Lavayla collapsed to her knees, hugging the baby close, and could finally let herself process everything that had just happened.
Staring at the rocky ground, she gasped, breathing in and out, then placed her hand on the ground, using the other to hold the baby.
Meanwhile, the system's voice bubbled with excitement in her head:
'Mission accomplished, host! Congratulations~!'
'Oh my god, host! I knew you could do it! Points have been awarded, and the baby is safe!'
The baby in question had stopped crying, but Lavayla couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything. She wasn't even listening to the voice in her head. She continued staring at the ground. Soon, a tear fell from her eye. As if something broke open, the tears fell continuously, and her body shook with her sobs.
Nessa, who had wanted to continue chattering, stopped as she heard Lavayla's sobs.
'Uhm, host? Host, are you crying?'
She didn't answer, and her sobbing continued, leaving Nessa clueless as to what to do, since she had never had a host who cried after their first mission.
'Host? Host, answer me.'
'Why are you crying? Is something wrong? Did you get injured? Did what just happened terrify you?'
Lavayla didn't reply, and Nessa was flustered — but the baby was unusually quiet.
'Host, stop crying… umm, the baby has been quiet for some time…'
As if the system's words were a switch, Lavayla gradually stopped crying, cleaned her face with her pajama sleeve, and sat down.
She slowly placed the baby in her arms and looked at it. Because it was naked, it was easy for her to see that it was a boy.
She stared at the baby's closed eyes, then the rising and falling of his chest, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. She replied to the system — which was asking, 'How's the baby?' repeatedly and giving her a headache.
"He is sleeping. Can't you check yourself?"
'Well, host… all my attention was on you and you scared me when you started crying, so I tried to get your attention somehow. Are you alright now?'
Lavayla looked up at the interface, which had always been in front of her, and scoffed.
"What? Are you concerned? Why are you? After all, I think you've made it clear that you're nothing but an unfeeling system, or whatever it is you are." She looked down, adjusting the baby well.
'Host, of course not. I was just–'
"Anyways, I have questions to ask you, and I want you to answer every single one of them truthfully. Even if you might not know the concept of being truthful."
'Host! What do you mean by that? Of course, I know what being truthful means, and I was never going to keep anything from you. We had to finish the mission because you were in danger, and my priority is to always make sure you are out of danger before paying attention to anything, which is why I gave you only a little information about me, and I was going to tell you as soon as you were out of danger.' It spoke rapidly in an aggrieved voice, but Lavayla's expression remained the same as she stared at the panel. The words on it ended with an (〒︿〒)
'Host? Did you hear what I said?' Its tone had turned gentle — cautious, even.
"Yes. I guess this will go easier than I thought." Lavayla paused, wincing as she shifted her weight. Now that the adrenaline had drained out of her veins, she could finally feel everything: the throbbing in her legs, the sting of torn skin, and especially the sharp, pulsing pain radiating from the bottom of her foot. But she continued anyway. "First, what are—"
'Wait, host. You're injured — especially beneath your feet, which are getting really bloody. Also, you have various cuts on your body. Let me heal you first and then we can talk.'
Lavayla looked up at the system's words flickering across the interface. "How are you going to heal me?"
At that, the system immediately perked up. 'It's simple, host~! Our instant healing solution! Just one drop and all your external injuries will be gone in the blink of an eye. Internally, you will feel at peace. But it costs up to 30,000 points. However, because you're my dearest host, and you've gone through a tremendous amount of physical strain, shock, and emotional turbulence. I will be giving you my own private stash for free. You don't need to thank me~ (≧Д≦)'
Lavayla wanted to chuckle at the emoticon, but she just shook her head. "Alright then, go ahead."
The system replied with a chirpy, 'OK!'
Lavayla didn't see anything appear around her, but suddenly she felt it — something cool and weightless dropping over her like a thin veil, starting from the top of her head. It slid down her body in one smooth sweep, enclosing her from head to toe, then receding just as quickly.
As it passed, the pain evaporated. The deep ache in her muscles loosened, the burning sting faded, and the pulsating agony in her foot simply vanished as if it had never existed. She sucked in a breath and looked down, shocked. Her skin — scraped, bloodied, and raw moments ago — was now completely smooth. No cuts. No bruises. No swelling. Just mud and dirt clinging where the blood used to be.
She lifted her foot, touched it, and ran her thumb along the spot she knew had been torn open. Nothing. Not even tenderness.
The panel appeared, and the system's voice echoed brightly in her head. 'So, host~ how do you feel now, hm?'
"Wow. I feel…" She searched for the right word, blinking in amazement. "Rested and energized. What was that?"
'What I told you earlier! It's called an instant healing solution. Honestly? Its name needs an overhaul, but it's one of the most important items in the system mall that every host needs. Though it is very expensive, it is very useful. In terms of life-threatening danger, it can come in handy. So I always advise all my hosts to have them but only a few were able to get out of their cocoon of stinginess and purchase them. I hope you won't be like those stingy ones and be the more generous type~'
Lavayla rolled her eyes. "You can't blame them, since points are obviously hard to get. Just for almost losing my life, I got 7,500 points. What type of mission could possibly give 30,000 points? Sacrificing one's life?" She snorted as she looked around.
The system's voice turned aggrieved again. 'Host… of course not. It isn't that bad. Besides, if the host sacrifices their life, then how would they be able to use anything? There are missions that can give you up to 50,000 points without needing to endanger your life. This one was just… a special situation. Honestly, out of every host I've been assigned to, I have never gone through such a wonderful first-day experience as yours — even in dangerous worlds like this.'
Lavayla raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then I'm the unlucky one, I guess. Now, can we start? Because I have a lot of questions."
'Okay! Ask whatever questions you want and I will answer to the best of my abilities~!'
The system perked right up again, its rapid mood swings giving Lavayla whiplash.
She nodded, her expression turning serious as she adjusted the baby in her arms and gently patted him. Then, she opened her mouth. "Firstly, did I transmigrate? And why? Because I was asleep last night before suddenly waking up in this forest."
'About that, host… you actually died in your sleep. Remember that appointment you had with your doctor a few months ago — the one where he said you should cut down on work because you were showing signs of stress? Well, it seems one of the reasons for your death was stress, though it was still considered a natural death. And since I had just finished my last mission with my previous host, the main system noticed that you still had a lot of soul energy left and your body was intact… so it decided to transmigrate you and give you a second chance at a longer life. Then it assigned me as your system to open this world.'
"I died in my sleep?"
Lavayla wanted to refute the system's words, but she remembered that exact appointment — the doctor's warnings, her complete dismissal of them. She'd intended to take a vacation in a few weeks, but… who would have thought she'd die? Still, she looked at the panel as if she could stare through it and into the system itself.