"This is killing me." Tessa exclaimed.
[Correct. You're dying right where you stand.]
Tessa frowned.
This so-called system—wasn't it supposed to help her? Like it said?
Why the hell did it have such a nasty tone??
"Okay, can't you help me?" she demanded, still shaking like a leaf about to be uprooted from a tree branch at any moment.
[Also correct. If you stop being useless and stand up to do something useful for yourself.]
Her eyes twitched at the reply.
Useless??
Her, Tessa Yun, useless?
Those were two impossible things to put together because she could never be useless.
[Hmm, maybe not useless… but half dead.]
It continued so calmly that Tessa wished she could at least see it or touch it.
Because if she could do either of those—
Well, she couldn't guarantee its life anymore.
"You're a very rude system, you know that, right? Aren't you bound to me? Aren't you supposed to help me do whatever I say, asshole?"
She snapped, but it only continued with its mechanical noise, completely ignoring her once again.
[We all have our burdens, and you're one of mine. So let's not start complaining.]
Seeing that the system clearly wasn't going to be respectful and seemed determined to act like a grumpy old hag, she decided to let it go and see what this host body at least had to offer.
This body had to have some use.
At least one or two.
Then a translucent panel flashed before her face, displaying her information, and whatever she was seeing wasn't helping at all.
*****
[Host Status]
[Name: Tessa Yun (temporary body)]
[Species: Cat Beast Female]
[Condition: Starving, malnourished, partially blind, toxin accumulation, trauma-induced mutism, reproductive system suppressed aka barrenness]
[Title: Rejected Useless Female]
[Current Value: 2 copper leaves and a cracked bowl]
[Survival Odds (24h): 6%]
[Main Cause of Potential Death: starvation, hypothermia, tribal negligence, roof collapse]
****
Tessa's jaw practically dropped as she read everything right in front of her face.
These stats were not good at all.
And to be tagged useless by the system itself?
That meant there was literally no hope.
Jeez, what kind of luck did she always have?
When her mates were probably receiving better hosts—or at least a better helping system—where was she??
Not only was the body she landed in half dead, which already put her in danger, but she had also been dumped by her tribe and abandoned by everyone who knew her.
How the fuck were you supposed to survive in such a world when everyone practically hated you from head to toe??
"At least you could've encouraged me. Just look at how scary this is."
Tessa trembled harder, the cold making everything ten times worse.
[This system values honesty, agriculture, and money-making. Anything related to emotional support is a premium feature which you have to work your ass off to achieve, and I doubt you can manage that.]
That hit Tessa so hard she actually gulped.
The machine was roasting her badly.
Normally, she would've fired back immediately.
But not when everything in front of her was screaming negative.
She had nothing to counter with.
Then suddenly—
[Ding Ding! Your first task.]
[Emergency Mission: Take a bath and end this stinking mess.]
[Detected serious toxic, life-threatening bacteria which will kill you if you do not bathe.]
[Reward: Unlock +2 Health Recovery Points.]
The task before her at least wasn't too bad.
And she wouldn't lie—she desperately needed a bath.
A very, very serious bath.
But where was she supposed to get one??
And could she even find anything to treat her skin while bathing, because right now she smelled like she had been fermented in a corpse pit.
Fuck it!!
Maybe the system would at least help her.
But just when she was about to ask for its intervention, it disappeared and refused to speak any further.
As she tried to stand, she heard the last mechanical sound.
[Failure to perform such a simple task will result in death inside this poop pit.]
Then finally, it went silent.
Tessa gnashed her teeth in anger.
Was she supposed to manufacture a bath out of blood??
Well, she wasn't the type to back down from a challenge.
So she would force herself to do it even if the body was weak.
Wait a minute—
She did care because dying here might mean dying for real.
Oh goodness.
Better she respect herself and get her ass moving.
Crawling forward, she moved slowly, trying to locate the door. When her hand finally caught it, she gripped the frame and pushed herself up, nearly swaying off balance.
Just how light was this female??
Had she not eaten for years??
I could've sworn the wind could carry me away right this moment.
Now trying to find water to bathe, she stepped out of the house carefully.
It seemed the previous host hadn't stepped outside in a long time because the sunlight attacked her eyes violently, and it wasn't even that bright.
The harsh wind that clung to her skin instantly froze her where she stood.
This is all that pathetic girl's fault.
Why would you go around chasing a man like that? Now look at you.
Was this really her life now??
Even to bathe, she had to hunt like some wild beast and scavenge for water.
How was that fair in any way??
As if nature had finally smiled on her, she noticed a water source.
It wasn't too far off, and it looked wide enough to wash her properly.
At least… she hoped so.
Scampering toward it, she managed to reach the riverbank but nearly got blown away by a powerful gust of wind.
She grabbed a nearby plant by the roots and hugged it for dear life, too scared to let go for a second.
"What a hassle. Just trying to bathe and that's how I almost died."
She sighed, released the plant, and staggered toward the river.
Stepping into it from the bank, she started taking off her clothes.
But the moment she got far enough into the water and glanced down at her body, she nearly lost consciousness.
The skin—
Her skin was completely coated in some black slimy substance she couldn't even explain.
And her face?
That was a whole nightmare on its own.
The patches were huge—almost egg-sized—and oozing whitish filth from the pores, with maggots crawling out in places.
She was so disgusted she didn't even realize when she started throwing up.
Mad and beyond irritated, she began scrubbing harshly.
Rinsing.
Washing.
Scrubbing like her life depended on it.
Her mind was so focused on getting the patches off and cleaning herself that she completely forgot she was naked in an open space.
Her eyes were wide as she scrubbed and scrubbed like a madwoman.
While rubbing herself down, she poured water over her body again and again, imagining all the filth and bad luck being washed away with it.
Then, in the middle of it, her eyes caught sight of a plant beneath the riverbed.
As she rubbed her face hurriedly, she almost stepped on it but stopped midway.
Once again, the translucent panel appeared right in front of her.
[Aloe Vera: Good for the skin and effective in removing toxins.]
As if the heavens had heard her cry, Tessa nearly jumped.
She immediately uprooted the plant, bit into it to tear it open, and squeezed out the gel, smearing the fluid all over her skin.
Still irritated beyond imagination, she kept scrubbing hard, watching the nasty layers peel off and fall into the water.
Finally—
She felt clean.
Fresh.
Whole again.
"That was close."
Sighing deeply, she looked at her reflection in the river and gasped.
Something was happening to her skin.
She was changing.
Not the kind of dramatic transformation she would've preferred—but still, something was definitely happening.
And honestly?
If this was a glow-up, she would appreciate it because the body she had inherited was a complete disaster.
Her face was no longer covered in the horrendous patches she had seen before entering the river.
The skin disease all over her body—even the ones close to her boobs—had vanished completely.
Then the familiar mechanical sound rang out again.
[I can't believe you actually did it, gurl. Congratulations, you have gained +2 Health Recovery Points.]
That news was damn refreshing.
So that explained the strange warmth she was feeling.
And that was only the beginning.
If just one task gave her that kind of improvement, then if she kept going and earned more recovery points, maybe she could actually return this body to a much better state.
Now that she was done, however, she was faced with a new dilemma.
What the hell was she supposed to wear??
And while she was still standing there on the surface of the water, lost in thought—
Two large hands suddenly grabbed her.
Before she could even react, she was lifted clean off the river in bridal style.
Her whole soul nearly left her body.
Tessa didn't hold back.
She let out a thunderous scream.