Previously, driven by her affection for Pierre and her love for his mother, Sophie often discreetly helped them. She would introduce Pierre to simple jobs at upscale clubs where he could earn substantial rewards. Sophie sometimes even supplemented the income beyond what one could typically earn in such jobs, silently aiding Pierre's family. Consequently, their lives were not too challenging; in fact, they were quite happy.
Since Sophie visited their home, although Sophie and Pierre did not break up, it became evident that misfortune had befallen Pierre's family. The father inexplicably lost his job, remained unemployed for a whole year, and eventually found a job to repair a car to barely support the family. Unfortunately, he was crushed to death while repairing a car. The mother had no choice but to work as a maid, struggling to maintain the family's expenses.
Fortunately, Pierre had grown up by then. To ease the burden on his mother and enable his intelligent sister to study in the UK, he decided to give up his own education and find a job. He thought Sophie would help him, but to his surprise, he didn't know when Sophie began to show a strong sense of pride and vanity. She no longer wanted to introduce Pierre to lower-level jobs. Instead, she insisted that Pierre find a respectable job. Moreover, she demanded expensive luxury items as birthday and Valentine's Day gifts from him.
While Pierre worked in a restaurant, Sophie would invite friends to go drinking, mocking him for a lifetime of poverty and asserting that he was only fit for dishwashing in a restaurant.
Despite Sophie's excessive and malicious behavior, they did not break up. Pierre even went to work hundreds of kilometers away from home to satisfy her pride and vanity. He commuted daily by train just to avoid encountering Sophie and her friends, so as not to let Sophie feel that he was embarrassing her. For birthdays, Christmas, and Valentine's Day, Pierre would do his best to buy gifts that would make Sophie happy. However, Sophie would still disdainfully label them as trash or rubbish.
The long-term remote work and mental torment took a toll on Pierre's health, deteriorating day by day. He had to wake up at four or five in the morning and wouldn't return home until midnight every day.
Even though Pierre and his mother worked so hard, they could only manage with meager wages, barely covering his sister's tuition and the family's living expenses. Nevertheless, the family managed to maintain a sense of harmony through their united efforts.
However, misfortune struck this impoverished family. Pierre's sister, while picking him up at the train station, was hit by a car and later diagnosed with mid-stage cancer. Upon hearing this devastating news, Pierre's mother fainted and never woke up again.
Suddenly, two important people in his life were gone. His already fragile mental world collapsed in an instant. Fortunately, his sister on the hospital bed became the belief that supported him to move forward. He worked desperately, taking multiple part-time jobs, some located far from home and the hospital. He worked four shifts a day. He no longer cared about the mockery from Sophie and her friends. He worked tirelessly, recklessly taking on jobs, needing money, a lot of money. This money could buy his sister's life, and he no longer cared about his dignity.
As he witnessed his sister's condition deteriorating day by day, the doctors suggested transferring her to a higher-level medical facility for a slim chance of saving her. However, where would he get the money? To afford his sister's treatment, there were times when he drank only a few sips of water a day, feeling dizzy from hunger.
Life depends on money, poor people don't deserve to be sick. Nevertheless, he was determined to give it a try. He borrowed from all his relatives around him, but there was not a single penny left to borrow. Pierre could only think of his girlfriend, Sophie. Despite her harsh words, she had once been a kind-hearted girl. He believed she would help save his sister. Even if it was a long shot, he had to try. He was willing to stake his dignity to implore Sophie to save his sister.
With a heart resigned to death, he approached Sophie, hoping she would rescue him from the abyss. What he didn't anticipate was that Sophie would be his own personal hell.
The scenes on the wall flashed one by one, depicting Pierre's impoverished and humble life.
Seeing Pierre's despondent expression, Sophie unexpectedly felt a hint of compassion. She turned off the monitor, walked over to Pierre, lifted his chin, and with seductive red lips slightly parted, she said, "Pierre, I can save your sister. But can you do anything I ask you to do?"
Pierre looked at her delicate hand, determination shining in his eyes. His tone was somewhat excited, "Of course, as long as you're willing to save my sister!"
Sophie smirked, she had been waiting for him to say that. In an instant, the white room turned transparent, and they found themselves on a deserted island. The night sky outside was filled with stars, a biting cold wind swayed the trees, and deep within the forest, an eerie cold light emanated.
"As long as you can make it from one end of the forest to the other, I'll save your sister," Sophie declared. After her words, the door on one side of the transparent room opened, and a chilly wind rushed in, tousling Sophie's enchanting curls. In this moment, her angelic face seemed to transform into a terrifying visage, akin to Satan.
Gritting his teeth, Pierre stood up from the bed and ran barefoot out of the room, heading towards the depths of the forest.
Sophie remained inside the transparent glass room, watching Pierre's running figure. She was eager to understand what belief was motivating him. At the same time, subtitles started rolling rapidly before her eyes, already surpassing five hundred thousand.
"It's finally time to level up by battling monsters! Pierre will encounter wild boars, brown bears, wolf packs…he's going to become incredibly powerful, incredibly powerful!"
"Yes! The Battle of Frost, it's the most crucial dungeon. I never expected to reach this level so suddenly."
"Ah, Pierre's skills seem to have awakened here. He even encountered the most powerful wizard."
"What skills does Pierre actually have?"
"You haven't played this game, have you? The male protagonist naturally activates the invincible skill! Wild boars and wolf packs are nothing. He even overcame and learned the wizard's spells, passed through the snake pit, ate poisonous mushrooms, and conquered all the levels. He even encountered a king of a small country. Pierre helped them produce many things the country needed, and in return, the small country gave Pierre a treasury, marking his first accumulated wealth. After coming out, the world became different. He leveled up all the way, eventually becoming the world's richest!"
Sophie looked at the rapidly scrolling subtitles before her, but she didn't really care. After all, she was just an NPC in this game, and Pierre was the protagonist.
Unable to see from Pierre's perspective, she watched as day and night crazily alternated on the transparent glass room, cycling through hundreds of days and nights. In her NPC role, she was about to transition to the next scene.
In the blink of an eye, congratulatory voices surrounded her, praising the group for creating the perfect upgrade paradise. Finally, a volunteer had passed all the levels and ascended to the highest temple.
Watching Pierre, clad in bear skins, ascending the temple with his body covered in blood, he held a blood-stained wooden stick in his left hand. The sharp end dragged a wild rabbit, leaving a bloody trail in the magnificent hall.
Sophie locked eyes with Pierre, looking down at him from a higher vantage point. She observed his beast-like gaze, and a thick, bloodthirsty aura surrounded him.
At this moment, a person dressed as a wizard approached, silently chanting a few spells. Pierre collapsed in response, his eyes staring fixedly at her even as he fell. In the end, Pierre couldn't resist the wizard's incantations and fell into a deep slumber.