7

Above the sky, still amidst the clouds and mist, Evaki floated serenely. Before him was a colossal labyrinthine structure composed of countless stone roads, waterways, mines, and boardwalks.

At the entrance of the maze, Thompson, full of high spirits, was reaching out towards a statue, still holding onto the fantasy of conquering it.

Little did he know, every path and fork of this enormous maze interconnected, forming a vast, chaotic, and endless super labyrinth. Finding the end here was nothing more than a dream.

This was the second dream world created by Evaki, inspired by "Temple Run," a genre-defining parkour game from his previous life. Within Evaki's abilities, this game was realistic enough. By constructing the framework in advance, there was no need for any surreal props or abilities—just simple mechanisms to make it function properly.

Evaki didn't include any supernatural elements like speed boosts or gold coin magnets, nor did he place a single gold coin on the path. This dream world was created not for amusement but for punishment. It was meant for people like Thompson, who caused significant harm to others but did not deserve death.

Correspondingly, dying in this world resulted in a minimal loss of spirit—only 1%. A hundred deaths here equated to one landing in the real world, akin to a game of chicken, which was quite lenient. However, considering the duration of a single game, Thompson's dream might not suffice.

With this in mind, Evaki exited the dream world and returned to the classroom.

Before transmigrating, Evaki was a slacker, the kind who dozed off as soon as class began. But that only happened in college after he had exhausted himself with entrance exams. In high school, he was still a diligent student, otherwise, he wouldn't have been admitted to a top university.

In this world, Evaki's motivation might be due to genetic factors from his parents or because, as a physically weak individual, he wasn't skilled in sports and couldn't participate in many activities. So, he studied hard and his grades were quite good, rivaling even the second generation of a genius scientist.

Surprisingly, Evaki found he could understand what the teacher was teaching. It felt like this hadn't happened in ten years. Rediscovering the joy of learning, he quickly immersed himself in his studies.

Time always seems insufficient for serious people. Before long, the bell rang to end the class. Evaki put down his pen, feeling a bit unsatisfied.

"Hi," a voice suddenly called out next to him, waking Evaki from his thoughts. He turned to find that the voice belonged to Gwen.

The goddess took the initiative to talk to me? If my former self were here, I'd go crazy.

The two sat quite close to each other, separated by just one aisle—a seat Evaki's predecessor had worked hard to secure, given his crush on Gwen. And behind Evaki was Peter Parker, a classmate from the movies who sat in this position.

"Hi," Evaki replied, examining his former dream lover, Gwen Stacy, who was adored by many Spider-Man fans. 

Upon closer inspection, he noticed her skin... pores... nasolabial folds... cheeks...

Well, if you selectively ignore her flaws, then this face is flawless, isn't it!

"Did you really knock down Flash?" Gwen asked, breaking his reverie.

Without hesitation, Evaki nodded. "So, have I violated school rules and discipline?"

"Uh," Gwen initially wanted to praise him for his strength, for defeating someone as strong as Flash. But she held back after hearing Evaki's response.

"Not really. Even if there were rules, no one would care. Flash has done worse before."

"Oh, then I'm relieved," Evaki nodded sincerely. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Gwen replied politely. She was about to say more when Parker, behind Evaki, spoke up.

"Thanks for your help earlier. If it weren't for you, I might have been beaten."

Parker was genuinely grateful to Evaki for saving him from a possible concussion.

"It's okay. Even without me, you would have been fine. You always find your way," Evaki reassured him.

"Huh? Really, haha," Parker laughed, his smile a bit forced.

"By the way, I didn't understand a question in class. Do you know how to solve it?" Evaki asked, showing Parker his notebook.

Parker immediately set aside his embarrassment and began examining the equations.

"Oh, this should be like this..." he said, jotting down notes. "This, and this, will solve it."

"Really?" Evaki said, suddenly realizing, "Is this the way of thinking? I thought of another solution. Look..."

Gwen, feeling a bit left out, watched the two discuss their studies. They were huddled together, occasionally smiling at each other, looking oddly compatible.

'Did they...' A discordant image popped into Gwen's mind, one she had seen on a police computer—a spicy scene she didn't want to recall.

'No, no, absolutely not!' she thought. A high-quality guy who dared to challenge Flash and knocked him down, tall and handsome, shouldn't be wasted like this. He should be dating female classmates, not getting too close to male classmates.

"Hey!" Gwen suddenly interrupted, her voice loud and firm. Both boys turned to her in surprise.

'Gwen, come on, you are the best. Save them... save them!' she encouraged herself.

"The solution you made is wrong. One of the formulas is incorrect. It should be like this." She sat next to Evaki and took the pen from his hand. "Look, there's actually a trap here..."

From a distance, the glasses girl watched the three of them enter into a learning atmosphere and suddenly felt an urge to join them.