When Noah opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong.
Eveything around him was pure whiteâno walls, no ceiling, just an endless cold void. Yet, the last thing he remembered was sitting at his desk, reading noveld in his room.
Before he could make sense of his surroundings, a sharp metallic sound echoed, resembling a phone notification.
Ding!
Noah flinched.
^ "Please wait. System connecting..."
"Memory update complete."
A robotic voice, devoid of emotion, spoke next.
^"Hello, Host."
Noah's brows furrowed. His heart pounded as he took a cautious step forward. "What are you? And where am I?"
^ "I am a system. You are currently in the system space."
The voice remained indifferent, as if it had answered this question countless times before.
^ "Host, you died due to excessive stress. Among all available souls, yours was the most compatible for my mission. You have two choices: bind with me and take on this task, or enter the cycle of reincarnation, where your memories will be erased before being reborn in a new body."
Noah blinked. Then, as if processing something absurd, he muttered, "Wait⊠In novels like this, don't systems usually threaten the host with complete soul erasure if they refuse?" There was a strange glint of amusement in his eyes, as if he was anticipating such a scenario.
The system remained unfazed.
^"No, Host. We do not operate that way. For two reasons: first, a forced Tasker will not perform efficiently under fear. Second, long-term damage to the soul is counterproductive to the mission."
"Oh⊠that actually makes sense." Noah crossed his arms, as if considering.
^ "So, Host, do you accept the binding?"
"No."
The system paused, as if calculating the probability of this response.
^"Your stress originated from job rejections and your resistance to an arranged marriage set by your parents. If you work with meâ"
"As long as you work with me, a clone of yourself will remain in your world to ensure your parents live comfortably."
A heavy silence fell as Noah weighed his options.
^"Host, you may take your time to choose," the indifferent system intoned, its tone betraying no care for Noah's decision.
Before the window of choice could close, Noah made his decision.
^"Host, you may take a brief break before entering your first take world."