Chapter 1: A New World Unlocked Upon Mission Failure

In the dimly lit room, Yun Xuan opened his eyes, his mind buzzing with confusion.

The last thing he remembered was, at the moment of his death, seeing a truck barreling toward a girl wearing headphones. He had dashed over and pushed her out of the way.

“Young man, you are already dead.” A gentle voice sounded.

Yun Xuan’s body trembled. He jolted awake, looking around.

There was a faint sound, and Yun Xuan closed his eyes again; the blinding light made it difficult to keep them open.

“Young man, you are already dead. Now you have three choices,” the voice sounded again. Yun Xuan slowly opened his eyes to look ahead.

Standing before him was a young woman dressed in a purple leather outfit, with a delicate face and—on her head—what looked like a pair of axes… Or perhaps they were horns.

“Who are you?” Yun Xuan opened his mouth. Was this the Grim Reaper? Weren’t Reapers supposed to be terrifying? Why was this one such a lovely, pretty girl?

“I am the Reaper. Now I’ll give you three choices: you can go to three different worlds. Don’t waste time talking—your soul can only exist for 438 minutes.” The girl smiled.

“Uh, go on.” Yun Xuan was stunned for three seconds, pinched his face, and confirmed he wasn’t dreaming.

“Since you died saving someone, I can grant you a fated connection with that girl. How about… becoming her pet dog?” The girl thought for a moment.

“…Are there any other choices?” Yun Xuan’s mouth twitched. A fated connection means turning into a dog? What kind of fate is that?

“Then, you can go to another world, become an unrivaled powerhouse, and win the heart of your destined heroine. How about that?” the girl suggested.

“Wait—do you mean I’ll turn into a girl? Absolutely not!” Yun Xuan shuddered.

“No, no, you misunderstood. You’ll still be a boy. If the genders were different, how would you fall in love?” The girl looked at Yun Xuan in surprise, as if saying that romance between two boys was the true path.

“…Please give me the last option.” Yun Xuan studied this Reaper girl, gritting his teeth.

“The last option is the most boring, but since you’ve refused the other two, it’s all that’s left. Here you go.” With a wave of her hand, the girl tossed Yun Xuan a phone.

“???” Three question marks floated above Yun Xuan’s head.

“This is my exp—cough, my carefully crafted Strategy Device No. 5438. When you reach the new world, just drip blood on it to claim it. It’s for test—cough, for your use.” The girl said earnestly.

“What’s it for? Don’t tell me it’s for romancing those boys,” Yun Xuan, wary from experience, nearly threw the device away.

“You’ll find out once you use it. Off you go.” With a wave of her hand, a mysterious vortex appeared beneath Yun Xuan’s feet.

“I—” Before he could finish, Yun Xuan was swallowed by the vortex and vanished.

“Ah, another blissful day. As an angel, I truly am wise and brilliant. This young man must be shy, that’s why he doesn’t want to become a boy. As an angel, I completely understand—very well, I’ll graciously add a cute boy for you to pursue.” The girl took out a black halo from behind her and placed it above her head.

Indeed, she was actually an angel.

…

Blue Ocean Star, Huaxia Nation, Fangyu City, in a certain two-story building.

With a thud, a young man crashed to the floor.

“A successful landing?” Yun Xuan opened his eyes, rubbed his head, and looked around.

It was a rather tidy room; aside from a desk and a bed, there was a wardrobe and three bookshelves.

Sunlight from the morning streamed in, and Yun Xuan could see the bookshelves were filled with novels and manga.

A sharp pain stabbed through his mind. Yun Xuan crouched down, clutching his head.

…

“How can someone as useless as you hope to pursue me? Your drawing skills are far beneath mine; you don’t deserve it…”

“Brother, are you alright?”

“Xuan, you must stay strong. Tomorrow I’ll bring you lunch.”

…

Flashes of memory rushed through his mind as if he were watching a movie, yet, strangely, the pain wasn’t too much for Yun Xuan.

It took over an hour for the memories to finish transferring. In his past life, Yun Xuan had been a shut-in and an orphan, and now he envied his predecessor.

Both had been orphans, but this Yun Xuan had gained an elder sister and a younger sister at the orphanage. Now, the older sister worked as an editor at the country’s second-largest publishing house, supporting both of them through school.

And yet… this Yun Xuan had no interest in his big sister or little sister, but instead pursued the school’s rich heiress, was rejected, and then became depressed to the point of death? Was that really how people died?

…

“Ding, Strategy Device No. 5438 now bound. Detected abnormality in host’s body, initiating free repair.” A voice sounded in his ear, and a virtual screen appeared before his eyes.

“That’s it? It’s bound?” Yun Xuan looked at the wound on his body. The device had vanished without a trace—no wonder, it was made by the Reaper.

Virtual screens were no novelty to Yun Xuan; in his previous life, virtual reality helmets had come out, though he’d only played for a little over a year before they were recalled for unknown reasons.

Looking at the little cat-eared girl on the screen, Yun Xuan actually felt a bit of affection.

“Good morning, Master. Welcome to Strategy Device No. 5438. I am your support sprite, Meow-Meow. First, let me introduce the only three available options and the inventory, missions, exchange, and lottery.” The cat-eared girl’s voice was crisp and pleasant.

Missions: All system missions grant exchange points and special rewards. Missions are randomly triggered, so please pay attention to opportunities to activate them.

Exchange: Currently, you have only 10 exchange points. Points can be used to exchange for a variety of items, including abilities from novels or manga.

Lottery: Prizes are divided into Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers. Since this is your first time using the device, you’re awarded one Silver and three Bronze draws. Afterward, each month grants one Silver draw, with an accumulated ten draws, and after a year, a Gold draw. To earn more, complete device missions.

Note: The device is incomplete; complete several missions to upgrade it.

“Ding, Newbie Mission issued: Within three months, obtain at least 50% affection from three girls with a comprehensive rating above seven. Completing the mission will officially unlock the device and upgrade a random basic ability to intermediate. Failure will result in you turning into a cute boy for three months and being forcibly sent to the new world.” The cat-eared girl’s voice was clear.

“…What does forcibly sent to the new world mean?” Yun Xuan had a bad premonition. Could this device really be… just a prototype?

“It means exactly that—the only entrance behind you will be opened up by other boys,” the cat-eared girl said with a smile.

“….” Black lines appeared on Yun Xuan’s forehead. Damn it, what kind of ridiculous mission was this?

No system novel in his previous life had written anything like this. Becoming a cute boy was already terrifying enough, but to be forcibly sent to the new world by others?

Yun Xuan felt he absolutely had to curse…

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