I gazed at the glowing ball of light before me, marveling at its beauty. It wasn't just any ordinary ball—it felt like a spirit, an ethereal creature. Its pitch-black form shimmered with intricate gold engravings that danced across its surface, giving it an almost otherworldly appearance.
"Have you stared enough?"
I blinked, startled by the sudden voice. "Huh?"
"I said, have you stared enough?" The voice was teasing, almost smug. "I know I'm handsome, but please, refrain from staring at me so much."
Handsome? What a narcissistic system. It didn't even have a proper name, only "098."
"Well, I'll have you know, 098 is a very unique name," it replied, as if it could hear my thoughts.
I sighed inwardly. Oh right, I had forgotten. The system could read minds. It seemed that I wasn't going to get any privacy here.
"Enough chatting now. Let's head to our first world, shall we?" the system said, eager to move forward.
"Wait, what? What do you mean—" Before I could finish my question, a sharp, torturous pain shot through my head. I staggered back, clutching my temples as foreign memories began flooding into my mind, pushing and carving their way into my consciousness without permission. My thoughts swirled, and I struggled to hold onto my sense of self.
Wait, who was I again? I tried to focus, but the name didn't come easily. "Rodeo? No, that's not it… Romeo! Yeah, that's it! I'm Romeo."
I exhaled in relief, as if I had almost forgotten my own identity in the chaos of these invading memories.
"098, will this always happen when I get new memories?" I asked, my voice laced with confusion.
"Answering host: no, only this once. It's your first memory transfer," the system replied, sounding rather matter-of-fact about it.
"Okay, that's good," I muttered, still feeling a little unsettled. "Now, let's see the plot for this world!"
Five minutes later, I was staring at the mission details with growing disbelief.
"Fuuuuccckkkk! What the hell is this crap? Is this really my fate?" I groaned, my hands gripping my head as I read through the story.
The Story
Layla Locheart was a smart, innocent girl who was abandoned at Sunshine Orphanage when she was one. She grew up into a charming, sweet girl who everybody loved. One day, while out with her friends, a broker from Pro Star Entertainment spotted her and scouted her to be a model. Though she hesitated at first, not wanting to deal with the underhanded tricks of the industry, she eventually agreed to become one when the orphanage she grew up in was running out of money. She soon became a famous model, and one day, while heading to the company, she bumped into Michael Davidson—her idol and senior at the company. From that moment, Michael and Layla's feelings for each other developed rapidly, surprising fans, and they became known as the golden couple. Later, Layla discovered that she was actually the second miss of the Starlight family—the sister of Jack Starlight, the president of Pro Star. From that day on, her family destroyed everyone who had ever bullied her when she was unknown.
And then it hit me—the body I was inhabiting now was that of Hugo Morris. He was a second-rate actor who had bullied Layla and, as a result, had been ruined by her family.
"System!! What the hell? Why me? Ugh, I hate you so much!" I shouted, frustration boiling inside me.
"Thank you for the compliment," the system responded dryly, completely unfazed.
My headache worsened as I tried to think of a way to protect myself. After several moments of deep thought, the solution came to me, and I felt a wave of relief flood over me. As long as I didn't bully the protagonist, I should be safe, right?
My mind cleared, and I quickly asked the system for my missions.
"Host, your mission is to make at least three main characters hate you."
Wait, what? "Does that mean I still have to plot against Layla? Which means… I'll die! What the hell, system!"
"Oh, you also need to complete Hugo's last wishes. There are three:
Live a good life. Find true love. Don't fall in love with Michael."
Wait. Don't fall in love with Michael? Wasn't Michael in love with Layla? Oh god, this just complicated everything. But the other two wishes seemed doable. Maybe.
"Oh, also, host—if you don't complete the main mission, you'll be terminated. If you don't complete the wishes, 1000 points will be deducted."
I froze. "Wait, what? I have 1000 points right now, right? If I go into the negatives, I'll be terminated?"
"Correct. Good luck!"
I felt an unfamiliar, sucking force pulling at me, and before I could react, my soul was ripped from the space I had woken up in. It was as if something was calling to me, drawing me into an unfamiliar reality.
I woke up in my new body, feeling slightly confused but mostly surprised. When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the sight of a small, plain room. A desk, a wardrobe, plain white walls, and a small bed. It was… ordinary, to say the least. I shuffled to the bathroom, hoping for some answers about my new appearance.
What I saw in the mirror shocked me. My face was… average. Bland, even. If anyone were picky, they would outright call me ugly.
"System, give me a beauty potion," I demanded, hoping for a change.
"Sure, host. It'll be 200 points," the system replied.
Without hesitation, I agreed. I handed over the points, and the moment the potion touched my lips, I felt like my face was being consumed by fire. Pain, hot and searing, erupted from every corner of my body. It was unbearable, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.
Finally, the pain subsided, and when I looked in the mirror again, I almost didn't recognize myself. My dull, white hair had transformed into silky, soft silver locks. My complexion, once lackluster, had turned a smooth, pale shade. My nose was small and perfectly shaped, and my eyes—large, round, and as blue as the ocean—sparkled with a newfound depth. My lips were plump and inviting, the kind of mouth that could seduce anyone with a single glance.
But it wasn't just my looks that had changed. My aura now radiated a calm, gentle energy, something I hadn't even known I was capable of before.
Satisfied with my new appearance, I left the room and headed toward the company.
Let's see what this new life had in store for me.