"Finally, it's done!."

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, the glow of her computer screen illuminating her satisfied smile. Her hand instinctively reached for the half-empty mug of coffee on her desk as she scrolled through the steady stream of notifications flooding her social media feed. Love Connect, the dating sim she and her team had painstakingly developed, was finally in the spotlight.

The buzz was electric. Posts were rolling in by the second, filled with glowing reviews, fan art of the characters, and memes dissecting the game's intricate storylines. But what truly thrilled her were the testimonials from players who had already poured hours into the grind, striving to win over their favorite love interests.

"This is insane," she murmured, her eyes lighting up as she skimmed a particularly enthusiastic post. "They're calling Damien 'the ultimate tragic romance.' Did I nail that or what?"

"Well, well," came a familiar voice from behind her, "the genius is finally getting the recognition she deserves."

Evelyn turned to see her older brother, Kay, standing in the doorway, a bowl of instant ramen in one hand and his phone in the other. His casual smirk betrayed a hint of pride as he walked over to peek at her screen.

"We just got another five-star review," he said, tapping his phone. "And, surprise, surprise, it's about Damien. I'm starting to think you're playing favorites with that guy."

Evelyn grinned, brushing her dark bangs out of her face. "Of course I play favorites. Damien is the heart of the game. His tragic backstory? His slow-burn romance arc? Chef's kiss." She made a dramatic gesture.

Kay snorted, pulling a chair beside her. "Yeah, well, don't forget the rest of us who actually made the game work. Without my code, your precious Damien wouldn't even have a functioning dialogue tree."

"Details," Evelyn said dismissively, though the glint in her eyes softened. She knew she couldn't have done it without her brother and their small but dedicated team. For three years, they had sacrificed sleep, social lives, and sanity to bring Love Connect to life. Every pixel, every line of code, every bit of dialogue—it was all theirs.

She scrolled further, reveling in the praise, until her hand froze on the mouse. Her grin vanished.

"What the…?" she muttered, her brow furrowing.

Kay leaned closer. "What's wrong?"

On her screen was a post that made her stomach churn. It was a promotional ad for another game—a game that looked disturbingly familiar. The title read:

"Love Connect: Free Edition – No Grind, Instant Romance!"

Her heart dropped as she clicked on the link. The game was a blatant ripoff. The art assets, the characters, even the dialogue—it was all theirs. But unlike Love Connect, this version gave players instant access to their favorite love interests without the challenge that made the original so rewarding.

"Who…" Evelyn's voice trembled as her anger bubbled up. "Who did this?!"

Kay frowned, his expression darkening as he scanned the page. "That's definitely our code. Look at the menu layout—they didn't even bother to change it."

"This is theft!" Evelyn exploded, spinning her chair to face him. "They stole everything! They've gutted all the effort and satisfaction out of the game and turned it into… into this soulless cash grab!"

Kay held up a hand. "Calm down, Evelyn. We need to be smart about this. We can—"

But Evelyn wasn't listening. Her hands flew across the keyboard, her eyes blazing as she launched a full-blown attack in the game's comment section.

Evelyn (Official Developer): This is plagiarism! You've stolen our game, our ideas, and years of hard work!

The Hacker: Plagiarism? I improved your game. Players hate the grind. Don't be mad because I did it better.

Evelyn (Official Developer): Improved? By dumbing it down? You're just a thief who doesn't understand the first thing about game design!

The Hacker: Cry about it.

"Cry?" Evelyn muttered through gritted teeth. "Oh, I'll give you something to cry about."

Without hesitation, she reported the game, flagged the account, and filed a takedown notice. Within minutes, the knockoff version was deleted from the platform.

"Evelyn…" Kay groaned, rubbing his temples. "You didn't even let me look into it. What if they come back with another version? Or worse, sue us for copyright infringement because you acted without proof?"

"Good luck with that," Evelyn shot back, her temper still flaring. "We have every right to protect our work. People need to understand how much time and effort goes into creating something like this. I'm not letting some thief ruin that."

Kay shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "You're too impulsive for your own good, you know that?"

"Maybe," she admitted, crossing her arms. "But I'm also right."

Later that evening, Evelyn sprawled on her bed, her laptop balanced on her knees. The adrenaline from her earlier confrontation had worn off, leaving her drained but still brimming with righteous satisfaction. She opened Love Connect on her phone, the familiar theme music washing over her like a lullaby.

The opening screen prompted her to enter her surname for the player character. She hesitated for a moment before typing, "Evelyn."

As the game loaded, she yawned, exhaustion finally catching up to her. Her phone slipped from her hand as her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next thing Evelyn knew, she was no longer in her room. She stood frozen in the middle of a grand hall, the kind you'd only see in period dramas or fantasy films. The air felt heavy with a mix of perfumes and polished wood, and the faint hum of distant chatter buzzed in her ears.

Above her, enormous crystal chandeliers glimmered with soft, golden light, casting delicate patterns on the polished floor beneath her feet. It was so shiny that she could faintly see her own reflection.

"What... where am I?" she murmured, glancing around in confusion. Her voice, soft and hesitant, was almost swallowed by the noise of elegantly dressed guests who paid her no mind.

She took a hesitant step forward, her heels clicking against the marble. Wait... heels?

Looking down, Evelyn gasped. Her usual hoodie and jeans were gone, replaced by a sweeping gown of soft lavender silk embroidered with delicate silver patterns.

"This has to be a dream," she whispered, touching the fabric. It felt too real.

A woman's voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts. "Richel! There you are. We've been looking everywhere for you."

Evelyn turned to see two women approaching her. The first had long, cascading midnight-blue hair and piercing violet eyes. She wore a gown that seemed to demand attention, it's dark fabric glittering like the night sky.

The second woman had soft brown hair tied up elegantly and warm hazel eyes, though her expression was anything but friendly. Her simple yet elegant dress made her look like someone who walked a fine line between nobility and mischief.

The name jolted her. Richel? Who's Richel?

"What's going on?" she muttered, her voice trembling.

"Do you realize how long we've been looking for you?" the blue-haired woman snapped. "The guests are waiting!"

"Oh no," Evelyn whispered as realization dawned. Midnight-blue hair, violet eyes… She recognized them. The first woman was Lilith Blackthorne, the villainess of Love Connect, and the second was Amelia Grayson, the sub-antagonist.

Which meant…

She caught her reflection in a nearby glass window. Staring back at her was the unmistakable face of Richel Valeur, the game's second sub-antagonist.

Richel Valeur was described as the embodiment of innocence—a delicate beauty with long, flowing light pink hair and wide, shimmering blue eyes. In the game, she was portrayed as an angelic figure, charming everyone with her sweet demeanor. 

But behind that facade lay a cunning manipulator who expertly controlled others by feigning naivety. She worked closely with the main villainess, her innocent act serving as the perfect cover for her devious schemes.

"Oh, no," she whispered. "Oh, no, no, no."

Before she could spiral further, a glowing screen appeared in front of her.

[Welcome, Player!

Congratulations on receiving the VIP Player Pack!

To celebrate, you'll receive 200 Word word for free!] 

"What?! No!" Evelyn tried to shout, but her voice didn't escape her throat. Instead, her words began to materialize on the glowing screen in front of her, appearing letter by letter as though typed by an unseen hand.

-5 Word Count. Remaining: 195.

Her chest tightened as the eerie sight sank in. "Is this some kind of joke?" she thought, her panic mounting with each passing second. The silence around her felt oppressive, the faint hum of the monitor the only sound in the room.

Evelyn's eyes widened as the screen flickered to life again, this time displaying a new set of prompts in bold text:

[Greet Lilith and apologize.]

[Remain silent. Unlock for 50 Word Gems.]

[Argue with her. Unlock for 100 Word Gems.]

Her jaw dropped, and a spark of disbelief flickered in her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me," she thought, gritting her teeth. The sheer absurdity of the situation made her blood boil. Her fingers itched to select the third option, imagining the satisfaction of putting Lilith in her place.

But 200 Word Gems? That was ridiculous. Resigned, she hovered over the least humiliating option, already regretting what she was about to do.

"Why is this even a choice?" she thought, her frustration bubbling over. If this was how things were going to work in this world, she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it.

Her cursor wavered for a moment longer before she clicked on Greet Lilith and apologize, her thumb hovering above the confirmation button. She slammed it down, She hated that this was the path of least resistance, but she wasn't ready to give away 100 Word Gems just to satisfy her rage.

A new prompt appeared, followed by a soft chime.

[You have chosen to greet Lilith and apologize.]

The words flashed before her eyes, and she rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it all. "This is so stupid," she grumbled. Despite her irritation, she followed through with the apology.

"Greetings,lady Lilith. My apologies for worrying you."

The words echoed from her mouth, soft and polished, as if someone else were speaking for her. Evelyn winced, internally cringing at the overly sweet tone she never would have used herself.

Lilith's image remained motionless for a moment before the prompt shifted again.

Lilith, sighed in relief. "Richel, you had us all worried. The Duke was ready to send out search parties."

Richel. Right. That's me now, Evelyn thought, trying to wrap her head around the bizarre situation. Her gaze darted nervously around the hall, taking in the opulent surroundings. The golden chandeliers above twinkled like stars, the marble pillars towered high, and every guest was dressed as though attending a royal gala.

Before she could fully take in the grandeur, another voice cut through her thoughts.

"Honestly, Richel," said a younger girl with chestnut curls, her hands on her hips. Her piercing green eyes were both worried and exasperated. "Why were you hiding? The Duke expects you to be by his side at these events."

The system screen flickered again:

[Apologize humbly.]

[Laugh it off. Unlock for 30 Word Gems.]

[Mock her concern. Unlock for 150 Word Gems.]

Evelyn groaned internally. Why is everything here a test of my patience and wallet?

With no other choice, she selected the first option.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble," she said softly, watching the words appear as if scripted on the glowing interface before they left her lips. "It won't happen again."

The younger girl, whom Evelyn vaguely recognized as Amelia Grayson, one of Lilith's closest allies in the game, relaxed slightly, though her stern expression didn't waver.

"Good," Amelia said. "We don't have time for distractions. Lady Lilith, shall we?"

Lilith gave Evelyn a slight smile, almost approving, before turning on her heel. "Let's go. The Duke doesn't like waiting."

The pair walked ahead, leaving Evelyn momentarily alone. As their voices faded into the buzz of the grand hall, Evelyn's shoulders slumped.

What kind of mess is this.

The screen flickered yet again, displaying an ominous message in glowing red text:

Word Count: 195 

Evelyn's blood ran cold. She had no idea what would happen if the counter hit zero, but the bright countdown in the corner of her vision was impossible to ignore.

Guess I'll find out soon enough, she thought grimly, stepping forward to follow the two women.

Evelyn hadn't made it more than a few steps behind Lilith and Amelia when the screen flickered again, a crisp ding resonating in her ears. She froze, her eyes darting to the glowing words that materialized before her:

[System Alert: Rules Unlocked]

Her brow furrowed. Rules? she thought. Before she could question further, the screen transitioned to a detailed list.

[Rules of Word Count and Word Gems:]

[Word Count: Each spoken word deducts from your available word count. Speaking longer phrases or sentences will result in a higher deduction. Each word spoken costs 5 Word Count.] 

[Word Gems: Selecting a scripted choice costs Word Gems, with higher prices for choices that carry significant impact. Both Word Count and Word Gems are deducted upon selection.] 

[Penalty for Zero Word Count: Running out of Word Count results in system termination.] 

[Refill Conditions: Word Count and Word Gems may be refilled under special circumstances.] 

Evelyn stared at the screen, her heart pounding as she reread the words. So, speaking freely costs me Word Count, and choosing options costs me both Word Count and Word Gems? Her mind raced. The implications were overwhelming.

She instinctively muttered, "What kind of twisted rules are these—"

A sharp beep cut her off, and the screen flashed red:

-15 Word Count. Remaining: 180.

Evelyn's stomach dropped. Her free words had been punished, and harshly.

So even thinking out loud is dangerous now, she realized with a bitter grimace. Her fingers curled into fists as frustration bubbled beneath the surface.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Okay, Evelyn. You've dealt with worse deadlines and tighter constraints. You just need to strategize.

Testing a theory, she glanced at the word "rules" displayed on the glowing interface. As if responding to her focus, the screen shimmered faintly. "Rules," she whispered under her breath, careful to enunciate it softly.

A notification appeared:

-5 Word Count. Remaining: 175.

Well, that confirms it, Evelyn thought grimly. Short, deliberate phrases are my safest bet. And no more rambling.

The system chimed again, almost mockingly, as if rewarding her epiphany.

[Tip Unlocked: Progress wisely. Excessive word usage will accelerate countdown depletion.]

Evelyn rolled her eyes but couldn't help feeling a small sense of victory. At least now she had a grasp of how this twisted system worked.

Two resources to manage. Word Count for speaking and Word Gems for choices, she thought, already devising a plan. And both are finite. Great.

The faint sound of footsteps jolted her back to reality. Lilith and Amelia had already reached the far end of the grand hall and were waiting impatiently.

Evelyn straightened her posture, forcing her legs to move. If I'm going to survive this strange world, I'll have to play by its rules. For now.