Chapter Five
Risa sank into the warm water, letting the heat ease the tension in her aching muscles. She tilted her head back against the rim of the tub and exhaled slowly.
Her fingers brushed over her face and paused at her eyes.
The color of her eyes had changed. What was once black was now a deep crimson red. It rattled her more than she wanted to admit.
"What the hell is happening?" Risa muttered to herself, trying to make sense of everything.
She was sure that she wasn't in a prank show and that this wasn't a hallucination. The fight with the zombies was more than enough proof that everything was real.
Or maybe she was in a coma, and everything that had happened was just part of a dream.
A dull ache throbbed in her skull as she struggled to make sense of it all.
"System booted successfully," a mechanical voice announced.
"What the fuck was that?" Risa immediately sat up straight, startled by the sound.
The voice hadn't come from outside. It didn't echo through the cabin walls.
"Greetings, host. I am your designated system guide, SG-0014. Codename: Sentinel."
The mechanical voice introduced itself, and the sound seemed to come from inside Risa's head.
"Shit. I'm going crazy," Risa muttered, gripping her head with both hands.
Yes, she was going crazy. There was no other explanation. The red eyes, the zombies, the voice in her head. She was either losing her mind or trapped in some elaborate, twisted prank.
Maybe she had been drugged. Or maybe she had taken a hit to the head and was hallucinating. There was no way any of this was real.
She let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Yeah, that's it. I've finally lost it."
"Sentinel assures the host is not going crazy."
Risa squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply through her nose. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away. Maybe she just needed sleep. Food. Something real to ground her.
"...What the hell is happening?" Risa muttered.
"You have been selected by the Central Governing System for integration into this system world. System World Code: SW-14V2."
"Stop. Jesus. I can't believe I killed three men earlier, then fought zombies, my irises are fucking red now, and on top of that, I'm hearing voices," Risa said, disbelief thick in her voice.
"Sentinel assures the host that this is not a hallucination," the mechanical voice replied again.
"Yeah, because a disembodied voice in my head totally isn't a hallucination," Risa muttered, almost laughing at how absurd it was that she was talking back to the voice.
A sudden mechanical ding echoed through the bathroom. In a flash, a translucent screen flickered to life in front of Risa, its surface glowing faintly with pulsing blue light. Lines of data scrolled across it briefly before settling into a clean, static interface.
---
[SYSTEM – ACTIVE]
HOST: RISA REEVES
LEVEL: 0
EXP: 0 / 100
DESIGNATION: LOCKED [Unlock Condition: ???]
[ATTRIBUTES] – (Points Available: 0)
Vitality: 0 Endurance: 0 Strength: 0 Agility: 0 Perception: 0 Crit: 0
[HOST ABILITY]
Status: LOCKED [Unlocks at Level 5]
---
Risa jumped back, her spine hitting the edge of the tub as she clutched its sides in surprise when the bluish, translucent screen manifested in front of her.
---
+ Threat Elimination x1 EXP Gained: +35
+ Threat Elimination x1 EXP Gained: +35
+ Threat Elimination x1 EXP Gained: +40
---
> Total EXP Gained: +110
---
> LEVEL UP!
---
[SYSTEM – ACTIVE]
HOST: RISA REEVES
LEVEL: 1
EXP: 10 / 150
DESIGNATION: LOCKED [Unlock Condition: ???]
[ATTRIBUTES] – (Points Available: +1)
Vitality: 0 Endurance: 0 Strength: 0 Agility: 0 Perception: 0 Crit: 0
[HOST ABILITY]
Status: LOCKED [Unlocks at Level 5]
---
"Congratulations, Host!" Sentinel's voice rang out once more.
"You have successfully leveled up to Level 1. You may now choose where to allocate your gained attribute point!" The voice was mechanical, but for some reason, it still sounded cheerful.
"Okay… shit. Is this… is this real? Can anyone tell me what's going on?" Risa muttered, mostly to herself, trying to make sense of it all.
"You have been selected by the Central Governing System for integration into this system world. System World Code: SW-14V2," Sentinel repeated.
"Yeah, you've said that before," Risa replied dryly.
"The Central Governing System has deemed you the most suitable candidate for integration, to ensure that the destruction of this world does not repeat," Sentinel continued.
"Okay. If this Central Governing System is powerful enough to integrate me into a 'system world,' then why can't it just fix the world itself?" Risa asked, skeptical.
"The Central Governing System is bound by a set of rules designed to maintain the stability of each system and control world," Sentinel responded.
Risa frowned. That wasn't the kind of answer she wanted.
"What kind of rules are we talking about? Why can't they fix their own mess and instead send someone else to clean it up?" she asked, a note of irritation in her voice.
"Insufficient Host Level. Information restricted," Sentinel replied.
"What the fuck!?" Risa couldn't contain her frustration. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
"Insufficient Host Level? So I need to level up to get more information from you?" she asked once she had composed herself.
"Affirmative," came Sentinel's simple reply.
"Seriously?" Risa muttered, irritation rising again.
"Okay… then can you at least tell me what happened? How was I integrated into this world in the first place?" she asked.
"The Host was integrated into System World SW-14V2 upon death in her Control World," Sentinel answered.
"Wait… I died in my previous world?" Risa asked, more to herself than to Sentinel. "So I really did die back then," she murmured, recalling her final moments before waking up in the barn.
"Okay, I want to ask more questions, but I have a feeling most of them require a certain level to unlock," Risa said, clearly annoyed. "Can you at least give me more information? I need some context to understand what the hell is going on."
"System World SW-14V2 is a system world on the brink of collapse, triggered by the emergence of zombified, infected humans. The Host was integrated into this world to prevent its complete destruction. The body currently inhabited by the Host belonged to this world's version of Risa. The original owner was destined to die in the barn, but the Host was integrated to prevent that fate and to guide the designated targets to safety," Sentinel explained.
"Okay, wait. What do you mean by the original host's body? And 'designated target'? Can you explain further?" Risa asked, clearly having more questions now than answers.
"The original owner of the Host's body was the Host's counterpart from this System World. There is no need for concern. The body the Host currently inhabits is now hers. When the Host's soul was transferred from her Control World to this System World, the body adapted to accommodate her soul. It will continue to integrate properly to the rules and laws of this world." Sentinel explained further.
"The designated target is Miss Amelia, who will play a significant role in the Host's progression," Sentinel continued.
"Okay, I have even more questions now. What do you mean by System World and Control World? And since I got integrated here, does that mean someone else is occupying my body in my original world? What happened to the Risa from this world when I got here? Did you put her in my world?
And Amelia... is she the white-haired woman? And what do you mean by this world's rules and laws?" Risa questioned Sentinel.
"The Host does not have sufficient level to unlock that information. However, Sentinel assures that no one has taken over the Host's body in her Control World. Only souls from a Control World can be transferred into a System World.
As for the original Risa from this world, her soul has been taken to where it rightfully belongs. And yes, Miss Amelia is the white-haired woman the Host escorted here. For further clarification, the twins are named Rika and Airi," Sentinel explained.
Risa was silent as she listened to Sentinel.
"They are the original owner's wife and children. And according to the rules"
"Wait, wait, stop. What do you mean wife and kids?" Risa asked, cutting Sentinel off.
"The original inhabitant of this body was legally bound to Amelia due to an unplanned pregnancy. The offspring, Airi and Rika, are direct biological children." Sentinel said.
Risa's heart pounded. "You're telling me I have a wife and kids now?"
"Affirmative."
This had to be some kind of sick joke. A wife? Kids? How the hell was she supposed to process that? She had never been a parent. She had never even thought about it. She never even had parents.
Her mind reeled, scrambling for something, anything that made sense. "And what, we were just… a happy little family before all this?"
"Negative. Their union occurred solely due to their parents' arrangement, and no familial bond was ever formed between them. This world's Risa never displayed affection, acknowledgment, or care for her family, and maintained a long-term affair with another person." Sentinel answered.
She blinked. "What the fuck?"
Risa's thoughts were spiraling. But this was a whole new level of what the fuck.
"Wait." She exhaled sharply, trying to wrap her head around it. "How the fuck did they, I mean, we have kids? We're both female."
"That has to do with the rules and laws of this world, which differ from those of the Host's original world," Sentinel replied.
"The reproductive process in this world is not the same as in the host's previous reality. Alphas and Omegas possess the ability to conceive regardless of gender," Sentinel continued.
Risa blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The original owner of this body was an Alpha. Amelia is an Omega. The twins were conceived during Amelia's heat cycle," Sentinel explained.
Her mind went blank. For a moment, all she could do was stare at the rippling water in front of her, as if it might somehow make sense of the absolute nonsense Sentinel was saying.
"Heat cycle? Alpha? Omega?" Her voice rose with each word. "What the actual fuck does that even mean?"
"The designations of Alpha, Beta, and Omega categorize individuals based on biological and hormonal traits unique to this world. Alphas possess enhanced strength, heightened senses, and the ability to impregnate Omegas, regardless of traditional reproductive constraints. Omegas have—"
"Okay, stop. Just stop." Risa pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezing shut as if that might somehow block out the sheer absurdity of what she was hearing.
"This world follows a distinct reproductive structure optimized for survival and population stability. The host is—"
"Did I not just say stop?" She let out a sigh. "Nope. Nope. I'm not doing this right now."
She sank lower into the tub, submerging herself up to her mouth as she exhaled a long breath, bubbles rippling across the surface. This was too much. Too fucking much.
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Author's Note:
Hello! This is the updated version of the story. Thanks for your patience!