Arianne did not sleep.
Not because of the system.
Not because of the quest.
And definitely not because she was excited about being reincarnated.
No.
The problem was much simpler.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered that she had died.
That tended to ruin a person’s sleep schedule.
Arianne stared at the ceiling.
The expensive ceiling.
She still wasn’t used to it.
A few hours ago, she had been worrying about overtime.
Now she was worrying about monsters.
Life was strange.
Death was apparently even stranger.
She sighed.
Then rolled onto her side.
Then rolled back.
Then stared at the ceiling again.
“…I’m dead.”
Still felt weird.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
No traffic.
No notification sounds.
No buzzing phone.
No unfinished reports waiting for her.
No manager asking if she could “help with one small thing.”
Arianne closed her eyes.
And for the first time since waking up…
She thought about her old life.
She had never been special.
Not once.
No hidden talents.
No genius-level intelligence.
No mysterious destiny.
Just an ordinary woman trying her best.
Wake up.
Go to work.
Come home.
Sleep.
Repeat.
The kind of life millions of people lived every day.
And honestly?
It wasn’t a bad life.
It was just tiring.
Her friends dreamed about luxury cars.
Arianne dreamed about tomatoes.
Her coworkers dreamed about promotions.
Arianne watched farming videos during lunch breaks.
Some people collected expensive bags.
Arianne collected screenshots of garden layouts.
Looking back…
Maybe she had always been a little strange.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She remembered the folder on her laptop.
Future Farm.
It had taken years to build.
Photos.
Plans.
Notes.
Budget calculations.
Even a list of chicken breeds.
Arianne had planned everything.
Everything.
Then she died.
“…”
The smile disappeared.
Honestly?
That part still annoyed her.
Not the dying itself.
Okay.
Maybe the dying part too.
But mostly the timing.
She had finally saved enough money.
Finally.
After years of overtime.
Years of instant noodles.
Years of pretending she wasn’t exhausted.
She was so close.
Then the universe looked at her and said:
“No.”
Arianne pulled a pillow over her face.
“I want a refund.”
The universe did not respond.
Coward.
Eventually, she sat up.
Sleep clearly wasn’t happening.
So she might as well investigate her situation.
Arianne climbed off the bed.
Then immediately stumbled.
“…”
Right.
Small body.
Still getting used to that.
The room belonged to a child.
A lonely child.
That much was obvious.
There were toys.
Books.
Clothes.
But none of them looked loved.
Everything felt arranged.
Neat.
Untouched.
Like a room prepared for someone rather than lived in by them.
Arianne slowly walked toward the mirror.
The little girl inside looked back.
Burgundy hair.
Emerald eyes.
Thin frame.
Too thin.
Her gaze dropped.
Then froze.
Bruises.
Small ones.
Fading.
Barely noticeable.
But they were there.
Arianne’s expression changed.
The original Arianne’s memories immediately surfaced.
Not all of them.
Just enough.
A harsh grip on the wrist.
Being pushed.
Locked out of rooms.
Punishments.
Being blamed.
Always blamed.
Arianne slowly lowered her sleeve.
The room suddenly felt colder.
“…”
She didn’t know what to say.
Because she wasn’t seeing a villain.
Or a forgotten side character.
She was seeing a child.
A child who had spent years trying to earn love.
And never receiving enough of it.
The original Arianne wasn’t bad.
She wasn’t jealous.
She wasn’t cruel.
She wasn’t ambitious.
She just wanted people to care.
That was all.
Arianne sat down on the bed.
The memories continued.
Small fragments.
Family dinners.
Birthdays.
Lonely afternoons.
Watching from the side.
Always from the side.
Then came the name.
Fiona Rowland.
The adopted family’s precious daughter.
The genius.
The prodigy.
The future star.
The child everyone loved.
Arianne frowned.
Something about that didn’t make sense.
According to the memories…
Things weren’t always like this.
When both girls were younger, life had been normal.
Happy, even.
At least for a while.
Then everything changed.
After Fiona awakened.
An A-rank Fire Elementalist.
At eight years old.
A once-in-a-generation talent.
The newspapers couldn’t stop talking about her.
Guilds sent gifts.
Hunter organizations visited the family.
Everyone praised her.
Everyone celebrated her.
Everyone looked at her.
And slowly…
Nobody looked at Arianne anymore.
Arianne rubbed her forehead.
She hated stories like this.
Not because they were unrealistic.
Because they happened all the time.
Maybe not with magical powers.
But people always paid attention to talent.
To success.
To whoever shined brightest.
Everyone else became background scenery.
The original Arianne had become background scenery.
In her own home.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Arianne froze.
Someone was outside.
The door opened.
Without waiting for permission.
A young girl stepped inside.
Beautiful.
Neat.
Perfectly dressed.
Confident.
Too confident for an eight-year-old.
Fiona.
The moment their eyes met…
The original memories reacted.
A faint sense of fear.
A habit.
Learned over years.
Arianne immediately understood.
This girl was dangerous.
Not because of her fire.
Because of her personality.
Fiona smiled.
Sweetly.
Warmly.
The kind of smile adults loved.
The kind of smile that made people think:
What a wonderful child.
Arianne wasn’t fooled.
Neither were the memories.
“Sister.”
Fiona’s voice was gentle.
Too gentle.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well.”
Danger.
Immediate danger.
Arianne didn’t know why.
But every instinct screamed danger.
Because apparently…
Whenever Fiona acted nice…
Something unpleasant usually followed.
“I’m fine.”
Arianne answered carefully.
Fiona tilted her head.
“Oh?”
Her smile widened slightly.
“That’s good.”
Something about that smile felt wrong.
Not evil.
Not dramatic.
Just…
Calculated.
Like she was studying Arianne’s reaction.
After a few seconds, Fiona turned toward the door.
“Mother is looking for me.”
She paused.
Then looked back.
“You should stay in your room today.”
Arianne blinked.
“Why?”
The smile returned.
Sweet.
Perfect.
Artificial.
“No reason.”
Then she left.
The door closed.
Silence.
Arianne stared.
“…”
“Yeah.”
“That child is absolutely a problem.”
The system suddenly chimed.
Ding.
Arianne immediately straightened.
Finally.
Something useful.
A screen appeared.
[Quest Update]
The First Seed
Target Located
Arianne’s eyes widened.
“What?”
The screen expanded.
Distance to Target: 2.4 km
“…”
Wait.
The target was nearby?
Another line appeared.
Warning
Target’s current condition unstable.
Arianne frowned.
Then one final line appeared.
If left unattended…
Future Survival Probability: 13%
The room became silent.
Arianne stared.
Then stared harder.
Then rubbed her eyes.
“Thirteen percent?”
That wasn’t low.
That was basically dead.
The system remained merciless.
Arianne pointed at the screen.
“Excuse me.”
“I’m eight.”
No response.
“I don’t even know where I am.”
Nothing.
“I have no money.”
Still nothing.
Arianne collapsed backward onto the bed.
The system clearly did not care.
Somewhere nearby…
Someone important was in danger.
Someone connected to her class.
Someone whose future should have been significant.
A future hero?
A future villain?
A future disaster?
Arianne had no idea.
But one thing was certain.
The story she remembered…
Was already changing.
And for the first time since waking up…
Arianne had a feeling.
A very bad feeling.
This quest wasn’t going to be simple.