Everything around her was pitch black, like she was floating in an empty space. It was so quiet, and it felt like she was standing in the middle of a vast plain where nothing could be seen.
Chimirie couldn't feel anything. It was like all her senses were turned off. The only thing working was her mind.
She didn't know where she was; all she remembered was that she suddenly became transparent, like a ghost. Then some force sucked her in, and she ended up in this unknown dark place.
"What is this place? Am I dead? But they said transcended—so that means I should be in another dimension." She tried to move but couldn't. It felt like she was floating in water without knowing where she was.
[Odorless Green Snake Poison detected in host body]
"What Green Snake Poison? So, I was poisoned, got sucked by something, and now I'm poisoned again? Is this a double death for me?"
[System extracted poison]
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[Completed]
[Congratulations Host, you are successfully transferred to Zala's body]
Name: Zala Alquima Androvaje
Cultivation Realm: None
Pets: None
Status: Unconscious
Shop: None
Shop Privilege: Rookie (Copper)
EXP: [0/5]
Money: 0.00
Properties: None
"This is probably the only 'congratulations' that never made me happy. Should I jump for joy? Oh right, I can't even move. Fishtea!"
She wasn't happy because it felt like she had been kidnapped and dumped in an unknown place. Things were going well between her and Lerv, but because of that stupid ad, she ended up here. Great. If she ever gets back to her world, she's going to protest in front of Ace Apps Store—or maybe buy a nuclear missile and blow up their building.
She thought for a moment, still confused why, out of billions of people in the world, she was the one chosen for this. She never managed any business, though she had some knowledge because she once took a course about it—but she never finished because she was bad at math. And because she was bad at math, she was also bad at accounting, so she dropped out and tried another course.
"Am I the only one who accidentally clicked that ad? Just me?" She wanted to ask because among all the users of that app store, it had to be her.
This kind of "luck" wasn't something she wanted. She'd rather be the unluckiest person in the world. Now she's far away from Lervian, and she doesn't even know if she can keep her promise. She wasn't like most people who treat promises as jokes.
She wanted to help Lervian even if it meant facing the thing she hated most—exposure. Her in-game name was super famous. If people found out, the greedy media would chase her for clout and money.
"But what about the National E-games? The Olympic E-games? I promised Lervian!" She started to panic even more because there were only three months left before the National E-games. She also felt bad for her friend who really wanted to win.
[Don't worry, Host. You can return to your world after completing the main mission.]
"Mission, your face! What mission is that?!"
[Patience, Host. You'll know soon.]
Finally, Chimirie started to feel something around her in Zala's body. She felt something hard against her back, different from the soft bed in her old world. She guessed it was made of ancient wood.
In her world, ancient wood was rare—especially Narra, which was already extinct. The only Narra furniture you could see was in museums, worth about 25 million pesos in the Philippines.
There were almost no forests left in the Philippines, and the old map had shrunk because of rising waters. People now lived in underwater buildings—just like where she used to live.
But then she felt something sticky, like mud, under her butt. Then she heard voices around her.
"What the—? Is this poop? Did I poop myself? For the first time in history, I pooped in my pants! Gross!" she thought in disgust.
What made it worse were the comments around her.
"It stinks! What is that smell?" one of the twins said.
"This smell is killing me. I can't take it anymore!"
"I can't stay here. Let's go!" The girl quickly stepped out, followed by her twin and their mother.
Is poop supposed to smell like perfume? Come on, how ignorant can these people be? she thought.
"Father, did Young Sister Zala poop? Isn't she dead?" Sediaya, who was close to Zala, asked.
If Chimirie could move right now, she would have thrown a pillow at the one who said she was dead. Yes, the real owner of this body was dead—but the system put her in here.
A man, who looked like he was in his mid-30s but was actually 140 seasons old, turned to look at her. Well, people in this world could live up to 400 years, so technically, he was just middle-aged.
"Go outside first and call the maids to clean up your little sister Zala. That's what happens when someone dies, Sediaya. The body releases waste," he said in a sad tone.
System! What is this? Why can't I move? I don't want someone cleaning me up when I have hands!
Chimirie tried to move, but she couldn't. She wanted to get up, but her body wouldn't listen.
[Host, your body is still too weak to move. It was poisoned and not fully recovered yet.]
Fine, this isn't my real body anyway, so why should I care? she thought. But deep down, she was still embarrassed. Who would want to be cleaned like a baby while being fully aware of it?
"I'll call the maids. Sediaya, stay here and watch your sister with me."
Chimirie stayed silent and observed her surroundings. The place grew quiet, and now all she could hear was the wind blowing through the open window.
Only the man remained, watching the figure wrapped in a white blanket. He whispered something softly to himself.
"I couldn't even protect our child, Rakina." He sighed deeply.
Then the maids came in and checked on Zala. They covered their noses immediately because of the strong, disgusting smell. They surrounded her and removed the blanket. Chimirie felt her underwear being pulled down and the cold air on her thighs.
Ugh, this is so embarrassing, but what can I do? I can't move or even speak. And even if I could talk, I'd rather let them clean this mess than feel how gross it is. Chimirie muttered in her mind. What did I do to deserve this kind of punishment, huh?
But no matter what she did, she couldn't change anything. To fully recover, the system still needed to extract all the poison from her body.
The maids put the dirty underwear in a container. Then she felt something cold being wiped on her butt. They applied something that smelled good, but she didn't know what it was.
The head maid held her hand and pressed her fingers on her pulse.
Her eyes widened, which made Ramelic, her father, curious. Sediaya also noticed her reaction. They wanted to know what happened.
"Faction Head, it's a miracle!" the maid said. Ramelic frowned, annoyed at the suspense.
A miracle, huh? Yeah, a miracle that I ended up here. Who knew fantasy stories could come true?
"What is it, Cyntia? Tell me directly."
"Yes, Yaya Cyntia, what happened?" the young girl added.
"Sir, Zala's pulse is beating!"
See? I told you I'm not dead yet, Chimirie said in her head.
When Seravon heard that, he quickly stepped forward and placed his fingers on her wrist.
He felt the pulse that wasn't there before when he checked earlier.
Sediaya also checked and was shocked. Her once gloomy face now looked bright and full of hope.
They heard footsteps. When they turned, a woman entered, confused by their reactions. Her eyes silently asked what was going on.
"What? Why do you look like that? What happened, my love?" she asked.
Ugh, their endearments are too sweet. But if Lerv said that to me, it would be heaven.
The man stepped forward, hugged the woman tightly, and so did their daughter.
"What happened, huh?"
The woman asked again.
"It's a miracle! Our youngest child's pulse came back. Our daughter Zala is a fighter, Cecilia!"
The man said happily, while Chimirie, inside Zala's body, didn't know what to think. The truth was, the real Zala was gone—and she was just an intruder in this body.