A hotel located in the border region of the Eastern Continent. The receptionist was bored, idly scrolling through his phone, blatantly slacking off.
This place was remote, with few visitors passing by. Business was bleak, and naturally, the staff had little to do. The employee leaned back in his chair, staring at the hotel ceiling. The owner of this establishment was a wealthy second-generation heir who didn't lack money and opened this place just for fun.
How enviable. There are so many rich people in this world—would it hurt to add one more, namely me?
Then again, getting paid for doing almost nothing was also enviable.
He opened a popular anime-style mobile game. A new character banner had just launched today, featuring a catgirl who perfectly matched his tastes—one he had wanted for a long time.
Rubbing his hands together, he closed his eyes and prayed, "Oh great goddess of fate, merciful Moirai, please bless me with a double gold in this ten-pull! I swear to eat a balanced diet for life and grow two more inches taller!"
Then, he reached out and tapped the summon button.
Sixty pulls later—gold!
Suppressing his excitement, he tapped the screen. In just 0.5 seconds, his emotions went from joy to utter despair. He threw his head back and wailed. The result was obvious: he lost the 50/50.
(Losing the 50/50 refers to the pity system in certain gacha games.)
It seemed the goddess of fate did not accept his half-hearted offerings.
With a dejected expression, he opened the top-up menu. His only option now was to rely on his magic little credit card.
At that moment, he glanced at the glass door and saw a strange sight: a young girl was sprinting toward the hotel at full speed, carrying another girl in her arms as if performing a princess carry.
Weird. He looked again.
They were closer now, and he could see more clearly—the girl being carried wasn't wearing red clothes. She was covered in blood, unconscious, and even her silver hair had been dyed crimson.
The receptionist jumped up in shock. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he grabbed his phone to call an ambulance.
Wait, no. He put the phone down. This place was too remote—an ambulance would take at least an hour and a half to arrive. That was far too long.
In those few seconds of hesitation, the sprinting girl had already burst through the hotel doors and rushed up to him, leaving a trail of blood droplets on the floor.
Now that she was closer, the receptionist noticed something surprising—this girl was tiny, probably not even 150 centimeters tall, with a petite and delicate frame. The backpack she carried on her back seemed almost bigger than she was. The blood-soaked girl in her arms, on the other hand, was quite tall—at least 170 centimeters.
Despite her small stature, she possessed astonishing strength. Not only was she carrying a large backpack, but she was also holding another person with ease.
"Give me a room! I'll pay double later! Hurry!" the petite girl shouted anxiously.
"O-Okay!" The receptionist snapped out of his daze, grabbed a key card for a first-floor room, and quickly led them inside.
The petite girl placed the injured one on the bed, and fresh blood immediately stained the white sheets.
"Get me a first aid kit," she ordered.
The receptionist rushed back to the front desk, grabbed the kit, and ran back.
By the time he returned, the bleeding had already stopped, and a green glow surrounded the petite girl.
"Whip marks, burns, knife wounds… and electrocution. Oh, and drugs too," she listed in a cold, emotionless voice as she examined the injuries, frowning. "A large abdominal wound, one missing rib, and what looks like blunt trauma from a fall… It's a miracle she's even alive."
As she healed the largest wound on the girl's abdomen, she continued her examination and finally sighed in relief.
"No curses. That's good. This isn't too hard to handle. Ah, hand me that. Thanks."
She took the first aid kit and pulled out some bandages.
"Excuse me… Are you an Affinity User?" the receptionist asked nervously.
Without looking up, she replied, "Yes. I have a Life Affinity. No need to call an ambulance."
"Also, please leave. Thank you."
The receptionist immediately realized his mistake. He was a man, and it wasn't appropriate for him to watch a female stranger treat and dress wounds. He quickly stepped out and gently closed the door behind him.
An Affinity User!
Affinity Users were those born with or who had acquired special abilities, influenced by genetics, talent, experiences, and other factors. A person could have more than one ability. Generally, gifted individuals also had longer lifespans.
They made up about one percent of the population—or slightly more, since some remained unregistered by the government.
Some time later, the door opened, and the girl stepped out. "Sorry, the bed sheets are covered in blood. Please give me another room. I'll pay for it, of course."
The receptionist nodded. "Would you like two single rooms or one double room?"
Only then did the girl realize—oh, she needed a bed too.
"One double room, with two single beds."
After leading them to another room, the receptionist called housekeeping to clean up the bloodstained one.
The cleaner was startled by the sight of the blood-soaked sheets. After listening to the receptionist's explanation, she grew worried.
"With wounds that severe, isn't it possible they're criminals or being hunted? What if we get dragged into trouble?"
"I thought of that. I checked the local wanted list—no white-haired female fugitives. There's no news of any other criminals escaping here either."
"That doesn't guarantee they're harmless." The cleaner put on gloves and started working.
"You know this place is isolated. There aren't any houses or other hotels nearby. We can't just throw an injured person out to die, right?"
The cleaner hesitated, then sighed. "True."
After a while, the room was cleaned, and the receptionist returned to his desk—resuming his summoning campaign. Just as he was about to pull, the petite girl approached him again.
"I'm here to pay. You accept credit cards, right?"
"Of course."
She paid swiftly, unfazed by the hefty sum.
Another rich person? Why can't there be just one more rich person in the world—namely, me? The receptionist once again cried out in his heart.
After registering, the girl wrote down her name: Kagumo.
"Miss, what happened to that seriously injured person?" the receptionist asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
"No idea," Kagumo replied.
"…No idea?"
"I picked her up from the roadside." She blinked innocently.
The receptionist: "..." Somehow, that sounded even more dangerous.
"Randomly picking up people can be dangerous. Haven't you read web novels? Best case, you end up crippled; worst case, your whole family dies!" He spoke earnestly, worried that this young girl was too naive.
"I know. But I'm somewhat of a doctor—I couldn't just leave a dying person behind. Don't worry, I can handle myself,"Kagumo said calmly.
The receptionist recalled her strength and abilities and relaxed a little.
"Well… alright."
He had only wanted to warn her, not drive the injured girl away.
Kagumo returned to her room.
The receptionist resumed his pulls.
First ten-pull—gold!
He cheered. These two girls must be lucky charms!
For the next few days, Kagumo stayed at the hotel, taking care of the injured girl. Strangely, the receptionist's attitude toward her became unusually friendly, as if he saw her as a symbol of good fortune. This puzzled her.
On the third day, as Kagumo returned to the room with a glass of milk, she stopped in her tracks, nearly spilling the drink.
The girl who had been unconscious all this time had finally woken up. She sat on the bed, seemingly lost in thought.
"You're awake?" Ke Yun placed the glass on the bedside table.
The girl didn't respond. She slowly turned her head, gazing at Ke Yun with beautiful amber eyes.
"How do you feel?" Kagumo asked.
The girl frowned slightly, as if confused.
Thinking of her injuries, Kagumo decided to let her rest for now. She went to get some things.
When she returned with a bowl of porridge and some clothes, she was startled—the bed was empty.
Looking to the right, she saw the girl standing by the large window, staring outside. The window was wide open, the wind blowing through her hair, the light outlining her figure in a breathtaking scene.
Kagumo hurriedly put down her things and rushed forward, grabbing her hand.
This was the third floor! Even if she fell correctly, she could still die!
"Calm down!" Kagumo pulled her away from the window.
The girl, surprised by Kagumo's strength, let herself be guided back to the bed.
"You've been unconscious for three days. I barely dragged you back from the gates of death. Don't even think about throwing that all away," Ke Yun said firmly, pressing down on her shoulders to prevent any sudden movements.
The girl was silent for a long time before she spoke softly. "I just… suddenly don't see the point of living."
"What's your name?" Ke Yun asked.
"…Mo Ying." The girl hesitated before finally speaking her name.
"Mo Ying, I don't know what you've been through. It must have been something cruel, something heartbreaking. But don't lose hope. At least one person in this world cares whether you live or die—and that's me."
Kagumo looked straight into Mo Ying's eyes, catching a flicker of disbelief.
"I'm your doctor. If my patient dies, I'll be sad. So, if nothing else, for my sake—don't seek death. Okay?" She looked at Mo Ying with a pleading gaze.
"…Okay." Mo Ying stared at Kagumo, hesitated as if wanting to ask why she would go this far for a stranger, but in the end, she simply agreed.