7: Chapter 7 Return to the Present World

Before leaving the market, Mia bargained at an inconspicuous stall and bought three pieces of white-quality equipment for a total of 500 points: a white-quality Bloodstained Priest's Flail and a white-quality Cavalry Buckler (a small shield worn on the arm for cavalry). Currently, Mia lacked any offensive skills or corresponding weapons. Considering her constitution and build, she chose these suitable armaments to ensure her survival when alone.

She also chose to buy a pair of white silk Priest's Gloves with 1-1 defense. Then, she procured some simple supplies like water and food. During her first experience in the Diablo III dungeon, she hadn't found anything edible at all.

After returning to her private space, she finally spent 1,500 points to exchange for a storage space of about 1 cubic meter from the system. She put all her current equipment and supplies inside, tested it out, and only then prepared to rest with peace of mind. The fatigue and tension of many days relaxed slightly. Taking off her hood, she collapsed onto the bed and fell into a heavy sleep.

At this moment, the teasing voice of the Life Support System sounded in her ear, very softly.

(Considering time efficiency, this system will synchronize the original body's memories and behavioral habits while the host is fast asleep, assisting the host in clearing out the soul fragments of the Original Owner remaining in the body. This system is not responsible for any adverse effects on the host's mental state or brain during the memory synchronization. Everything is for survival!)

In her sleep, Mia (the body's Original Owner) knit her elegant brows slightly, as if she were experiencing something painful.

When Mia opened her eyes, it was raining outside the window.

Raindrops hit the glass like some kind of countdown, but her body had long since ceased to feel the cold—her five senses were being stripped away layer by layer.

Her nails dug deep into her palms, but the pain felt distant. A silver crucifix pressed against her heart; Luo Yu's spiritual consciousness was crawling up her blood vessels like ink seeping into clear water, slowly and irreversibly polluting her soul.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call for help, but all that escaped her throat was a low, raspy laugh that didn't belong to her.

(—"Don't be afraid, it won't hurt much longer.")

Luo Yu's voice, mixed with the sound of rain, echoed from inside her skull, intimate as a lover's whisper, yet it made her spine freeze over layer by layer.

He won. She should have known.

—"...Save... me..."

Mia exhausted all her strength to finally squeeze two words from the tip of her tongue, but in the next second, her vocal cords betrayed her. Her lips and teeth moved of their own accord, spitting out a fluent, unfamiliar language.

—"So stubborn," that shell of a body muttered to itself, its voice already carrying thirty percent of Luo Yu's laziness. "Too bad it's useless."

In the early morning, light filtering through the dome of religious stained glass fell upon Mia's fair, pinkish face. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her hair was spread messily across the pillow, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks. She stretched, her slender arms tracing a graceful arc in the air. The collar of her clothes slipped slightly, revealing her fair, long neck and the silver crucifix. She gave a small yawn, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly; her lazy and cute appearance was heart-stirring.

"I'm exhausted. I have to dress like that and dance for others every night. Although I don't have much shame left, it's still so embarrassing," Mia complained, supporting her forehead with her hand.

"I need to wash up quickly. Yesterday I made plans with my best friend to go to her boyfriend's mountain villa for a vacation this Thursday. Better pack up and get ready to go out..."

"Oh, right, yesterday when I was unplugging the power after finishing my stream, I think I knocked over a drink. I think I was electrocuted..."

"Then I was transported to a world of swords and magic, reading scriptures and doing services..."

"I even went to hunt monsters with some silly kids, and then, then wasn't I shot in the throat by an arrow? And that damn Slime..."

"Wait, last night I was still devouring her soul..."

A piercing pain swept through Mia's mind like a hurricane. Mia's entire body was drenched in sweat. She sat on the bed, gasping for breath.

(Memory synchronization rate 30%, limb coordination increased to 30%, pollution level risen to 35%, current mental state stable.)

By the time Mia confirmed she was actually a transmigrator named Luo Yu, she had handled her clothes and socks, which were so wet from cold sweat they looked like they'd been fished out of water. She spent twenty points to give herself a full-body cleaning via the Paradise Lost System, then spent another fifteen points to satisfy her desire for a full meal. Then she just sat on the bed in a daze.

To be or not to be was truly a question for the current Mia, both mentally and physically. Although this resurgence of memory fragments almost made her lose herself again, it indeed provided significant help. Whether in terms of behavioral and linguistic habits or physical coordination, she was beginning to adapt more to this identity, and her limbs were becoming more coordinated.

Just then, the Succubus Mark on her lower abdomen gave a prompt. To be precise:

Warning!

You have stayed in the Paradise Lost space for too long. There are 5 hours and 30 minutes left until the 40-hour limit. Please choose to enter a dungeon world or return to the real world.

Mia was stunned for a moment. To be honest, she really wanted to go back and see if that Science and Technology Park in Southeast Asia had been destroyed in that earthquake. Yet, she was also somewhat afraid of meeting the previous owner's colleagues and friends. If she were exposed, she couldn't exactly kill them to keep them quiet; she could only pretend to have amnesia. Based on her current memory fragments, she could only guarantee she'd seem authentic in daily life, but there were many things she wouldn't be able to answer if someone pressed her. For instance, she didn't even know if this body had a boyfriend.

[The equipment you obtained from Paradise Lost has been forcibly removed and placed in your private space.]

[In the real world, whether actively or passively, you must not reveal any information about Paradise Lost to ordinary people.]

[Try not to use special skills obtained from Paradise Lost in the real world.]

[After leaving Paradise Lost, you can only re-enter after fifteen days.]

[When the identity tattoo heats up, you must return to Paradise Lost within twenty-four hours to accept a mission. To return, focus your mind on the Succubus Mark.]

[Time in Paradise Lost is not synchronized with the real world.]

Although it didn't specify what kind of punishment a violation would incur, Mia felt she didn't want to know such things at all.

"Return!"

Parallel space-time, BX City, a small northern city, inside the Chunhua Residential Area, starlight converged. Mia was lying on the bed checking her hands. She made a startling discovery: she had transmigrated to Paradise Lost physically, not via a soul possession as she had previously guessed. On second thought, she felt relieved; if it were a soul possession, how could she have had such bizarre encounters as the Slime and the 'head-hug' kill? She likely wouldn't have made it back.

This was a girl's room that looked very cozily decorated. It was early morning, and sunlight slipped through the gaps in the lace curtains, dancing on the pink wallpaper. By the wall was a walk-in closet. There was no sofa in the room; instead, a large yoga mat was spread on the floor, surrounded by many plush toys. Beside the head of the princess bed sat a small refrigerator, delicate and cute.

Checking her data, she found she could still call up the data panel.

[Name: Mia Lv3]

[Race: Human & Succubus]

[Faction: Lawful Neutral, Adventurer's Association Ceramic-rank Adventurer]

[Class: Holy Priest (Can advance/change class once necessary conditions are met)]

[Status: Healthy]

[Strength: 7 (5)]

[Intelligence: 6 (5)]

[Agility: 8 (5)]

[Endurance: 11 (5)]

[Charisma: 10 (5)]

[HP: 150/150 (Healthy)]

[MP: 150]

[Basic Skills: Basic Footwork Lv4, Basic Waist Strength Lv5, Basic Leg Technique Lv1]

[Class Skills: Herbalism Lv13, Piety Lv15, Healing Spell Lv2, Radiance of Holy Light Lv1]

[Talent Skills: Charm (Level cannot be increased), Envy (Level cannot be increased), Adoration (Level cannot be increased), Gaze of the Dead Lv1, Gaze of Pain Lv1, Dancer, Relic Excavation Lv1, Relic Fusion Lv2, (Slime skill hidden) Invisible, (Hidden ②) Invisible]

[Special Item: Death's White Moonlight]

[Special Mark: Succubus Mark, Location: Lower Abdomen. Invisible to anyone else. Can be used for trading or other matters.]

Because all equipment had been stored in the storage space, almost everything except talent skills and basic skills had turned gray, indicating they could not be easily used. Fortunately, since she had few skills, it effectively only sealed one useful skill: the Healing Spell. Radiance of Holy Light could at most function as an anti-pervert flashlight; the "power" of her skills was enough to make anyone shake their head.