Chapter 1: Bound To System

Two hundred.

That was the exact number of web novels Lyra had finished this year.

She had spent countless nights reading instead of sleeping. Romance, fantasy, apocalypse, revenge, transmigration, cultivation- you name it, she had read it.

Tonight, she finally finished her 200th novel.

"The End."

The words appeared on her phone screen. Lyra let out a happy sigh and hugged her pillow.

"Finally..." she mumbled with a smile. "That ending was worth staying awake...for four days straight"

Her eyes were burning from staring at the screen for so long.

"I can finally sleep."

She put her phone on the bedside table, pulled the blanket over herself, and closed her eyes.

A few seconds later...

A sharp pain spread across her chest.

"H-Huh...?"

She couldn’t breathe.

Her vision became blurry, and everything around her faded into darkness.

...

When Lyra opened her eyes again, she wasn’t in her bedroom anymore.

She was floating in a strange place filled with glowing blue lights. Endless streams of data floated around her. "What... is this?"

Before she could think any further, a cheerful mechanical voice echoed through the empty space.

[Ding! Welcome, Host 404.]

Lyra jumped.

"Who’s there?"

[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the qualification by reading 200 high-quality novels. You have been chosen by the Plot Rectification System.] A transparent blue screen appeared in front of her. Lyra stared at it with wide eyes.

"This... this is real?"

The screen continued.

[Many novel worlds are collapsing because their characters have gone off-script. Your job is to enter those worlds, become the assigned character, follow the original story, and repair the plot.]

More words appeared.

Reward: Return to your original world with a healthy body.

Failure: Soul Obliteration.

Lyra froze.

"Soul... obliteration?"

[Correct.]

She stayed silent for a moment.

Then she sighed.

"As expected."

She had read enough quick transmigration novels to know exactly what was happening. "So I died."

[Correct.]

"And if I finish all the missions, I can come back to life?"

[Correct.]

"If I fail..."

[You will disappear forever.]

"...That’s harsh."

Lyra rubbed her forehead even though she wasn’t sure ghosts could even get headaches. After thinking for a few seconds, she shrugged. "I don’t really have a choice, do I?"

[No.]

"Then fine." She crossed her arms confidently. "I’ve read enough novels to know every cliché. Side characters, cannon fodder, villains, white lotuses- I know them all." A confident grin appeared on her face.

"I’ll just follow the script, finish the missions, and go home. How hard can it be?"

The System stayed silent for a second.

Then...

[Mission accepted.]

The blue space disappeared.

Everything around Lyra turned black.

She felt like she was falling through an endless tunnel. "Wait! At least tell me where I’m going first!"

No one answered.

A few seconds later...

She slowly opened her eyes.

A beautiful bedroom came into view.

The bed beneath her was soft, and expensive-looking furniture filled the room.

"Huh...?"

She sat up and looked around in confusion.

"Where am I?"

Just then, the familiar mechanical voice rang inside her head.

[Ding!]

[Welcome, Host. Your first mission is about to begin.]

Lyra groaned and rubbed her eyes.

"Can I at least wake up properly before you start giving me work?"

Then, the familiar, mechanical voice rang out clearly inside her head once again.

[The plot is now processing...]

A glowing blue loading bar suddenly materialized, floating right in front of her eyes.

Lyra sat cross-legged on the soft bed and waited.

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

The bar filled up painfully slowly, and nothing else happened in the quiet room.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "So you’re just going to ignore me now?"

[Plot successfully loaded.]

The loading bar vanished, replaced by a wide, glowing blue screen that hovered before her.

World One: Side Character × Mafia Boss

Original Plot:

The female lead worked in a small, cozy coffee shop alongside her best friend, Lyra. It was a perfectly normal, quiet life... or so everyone believed.

In reality, the female lead’s father secretly ran a large, dangerous illegal organization. After discovering the dark truth about her family, she ran away from home and cut all ties with him. She hid her true identity, blended into society, and started a new life working at the café.

Unfortunately, her father’s biggest and most ruthless enemy was the infamous Mafia Boss. He had spent years searching for the daughter of the man who had ruined countless lives.

When he finally found her... he kidnapped her.

At first, the Mafia Boss only wanted bloody revenge. But as time passed, his deep hatred slowly turned into an intense love. The two eventually fell hard for each other, despite the dark history between them.

The blue screen flickered and disappeared into thin air.

Lyra rubbed her chin thoughtfully, processing the information. "Sounds like a very questionable romance." She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes before asking, "So... what’s my role here?"

[Host will possess the female lead’s best friend.]

"The side character?"

[Correct.]

The System continued its mechanical explanation.

[According to the original plot, you discover that your best friend has been kidnapped. Out of loyalty, you try to rescue her from the Mafia Boss.]

Lyra nodded along, feeling a bit relieved. "That sounds reasonable. A loyal best friend trope."

[You fail.]

"..."

[The Mafia Boss kills you with his own hands.]

Lyra instantly froze, her jaw dropping. "...Excuse me?"

[Your tragic death becomes the major turning point that brings the male lead and female lead closer together.]

She stared blankly into space, completely stunned. "So... I’m basically a sacrifice. A stepping stone for their love story."

[Correct.]

"...Wow." Lyra slowly raised her hands and clapped with deep sarcasm. "What a wonderful, glamorous role."

The System completely ignored her sarcasm and generated a new screen.

"So," Lyra asked, crossing her arms tightly, "what exactly is my mission?"

A new notification box popped up.

Main Mission:

- Ensure the male lead and female lead fall in love.

- Follow your character’s role until the very end.

- Die by the male lead’s hands.

Lyra nearly choked on her own saliva. "Hold on!" She pointed an accusing finger at the last line on the screen. "I actually have to die?!"

[[Correct.]

"Seriously?!"

[Correct.]

"What kind of twisted mission is this?!" Lyra yelled, completely exasperated.

The System answered calmly, without a single shred of human emotion.

[Every completed world rewards the Host with one Soul Fragment. Collect all Soul Fragments to fully restore your soul and return to your original world.]

Lyra suddenly became quiet. The anger faded, replaced by cold calculation. "So... if I clear every single world..."

[You will be resurrected.]

She let out a long, heavy sigh, her shoulders dropping. "I guess that’s worth dying a few times."

Then, another terrifying thought suddenly crossed her mind. Her face turned pale, and the color drained from her lips. "Wait..." She swallowed nervously, her throat feeling incredibly dry. "When the Mafia Boss kills me... will it hurt?"

There was a brief, tense silence in the room. Then, the System finally replied.

[No, Host. A Pain Shield has already been activated for your soul. No matter how brutally you die inside the missions, you will not feel any physical pain.]

Lyra blinked, stunned. "Really?"

[Correct.]

The heavy tension in her shoulders vanished instantly. She let out a massive sigh of relief, sagging against the soft mattress. "Oh, thank goodness. If I had to feel myself getting murdered in every single world, I’d quit this job right now."

[Host cannot quit after accepting the contract.]

"...I was joking," Lyra muttered, rolling her eyes.

She lay back down on the incredibly soft bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to psych herself up. "Alright then. Let’s finish this first world... and hopefully not mess up the plot."

She closed her eyes, ready to face the story.

After sometime, Lyra stood in front of the full-length mirror and stared at her new face. The glass was clean, reflecting her reflection perfectly from head to toe.

"...Whoa."

She leaned in closer to the smooth glass, blinking in surprise. The original owner of this body looked shockingly similar to her. It was almost like looking at a twin. Same dark, deep eyes. Same soft, oval face shape. Brown Hair. Even the exact same name: Lyra.

But as she looked closer, there were a few very obvious differences. The girl’s skin was much paler, almost as if she had never stepped into the sunlight a single day in her life. Her lips were naturally full and rosy, without a single drop of makeup. Her features looked much sharper and more elegant than before.

She looked like the kind of natural beauty who could make people on the street turn around for a second glance.

Lyra reached up and gently pinched her own soft cheek, feeling the real skin under her fingers.

"So this is me... but upgraded."

The System didn’t respond to her vanity.

She shrugged her shoulders, turning away from the mirror, and walked toward the tall wooden wardrobe in the corner.

The moment she opened the doors...

She frowned. Her excitement vanished into thin air.

"...Seriously?"

.

.

.

Meanwhile, somewhere deep inside the System’s complex digital database, a red error warning quietly flashed in the dark.

[Prediction: Mission Success Rate... 2%.]

The System wisely decided to keep that terrifying statistic completely hidden from its overly confident Host.