In a dimly lit room, an unfamiliar woman blinked her eyes open, perspiration clinging to her skin.
Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she sank onto the bed, cradling her face in both hands. And room felt oppressive, suffocating. It was very hot and small for an adult person like her.
"Where am I?"
She whispered as her voice was barely audible and eyeballs fell upon a water bottle resting on the nearby table. Without hesitation, she picked it and drained its contents in a single desperate gulp. After that cool liquid slid down her throat, A momentarily soothing her parched mouth.
'My heart feels very hot… My name… huh… W-Who am I?' Lost in thought, She sat bathed in the soft glow of the room. Remarkably, there was no location of fear — both externally and within.
The events leading up to this moment remained a murky haze, a forgotten dream constructed into the fabric of her consciousness.
"Hmmm!" She hummed loudly - breaking the silence, and it even echoed in the room. She scanned her surroundings with newfound clarity before her mind sharped and focused.
On the bed lay a crimson diary, Its pages was untouched and book also accompanied by a solitary red pen.
The inscription on the cover read simply — My hell type Life. Before she opened the book, Her head felt a deep arch.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" The sound erupted from her throat, repeated through the room.
A painful cry teetering on the brink of faintness as pain coursed through her veins that was threatening to consume her senses.
But It wasn't physical agony — It was the sudden flood of memories and fragments of a life not her own which registered down into her brain.
After a moment, She scoffed as her lips twisting into a wry smile. "... Heh! How amusing that my stepmother took my life to secure a future for her own biological children."
Her name? Jass — with no surname, even in her previous existence — had always considered family ties tenuous, unworthy of formal acknowledgment.
On Earth, in that distant past, her stepmother's greed had manifested in a blade. Which became a knife and it thrusted into Jass's side.
The financial desperation had driven the fatal act, but now she sat in this unfamiliar room and those memories held no power over her.
It was merely a footnote in the grand beginning of existence — a chapter closed, rewritten, and left behind - Nothing less, Nothing more.
"I could have stopped but I didn't. My father, the one who loved me most, was gone forever." Just by her father's death picture. She let out a low whimper before forcing herself to calm down.
Now, Jass began to process everything. Picking up the book on her bed, She flipped to the first page: eager to understand what's going on.
The original owner of this body, one whose life she now inhabited, shared her same name. There was no surname, just the same shared first name.
Jass has a flicker of disbelief in her voice. "Is this truly a coincidence? Am I transmigrated into villainess's body?"
She found the situation very mysterious as before her untimely demise: had come across a novel where a minor villainess - who happened to share her name has played a supporting role.
The story was set in a fantastical world where the protagonist and several heroines formed a strong bond, ultimately saving their realm.
It was a harem novel where the hero ascended to rule the universe. And villainess was a mere side character, existed to help the hero and the main heroine grow closer.
In typical fashion, the hero fell for the first heroine after the villainess tormented her. And why did she bully her? It was simple and straight like the authors' shitty ideas.
The villainess had an instant attraction to the hero — Love at first sight on campus but he constantly showed interest and attentiveness in the first heroine.
Fueled by jealousy, Villainess tried to force the hero's attention onto herself. Her actions led the heroine to leave the academy for a few months, momentarily gaining the hero's attention. However, her plan backfired, and so called hero and heroine fell in love.
The hero's harem, a concept that disgusted her, was a deal-breaker. Jass didn't enjoy these types of stories and abandoned it after five volumes.
Furthermore, she had a habit of thoroughly researching any story she engaged with.
Jass learned from spoilers that this world faced impending doom, with only ten percent of the population surviving until the hero eventually saved everyone and ascended to a new universe.
She had given the story a chance but banished it because it was completed and there was just a trash ending — the Hero has an happy ending with 30 girls harem while the villainess was dead.
"I need to avoid jumping in any rash circumstances." Jass stood in front of the mirror, gazing at her reflection.
She was amazed at her own striking beauty. In this new form, she would soon be turning 18 years old in this vessel, and the date was January 1st – the very same birthday she had held in her previous life.
This was the same birthdate she had in her previous life… Then she recalled the novels' content.
"What the fuck? How is this even possible? Why does this body bear such a resemblance to the villainess I had read about?" Jass looked at her own picture with a mouth agape.
Her image has visible hair that is dark with possibly few black or deep brown. That matured face is very handsome, eyes are portrayed with a reddish-pink hue, matching the overall colour scheme.
This unnatural eye colour contributes to the fantastical nature of the artwork. Jass examined her features in the mirror, noting the striking similarities.
Her jawline was perfectly sculpted, her nose bearing an uncanny indication to the villainess she had read about. And skin was flawlessly pale as her nose was of an enviable size.
Those eyebrows were finely shaped, and her fingers were long and slender. "Wow, At least I have an impressive body If I really transmigrated here."
Jass couldn't help but admire her thick, lush eyelashes. Standing at 5'7", she had a lithe, graceful frame, with breasts of a modest B-cup size. Unlike many women, Jass cared little for such physical attributes, as long as her face possessed the seductive beauty.
The parallels between her current form and the villainess character were undeniable.
"I should gather some information. I will check out the dairly later on. It is big after all." Jass was deeply confused by the circumstances that had led her soul to villainess particular vessel.
—Ding!
[The System could describe a few subjects to the host if she wishes for and assist her to be the strongest in the world.] Jass heard a female robotic voice. Instead of feeling worried or shocked, she licked her lips with curiosity. There was the first question that she spoke.
"Do you know who I was before coming into this body? About the original owner. Is she dead?"
The System replied. [Yes! The body owner dies. And No, I bind with the host only when she transmigrates.]
"Will you stay with me forever?"
[Yes.]
"Then why did you join my soul?"
The System explained slowly. [It was simply luck. The hero of this world was meant to receive this system. You see, his tragic luck intervened. He was attacked by powerful bandits before he could receive it. If it was linked to him this time then he would have been dead.]
[This caused an issue. At the same time, you transmigrated here. The system chose you because your soul is best suited to utilise it.]
Jass laughed loudly. It wasn't a bad feeling for her. "... Pfft! Hahaha~~ It's almost the same story. The hero and his ridiculous fate"
On the contrary, she felt genuinely happy for the first time in a while. Soon, Within a mini second, the smile on her face vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
'I have no intention of following a novel's plot or anything like that. Nor will I bully the first heroine who joins his harem. plus staying away from them is better for me.'
There was a thirst for survival inside her and a burning lust to find her father, she clung fiercely to life. Perhaps, she could resurrect him.
That's her ultimate goal where she wanted to be pinnakle to a level of impeccable strength, believing it held the key to unravelling, the mysteries surrounding, and etc.
"System, tell me. Is this world nothing more than a fictional tale? I seem to recall glimpses of the future from my previous life." Jass demanded, her brow furrowed with suspicion as if she was fbi officer.
The system's response, delivered with an air of solemnity, sent astonishment into her. [Host, understand this: the world you inhabit is very real. What you perceived as memories were, in actuality, prophecies documented in an ancient tome.]
[Your world, you see, occupies a unique position in the cosmos of galaxies. Its traits and mortal people store an extraordinary capacity to envision other realms, dismissing them as mere displays of their imagination. The truth is far more profound than they could even think of.]
Jass couldn't trust these ideas as this was really unbelievable. There is no harm in confirmation, right? "Are you suggesting that these worlds, the ones people dream up, actually exist? And that the ability to cognize them in mind is what sets this world apart?"
[Affirmative!]
"... Fuck!"