Chapter 1 : the unknown God

"What a tiring day..." Amertia glanced at her watch. It was already 10 PM, very late. She wondered how her younger sister was doing at home.

Was she alright at home?

Ever since their parents passed away, the burden of the family fell on Amertia. At that time, she sacrificed her college education and took over her father's company.

She was only 19 years old and had to raise her younger sister by herself.

Amertia carefully opened the door to her house without a sound.

She slowly opened her younger sister's bedroom door and sighed in relief, seeing her sound asleep.

Her obsidian eyes softened. Seeing her gentle and cute sister greatly reduced her fatigue. She loved her dearly. For Tia, her sister was her only purpose in life; raising her would be her greatest achievement in this world.

Amertia lovingly stroked her younger sister Leila's dark hair. She gently whispered, "Big sister is home."

Feeling she had seen enough of her sleeping sister, Amertia went into her own room. She cleaned herself, went into the bathroom, changed into her sleepwear, and then closed her eyes.

This was her daily routine.

Cooking breakfast, helping her sister, going to work, coming home late at night, sleeping.

An never-ending cycle. Sometimes she felt guilty for not having free time for Leila.

But remembering her parents' message to take care of the company, she truly struggled to divide her time.

'Tomorrow... I have to spend time with Alena... No company meetings tomorrow...'

Before falling asleep, Amertia repeatedly reminded herself.

Tomorrow. A new day for her and Leila.

She couldn't disappoint her.

.

.

.

How long had she been asleep? She didn't know. The darkness embracing her was so warm and comfortable, providing a tranquility that had been missing for years of hard work.

"You are father's successor."

"Don't sleep, it's time to study."

"Sunrise, time for training."

"It's still bright, time for martial arts training."

"It's already afternoon, time to work."

"Sunset, time for you to practice writing."

"It's already night, time for you to sleep."

For Tia, ever since sunrise, it was time for her to wake up. Only nighttime allowed her to rest.

When darkness enveloped everything, her parents would release her and let her sleep alone in her beautiful dreams.

The peace in sleep always made her happy. In her never-ending daily life, her only hope was to rest alone, far from expectations.

Until a gift from the gods came to her.

"Tia, Mother will give you a little sister."

Her mother gave birth to a small baby.

It was a beautiful baby.

Tia was captivated.

"Leila. Mother, her name is Leila!"

Even her parents agreed with the name she gave.

Tia felt a purpose in her life.

"From now on, this is your younger sister. Be a good big sister and take care of her when Father and Mother are not here..."

Tia smiled happily, "Of course."

Her sister was so small and fragile, how could she let her grow up alone?

Her cute and adorable sister.

Leila.

'My lovely little sister.'

I promise I will make you the happiest girl in this world, my little sister.

But where was this?

Amertia looked around confused.

Eh...?

Green grass stretched out, a beautiful view of the blue sky, fresh air, a giant tree beside her.

This wasn't her room.

This wasn't the city park.

This wasn't a city either.

Was this a dream?

"This is not a dream," a man's voice made her shift her gaze.

"Who are you?" She turned and was surprised.

The wind blew, leaves fell, a man stood tall, beautiful silver hair waving mesmerizingly. He had an impeccably charming face that captivated anyone. Even a woman like her, who had seen many male models, couldn't help but gaze at his face without boredom.

Beauty, handsomeness, splendor—all those words couldn't describe the man before her.

Was this still human?

"Oh? I didn't expect you to guess so accurately," the man chuckled.

He seemed interested in the girl before him.

"Amertia, 30 years old, single. Your parents died in a tragedy, you have an 18-year-old younger sister."

Tia was startled. But thanks to years of training, her face showed no emotion at all.

"Interesting... Since childhood, you were raised as a boy... because your parents were obsessed with having a son as a successor."

The silver-haired man looked deeply into her eyes. His lips curved into a clear smile.

"It's a pity you are destined to die in your world."

What?

Die? What did he mean, die?

Tia's thoughts were filled with negative things. Things she often ignored entered her mind. It was impossible for her to die just by falling asleep?

Or was it true that she died because she had been pushing herself too hard all this time?

No way.

"Who are you?"

The man waved his hand, and instantly the expanse of green grassland disappeared, emptiness enveloped the entire realm as if everything was just an illusion in her sight.

For a moment, Amertia couldn't react. Her heart pounded realizing something she had never imagined.

"A god." She whispered in disbelief.

An existence that could change the entire universe with a wave of a hand.

A worshipped figure.

A man where people prayed and pleaded for his blessing.

"You're quite clever. You can call me —"

Tia frowned. What was his name? ——? What kind of god is he ?

"Ah, time is almost up," the man seemed to regret their remaining time.

The girl before him was what he needed.

"You must listen carefully, little human."

"From now on, I will give you a task."

"You must complete all missions to return to the real world."

"From now on, you will be my 'follower'."

"My path, you must trace it."

"Awaken —"

"Wait a moment, I don't understand." Amertia couldn't process this sudden encounter. How could a god simply give her a mission without any explanation?

"Leila! My little sister What about Lei—la!"

Tia couldn't react yet. The man's figure slowly blurred like a faint light. Her hand tried to grasp his form.

But the man just smiled, letting her approach him as his body began to disintegrate into hundreds of flying lights.

"I will wait for you to find me."

Amertia's fingertip touched a glimmer of fading light. And then...

Her vision darkened.

"..."

When Amertia woke up, she found herself in a different place. This time... she wasn't alone in a green field.

Instead, she was in a dark prison cell with a group of people.

"... You're awake?"

Tia turned to look at a woman who appeared to be about 50 years old with burn scars on the left side of her face.

"Where is this? What happened to me?"

The old woman looked at her with sympathy but said nothing, turning to speak with the other women in the cell.

Tia truly didn't understand. Everything happened so fast that she couldn't react. One minute ago, a man claiming to be a god ordered her to 'trace his path,' and a minute later, she woke up in a prison cell.

What was actually happening?

[Ding! Heroine System successfully bound!]

Eh?

[Congratulations to the user -Amertia- for receiving a beginner's package!]

[Open package now?]

[Yes] [No]

Amertia looked around carefully, seeing the other prisoners who weren't paying attention to her, she decided to press [No].

It was too risky to act strangely here under the gaze of the other prisoners.

Amertia slowly leaned back against the wall. She realized that her body was severely injured. At least she had two stab wounds in her stomach.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, enduring the pain in her body.

[Would you like an explanation of what is happening to you right now?]

Oh?

"Yes," she whispered.

[You can speak to me in your mind.]

Ah, I see.

What exactly happened to me?

[Long story short, the god — sent you to this world, but because the god ran out of energy, he accidentally dropped you at the border between the Holy Eldegar Empire and the Ancient Eldebaran Empire.]

???

Empire border?

[You fell there, and when you fell into a long sleep, a drunk knight stabbed you and almost killed you.]

Damn it.

WHAT THE —xx ?!!

I ALMOST DIED?! BECAUSE OF A DRUNK KNIGHT?!

That god!!!!

Tia gritted her teeth in anger.

[Master, please calm down for a moment. The drunk knight has already been killed by the soldiers of the Eldebaran Empire. But your identity still cannot be found, due to suspicion, the Eldebaran soldiers put you in a prison cell with other illegal immigrants.]

HE SHOULD HAVE DIED BY MY HAND!

Tia tried to compose herself. Now that she was awake, she had to check her condition first.

She was in a cell with people dressed simply. They looked like people who had fled from war and were caught in an enemy cell.

Even so...

Footsteps echoed from a distance. The people who had been talking and muttering earlier closed their mouths. Tia focused her gaze.

A knight in iron armor walked by, investigating the people in the cell. Faint interrogation sounds could be heard.

"What's your name?"

"Wildia."

"How old are you?"

"38 years old."

The questions continued until the final one.

"Why did you enter the Eldebaran Empire without permission?"

"Where are you from?"

After that, Amertia couldn't hear any answers. There was only silence until the knight instructed other soldiers to spread out and question the prisoners one by one.

"Find them."

Amertia sighed, waiting for her turn. She looked at the old woman who had spoken to her when she first woke up.

The woman looked anxious.

[Ding! Mission triggered!]

[Kill the imperial spy! Protect the Eldebaran Empire's General!]

[Mission reward: 5x gems, 1x normal potion, 1000 exp]

Mission?

Who is the imperial general???

[You must find out yourself.]

Tia speechless.

No spoilers?

[Absolutely none.]