Ding!!
[Penalty Zone Survived!]
[+1500 EXP Granted!]
[Mystery Reward Unlocked!]
Selene woke up to someone chewing her hair.
There was a plump, furry creature—round as a dumpling and just as smug—sitting on her face. Its twitching nose was buried in her hair like they were salad.
"Get away from me," she groaned.
The rabbit did not care.
Meanwhile, her phone was trembling from a flurry of notifications exploding on the screen. Selene shooed away the rabbit, grabbed her phone, and quickly turned it on.
She could not breathe for a second.
Time: 08:11 PM, 29 August
You have 100+ Missed Calls from Unknown Numbers!
You have been mentioned by 100+ profiles on social media accounts!
"What the hell," Selene whispered, "How did I sleep for so long…?"
A monotonous voice chimed in her head as a golden screen popped up.
[Your soul requires sleep to recover. It has not healed from the strain of entering the Penalty Zone. Mandatory Recovery Period: 24 Hours. Or more. It depends on the Player's stats.]
Selene sat up with a frown. "Twenty-four hours?! That's basically a blackout!"
Ding!
[Global Status Update: Player Selene Sinclair is now considered "Missing, Dangerous, Possibly Armed."]
[You are currently being tracked by 12 surveillance satellites.]
[Live footage of your hotel window is trending worldwide.]
[Viewer Count: 9.8 billion.]
Selene blinked. Then read it again.
"…I'm WHAT? NINE BILLION?!!!"
Ding!
[New Arrest Warrant Issued – Reason: Suspected Insider Collusion with the Hamilton Group.]
[You are currently #3 on Atlantis' Most Wanted List.]
[Scroll to see #2: A Swan That Attacked the Prime Minister.]
Selene's breath hitched. She grabbed her phone. "I'm being—?!"
Ding!
[Bianca Sinclair scheduled to speak at your funeral in 48 hours.]
"…I'm dead?!"
The rabbit's pupils dilated. It sensed doom. And like a furry landmine—CHOMP. Right on her neck. Selene screamed. Then collapsed like a fainting goat mid-tax audit.
Ding!
[Status: Recovery anomalies detected. Initiating urgent
[Title Unlocked: "Rabbit of Suspicion."]
[Auto-Hibernation Engaged.]
The rabbit hopped once. Judged her soul. Then quietly sat on her face again.
Outside the bedroom, a worried bodyguard was pacing nervously.
Blake frowned upon arrival.
The boydguard hastily spoke up, "Mister Blake, perhaps we should call a doctor? Miss Sinclair has been sleeping since forever!!"
Without responding, Blake entered the room.
It was well past midnight when they left the prison. Blake was a man who always came prepared. And so, when Selene suddenly fell asleep inside the plane… a doctor was already there to check up on her.
"Seems like Miss Sinclair is just… tired…" he mumbled.
Blake said nothing
But he stared at Selene for a long, thoughtful moment. She did not wake up when the plane landed at the Hamilton Estate. She did not wake up when Blake carried her to the Sapphire Estate Hotel.
There were dozens of police cars stationed there already.
But this time, they were not only reporting to the Sinclairs.
And more than that, there were hundreds of reporters.
Paparazzis.
News spread overnight about Selene Sinclair. The entire city of Atlantis was gossiping.
What was the banished heiress of the Sinclair family doing at the Hamilton Estate?
Is Selene Sinclair now the most wanted woman in Atlantis?
Banished Billionaire or Bedroom Fugitive?!
While the entire city was in chaos, Selene remained asleep.
Now? More than twenty-four hours have passed.
Selene was still asleep.
But strangely… There was a small stain of red near her pillow…
Blake glanced at her face.
Carefully checking if anything was wrong… but even after several seconds, he could not find a single scar.
Or any injury.
Then, where did the blood come from?
. . . . .
When Selene's eyes opened again, she was feeling as if she had been born anew.
There was not a trace of tiredness in her body. Her mind felt light. Her thoughts felt calmer.
Ding!
[Player Health restoration complete!]
Selene rubbed her eyes. "Why do I feel like I have been sleeping forever?"
She had not felt so… relaxed in a long time. After doing part-time jobs throughout the day, barely getting enough rest… there was never a time Selene did not feel tired.
When the system arrived, she no longer needed to worry about making a living.
Nevertheless, she had to worry about how to spend her money.
But now… she felt so calm.
'This is amazing.' She thought.
There was so much about the System she still did not know.
Just as Selene thought about her profile, the golden holographic screen flickered before her. The letters changed.
Ding!
Player Profile
Player Name: Selene Sinclair
Player Title: Chaotic Billionaire
Level8
Experience Points 2025/3105
Health Points100
Mana PointsLocked
Karma Points150
Stats
Attack250
Defense350
Strength150
Stamina150
Skills
Tech GeniusLevel 10
Witty SeductionLevel 10
IntelligenceLevel 10
CharismaLevel 10
Selene's heartbeat sped up.
Available Star Coins: Zero
Debt: Re-calculating…
Selene's heart sped up.
She had spammed all the star coins to strengthen herself as much as possible. And now… she could not help but be proud as she stared at the stats.
Selene whispered, "What is the limit of this system?"
How far could Selene go like this?
Her eyes paused over the 'Mana Points' and she asked.
"Haven't you already given me enough things magically? I don't understand why the mana points are locked."
There was a small silence.
Then, the System answered in a distant voice.
[Everything you have been granted so far has been through science, player. To unlock the things beyond, you must interact with this world's mana veins.]
Selene froze.
Mana veins?
Was something like that truly real?
But then again, nothing has seemed real ever since she found the system… everything has been confusing, mysterious… and beyond her understanding.
Selene thought about the anime and manga she would read, and nodded solemnly.
"If the System is real, magic must be real too."
But how could she find it?
Before Selene could ask the system, the doors of the room opened. It was Blake. Daphne stood calmly by his side as the two men entered.
Both their expression were unreadable.
But tense.
Selene raised a curious brow.
"Everything is fine, Miss Sinclair," Blake said with a wary gaze. "We have handled the prison situation. The doctors said you were asleep for almost an entire day because… you were just exhausted."
Selene sat up on the bed with a frown.
Daphne was the first one to speak, "While you were out, the media went crazy. There are all kinds of news flying around Atlantis. The Sinclair Estate has made no announcement either… making the rumours all the worse. We did not comment on anything much on your behalf, but the people are growing restless."
Selene scoffed, "Who cares about them?"
Blake let out a quiet sigh.
He walked over to a wall panel and tapped the embedded screen. The screen lit up—showing wild cats jumping around as they fought over mice.
Selene and Daphne exchanged a glance.
Blake's expressions became more annoyed. After a few awkward swipes, the screen switched to a live news channel.
The reporter was standing before a rioting crowd outside the Hamilton Group headquarters. Some held 'Selene is the Satan!!!' banners, while some had doodled funny faces on her picture!
"What the absolute hell…" Selene whispered.
The reporter reported hastily.
"Twenty hours after Selene Sinclair's prison break, she is still missing! Our sources claim she was banished from the Sinclair family after showing erratic and harmful behaviour!"
Selene had just grabbed a glass of water when she heard those words.
She paused.
The reporter continued in a dramatic voice.
"But just a day ago, Selene went to the Sinclair mansion and tried to murder her stepmother! You heard this right! She tried to kill the angelic Bianca Sinclair!"
"One would think this would put Selene Sincalir behind bars—but NO!!!"
"The Hamilton Group used legal loopholes to have her roam free!"
"Our sources are very certain that this is happening because Selene Sinclair seduced the young heir of Hamilton Group! What a vile woman!"
The glass in Selene's hand shattered.
Daphne flinched.
Blake tensed.
And Selene… said nothing.
Her mind reeled.
The anger she felt was almost volcanic. She knew what was happening. There was no way the media would slander her so idiotically out of the blue… Bianca must have paid her fans to twist the narrative.
And everyone was going to believe her.
Bianca Sinclair was loved by everyone. She had come from poverty. Married into one of the richest families in the world… and everyone thought it was because of her so-called kind heart.
It was all because she was so caring.
So humble.
Blake mumbled what Selene was thinking, "People see Bianca Sinclair, and they just… always trust her without a word."
Daphne gave a pointed look. "Bianca spends a fortune keeping a perfect public profile."
Selene licked her lips.
Thinking. Hard.
It was the first time her mind was truly working.
Blake glanced at her, "We will take care of everything… Miss Sinclair… You are now the face of Hamilton Group. We have to safeguard your reputation."
Daphne nodded, "Please just rest here. It's not safe for you to leave the estate."
The system chimed.
[Warning, Player. Current Public Sentiment: They do not trust you. They just want to crush you.]
Selene took a deep, calming breath.
The evening air felt more lively during that hour. Almost as if a storm was coming soon. And Selene? She loved storms.
She got up from the bed.
Her hair gently cascaded down to her waist.
No one noticed, but there was a new gleam in her gaze.
A newfound glow on her skin.
Ding!
[The Class 'Iron Widow' is currently active!]
[Charisma Buff is active!]
[The Passive Skill 'Witty Seduction' is active!]
Selene smiled softly.
And for a moment, both Blake and Daphne felt a weird tingling in their heart.
Selene got down from the bed. Adjusted the sleeves of her new silk kimono, and announced in a calm, confident voice.
"I am not hiding anywhere."
Blake frowned.
But he did not move. He just watched her. Eyes narrowed slightly.
Selene turned toward the door.
And as the system silently resumed background monitoring, a new notification appeared:
[Unknown Variable Detected. Tracking source… error… variable unstable.]
Selene paused.
Then, without looking back—
She walked out.
And somewhere, something watching her blinked first.