The Sword and Heir of Shadows - Chapter 25: Quite of the night

[Cover] NOW HIRING — URGENT — Ghost Story Specialist Corporation Daydream Inc. (Ltd.) Insane Benefits – Come to Work Immediately ※ Note : The company is not liable for any injuries or fatalities that may occur during the course of the employee’s duties. —— A pop-up event for some ‘modern fantasy’ media I loved so much that I even took a precious day off work to attend. On that day, I ended up transmigrating as a character in that very fantasy world. As none other than a newly hired employee at a famous large corporation! A dream job with great benefits, an excellent salary, and even kind and competent bosses. I’m using the information I know about the world to rise through the ranks at lightning speed! Am I happy, you ask? Please, just let me go home. I’m begging you. ※ Note : The genre is horror.

It all started when the protagonist downloaded a game called “The Fool (Beta Version),” marking a pivotal shift in the style of his life. This was no ordinary game; it lacked visuals and music, composed solely of lines of text and a multitude of choices. Yet, each decision within the game had the power to alter the player's destiny, for on the other side of the game lay a real, unknown world.Players were unable to physically enter this otherworld or see its landscapes, experiencing the alternate realm solely through text, vicariously living each step of their character's journey.As the game progressed, not only could rewards from the game materialize in the real world, but creatures from the game began to appear in reality as well.Then came the day the game was released for global public testing.An era quietly unfolded, where the masses embarked on explorations and treasure hunts in an alternate universe through 'textual adventure,' heralding a new chapter of engagement and discovery.

After the sudden death of her boyfriend, Leslie Song has been single-handedly raising her precious little daughter Calliope. It’s a difficult life, but it’s a happy one. A freak accident puts an end to that.As Leslie lies dying on the road, watching Calliope breathe her last, she curses her helplessness. Calliope’s crochet fox seems to hear her. It opens its mouth and asks, “Do you want to see your daughter again? If so, follow me. Her soul has already left for another world.”Leslie agrees. That’s the last thing she remembers before losing consciousness. When she opens her eyes again, she finds herself—or rather, her soul—standing beside her unconscious body on a hospital bed.“How is this supposed to help me find Calliope!” she exclaims.“This is not your body. Your body is dead. This is my original host, Charlene Li,” explains the toy fox. “You can possess her body to find Calliope, but if you do, you must finish her uncompleted mission for her.”“And what mission is that?”“To marry the second most eligible CEO in the city.”‘This,’ Leslie concludes, ‘is a scam.’ But she has no other choice.**********Meanwhile, the second most eligible bachelor in the city, Calix Xu, is patting himself on the back for thwarting his grandmother’s attempts to marry him off. After exhausting all of his tricks and excuses, he has resorted to marrying the comatose daughter of the Li family.Calix smiles, pleased with himself, “Aren't I smart? Grandmother can do nothing now.”But… why is he seeing his newly-wedded wife hovering beside her own body?Before he can react, his wife—the moving one—floats towards him.“Husband! Help me find my child!”“Your child?” Calix asks weakly before doing the only reasonable thing he can do in such a situation.He faints.

Mistaken by the system, Xiao Jinsheng, who transmigrated into an apocalyptic book world, becomes a malicious supporting female character who has competed with the protagonist since childhood.As compensation, the system promises to assign Xiao Jinsheng five handsome and mighty bodyguards.A mysterious and stunning snake-man with long violet hair, a proud and sharp-tongued cat-eared youth, a charismatic black panther youth brimming with raw energy, a gentle and thoughtful sheep-man 'mommy,' and an elegant, noble Dragon Sparrow Beast Husband ready to fly her to victory.With just one glance, Xiao Jinsheng recognizes these men as her long-lost husbands.The system tempts her: punch the first button and get five gorgeous husbands, letting you revel in a life of love and luxury.“11111!” Xiao Jinsheng frantically presses her fingers onto her 'husband’s' abs on the poster.But who would have guessed that even systems lie these days?Where are the promised gorgeous and devoted husbands? What she receives instead are five executioners!The enigmatic snake husband suffers abuse and is sold off to the black market; after escaping, he only lives to kill her.The cat-eared youth files for divorce daily, the dashing black panther youth terrifies her with bloody threats, the noble Dragon Sparrow avoids her like the plague, and even the seemingly gentle sheep-man 'mommy' turns out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.Xiao Jinsheng treads on thin ice, relying on the world’s mechanism where a Beast Husband must follow his wife in death to ensure these murderous husbands can’t harm her.She works hard to strengthen herself. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mist Continent, a Demon Lord is deeply devoted to her, the King of the Deep Sea Mermaids falls for her at first sight, and even the Silver Dragon of Cloud Island stubbornly camps in front of her door.The five Beast Husbands, who were initially clamoring for divorce, drop to their knees with a slippery slide, now refusing to separate even in death.