"Peter, wake up. You're going to be late for school."
A clear, pleasant female voice reached Peter's ears, gradually pulling him out of his sleep.
Peter Parker opened his eyes, only to be overwhelmed by a sudden flood of memories from his previous life. As the initial dizziness faded, his eyes widened in disbelief.
He had recovered the memories of his past life, and with them came the realization of what had happened to him.
He had somehow transmigrated into the Marvel Universe and become none other than the famous Spider-Man himself, Peter Parker!
And today was the day of his scheduled visit to Oscorp Tower!
Perhaps it was precisely because today held such extraordinary significance that his memories of his previous life had finally awakened.
As those memories settled into place, an almost uncontrollable wave of excitement surged through Peter's chest.
In his previous life, he'd been just another overworked corporate wage slave, and Spider-Man had always been his favorite Marvel character. That familiar red-and-blue figure swinging between New York's skyscrapers, fighting crime and helping people, had embodied everything Peter dreamed of becoming.
And now, he actually had the chance to become that superhero himself!
The realization sent a thrill through him, and he eagerly raised his head.
The first thing he saw was an exceptionally beautiful young face hovering above him.
Standing beside his bed was a tall, blonde girl with fair skin, bright blue eyes, and delicate features. A faint expression of playful annoyance lingered on her pretty face.
Another rush of memories immediately supplied her identity.
Gwen Stacy!
His childhood friend and next-door neighbor, the daughter of New York City's police commissioner, George Stacy.
More importantly, she was Peter Parker's official love interest in The Amazing Spider-Man movies!
Except...
'Hold on. Isn't something a little off here?'
From what he remembered of the movies, neither Tobey Maguire's nor Andrew Garfield's version of Peter Parker had been close enough to Gwen before becoming Spider-Man for her to casually walk into his bedroom and wake him up.
It was a little confusing, but Peter quickly accepted the situation.
After all, Marvel had countless parallel universes. Perhaps he'd simply landed in one where Peter and Gwen had grown up together as childhood sweethearts.
With that explanation in mind, he smiled at the girl standing beside his bed.
"Morning, Gwen."
As he spoke, Peter naturally climbed out of bed.
And then...
He suddenly felt a rather noticeable breeze against his skin.
A split second later, Gwen's piercing scream nearly shattered his eardrums.
...
At the small dining table, Peter, Gwen, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben sat together enjoying breakfast.
Looking at Peter's awkward expression and Gwen's burning cheeks, Ben and May exchanged a glance. The knowing smiles on their faces made it painfully obvious what they were thinking.
"Peter, Gwen was so worried you'd miss the Oscorp tour that she got up extra early just to come over and wait for you. You'd better thank her properly."
Uncle Ben adjusted his glasses, looking at Peter with unmistakable amusement.
Hearing this, Gwen turned toward Peter as well. She looked like a proud little kitten waiting to be praised, practically wearing the words Go on, compliment me! across her face.
"Thanks, Gwen. But next time you come to wake me up, maybe knock on the door first?"
Gwen's pretty face immediately turned red again, and she shot him an enormous eye roll.
'How was I supposed to know you sleep naked, you idiot?!'
After a warm, pleasant breakfast, Uncle Ben headed off to work in his battered old car, which had already passed through five different owners. Peter and Gwen, meanwhile, boarded a bus chartered by Oscorp and set off toward Oscorp Tower.
Since the tour had been arranged specifically for academically gifted students, the usual school bullies, including Flash Thompson and his crowd, were nowhere to be seen.
That alone put Peter in an excellent mood, and his anticipation for the approaching turning point in his destiny only continued to grow.
Once that radioactive spider bit him and he became Spider-Man, he'd never have to worry about getting bullied at school again!
Better yet, with his knowledge of Spider-Man's storylines, he was determined to find a way around the damned curse of the Spider Totem.
What was all that nonsense about losing the people you loved? About great power coming with great responsibility?
To hell with all of it!
He was going to become the happiest, freest Spider-Man there had ever been!
The bus continued through the city, and before long, the students arrived at the main entrance of Oscorp Tower.
As Peter took in the dazzling assortment of advanced technology displayed throughout the building, he couldn't help marveling at everything around him. Still, beneath his fascination, he was quietly growing more alert.
His eyes constantly swept across the crowds and exhibition stands, searching for the radioactive spider that was supposed to change his life forever.
"Next, we'll be visiting the laboratory dedicated to radioactive, genetically engineered spider hybridization."
The guide's sweet voice came from somewhere ahead, and Peter's breath caught.
'This is it!'
'My chance is finally here!'
His excitement had reached the point where his heart felt ready to leap out of his chest when a faint, sharp intake of breath suddenly came from beside him.
"Hiss..."
Peter instinctively turned his head.
Gwen was standing next to him, her delicate brows drawn together in discomfort. One hand covered the back of her pale neck, and a pained expression had appeared on her face.
The sight was so strangely familiar that Peter froze.
"What's wrong, Peter?" Gwen asked curiously, glancing down at her palm.
Curled up in the center of her hand was the lifeless body of a tiny, brightly colored spider.
The moment Peter saw it, he felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck him squarely on the head.
The spider...
'It bit Gwen.'
'Not me!'
A terrifying possibility surfaced in his mind, and the entire world seemed to spin around him. For a moment, he could barely keep his balance.
'Don't tell me...'
'This is Spider-Gwen's universe?!'
As the realization settled in, an icy chill raced from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His hands and legs went cold.
And there was a very good reason for his terror.
In Spider-Gwen's universe, the loved one Gwen lost because of the tragic fate associated with the Spider Totem was none other than Peter Parker himself!
In that universe, Peter Parker had desperately wanted to become stronger. In his pursuit of power, he'd injected himself with the Lizard Serum, only to lose control and transform into a monstrous lizard.
In the end, he'd died tragically in Gwen's arms.
Which meant...
Not only was Peter never going to become Spider-Man, but he'd also been handed the role of the doomed character whose death would drive the heroine's story forward!
Once Gwen became Ghost-Spider, his own death could come at practically any moment!
"Peter? What's wrong?"
Seeing how pale he'd become, Gwen looked at him with concern.
"I'm the one who got bitten. Why do you look like you're in more pain than I am?"
She assumed Peter was simply worried sick about her, and the thought brought two faint patches of pink to her cheeks.
Unfortunately, Peter was in no mood to appreciate the adorable sight.
Almost mechanically, he bent down and picked up the dead spider Gwen had discarded on the floor. His expression was a complicated mixture of emotions.
'Why?!'
'Why the hell did it have to turn out like this?!'
'Haven't I suffered enough after spending my entire previous life slaving away at work? I finally get reincarnated as the male lead of a superhero movie, and this is how fate decides to screw me over?!'
Peter was on the verge of a complete breakdown, barely resisting the urge to throw his head back and scream at the heavens.
But just as his despair reached its peak, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly sounded inside his mind without warning.
[Purple-Rarity Sacrificial Item Detected: Radioactive Spider Corpse]
[Item Description: The culprit responsible for setting countless Spider-Men across parallel universes on the path of tragic heroism, and the source of their misfortunes and curses. Although the spider is already dead, the genetic information and residual radiation within its body give it exceptional commemorative significance.]
[Sacrifice Reward: 5,000 Points]
[Would you like to sacrifice this item?]