Ling Shaomiao slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she noticed was the faint steam of warm water. She realized her body was leaning back in a white porcelain bathtub. The rim of the tub was engraved with delicate patterns reminiscent of the traditional décor of old European houses.
The walls of the room were painted a deep green, adorned with golden patterned wallpaper. In the corner, a brass stand held an oil lamp that cast a soft yellow glow. Outside the window, a gray mist had settled, as if it were the morning of an old European city.
"How… how did I get here?"
A jolt ran through Ling Shaomiao's mind. Just a moment ago, she had been lying in her own bed!
She struggled to sit up. Her eyes fell on a tall mirror hanging on the wall, and she froze at the reflection.
In the mirror, she saw a girl with black hair, wet and clinging to her shoulders. Her eyes were deep blue, like a winter sky. Her face was oval, with fair, smooth skin, bearing a distinctly European appearance.
But that was not her face. At that moment, a sharp pain pierced her head, as if countless memories were flooding in at once. She pressed her temples.
After a moment, gritting her teeth, she whispered,
"Don't tell me… I've been transmigrated into another novel again…"
Her voice carried disbelief and irritation.
After a brief silence, she murmured again,
"And if it really is… which novel is this?"
Inside the room, only the faint glow of the oil lamp flickered, while the mist outside the window thickened.
Ling Shaomiao blinked, though there was no surprise only mild annoyance. She had already grown accustomed to these situations. So far, she had been transmigrated into the worlds of six different novels; this was her seventh. From the surroundings, there was no doubt: this time, she had entered the world of Lord of the Mysteries.
Her surroundings were wrapped in a Victorian nocturnal atmosphere. The walls were green, decorated with fine golden patterns. In the corner, a brass lamp cast a soft yellow light, and outside the window, dense mist and the gray hues of night spread across the city, as if a European town had frozen in time.
Ling Shaomiao knew this transfer had likely happened because of a review or comment she had given. From previous experiences, when she returned to the real world, all memories of the previous transfer would vanish. But if she entered another novel, she could retain all memories of the prior transfers.
Slowly, she rose from the bathtub and wrapped herself in clothes. She put on a long, light-colored Victorian gown and pajamas laid out before her.
She stood silently, thinking, "What is my name now? And why did I bathe so late at night?"
Suddenly, she felt a slight itch in her throat. She approached the mirror and saw a small red rash around her neck. She thought, "It's probably an allergy…" yet a twinge of discomfort lingered.
She then moved toward the door and pushed it lightly open. Immediately, her eyes fell upon a terrifying sight: a large black dog stood behind the door. Its eyes glowed, its body was solid, and it seemed to have appeared out of the darkness as if materializing from nowhere. The night mist outside the window had thickened further, and the lamp's soft light cast the dog's long shadow across the room's walls.
The door suddenly shut behind her, and everything around her froze strangely. Even the lamp's light seemed to dim and hold still. Before her eyes appeared a blue screen, with white letters clearly displayed:
Name: Aria Nightshade
Age: 19
Occupation: Fashion Designer
City: 17 Moonlit Crescent, East Borough, Backlund
Suddenly, a scene from fifteen minutes earlier flashed in her mind. She realized that the reason she had bathed at this hour was due to an allergic reaction in this new body.
She glanced at the date with mild annoyance and habituation, whispering,
"No… don't tell me I'm about to die. And don't tell me I'm about to become the twelfth victim in the news."
At that moment, new text appeared on the screen. A soft blue light began to glow, and the letters became fully visible:
First Mission: "Survive"
In an instant, a countdown appeared beside the screen. Time outside seemed to have frozen. The lamp swayed slightly, the mist outside the window thickened, and every shadow in the room held perfectly still.
Around Ling Shaomiao, only the countdown on the blue screen moved. Each second seemed to synchronize with the beat of her heart.
Ling Shaomiao steadied herself. So I have to fight, she thought. It was no problem two years ago in the real world, she had been a renowned assassin. Now, she just needed to survive against this black dog and scream if necessary.
Her mind recalled the novel's events. When the female fashion designer had been killed, Klein had accidentally used the Master Key to enter this place. And because of Klein's scream, a "High Sequence Beyonder" woman had appeared, whose name she could not quite remember. If she could hear her scream, help might be possible.
Ling Shaomiao analyzed the situation in an instant. All she needed now was some kind of weapon or method to strike with her hands to fend off the dog and get herself to safety.
As the countdown on the screen reached 00:00, everything returned to normal. In an instant, the big black dog tried to pounce on him.
Ling Shaomiao quickly made a long leap and jumped over the dog and landed behind it. Her chest was pounding, but her heart was still cool.
She said to himself,
"I can fight very well with this body."
Her eyes suddenly fell on a vase in front of her. She picked it up and hit it against the wall with some force. The vase partially broke, leaving a sharp broken piece in his hand.
Just then, the dog attacked her again. She quickly moved aside and inserted the broken half vase into the dog's body. Then she pulled it out forcefully. As a result, the dog's skin was slightly torn and it cried out in pain.
Ling shaomiao immediately picked up a pen from the table and hit the dog's eye hard. Immediately, blood came out of the dog's eyes.
At this opportunity, she began to scream loudly,
"Save me! There is a murderer here!"
"Save! Save!"
Shee screamed loudly several times, as if someone outside could hear.
The dog was still screaming in pain. Ling shaomiao quickly went to the door and tried to open it, but the door was locked from the outside.
She immediately ran to the window. But the dog was too strong. It howled again and jumped on her.
She tried to move away, but she bumped into the glass window a little. As soon as she moved aside with difficulty, the dog hit the glass with a huge force.
The dog and the broken glass fell to the ground together. However, the window glass did not break enough to get out.
The dog stood up again and jumped on her again. Ling shaomiao fell to the floor. Many broken glass pieces pierced her back and cut her hands.
When the dog was about to jump on her again, she saw a knife lying on the floor.
She quickly reached out and picked up the knife and plunged it into the dog's body with all her strength.