Zhang Ran quickly pushed himself up from the ground.
His uniform was covered in dust, and a faint bruise was visible on his cheek.
“Kang Ji-won?” he repeated, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
There was a brief pause.
“You did this?” he asked, pointing at the wailing boys on the ground with a shaky hand.
Ji-won quickly pulled herself out of her thoughts.
Clearing her throat, she helped him stand properly before dusting the dirt from his clothes.
“Yep. Anything wrong with that?” she asked indifferently.
Zhang Ran’s mouth fell open.
“You actually did this?” he yelled, pulling her closer.
Her arms swung slightly from the sudden force.
“Since when do you fight at school?”
Ji-won gave him an awkward smile before glancing down at his hands gripping her arms.
“Well…?”
A chill ran down Zhang Ran’s spine.
“What the—?”
Was this really the Kang Ji-won he knew?
He placed a hand on her forehead.
“Are you sick?”
Ji-won pushed his hand away.
“No, I’m not. But you are.”
She carefully placed one arm under his.
“Let me take you to the infirmary.”
By the time Ji-won left the infirmary, Zhang Ran was still staring at her as if she were some strange creature.
It was starting to make her uncomfortable.
Can’t a person change?
What’s wrong with him?
She leaned against the wall, staring down at her feet and hoping the awkward feeling would disappear.
A few minutes passed before she finally looked up.
What she saw made a muffled scream escape her lips.
Right in front of her was the system screen, floating in the air as though it had been waiting for her.
Ji-won quickly glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby.
“Do you know how much you scared me?”
{That’s what I wanted.}
Ji-won’s eyes widened.
“You mean doing strange things without informing me is part of your plan?”
{Yes.
I wanted you to notice something.}
Ji-won raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t understand.”
{Hmph.
Of course you don’t.
Okay, let me give you an example.
The first time you noticed that I could activate without you summoning me, how did you react?}
“Err… I was surprised?”
{Exactly.
That’s where I’m headed.
You were surprised at first, but eventually, you got used to it.}
{Maybe a little.}
{Anyway, it will be the same with the characters.
They’ll be shocked by your changes at first, but eventually, they’ll get used to you.
So you don’t have to feel all grumpy about it.}
Ji-won smiled slightly.
“Maybe you’re right.”
She paused.
{Good.}
Ji-won rolled her eyes.
“I want to ask you some questions. It’s about some strange things that have happened recently.”
{And what could that be?}
“Yesterday, my mum picked up Fate and read it.”
She hesitated before continuing.
“She saw something different from what I saw.”
{Oh, that.
It’s because only the chosen ones can actually see what’s written in it.}
Ji-won’s expression changed.
“The chosen ones?”
{Yeah.
You were chosen by the novel to represent the female lead.
That’s why you can see what’s actually written in the book.}
Ji-won frowned.
“Wait… You said ‘ones’ instead of ‘one’?”
{You’ll understand that when the time comes.}
Ji-won stared at the screen.
Before she could ask another question, a sharp sound interrupted her thoughts.
Ding!
{Upcoming mission alert.}
Ji-won’s posture immediately straightened, and the playful expression disappeared from her face.
{You are to assist a set of Special Forces in completing their next mission.}
Her mouth fell open.
“Special Forces?”
{Location: Country A.}
Ji-won blinked.
“You…? Why do I have to assist Special Forces with their mission? I thought missions were supposed to be simple stuff, not life-threatening situations!”
{You have to do this because it is connected to the entire novel.
In fact, if you don’t complete this mission, you will learn even more about the ending of the original novel than you were supposed to.}
Ji-won’s expression turned serious.
That didn’t sound reassuring at all.
Then the system added:
{Moreover, the reward will be the best of the best.
I might even be allowed to answer a few of the questions you’ve been asking since the beginning.}
Ji-won swallowed.
Of course.
The system knew exactly how to tempt her.
“Ugh! Fine. I know you’re only saying that to attract my attention. So when is their mission happening?”
{When the time comes, I’ll tell you.}
Ji-won sighed.
Then the system continued.
{For now, I think you’d want to know more about Country A.}
Her eyes widened.
“Wait. Don’t tell me it’s out of the coun—”
{Bye.}
The screen disappeared.
Her clenched fist trembled at her side.
“You…”
Ji-won stared at the empty space where the system had disappeared and let out a frustrated sigh.
That system was becoming more annoying by the day.
Before she could complain any further, the school bell rang through the hallway.
The final bell.
Students began pouring out of their classrooms, filling the once-quiet hallway with chatter and footsteps.
Ji-won checked the time on her phone.
School was officially over.
“Finally.”
She slipped her phone into her pocket and headed toward the exit.
She had barely taken a few steps when her phone vibrated.
A message.
Ji-won pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
It was from Shen Huiling.
Where are you?
I was looking for you before class ended.
Ji-won quickly typed a reply.
I’m leaving school now.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
After sending it, she put her phone away and continued toward the school gate.
Time to investigate more about Country A.
On her way home, Ji-won decided to visit the cyber café she had noticed the first time she strolled around this world.
The small cyber café stood along the roadside, with a simple sign hanging above its entrance.
A restaurant was right beside it, filling the area with the faint smell of freshly cooked food.
Ji-won pushed open the glass door and stepped inside.
A young man behind the counter looked up from his computer.
“Hi.”
“How many hours?”
Ji-won hesitated.
“Err… one?”
“Okay. You can start. Someone will let you know when your time is up.”
Ji-won nodded and headed toward an empty seat.
After placing her bag beside her, she turned on the computer.
The moment the browser opened, she typed two words into the search bar.
Country A.
Various information appeared on the screen.
Its history.
Its geography.
Its ranking.
Almost everything she could find.
She even discovered the country they were currently in.
Country C.
Ji-won then searched for flight prices from Country C to Country A, followed by information about hotels and inns.
She carefully went through everything, memorizing the details that seemed important.
Nearly an hour later, she had gathered almost everything she needed.
She returned to the counter, made her payment, and headed outside.
Just as she stepped onto the roadside, her attention was caught by a man getting out of a car and walking toward the restaurant beside the café.
Ji-won was about to look away when something caught her eye.
A tiny red dot appeared on the man’s body.
Her eyes widened.
A sniper!
Before the man could even react, Ji-won sprinted toward him and shoved him to the ground.
Bang!
Well…
Ji-won just wanted to learn more about Country A, but somehow she ended up saving a stranger from a sniper.
And now that the system has given her a mission overseas, things are about to get much more complicated.
But who is the man she just saved?
And more importantly…
who was trying to kill him?
I guess we’ll find out soon.