The grown-up Nora Roscente looked a lot like me, except she was far more beautiful. She was like a 2.0 version of myself– me with gold eyes and white hair. We were almost twins now that she had dyed her hair black. So, not only did we share the same name, but we also had the same face?
Wasn't that too much of a coincidence?
As I pondered this, the scenes on the screen didn't stop; they kept playing, showing me what the other Nora experienced after she dyed her hair and joined the prestigious school that her sister, Sierra, the female lead of the novel, attended.
Everyone around her saw it as the Roscente family being kind to Nora by giving her the same opportunities as their real daughter. But in reality, it was nothing more than a task for Nora. She was assigned to be Sierra's assistant, as ordered by her adoptive father. And Nora dutifully carried out her duties– until she was involved in an accident while riding in a hover car, some kind of flying vehicle.
The screen paused at the moment Nora resignedly closed her eyes, empty and lifeless, not even calling out for help.
My heart ached at the sight. Anyone's heart would be moved by such a heartbreaking scene. And while I knew what kind of life Nora would lead in the future– after surviving the accident– I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. Who wouldn't make the same choices she did if they had lived such a cruel life?
This was why I couldn't hate Nora in the novel, and why I thought the novel was trash. The story trampled on her character just to make room for the main characters to shine. Yet all Nora had ever done was fight for the attention she deserved. Sure, she didn't always go about it the right way, but she never intended harm to anyone. All she wanted was a little affection.
'Why did the screen stop playing? This is just the beginning of one of the arcs in the novel. There's so much more to come.'
[Host, what you just watched are the memories of your current life. You will be synced to them once you leave this space.]
I flinched at the sudden robotic voice in my head.
'What the heck does that mean?'
"Who are you?" I asked sharply.
[I am 001, the first sub-system belonging to the main system. I have been assigned to assist you with the tasks you must complete in the main world, Lunium. You will be sent back to the main world in 3… 2… 1…]
"Wait!" I yelled, but before I could react, the countdown reached zero, and I felt myself falling, screaming and flailing in the darkness.
The next moment, I woke up, coughing heavily and dry heaving, as if I had just drowned and been rescued. The doctor and nurses I had seen before I fainted and was transported to that strange space were still beside me, but they seemed more frantic now, speaking to one another. However, their voices were muffled, I couldn't hear them clearly.
I tried to calm myself, taking deep, steady breaths, and after a moment, my panic subsided.
"Are you okay? You fainted suddenly. Where does it hurt?" the doctor asked, concern lining her voice.
"I'm okay now. How long was I out?" I asked absent-mindedly, my mind still reeling from whatever had happened in that weird, dark space.
"You woke up after about five minutes. Any longer, and we would have started emergency measures. Since you're not in pain, it's likely you fainted from exhaustion. Your body must still be fatigued after the surgery. You haven't even had a healing session to address your external wounds yet. I'll perform a quick scan and arrange for a healer to attend to you," the doctor said hurriedly. Her eyes flickered with an eerie green glow as she spoke.
I instinctively moved away a little, but she didn't seem to notice. 'Wait, her eyes are literally glowing?'
The doctor said something to the nurses, then quickly left the room with them.
'What did I just witness?'
A translucent blue panel appeared in front of me again, displaying a question with two options.
[Sync memories to host's body: Yes / No?]
I stared at the panel, feeling helpless. Did I even have a choice? After that confusing stunt the "system" pulled in that dark space, and now with the glowing eyes– I was clearly missing some memories.
I clicked 'Yes' without hesitation.
The scenes from the screen before came rushing into my mind. This time, the memories that had been skipped earlier– along with all the emotions that the other Nora had felt– were included. As the final moments of Nora's memories synced with mine, everything became clear.
This was my second life, the one I had somehow foreseen through the novel I had read in my first life, which had ended the day my semester results came out.
I had reincarnated as the supporting villainess character, the one I had pitied while reading the novel. The one who had been trampled on mercilessly her whole life.
'Screw me.'
Though I had lived the same number of years in both lives, I felt far more attached to my first life. In it, I had people I loved and who loved me back. My second life, however, felt so much worse. It was as if everything I had begun to cherish in my first life had been abruptly taken from me.
I was now the fake daughter, adopted by absentee parents who were so indifferent they might as well have been strangers. I had two brothers who hated me and an older sister who treated me like her maid.
On top of that, this world was a hunterverse, governed by a rigid rank system that divided people based on 'stats' and supernatural abilities called 'skills' if they had awakened as a hunter.
My stats, I learned, were currently evaluated as C-Rank. Not too bad, but not good either– just an average, unremarkable hunter.
Well, at least that was one thing in common with my past life.
As I came to terms with my situation, another thought started to bother me. I looked around the room, trying to see if anyone was nearby.
"Hey, 001, come out."