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[The {Higher Ups} have decided to make some adjustments.]
[Due to changing Fate repeatedly, a penalty has been given to balance causality.]
[The B-Rank Dungeon: {Frozen Graveyard} has been opened ahead of time.]
[Its difficulty has also been increased from B Rank to A Rank.]
[The {Higher Ups} are watching you.]
[Many Constellations have begun gathering at the scene of a new Dungeon opening within your Region.]
As I found myself sitting over the snow, surrounded by a beautiful snowy forest, I received several system messages. The higher-ups, the council of nebulas, probably didn't take it nice that I infiltrated a Dungeon that wasn't supposed to appear yet. Their idea of a punishment so "causality" doesn't go too much in my favor? Starting this deadly dungeon right away. And make it even harder to fuck me over some more. Thanks a lot; I really appreciate it.
Well, I would be lying if I wasn't half expecting this to happen. But if I am constantly worried about every single thing that could go wrong, I won't get anywhere! You sometimes have to move away from your insecurities and fears of things going wrong and just push forward, even while knowing something can go wrong. Life is unpredictable, even when you know the plot. This is why I brought my brother with me, and this is why I acquired all those skills at Anubis' Tomb.
"Now, Baihe, where is she?" I wondered, looking around and finding my brother and Fenrir right behind me. "Jack!"
I ran towards him, quickly waking him up, and the dog too.
"A-Anna?! Ah, I am so glad you're okay!" Jack hugged me tightly.
"This is another damn dungeon break! So soon after the others? Not even a week has passed!" Fenrir complained. "Are those damn Constellations that hate me trying to get you and your sister killed?"
"Dammit…" Jack muttered. "We need to quickly find the boss, slay it, and get out of here. Come on- Ah, it is freezing here."
He quickly opened his Inventory and gave me a big fluffy coat made out of Tyrant Polar Bear, a B-Rank monster.
[You've equipped the [Tyrant Polar Bear's Fluffy Coat (B Grade)]!]
[Your Defense against Cold Temperatures has increased by +80%!]
[Ice Damage is now reduced by -50%!]
"Thanks for the coat but wait!" I stopped my brother before he was about to carry me away. "I need to find Baihe! Also, what about the other people that got sucked in?! If we don't find them soon… the same thing that happened in the hospital will happen here."
"But Anna, we need to prioritize your safety first because…!" Jack muttered.
"Because of what?" I asked. "I am strong; don't worry. Go with Fenrir and find the people that got sucked here quickly! You're way faster and stronger than me, so this shouldn't be hard. Once we find them, we can regroup with Fenrir's assistance."
"Huh, well, that's not a bad idea…" Said Fenrir.
"No, Anna, I…" Jack muttered, suddenly feeling conflicted. "We can find them later!"
"Brother! You're a human being, not a monster. Are you seriously going to just let these people die when you can change their fate?" I asked.
My brother's eyes looked at me in surprise. Of course, this was my original personality as Anna. And I simply can't let these people choose their own fates here.
"Anna…" Jack said, suddenly gritting his teeth.
"I can smell a lot of people to the northeast…" Fenrir said. "They're alive, but… something is chasing them."
"Come on!" I said this to my brother.
"But…" My brother muttered, still doubting.
"Just trust me!"
Our eyes met, and my brother sighed, smiling back at me, kissing me on the forehead, and giving me a tight hug.
"Fenrir, create a doppelganger to accompany her; protect her at all costs!"
"On it!"
FLUOSH!
[Fallen Constellation: Fenrir] has assigned a [Shadow Tyrant Wolf Soldier] as your [Guardian]!]
A Black Wolf suddenly showed up behind me.
"Come on, on my back, girl!"
"Alright! Thank you! Now go!"
"Fine, fine! We'll meet here later; I'll talk to you through Fenrir."
"Sure, now go!"
My brother quickly rushed away to help those people, while I showed the Fenrir Doppelganger a small piece of that plate Baihe broke, which had her blood on it because she slightly cut her fingers when she grabbed the sharp fragments.
"Fenrir, can you find her with this smell?"
"SNIFF, SNIFF…"
Fenrir's big black nose began sniffing the blood, nodding.
"Yeah, I can smell her; she's pretty far to the west! Let's go!"
FLASH!
[The Doppelganger of Fenrir: [Shadow Tyrant Wolf Soldier] has activated its [Shadow Traveling] Skill!]
[Movement speed has increased by +250%!]
"Hurry! We have to find her quickly!" I said to Fenrir.
"I am going as fast as I can!" Fenrir barked back at me.
Just after finding her and trying to change her sad fate, Dan Baihe was already out of my grasp. Now that fate has changed and the Higher Ups are angry at me, nothing is saying they might not try to kill her now.
I have to find her before that happens, at all costs. I can't let this powerful ally slip out of my grasp. And quite honestly, I am a bit of a sucker for the novel, and I don't want her to die as painfully and regretfully as she did.
I'll change her fate for the better.
.
.
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Dan Baihe had a life filled with misfortune.
Born as a descendant of Chinese immigrants, she didn't have the best of childhoods. Her family escaped their country and found refuge in the USA, but it wasn't without its many hardships. It was very hard for a family to start from nothing; there were many times when they couldn't find where to sleep or even food to bring to the table.
However, her parents, despite their misfortune and hardships, were strong-willed. Due to the efforts of both of her parents, they were able to earn enough money over a few years to open a Chinese food restaurant and slowly build a capital—enough for her to go to school and have a better life.
Although her beginnings were harsh, in those times, she believed that it would get better. She went to school and did her best, trying to get good scores to make her parents proud and have a better future.
Even when her parents weren't the most affectionate ones due to the harsh families they were raised in back in China, they did love her very much and worked every day for her future.
However, when things looked to be getting better, the First Awakening came.
Her father was killed in a Dungeon Break near the place where they lived. One morning, she was having breakfast with him and hearing his boomer jokes, and at the end of the day, she was looking at his deceased body, covered in plastic coats.
Monsters became real, people awakened superpowers to fight them, dangers rose everywhere, and yet many people stayed normal. Not everyone could fight back, and not everyone could change their fates.
Her mother desperately ended up marrying another man a few years later, needing enough capital and help to run her restaurant. Her stepfather was a greedy and obnoxious man, nothing like her father. She hated him, but Baihe knew she had to bear with him because his money and aid were helping their family thrive.
Yet, as if life were laughing at the young girl, just one year after her mother married her stepfather, she was killed by a Dungeon Break, where monsters ended up coming out of the Gates of a Dungeon that lasted for too long.
Her mother, the last person she cared for in this entire world, was now gone. She had nothing now except the stepfather who took away her restaurant, used the marriage contract to get what belonged to her mother, and gave her barely anything to get by.
He forced her to stop going to high school and to work full time in the restaurant, both cooking and attending to clients, while he barely helped, profiting off the poor girl's efforts alone while only giving her crumbs.
Dan Baihe's life only became more and more miserable with each passing year. It felt as if her entire family was cursed.
And she thought it was finally time for her to go back with her parents.
"Hahh… So cold…"
Her nose and hands were red, and her feet were all frozen. The cold of the dungeon was slowly eating away at her small and feeble body. Breathing the cold air of her surroundings made her feel anemic.
"Hahhh… Hahh… Mom… dad…"
She couldn't even walk straight as she fell to her knees into the snow, gasping for air. She started crying while being embraced by the cold of the snow.
The snow encompassed her body, slowly beginning to freeze her more and more.
"So this is how I die…"
"So miserable…
"Just like…"
"Just like my family…"
"Mom… Dad… I want to see you again…"
She started crying, and her tears quickly began freezing before reaching the floor.
"GRRH…"
Suddenly, she heard the growl of a beast approaching. A three-meter-big white wolf with a horn made of ice glared at her from afar, slowly approaching stealthily.
"Mauled by a wolf… Is this how I'll die?"
"I hate it…"
"I hate everything…"
"Why? Why does my life have to be so horrible?"
"Why did Fate have to take my family?"
"Why…"
"Just why…"
And as she despaired in her last thoughts, a voice echoed into her mind.
"Hey, do you need a hand?"
A mysterious girl with shiny eyes and long brown hair came to her mind.
"I am a talent seeker. I have a special eye for it. And you have some talent. Have you ever thought about having a better life?"
She recalled her cheerfulness and her aura of light and life, so different from her own coldness and gloominess.
The girl had offered her a better, new life.
And just when she could have finally had a better chance, she could have finally been given an opportunity.
It was taken away from her mercilessly.
"Do you want a better life?"
As the wolf approached, Baihe heard a different voice.
It was the voice of a grown woman with a cold demeanor.
The voice echoed into her very heart.
"Who… who are you?"
Illusions and mirages manifested in front of Baihe's mind as she found herself submerged in darkness.
A cold aura slowly began approaching as an entity not from this world emerged before her.
"I can give you power… I can give you the power you always wanted."
"Eh?"
"You can become the strongest and never let anybody dictate what you should do. And so you can do as you please and finally be freed."
"Me? Freed?"
"Yes, dear… And everything only for the small price of your soul."
"My… soul…?"
"You were going to die anyway, right? It's not like it could get any worse."
"My soul…"
Baihe considered the offer from the Demon that appeared within her mind.
"I…"
And as she was about to accept, something suddenly hit her.
A warm aura of light.
FLAAASH!
"Unnghh?! T-This light! AAGH!"
The demon's darkness suddenly dissipated from within Baihe's mind, as she found herself being healed by the same girl that appeared in the restaurant.
"Hey! Are you okay?!" Anna wondered.
"You…?" Baihe was shocked. "You… saved me… Ungh…"
"Don't talk for now! Fenrir, can you carry her?" Anna quickly took out some ropes from her inventory and also wrapped Baihe with the Bear Coat her brother gave her, putting her over Fenrir's back.
"Wait, what are you trying to do?!" Fenrir asked as he saw Anna confronting the Giant Glacial Wolf, a C-Rank monster that had come just seconds ago to eat Baihe.
"Of course, we're going to kill this thing." Anna smiled. "Violet!"
"Krieee!"
Violet suddenly transformed, becoming enormous and even intimidating the wolf for a bit! His powerful aura seemed like that of a giant king of insects, even when he was still D Rank.
"Hey! Stay there while I take care of this, alright?" Anna said. "Once we're done, we'll quickly get out of this dungeon and get you to safety. Don't worry about a single thing!"
"T-Thank you, cough…"
Dan Baihe saw the heroic girl confront the monstrous creature without any fear; her blue eyes were filled with admiration.
"I want to be like her…"
[The Demonic Throne {The Savage Beast That Envies The Heavens} is glaring at you furiously.]
"I knew it was this bastard of a demon," Anna thought.
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