I’m not sure why it all feels so familiar, but right now, my heart would be jumping out of my chest... If I actually had one.
I look down, and the first thing I see is a body sprawled out on the ground, completely lifeless. That’s... my body, isn’t it?
If you’re curious what happened... well, it’s pretty simple. I got struck by lightning, and my soul left my body. That’s normal, right?
WRONG!
Big Boss! What the hell is this?! What kind of reward is a lightning bolt to the head?! And it hurt—like, really hurt! I swear I can still feel my scalp tingling, even though I don’t technically have a body right now...
"This is a reward! You ungrateful—never mind... just look at your hands." Big Boss berates , and I’m stunned.
How dare he?! I’ve been suffering this whole ti and—?
My eyes drop to my hands, now glowing bright red. For a mont, it feels like I’m holding the world itself in my palms.
Suddenly, a point of light blooms between my fingers, slowly morphing into the shape of a book. Its design is exquisite, like sothing crafted by the gods themselves. It’s heavy, almost too heavy to lift.
"This is the Book of Lore," Big Boss explains. "With it, you can track the story of the main character. But to turn each page, you’ll need to unlock certain goals—like you just did. Go ahead. Try to open it. Read."
I can’t help but feel suspicious about the whole situation—this doesn’t feel like a reward at all. There’s a stench of sothing rotten in the air. It must be the bullshit Big Boss is feeding ...
Alright, fine. I let myself be gullible, just this once, and open the book. It’s so heavy it keeps dragging my arms lower and lower, as if it’s trying to pull straight to hell.
What appears in front of is a line of golden letters.
{Glorius and his loyal companions slowly traverse the deep forest floor. Here, their quest awaits—a giant cat has been spotted in the area, terrorizing the local farrs. Yet Glorius doesn’t buy it. There’s no way a simple cat could cause such destruction; this has to be the work of a lion or tiger beast...
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But with his party’s strength, even a D-rank monster should be easy enough to handle, he thinks, clenching his fists. Glorius can taste fear on his tongue. Ever since he lost the necklace the goddess granted him, he’s felt out of control—untethered. That worries him. What if he loses? That thought gnaws at him day and night, sharp as a knife.}
What is this? I’m speechless. How can I read the hero’s story? Didn’t the system say he was out of my reach?
"You’re right, and wrong at the sa ti. While you’re not allowed to change the main plot, you’re still tasked with safeguarding it and making sure the hero reaches his goal." Big Boss, as always, reads my mind and answers before I even open my mouth.
But doesn’t that an I’m interfering? What’s the point of that if he’s supposed to be the main hero?
"Not in the way you think. Let put it straight: if the hero dies, you die with the story."
I’m about to snap back and curse him out, but the book suddenly trembles in my hands, and an imnse dread washes over . It’s as if the world is about to collapse, as if my very existence is on the line...
{On the edge of the forest, a towering figure in a golden mantle shoved a tree aside, sending it crashing toward the hero’s party.
"Olivia! Water shield!" Glorius shouted, his gut screaming that sothing was coming.
"Yes, sir!" The young blue-haired girl grabbed her oversized staff, its embedded crystal glowing with ethereal light. Water burst from the tip, swirling around the party and forming a shimring shield.
BOOM!
A massive object landed on the shield, making the water ripple uncontrollably.
"Who’s there?!" A young man, no older than fifteen, roared at the top of his lungs. A huge shield appeared in his burly hands—more like bear paws than human hands. The shield itself was forged from pitch-black wood, as thick as a fist, tall and strong.
RRROOOAAARRR!
A massive shape exploded from the woods, its golden claws slamming into the water shield and shattering it with a single strike.
"Defensive formation! Auror, up front with your shield—keep the beast busy!" Glorius barked, all instinct. "Nox, Monica, with to the sides—aim for its legs first!" He nodded at a short, black-haired youth wielding two knives as dark as night, and a red-haired woman whose ponytail nearly reached the ground. Her silver armor shimred with gold filigree and didn’t slow her down for a second.
"Got it, Glorius!" they called in unison, flanking him.
"Olivia, Max, Laura—attack from behind, give it your strongest! Amber, Luna, support from the back—keep us healed and don’t let anyone drop!" Glorius snapped orders with barely a pause to breathe.
The battle turned desperate fast. To their horror, the beast was a golden mountain lion—sothing that shouldn’t exist here. A C-rank monster, but far more vicious than the rumors. It crushed the party, jaws closing around their hope. Now, it’s up to Glorius: rise and slay the beast, or fall and doom them all.}
[Warning! The plot line is in danger!][New quest received: Save the hero and his party by granting them plot armor. DO NOT REVEAL YOURSELF! DO NOT LET THEM DISCOVER YOUR INTERVENTION! FAILURE = DEATH.]
Huh? I blink once, then twice. I’m supposed to do what now?! Before I can argue, I feel a pull—my soul snapping back into my body. The first thing I see is a blinking warning on my system screen.
[YOU HAVE 10 MINUTES TO COMPLETE YOUR QUEST!]
Ten minutes? That’s—
No, no, focus. I suck in a breath I don’t have. My hands are still shaking. But if the hero dies, so do I...
"Okay, Quill. No pressure. Just rewrite fate without getting caught... or murdered. What could possibly go wrong?"
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