Hello! this is the author, before reading this part, I would like you to read the synopsis first, although you can skip it, but it doesn't take much time to read. Your choice is yours readers!
In this world of Players, the collective mantra is simple: Be strong, climb the power rankings, and survive to find peace. However, that goal is a cruel joke. Peace is long dead, replaced by a terrible imbalance and merciless cruelty. Not everyone who awakened their blessing uses their power for good; many use it for the opposite. The powerless are constantly oppressed and abused. Yet, even in this darkness, a few righteous Players, known as Hero Players, strive to help the weak, though they cannot save everyone, every day, because they're burdened as they are by immense national responsibilities.
—
It was an endless struggle to live in this hellish world, but I endured. I was so close, just four more days, and I would finally awaken my blessing. I would be free...
"Ahaha! This girl is truly amusing! You actually withstood my lightning magic? How incredibly interesting!"
Their sinister smile was the fuel that kept me going, the reason I survived this torment, all for the day I could finally take my revenge!
"Huff, I..." My body betrayed me. I had hit my limit of endurance, my senses fading as my eyes began to close on its own. I thought I was dying, but by some miracle, I merely slipped into a three-day unconsciousness.
"Where... am I?"
I awoke, bewildered and disoriented, in a spacious yet strangely familiar room. The scent was clean and soothing, nothing like the reek of alcohol and filth of the slums. I realized I was alone, no one watching over me. I had no family to watch over me.
I'd lived in that slum since my parents died in an accident. I became an errand girl for thug Players just to scrape by and make money, but survival was a steep price to pay. I was constantly beaten, abused, and sexually harassed by those men. I could only give in; my life was already a mess.
"You're awake. That's good."
A man's voice echoed in the room. I instantly felt unsettled. My excessive trauma with men caused me to overreact, a visceral response triggered by his simple presence.
I looked up at him, my eyes wide with stark terror.
"You don't need to worry about the people here at the hospital. We aren't bad guys," he said, his tone genuinely reassuring and gentle.
I frowned, looking away and clenching my fists.
"Why did you save me?" I asked, my voice thin, layered with uncertainty and suspicion.
"Oh, no, we aren't the ones who saved you," he replied firmly, continuing, "It was a Hero Player. You were found unconscious in an alley. You've been out for three whole days."
After that, the doctor asked me countless questions, and I answered everything truthfully.
"I see. You are due to awaken your blessing later at midnight. Good luck! That way, your life will finally change." The doctor delivered the news with a genuinely happy smile.
I hadn't even realized it. Because I'd been unconscious for three days, my seventeenth birthday was coming. Later at midnight, I would awaken my blessing!
But destiny, as it often does, played a cruel joke. My only last hope was shattered by my own high expectations.
At midnight...
[Ding!]
The sound I had longed to hear, the chime of my personal destiny, finally echoed in my mind. I, Chris Seolha, had turned seventeen, and my blessing had officially awakened.
Overwhelmed with anticipation, I had dreamed of the possibilities. I desperately wanted a Mage job as my birthday present.
[Ding! Congratulations! You've just awakened your blessing! Please touch the hologram to open and see your job!]
My heart pounded against my ribs. I touched the shimmering interface. But the burst of excitement instantly fade away, replaced by a cold wave of disappointment upon seeing my designated Job.
[Ding! Congratulations! You got the job: 'Memory Devourer.' Please touch for more info!]
"Happy life my foot! this is not what I expected to be, how am I supposed to live happily in this kind of fate?!"
I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. As morning arrived, I ran away from the hospital, my escape was clumsy and pathetic. Staff members chased me, but I managed to slip away.
I stumbled into a shady alley once again, my face still twisted in a frown. I walked like a zombie, fresh tears tracing paths through the dirt on my cheeks.
"Where did it all go wrong… I just wanted to live a normal life like anybody!" My grief became too much to bear, and I screamed the words out of pure anguish.
In the middle of my breakdown, I heard a commotion getting closer. It grew louder and louder until one of the very thugs who had tormented me suddenly appeared, running directly toward me.
I tried to stand, but my legs felt like lead. I was frozen by pure terror. The thug grabbed me, instantly making me his hostage.
"Don't come any closer, you fucking Hero Player! Or I'll kill this girl!" he roared.
I realized he was being chased by a Hero Player, and I had gotten in the way of their duty...
"Unhand her! And I'll let you go just this once!" the Hero Player demanded.
The thug slowly released his grip on me as he cautiously backed away, using me as a shield until he finally broke free and escaped. I was left standing there, released.
"I'm… I'm so sorry…" I apologized pathetically, tears blurring my vision. "If I hadn't gotten in your way, you would have already captured him…"
In that moment, I could think only of shame. Did I deserve to live? What purpose was left for me? These agonizing questions raced through my mind.
"You're the girl I saved three days ago," the Hero Player said. His voice was calm and incredibly gentle. "I'm glad you're awake now, but what are you doing out here? Why did you run away?"
He's the one who saved me…?
To be continued...