"This is all your fault, Heidi Wallace!" Aleena suddenly screamed.

As she turned to leave, all the male players stepped aside to make way for her.

I had no idea what made her so angry, but I noticed the guys were all giving me grateful looks.

One by one, the guys turned Aleena down. I was going to stop her, but she refused me without a second thought.

Feeling confused, the young man in white approached me. He handed me a protective charm and then pulled out his phone.

"My name's D. Give me your number. I'll add you to the group chat," he said.

When I didn't move, he added, "There are plenty of hidden hints in the game. We share them in the group chat. I'm a veteran player, so it's my job to help the newbies."

Seeing his serious expression, I gave him my number and joined the group chat. Just then, my phone delivered a final warning.

"System notice: Players who haven't formed teams yet, please do so within the time limit."

Those who already had teams began heading off in different directions.

Their tasks seemed simple enough—cleaning the amusement rides and such.

But what was I supposed to do?

D told me that the system always intentionally set conditions to force players into deadly situations.

But it also left behind hidden opportunities in these seemingly impossible scenarios. The protective charm he gave me was a tool to find those chances.

As the charm shimmered, I began to see a broken-down roller coaster and a rusty pirate ship.

Through the mist, I spotted a baby doll with her back to me.

Wearing a pink dress and sporting twin tails, she was staring blankly at the cotton candy stand.

Just as the cotton candy vendor turned away, the baby doll reached into the display case and stole a stick of cotton candy.

I walked over and tapped her hand, causing the candy to fall to the ground.

"You can't steal. If you want it, ask your parents to buy it for you."

The charm in my hand gave off a bright glow. I thought maybe this girl was my opportunity.

But I was wrong. The next second, the baby doll turned around, revealing hollow, blood-soaked eyes.

"I don't have parents. Do you want to be my mommy?" she mumbled. Her blood and tears poured down her face, soaking her dress.

The next second, her head fell off and landed in her own hands.

Suddenly, dark storm clouds gathered in the sky, looking ominous.

At the same time, the comments flooded the live chat.

"Haha! So dumb! Of all people, she had to pick a fight with Aria, the Headless Girl, one of the Four Bosses."

"This idiot just broke two of the boss' taboos in one go. She's as good as dead now."

"She didn't let Aria have her candy and mentioned her parents. Haha! Even God can't save her!"

I couldn't see the audience's mockery, but I could tell things were about to get real bad. I watched as the baby doll morphed into a terrifying, monstrous version of herself.

I froze up again. My legs went stiff as my mind raced. "Has no one told this doll her neck's spurting blood like a fountain of pee?"

The baby doll tilted her head in a creepy way, as if she had understood my words. Blood began to flow faster and faster from her eyes.

Her expression grew more grotesque, and tiny hands began reaching out from her mouth one by one.

I was so scared that I dropped to the ground, sitting on my butt. Then, my thoughts got even stranger. "Isn't she going to puke with so many hands scratching at her throat?"

The doll's huge eyes held a flicker of confusion. At the next moment, the storm clouds burst, and rain began to pour down in heavy drops.

Just as those tiny hands were about to grip my neck, I couldn't help but think again, "It's just candy! I'll buy it for you. I'll buy you three. One for your left hand, one for your right, and one for you to stomp on!"

The baby doll fell silent, and so did the live chat. Even the sky seemed to clear up.

Then, the live chat exploded with screams.

"My god! Didn't Aria unleash her ULTI?"

"This idiot actually has some brains. Did she know others could read her mind and think that on purpose?"

"At first, I thought she was frozen with fear but turns out she's a clever fool!"

I didn't know how excited the viewers were in the chat. All I felt was a small hand grab mine.

"Mommy, I want candy!"

The baby doll's head had returned to normal. The terrifying monster from moments ago had turned into a cute little girl.

My mind went blank. In a daze, I reached for my money, only to find the vendor had disappeared.

I grabbed a skewer and started up the cotton candy machine.

I knew how to make cotton candy because I had a younger sister, Bella Wallace. Well, I was supposed to have a sister.

My grandmother, Libby Bates, wanted a grandson, but our family was too poor to raise so many kids. So, Bella had to die. She was only three when that happened.

Later, my mother, Giselle Tillman, got pregnant. It gave me a reason to live.

That reason was to take care of my younger brother, Noel Wallace.

As I spun the cotton candy, I cried like a child. When I handed the candy to the baby doll, she smiled at me.

Bella had been around the same age when she passed. She was so adorable, and she loved sweets.

"Girl, do you have a name?"

"I'm Aria!" She licked the cotton candy and then turned to me with a smile. "Thank you, Mommy!"

"Just call me Heidi," I replied. "I can be your sister, not your mom."

Aria's face suddenly darkened, and blood began seeping from her eyes again. "I only need Mommy, not a sis—"

Before she could say more, I pulled her into an embrace.

I wasn't sure if it was because I had imagined her as Bella at that moment, but I didn't feel scared at all.

I gently wiped her face with a tissue. "Don't do that, okay? You won't be pretty if you get your face dirty."

Aria froze. This time, what flowed from her eyes was tears.

"Oh, she's so cute! I wish she were my sister," I thought to myself, but Aria suddenly stared at me in confusion.

Finally, she murmured, "She's different. She's different from all my previous Mommies. Why?"

I didn't know what she meant, but I held her hand tightly to comfort her.

"Heidi, do you really want to be my sister? You're not just using me, right?" Aria asked.

Suddenly, she tightened her grip on my hand. That was when I noticed the stitching on her body.

She was like a collection of broken pieces put together. Before I could answer, Aria's expression turned to fear.

The wind began to howl from all directions, and a dark figure leaped from the top of the Ferris wheel.

"He's here, Heidi!"

Terrified, Aria turned and ran, but I was held in place by the dark figure.

The figure, wearing a sharp suit and a mask, had red pupils that pierced through the holes in the mask, staring right at me.

"You managed to win Aria's favor? I really underestimated you."

Rationally, I knew I was facing the final boss, but all I could think was, "Masked guys are always so hot! His voice is so sexy!

"He's just a little too thin, though. No wonder he could jump from so high without breaking a sweat. I can send him flying with a kick!"

The final boss' expression grew darker and darker, until it was as black as coal. The sky turned blood-red to match his mood.

This was it. I was terrified again and froze in his arms.

My body pressed against his firm abs. There were eight perfect blocks. Not a single one was missing!

"Clothes make him look slim, but he's got muscles beneath. Although I should be reserved, I guess it's okay to think about it.

"I want to touch him so bad. Will he get mad? No, wait, am I about to die? Well, I guess if I'm going out, it's a pretty good way to go. I'm dying in a hot guy's arms, after all."

My mind exploded with wild thoughts as my body remained stiff.

The live chat went crazy.

"Does this idiot even know people can read her mind? What is she thinking?"

"I think she's doing it on purpose. Didn't you see the final boss blushing?"

"Oh my God! I think I'm shipping them. Don't die, idiot. I want to keep shipping this!"

I didn't know how crazy the live chat was getting. All I saw was the final boss' face shift through a range of emotions.

Finally, a flush of crimson colored his face. After a long pause, he asked, "Why are you the only one who doesn't have to pick a role?"

That was when it hit me. Out of the 21 players, I was the only one left single.

Feeling a little down, I pulled out my phone and noticed that the countdown screen had changed.

A new task appeared on my phone.

"Congratulations, you've unlocked a special quest: Journey of Wishes. Raise the affection level of all four bosses to 100%. Complete the task, and you'll receive a one-time SSS-ranked skill."

Raise their affection levels, and I could receive a skill?

But how was I supposed to do that?

I looked at the final boss' face, which was hidden behind the mask, and suddenly asked, "What kind of woman do you like?"

He looked completely bewildered by my question. Normally, players would freeze up in fear upon seeing him, like they were face to face with death itself.

But I seemed completely unafraid, and it actually startled him. It was then that he realized he was still holding me around the waist.