B Chapter 52: The S ranked World.
The System Space
Everything shimmered faintly.
Mira found herself back in the system world, her body once again transparent, floating in endless white light.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar pink, bubbly figure hovering in front of her.
"Host! You're finally awake. You were sleeping for almost ten hours. Welcome back!" Vira chirped excitedly.
Mira blinked slowly. "Oh. I'm back here. So… what reward was I given?"
Vira straightened proudly.
"Yes, host! Congratulations on completing your mission successfully!"
"Your rewards have been distributed."
"You received the full one billion star points."
She paused.
"But… due to you spending fifty thousand points on crackhead number one— I mean, Kingsley— when the Blossoms first attacked, you are short of fifty thousand points."
Mira's eyes narrowed.
"So?"
"So technically, host, you do not qualify to enter the next world."
Silence.
"But!" Vira quickly added, spinning in the air, "because you showed Pink Barbie—Melissa—kindness even when she wronged you, the system rewarded you thirty thousand bonus points and a one-time pass to enter another world."
She beamed.
"And this, host… is an S-rank world."
Mira's expression turned thoughtful.
"An S-rank?" she asked calmly. "What rank was the first world?"
"The first world was E-rank, host."
"And the difference?"
Vira's tone shifted, becoming more serious.
"An S-rank world is the highest tier among all worlds. E-rank is the lowest. Between them are A, B, C, and D ranks. A is second highest. Then it descends."
She leaned closer.
"So, host… you should understand how lucky this is."
Mira let out a soft laugh.
"So you're telling me that the world I just left—the betrayals, the blood, the manipulation, the near death—was only an E-rank?"
"And now you want to throw me into the highest tier?"
A pause.
"Can I refuse?"
"Yes, host. You can."
Vira's voice softened.
"But I strongly advise against it. If you refuse, you lose this chance permanently. You will die. This is the only opportunity to enter another world without meeting the full star-point requirement."
Silence settled between them.
"Look at the bright side," Vira continued carefully. "If you perform exceptionally well in this world, you could gain up to two billion star points."
She hesitated.
"And… if you accept it, I will also receive a reward."
Mira glanced at her. "What reward?"
Vira's voice became quieter.
"I will get the chance to learn my origin."
Mira stilled.
"Before a system can uncover its origin, it must be at least one hundred thousand years old. I am only one thousand."
"If I pass this S-rank world with flying colors, I gain a one percent chance of unlocking it. If I succeed further, that chance increases."
Her voice softened further.
"If I unlock it… I can become human again."
Mira stared at her.
"So you want me to enter an extremely dangerous world… so you can remember who you are?"
"I never said it was dangerous."
"You didn't have to. The rank already said enough."
Mira folded her arms.
"So you're telling me to walk into possible death just so you can regain your memory."
Vira suddenly looked dramatically wounded.
"You're right, host. How selfish of me. If you don't want to do it, don't. It's fine."
She sniffed loudly.
"If you die, I'll simply be roasted by other systems. Mocked. Possibly reassigned to system hell. It's okay. Even after everything I've done…"
"Shut up," Mira said flatly.
Silence.
"Fine. I'll do it."
"What was that, host? I couldn't hear you."
"I said," Mira sighed, "I agree to go and possibly die so you can remember."
Vira gasped.
"Really?! Host, I love you!"
"And besides," she added quickly, "you won't die. I won't let you."
Mira gave her a long look.
"This world," Vira continued, her tone now serious, "is completely different from your previous one. It is set in ancient China."
Mira frowned slightly.
"And when you enter, I will not be with you for the first three days."
"Why?"
"I must absorb my reward here for twenty-four hours. But in that world, twenty-four hours equals three days."
Mira's expression hardened.
"And before you leave," Vira added quickly, "your memories of both your real world and the world you just completed will be temporarily locked. The only thing you will remember is the memory of the girl you're about to enter."
Silence.
"I made this decision so you can focus entirely on the mission."
Mira's eyes darkened.
"You're telling me I'll have no memory when I enter. And you won't be there for three days."
"Yes."
"So I'm going in blind."
Vira noticed the dangerous calm settling over her host.
"Oh look at the time!" she exclaimed suddenly. "It's time to depart! Operation: World Transfer in process!"
Mira felt her body being violently pulled backward by an invisible force.
"Wait. I didn't agree to that part— Vira, if I see you again, I swear—"
"Bye-bye, host!"
And she disappeared.
The system space fell silent.
Vira exhaled deeply.
"Finally… some peace and quiet."
She spun happily.
"Time to absorb my rewards."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile — In Another World
A girl no older than ten slept inside a moving iron cage mounted onto a wooden cart.
The marketplace was loud. Overcrowded. Chaotic.
Dust filled the air. Vendors shouted. Children ran. Buyers argued.
Around the cage stood ten burly men pushing through the crowd.
"Slave for sale!"
"Young slave for sale!"
"Extremely beautiful! Cheap price!"
The girl opened her eyes, looked around as recognition flashed within them, and said nothing.
Her wrists were bruised. Her eyes, however, were calm.
Too calm for a child.
The cart stopped abruptly.
A woman's voice spoke.
"How much is she?"
The crowd parted.
A woman in her early twenties stood there, dressed in elegant hanfu — flowing silk robes of deep jade with gold embroidery. Several maids stood behind her.
The slave leader bowed slightly.
"Ten taels of bronze, my lady."
The woman extended her hand. A maid placed a pouch into it.
She tossed it at the man.
"Twenty taels of silver."
The man froze in shock.
"My lady— this is—"
"Bring her to me," she said smoothly. "She belongs to me now."
"Yes! Yes, of course!"
Greed flashed in his eyes.
"Bring her out!" he barked.
The men eagerly unlocked the cage.
The girl was pulled out and forced to kneel before the woman.
"She's yours," the leader said proudly.
The woman bent slightly, studying the child's face.
Her fingers lifted the girl's chin.
"Indeed," she murmured. "You are quite pretty."
"I told you so!" the leader laughed.
She ignored him.
"What is your name, dear?" she asked.
"I don't have one," the girl answered, looking straight into the woman's eyes.
"Good. From today, your name will be Minhwan. Do you understand?"
There was a pause.
The girl looked deeply into the woman's eyes. Then she bowed her head in submission.
"I understand."
The woman straightened.
Then she said calmly, almost to the air—
"Kill them."
Silence.
Then chaos.
Hidden guards emerged from the crowd like shadows.
Blades flashed.
The slave traders didn't even have time to scream before steel tore through flesh.
Blood splattered across the stone pavement.
The marketplace erupted in panic. People fled. Stalls overturned.
Within seconds, the once-busy market was empty.
Only bodies remained.
The little girl calmly watched all that chaos.
Unbothered.
The leader, bleeding heavily, stared at the woman in disbelief.
"Why…?"
She did not even look at him.
"Because," she replied lightly, "you touched something I found beautiful with filthy hands."
She took the girl's hand gently.
"And that," she added, smiling faintly, "requires compensation."
The leader's body hit the ground.
Dead.
The woman took the girls hand, turned , and walked away.
.
.
.
.
.
As the woman took the girl's hand and turned to leave the blood-soaked market, something flickered in the air before the child's eyes.
A translucent pink panel appeared.
Only she could see it.
[Retrieving Current Body's Past-Life Memories]
Proceed?
Yes / No
The world around her remained silent.
Minhwan did not hesitate.
She chose— YES.
And in the next instant— Memories flooded her mind.
Behind her, the marketplace remained silent. Blood soaked into ancient stone.
And the S-rank world had officially begun.