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Chapter ~ 01
It had always been fine.
When my boyfriend cheated on me with a senior from my department—
When my estranged father suddenly showed up after years and asked to borrow money—
Even when my mom lost all of our savings after signing a bad surety—
…I was still fine.
But this time…
[Congratulations! You have been selected as a participant for !]
[System rebooting.]
[Loading…]
[Your new identity is .]
[From now on, you must raise the male leads’ affection as !]
This time, I was not fine.
[As your first possession reward, you can purchase a “Skill.”]
[Would you like to check available skills?]
“What the hell… is all this?”
Name: Lee Soyul, age: 22.
I was just an ordinary college student—until a status window suddenly popped up in front of my eyes.
To explain a bit more:
It wasn’t just the status window.
Right after it appeared, my vision went dark and the world started spinning.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t me anymore.
I woke up in a room that looked straight out of a medieval period drama, and when I staggered to a mirror—
The reflection staring back wasn’t mine.
In the mirror stood a stunning beauty I could never have imagined.
Honey-gold hair that glimmered like sunlight, eyes so clear they looked transparent—
Flawless skin, rosy lips, the kind of face that only existed in fairy tales.
A princess.
I barely had time to admire her when new pop-up windows started appearing before my eyes.
And that’s how I got here.
‘…This isn’t a dream, right?’
Who could believe this? One second I was me, and the next—I’d woken up as someone else, in some strange world.
[From now on, you must raise the male leads’ affection as !]
Among the floating windows, one line caught my eye first—and a guess flashed across my mind.
‘Could this be… what they call a “possession”?’
You know, that typical romance fantasy setup—
The heroine wakes up in another body, panics at first, then meets her destined partner and falls in love…
Could I have become one of those heroines?
As I blankly stared into space, another window popped up with a pop!
[Chat function activated.]
[Enter your ID:]
Chat? ID?
Do fantasy stories with status windows normally have a chat feature?
[Enter your ID!! :]
The window trembled and glowed insistently. It clearly wasn’t going to move on until I picked something.
‘Well, since my name here is Lariana…’
“Ria?”
[ID entered: Ria]
[ID saved. Once chosen, it cannot easily be changed.]
Wait, you tell me that after I’ve already set it?!
What if I’d named myself something stupid like “SuddenlyPossessedGirl”?!
As I grumbled internally, more windows appeared.
[Loading…]
[ has been invited to the chatroom.]
…Oh?
[Lulu: Oh wow, it’s been ages since a newbie showed up!]
[Sansan: Hi, Ria-nim!]
[ElephantNoseIsLong: Another victim joins the club… sigh.]
A flood of chat messages filled the window in seconds.
[I m The Heroine?!: Ria-nim, wherever you are right now, if it’s the forest, stay alert!]
[ImTheHeroine?!: Did you wake up in a room or in a forest?]
Uh… should I reply?
[Ria: A room.]
[Sansan: Lucky! I started in a forest—so unfair~]
[Lulu: You’ve got good luck then!]
‘Lucky? Me?’
I was still trying to understand what they meant when—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A heavy pounding echoed from the door—not knocking, but thudding.
Every hair on my body stood up.
[I m The Heroine?!: If you woke up in a room, you’re not completely defenseless. Don’t leave until you draw your skill. Hold out as long as you can—]
[I m The Heroine?!: —before they come.]
They?
My heart began to hammer in my chest.
What the hell was going on?!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“What do they mean, draw a skill…?”
[As your first possession reward, you can purchase a ‘Skill.’]
[Would you like to check available skills?]
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The pounding grew louder. In panic, I shouted, “Yes!”
Instantly, a flurry of windows appeared.
[Welcome to the Skill Shop!]
[You possess one unique skill (base skill).]
[Unique Skill: Lv.1]
[Heals minor wounds.]
[Available skills to purchase:]
[Super Strength / Quick Feet / Stealth]
Super Strength: Greatly increases physical strength.
Quick Feet: Increases running speed.
Stealth: Makes you invisible for one minute.
‘…This feels more like a game than a romance novel.’
Quests? Skills? This was definitely a game setup!
As I frowned, the door shuddered violently again.
Oh god—what’s out there?!
I could only type in desperation:
[Ria: The door’s shaking! What is that?!]
[ImTheHeroine?!: Oh… so it’s already started, huh?]
[Ria: What’s started?!]
BOOM! KRA-KA-BOOM!
A deafening crash made me clap my hands over my ears.
Something sharp grazed past my cheek.
“Gasp—!”
They say you can’t even scream when you’re truly terrified—it’s true. My throat locked up.
Because standing in front of me was something… inhuman.
A monster with gleaming eyes staring straight at me.
[ImTheHeroine?!: Welcome to hell.]
Shaking, I forced myself to look—but not for long.
It looked vaguely human, but half its face had melted away, leaving an unrecognizable mess.
Just seeing it made bile rise in my throat.
It lumbered toward me, heavy footsteps echoing.
Pure instinct kicked in—I stumbled back, screaming.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!”
I kept retreating until my back hit the wall, then sank down.
No, no, no! Don’t come closer—!
[Which skill would you like to purchase?]
With the monster’s face looming over me and the translucent window overlapping it, I screamed, “SUPER STRENGTH!!”
[Skill ‘Super Strength’ selected.]
[Skill activating.]
The monster was reaching for me—its arm outstretched.
No more running.
Either it got me… or I got it.
Adrenaline surged through me. I clenched my trembling fist and swung.
WHAM!!
“KEEEEKKKK!!”
With an impossible crack, the creature flew across the room—
CRASH!
—and slammed into the opposite wall, half-embedded in it.
It slumped, motionless.
“Hah… hah…”
Panting, I stared at the limp monster, still not believing what I’d done.
What was that…?
Did I really just punch it that far?!
There had been a strange, squishy feeling against my hand…
As I gaped, I heard footsteps. Instinctively, I tensed again.
“Huh…”
The newcomer was a tall, broad-shouldered man.
He crouched to examine the monster, then straightened and looked at me.
“Who… are you?”
“Uh, then… who are you?”
He frowned slightly, as if my question annoyed him, then asked again.
“That creature—was that you?”
“…Probably?”
After a pause, he stepped closer and offered his hand.
It looked like he wanted to help me up.
I took it, grateful—and noticed he didn’t let go.
“…Why aren’t you letting go?”
“You,” he said.
His golden eyes gleamed sharply.
“Will you come with me?”
