He poured all his strength into loosening the force that bound him.

It was a grueling process; Julian could actually feel that intangible power pulling back against him.

In the end, it felt as though he were tearing his own limbs apart in the dream before he could finally move and give chase.

And finally, he remembered Clara Ke.

From that moment on, his heart had begun to ache, like angina.

But how could he, healthy as he was, fall ill?

Nina had just said that Clara’s illness was the system’s doing.

It dawned on him then that his own illness was likely the consequence of "resisting" the system.

But Clara Ke had not yet been found...

Now that the system was gone, where was he supposed to look for her?

In truth, Julian should have noticed something was wrong long ago.

The first time he met Nina, his heart had skipped a beat for no reason.

His gaze felt as if it were being pulled along by her, and only after she vanished did his heartbeat feel like his own again.

At the time, he didn't understand what that feeling was, so he asked himself in his heart.

But instantly, an answer came to him, telling him it was love.

It was love at first sight.

Too specific, wasn't it? How could someone simply tell themselves that it was love at first sight?

Thinking back on it now, that was the answer the system gave him, solely to muddle his thoughts.

Yet afterward, as long as Nina was around, he couldn't help but look at her, and her face would frequently appear in his mind.

During that time, even though Clara Ke was right by his side, her presence was at its absolute lowest.

He would often forget Clara Ke, forgetting what he had said to her or what they had done together throughout the day.

Julian had suspected something.

But all of it had been glossed over by the answers provided by the system.

If it weren't for Clara’s departure this time—which had caused him such grief that his "affection" for Nina had wavered—Nina wouldn't have forced the system to wipe his memory.

He would never have discovered the anomaly.

Now, at this very moment, Julian was no longer influenced by the system.

He clutched his subtly aching chest, certain of one thing—

He had long since fallen in love with Clara Ke without realizing it.

Someone had tampered with his love, and killed his beloved.

Chapter 23

Julian endured the heart pain, left the hospital, and went to the police station.

However, the result was as he had expected—

The police had dispatched people that very day to search the valley again for Clara Ke.

Considering she might have fallen into the water, the police had specifically gone downstream, and even had officers skilled in swimming enter the water to search.

But there was no sign of Clara Ke anywhere.

"We are very sorry. Although we haven't found Ms. Ke’s body, it is an undeniable fact that her parachute did not open when she jumped."

"She either fell into a crevice in the valley, or she sank to the bottom of the water. The chances of survival... are very slim."

Julian had anticipated this.

Even if Clara had miraculously survived, the system would not have let her go.

Not to mention she also had a worsening brain tumor...

Julian’s eyes lost their luster completely.

He thanked the officer before him and turned to walk out.

But before he had taken many steps, his vision went black, and he fell straight to the ground!

"Mr. Julian?!"

……

In a certain valley, a pair of eyes slowly opened in the pitch-black darkness.

Where am I?

I clutched my aching head and slowly sat up, feeling the texture of stone beneath me, while the echo of dripping water resonated around.

It felt like a cave.

Why am I here?

I took several deep breaths to calm down, recalling what had happened before I lost consciousness.

After leaving my own birthday banquet, I went to the skydiving base. By then, I had already decided to end my life.

I had no attachment to this world left; rather than dying pathetically after my illness flared up, I would rather die in my favorite sport, amidst mountains and clear waters.

Even if the police investigated, I had willingly chosen not to open my parachute—it was suicide. I had signed the high-altitude skydiving liability waiver, so it wouldn't implicate anyone.

But now... I’m not dead?

What happened?

My memory stopped before I crashed into a large rock; I couldn't even be sure if I had hit it.

Because I didn't remember any pain.

If I had died, it should have been very painful, right?

I couldn't make sense of the situation, so I thought I’d rest for a moment longer before getting up to see where this place was.

However, just then, an indifferent, unfamiliar voice suddenly rang in my ears.

[99th walkthrough mission failed. Returning all memories to the host. Loading memories...]

I shuddered, startled.

But before I could question who it was, a white light flashed before my eyes.

Immediately afterward, my mind felt as if it had been forcefully stuffed with a huge mass of things, so crowded that my head felt like it was about to explode—

These were memories, so many, many memories.

These memories slowly unveiled themselves before me, connecting one piece of the past to another.

I was forced to accept these recollections, and my heart turned cold along with them.

As it turned out, when I was eighteen, a thing claiming to be a "system" suddenly appeared in my mind.

It said the world we lived in was a novel, Julian was the male lead, and I was the female lead.

It was here to help me win Julian over; as long as Julian confessed to me, the mission would be successful, the novel would reach its final conclusion, and the system would never disturb our lives again.

In truth, I never had the right to refuse.

So, I began the mission to win Julian over.

However, the first time I failed; Julian married someone else.

The system gave me a second chance, a third... until the ninety-ninth.

Every time, the system would wipe my memory, letting me start over.

But I never succeeded once.

Now, I finally saw it clearly: it wasn't that I didn't love Julian enough.

It was that Julian simply did not love me!

No matter how many times it was, his gaze would never fall upon me!

My heart went cold, for the sake of my absurd expectations and for Julian’s blindness over the past twenty-some years.

And I finally saw the true purpose of this system!

This was fundamentally an impossible mission.

I clenched my hands tightly and spoke coldly to that intangible presence in my mind: "You lied to me. You weren't here to help me be with Julian at all!"

In the dead silence, that usually cold, calm mechanical voice suddenly let out a bizarre laugh.

[How interesting... Clara Ke, how did you find out?]

Chapter 24

That eerie laughter was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

I felt, however, that this was the true face of this demonic system.

I narrowed my eyes: "In fact, I had sensed it a long time ago, but every time I couldn't think it through, you would wipe my memory and make me start all over again."

"This time, the person you selected was Nina, right?"

The system was noncommittal: [Of course. But it’s a pity; this one was the worst.]

I frowned: "What do you mean?"

The system laughed sinisterly: [She failed the mission to win Julian over, stayed in this world, and became a lunatic.]

[And her original physical body died in her place, crashing into this valley.]

I shuddered violently: "Why would you do such a thing?"

The system countered: [What did I do? Her soul was locked in another body; this physical shell was already useless.]

I couldn't help but raise my voice: "I’m asking why you would pull these innocent girls into this world. They didn't belong here to begin with. If it weren't for you, how could they have gone mad?"

Nina, of course, wasn't the first person to be left in this world.

Ninety-nine times, every single time, the system would arrange for someone to appear by Julian’s side.

Some succeeded, others failed.

I thought of Julian again: "You had no reason to involve so many people. Julian doesn't love me at all; even without these people you deliberately arranged, he wouldn't love me."

"As long as he doesn't love me, hasn't your goal been achieved?"

The system let out a long "Oh": [You’re so clever; after ninety-nine times you could guess that I’m actually preventing you and Julian from being together. Can you guess why I do this?]

I ignored it.