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Leyla tightly gripped her bedsheet.

Her mood turned glum once she found out that she was merely an orphaned girl that grew up in some shady-looking orphanage. On top of that, she was a commoner with an unimpressive background.

Her good-for-nothing parent abandoned her here due to their gambling debt and ran off somewhere to escape from the debt collector.

"I am the only daughter of the supreme leader of ability user organization in my previous life. Why would I get reborn into this kind of character which lacked everything?! My appearance was also so-so. There was nothing special about me."

Leyla grabbed the small lamp beside her bed and threw it harshly onto the floor.

The sound of something shattered resounded in the background. The lamp broke into tiny fragments, and the pieces of glass scattered everywhere.

"This kind of life, either I relive my life or die, I would not be satisfied unless I get something valuable out of this blessing in disguise."

A suspicious buzzing sound resembled electrical static echoed in her mind. A dizzying headache assaulted her, making her clutch her head in anguish.

Damn it! It's hurt so much!

(Good morning, host. I am system S-01. My job here is to assist you in completing your task as the protagonist to achieve your destiny in conquering five powerful men, a.k.a the capture targets and reaching the pinnacle of your life.)

Leyla blinked her eyes. She seemed to hear someone's voice inside her head. The voice sounded mechanical and monotone. It resembled a robot's way of speaking.

Was it an illusion from her side?

"Who was that?!" She yelled. "Show yourself!"

A series of long numbers appeared in her mind, swirling violently like a tiny tornado before condensing itself into a round, fluffy ball.

Poof!

The round ball blinked its two big, hollowed eyes. Those eyes were creepy and within them were unfathomable darkness.

(It is me. A system.) It replied in a dull tone. (Or, humans called us, Artificial Intelligent. An AI.)

Leyla stared blankly. How should she retort in this situation? It was surprising to encounter such a phenomenal occurrence right after her reincarnation into this new world.

But, she, who had seen many scary and hideous creatures, especially zombies, felt that a system was worth nothing that should warrant her surprised look.

Even though the system appeared docile and well-behaved, its entire body exuded a chilling vibe.

It smiled at her and gave its polite greeting. But under those eerie, unfathomable black eyes, that impersonate void or sucking black hole, she couldn't help but shudder.

A chilling shiver ran down her spine when she stared into the hidden pit within those soulless, dark eyes.

"What do you want from me?" Leyla cautiously asked. She had a fair deal with zombies and monsters, even though she was usually in the very back, hiding behind countless meatshields(ability users), so dealing with another supernatural creature that came out of nowhere was a piece of cake.

At this time, though, she could barely maintain her composure and acted calm despite the frantic breathing of her heart.

(You're scared of me, host?) The system asked in a slightly excited voice. There was a trace of mockery at the end of its sentence.

"Who scared of you?! I...I am...not!" The way she stuttered in her response made her facade unconvincing.

Furthermore, this system could read its host mind. So, it knew what its host had been thinking about this entire time. Its existence, after all, is embedded deep inside its host mind.

The system made its own body and imposed a tangible form before its host's eyes.

(Let me repeat my greeting, host. Since you have calmed down, please do listen to me.) The system, regardless of whether it tried to put a reassuring smile on its round face or spooked her out, Leyla was unsure about its intention.

Either way, Leyla had indeed calmed down. So she perked her ears and listened.

(Good morning, host. I am system S-01. My job here is to assist you in completing your task as the protagonist to achieve your destiny in conquering five powerful men, aka the capture targets, and reaching the pinnacle of your life.)

Leyla blinked her eyes again.

"Protagonist? Who? Is it me?" She asked in disbelief.

(Yes, host. Leyla Klein was the protagonist of an otome game. In a sense, you're Leyla Klein. This game's official name is, How to conquer a man's heart.)

"The name was very bland, don't you think so, system?" Leyla blurted out the first thing that appeared inside her mind.

System S-01 blankly stared at her and said nothing.

The awkward moment prolongs for five minutes, making Leyla face a secondhand embarrassment.

"Err...system? Why did you keep silent?"

The system ignored her and monotonously recited the description of the otome game without any hitch. It also told her about her role and mission.

Leyla relaxed her stiff posture and decided to listen carefully. She focused her attention on the system like she was its avid fan.

To be continued.

---------

The bazaar was just around the corner. Once you leave the restaurant, turn to your left and walk for about ten minutes and Voila. You had arrived at your destination.

The bazaar was lively and overcrowded with people. Most were families with children.

There were not only stalls selling food, clothes, or ornaments, but there were also game arcades and circuses.

Xie arrived with bright eyes and bushy tails in the bazaar.

He was ecstatic, and his eyes brimmed with excitement. His jolly mood even affected Isaac. The man also looked at him with a doting smile.

Isaac trailed behind him like a parent tagging behind their children. He stood at a pertinent distance from him, not too close that would cause Xie's discomfort but neither too far from the excited man. He was afraid he would lose him in a sea of crowd.

Xie excitedly grabbed Alaric's arm and dragged the poor boy with him, eagerly surveying each stall.

Alaric shook his head and lamented in his heart. Between the two of them, who was the child? Was it him or madam?

From his observation, madam looked like a clueless child that visited a funfair for the first time in his life.

He should despise going into such a place prior to this day since madam hated mingling himself in the crowded area. He felt appalled when someone forcibly mixed him into the crowd.

That's why the number of parties and formal occasions madam had attended were few and limited to several high-ranking nobles and aristocrats.

While any occasion related to the monarch, he must attend them, albeit unwilling. Or the Emperor, his father would drag him out of his comfy and cozy bedroom.

Alaric sighed. Looking at his excited face, he felt that it was wrong for him to stop him from having his fun.

They moved from one shop to another, and every time they left, the baggage on their hands piled up.

Isaac volunteered to be his attendant and took all the bags from Xie's hand.

Xie, of course, felt guilty, but since someone is willing to be a gopher, why would he refuse this person's kindness?

So, with a smile that could dispel even the coldest winter away and melted an iceberg into a puddle in a mere second, Xie exuberantly thanked Isaac with utmost sincerity.

As a result, Isaac ran off somewhere with all their things, leaving them behind in the dust.

They dumbfoundedly stared at one another before laughing humorously.

Obviously, Isaac felt embarrassed. His face turned bright red, like molten lava. Steam seemed to seep out from his head. Even the tip of his ears and the back of his neck reddened to the point of dripping blood. His icy look had cracked under Xie's smile.

After thirty minutes, Isaac came back, but no one said anything. He adopted a frosty countenance, with a detached aura shrouded his entire body, clearly warned them, "Do not provoke him, or you will get bitten by an angry tiger."

It looked like if someone did tease him, his pride would get wounded, and he might snap.

He would choose something that would cause damage to either of them rather than dying alone. If he got humiliated by someone, he would also make sure that person suffered the same humiliation as him.

Richard slowly approached his boss.

"What?" Isaac looked at him with a frown.

Out of nowhere, Richard patted his back and looked at him solemnly. Then, he fretfully chased after Xie and Alaric.

"..." Isaac balled his fist. That jerk! He still dared to tease him! That look he gave him infuriated Isaac so much!

They resumed their walk soon after the slight commotion.

"Alaric, look at this." Xie beckoned the child to come closer. He pointed into something.

Alaric approached him and got spooked by what he saw.

His madam boldly touched a living squid that swam leisurely inside a medium-size aquarium.

"Madam! You shouldn't carelessly touch a strange thing!"

"It's only a squid, Alaric. Relax."

Alaric stared at the wriggling tentacles that warped themselves around madam's hand. His disgusted expression plastered on his face. He appeared calm, but the shudder that bypassed his body could never go unnoticed by Xie's keen sight.

Xie wickedly smiled at Alaric. He lifted the slimy living squid that wriggled in his hand and turned to face the startled boy.

His smile became wide as Alaric subconsciously stepped backward.

"Why retreated? Come here." His tone was casual, yet no one could ever disregard the mischievousness danced under his sparkling eyes.

At a glance, anyone knew he had an ulterior motive and was up to no good.

"Haha, madam. What are you doing?" He said in a flustered tone.

Xie gave him an innocent smile. If anyone else sees this smile, they would undoubtedly drop their guards before him, but Alaric felt a sense of crisis.

"Come here?" Xie persuaded him to come closer. "Please?"

Alaric answered in a firm tone, curt and terse.

"No way!"

------

The author wants to say something.

Author: (Sighed)

Art: What's wrong with you, shitty author?

Author: (Glanced at Art and sighed again)

Art: Stop doing that. Why would you look at my face and sigh? What's wrong with my appearance?

Author: (Picked up her phone and showed something to him) Look at the views counts. It's slowly increasing. (Sadly closed her phone, put it on her drawer, and released an exasperated sigh) It's my dream to reach 1 Million views counts in a year. At this rate, though, even 100 thousand is an impossible feat to achieve.

Art: (Scoffed and said mentally) You want to reach what? 1 million? Impossible.

Art: So? (Asked in an indifferent tone)

Author: I need to increase it.

Art: Isn't that easy?

Author: Easy? How?

Art: You need to update every day or release mass chapters. Then you can temp the readers out there to read your book. Whoever is the sane person out there wants to wait for your update, which only occurs once a week?

Author: (His words stabbed directly at her sore spot. She patted her chest and sighed again) Do you think it's easy to update regularly? I'm lacking inspiration! How can I write when I got nothing in my mind?!

Art: Huh. Too many excuses. Don't you know this phrase? Where there's a will, there's a way. If you really want to attract your reader, you should work harder to grab their attention!

Author: (Somehow, she felt irritated when hearing his words) Oh. I think I know what I might write in the next chapter.

Art: What?

Author: (Smiled maliciously) I should write about a smutty scene of Wu Zhi with his current partner. Isn't the story a bit too bland? I should add some excitement to spice up the story, Right?

Art: (Shocked) You...if you dare to write that kind of scene...I...I would...

Author: What? (Fearless)

Art: (A dark, ominous aura seeped out from his body. It became thicker and dense. The haze-like tentacles swirled around as if trying to swallow its surrounding. There was distortion in the space, and the suspicious haze slowly but gradually corroded the author's room)

Author: (Eyes bulged out) ?!! You brat! My room! Stop it! Stop releasing your dark energy, silly! My mom will kick me out if I make a mess inside my room!

Art: (Pretended to be deaf and blind. The haze multiplied and had swallowed half of the author's room. Her bed missed half of its size, turned to ash, and dispersed to nothingness. The same thing happened to her wall, her ceiling and only the author's miserable wailing heard incessantly inside the white space)

Author: Damn it, Art! Stop!!! (Cried) I beg you!