was in no mood to appreciate the sight.
He just instinctively bent down and picked up the spider corpse Gwen had dropped on the ground, his expression incredibly complicated.
Why!
Why did it have to be like this!
Wasn't being a corporate slave his entire previous life enough? He transmigrated only to get screwed over like this?
Just as Peter's heart was on the verge of complete collapse and he was about to scream at the universe itself, a cold, mechanical notification echoed in his mind without warning:
[Detected sacrificeable Purple Rare item: Radioactive Spider Corpse]
[Item Description: The culprit that turned countless parallel world Spider-Men into tragic heroes, the root of all misfortune and curses. Though dead, the genetic information and radioactive residue within its body make it full of special commemorative significance.]
[Sacrifice yields: 5000 points. Sacrifice now?]