I kissed Summers Liam, the number one player in the world rankings.

Of all people, why did it have to be the hot-tempered, devilishly ruthless one?

The kind who could kill without a second thought.

Seizing the opportunity while he was still stunned, I lifted my foot, planning to sneak away.

But before I could, a chill swept over me from behind.

Damn it, I was caught by the back of my neck.

...

On the stage of the once-in-a-decade DreamScape event, the host, microphone in hand, beamed with excitement and called out,

"Next up, let's welcome our lucky player—Lucky Star, to receive their award!"

Clumsily, I stepped up onto the stage in my high heels, trying to maintain my balance as I bowed to the audience.

The crowd below looked at me with disdain.

"Next, please welcome Warm Winters, one of the top five players in the world rankings!"

At the mention of that name, I froze in place, unsure of what to do.

A chorus of insults echoed around me:

"Why's that little homewrecker still up there?"

"Go die, you green tea b****! You're embarrassing yourself."

They were all urging me to leave the stage quickly.

In the face of their taunts, my heart pounded in my chest, and my palms began to sweat from the anxiety.

Amid the chaos, there stood a quiet, slender figure.

He remained silent, his gaze fixed on me with an unshakable resolve.

Though no words were spoken, somehow, I felt calmer.

I bit my lip and, after a moment, took the microphone.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Lucky Star."

A stunned silence followed.

A month ago...

I suddenly remembered I was supposed to team up with my boyfriend, Storm Ethan, for a CP (Cultivation Partner) mission.

Hurrying, I rushed to the game chamber, put on the helmet, and logged into DreamScape.

The first thing that greeted me was the Lucky Star login screen.

I flexed my sore wrist and pressed the start button.

A soft, doll-like figure that resembled me appeared in the game lobby, holding a staff.

I glanced around at the people nearby, and all their eyes were on me.

Some looked at me with pity, while others with mockery.

Confused, I was soon made to understand why.

Storm was walking toward me, holding my cousin Winters Isabella's hand. I looked down at the sight.

They were both wearing the shiny CP-exclusive bracelets.

I casually leaned against the side, glaring at him.

Storm scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting around awkwardly.

"Uh... Warms, don't get mad," he said.

"Your character's too weak, and Winters is about the same level as me, so..."

In DreamScape, being CP partners was beneficial if both players were evenly matched in strength.

If one was weaker, the stronger player would assist the weaker one.

We were all playing the game together, but my level was much lower than theirs, and I was the weakest support class.

They had never bothered to ask why my level was so low.

They just assumed I didn't know how to play the game.

Winters stood beside him, looking at me with smug satisfaction, her arm casually linked with his.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were the real couple.

I didn’t react as expected.

Winters, ever since we were kids, had always liked to take things from me.

And every time I gave them to her, she had to show off to me about it.

I didn’t mind; I was never attached to those things.

I had warned Storm to stay away from her, but here we were, anyway.

It didn’t matter. I believed that if something wasn’t meant for me, it wouldn't be mine.

I raised my staff and struck Storm with it.

“We’re breaking up,” I declared.

Storm yelped in pain, then shouted, “We’re not even really a couple! Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

I shot him a look of pure disdain.

Without saying another word, I turned and walked away, disappearing from the scene.

I sat under a peach tree, gazing at the distant landscape, peach blossoms falling gently onto my shoulders. The quiet around me was almost surreal.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared, led by a handsome young man holding a fan.

He wore a soft smile, listening to something being reported by someone beside him.

He furrowed his brows, suddenly raising his fan and striking the person reporting to him. His voice trembled with irritation, "What?! The time's almost up, and you're telling me now that they’re not coming?!"

I was jolted by the abrupt shift in atmosphere.

His temper was a far cry from his usually refined and graceful demeanor.

His eyes narrowed, seemingly noticing something.

Suddenly, he turned and looked directly at me.

The moment our eyes locked, deep and dark like a bottomless well, I felt a shiver run through me.

I immediately shrank back, like an ostrich, hoping he wouldn’t see me.

In my mind, I repeated, "You can’t see me, you can’t see me…"

The sound of dry twigs snapping underfoot reached my ears, and I forced a smile, while inwardly cursing.

He kept walking toward me.

I slowly gripped my staff tighter.

Then, without warning, he clapped me on the shoulder, smiling brightly as he said, “Hey, you’re here alone looking at the scenery. How about joining me for the dungeon run?”

I tried to resist, pleading with wide eyes, “But I’m just a support character.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve got your back, Summers has you covered. You just need to fill the numbers,” he reassured me.

I kept up the smile.

But seeing his gaze grow colder by the second, I weakly nodded, “Alright…”

The massive, twisted, flowered demon spread its tendrils, ensnaring many people.

A silver figure passed through, drawing his blade and piercing the demon’s body.

Under the heavy strike, the demon’s body oozed dark, poisoned blood.

I watched Summers’ moves with a sense of contemplation.

He was skilled, and his temper? Even more so.

He shouted to everyone, “Be careful! It’s entered its ultimate form!”

The demon let out a furious roar, charging into berserk mode and attacking indiscriminately.

Instinctively, I took several steps forward, raising my staff to strike.

But then, I froze.

I had forgotten that I was on my low-level alt character.

Seeing the demon’s health dropping to the red, it suddenly focused on me—the slowest and weakest in the group.

If someone dies during the dungeon, the challenge fails.

My heart sank. This was one of the highest-level dungeons, and my level was far too low for this.

Before I could react, the demon shot out tendrils at lightning speed, aiming to strike me down with a final blow.

I couldn’t dodge in time. I closed my eyes, bracing for the inevitable.

I expected to die, but when I opened my eyes, Summers had positioned himself in front of me, spitting blood out.

With one final strike, the demon’s body exploded into fragments.

I supported his body, “Are you alright?”

He gritted his teeth, glaring as he spoke through clenched jaws, “Does it look like I’m alright?”

I knew the pain was virtual, but it felt real to him.

I lowered my head, unsure of what to say, “I’m sorry…”

He seemed taken aback by my words, stiffening for a moment.

Then, he quickly masked it, patting me on the back with a laugh, “I’m fine, just kidding, you’re too easy to mess with.”

But I could tell he was holding it in.

A group of people rushed over.

A voluptuous woman shoved me aside, her face twisted in anger, “This is all your fault! If you’d died, everything would’ve been for nothing! Do you know how rare it is to encounter this demon?!”

It was then that I realized Winters was also here in this dungeon.

Her level was so high, she easily pushed me into the flower patch. I struggled to prop myself up, half-buried in the twisted vines.

Summers quickly reacted, bending down to help me up.

“You bitch!” He kicked Winters away, his tone laced with fury, “Who told you to touch her?!”

I silently watched as her body was half-buried in the earth.

Phew, glad I didn’t piss him off.

She shot me a hurt look, her gaze shifting to Summers beside me.

Summers ignored her.

The atmosphere was painfully awkward, and it was Storm who stepped in to pull her away.

The closeness between them seemed seamless, almost like Storm had effortlessly stepped into the role.

Each person who cleared the challenge would receive an equal reward.

Summers handed me the loot chest from the dungeon.

I slowly opened it.

Inside, I found a glowing peach blossom vine, along with several other useful potions.

The trumpet sounded throughout the entire server.

A voice in the crowd muttered, “Isn’t that the peach blossom vine with a drop rate of only 0.0012%?”

“Those potions are ultra-rare!”

“Even the lowest-tier ones are considered rare. This girl is really lucky!”

In DreamScape, it was allowed to compete and take personal items from others within dungeons.

People around us immediately began to sparkle with envy, casting side-eye glances at me. But they held back, since Summers hadn’t stepped forward yet.

I held the peach blossom vine out toward Summers.

“I didn’t really do much to help,” I paused, then continued, “and I kind of dragged you down and caused you to get hurt. You should have this.”

Summers scoffed, lightly pushing my hand back toward me. “What’s yours is yours. I don’t like taking advantage of others.”

I lowered my head, unable to hide my disappointment.

As if sensing my down mood, Summers suddenly reached out and gently pressed his hand on my head. He leaned in close, his expression serious as he said, “I’m a strategist. I don’t need the extra stuff, you know?”

I blinked, realizing I had misunderstood him.

I looked up, a smile breaking across my face as I nodded.

“Good girl.” He smiled back, ruffling my hair.

But then, his expression suddenly shifted. His gaze turned cold as he scanned the people around us.

He suddenly pulled me into his side. “If any of you even think about making a move on this girl, don’t blame me…”

Some of the onlookers remained indifferent.

Summers conjured a ball of spiritual fire in his hand. The others quickly stepped back, grinning sheepishly as they bowed. “We wouldn’t dare.”

They turned and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After leaving the dungeon, I was lost in thought, wondering what I should do next.

I kicked a stone along the side of the road, aimlessly wandering, when I suddenly bumped into a firm chest.

It felt as hard as hitting a stone.

I winced in pain and rubbed my nose, looking up.

Wait… wasn’t that Summers?

He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression stiff. “So, how about you stick with me? I’ll protect you until you’re strong enough to take care of yourself.”

I stared at him, confused.

He furrowed his brow. “Don’t get the wrong idea! I just don’t want to owe you anything, considering you got dragged into this because of that dungeon.”

He rubbed the back of his head, looking annoyed.

“I can protect myself,” I said firmly.

He scoffed and laughed, ruffling my hair again. “With your size and level?”

But I had pulled several life-saving items from the dungeon.

Before I could respond, he turned and began walking forward.

What a carefree guy.

I sighed, shrugging, and grabbed the hem of his shirt, following behind him.

Suddenly, an invitation appeared before me: “Player Storm invites you to join a dungeon. Do you accept?”

Summers noticed I stopped and turned around, his eyes narrowing as he saw the invitation.

“Who is that?”

I waved my hand dismissively. “No one important. Just a jerk.”

I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

I swiftly locked the invitation, blocking that troublesome pair.

Summers slapped the top of my head, scowling at me. “Isn’t this a good opportunity for revenge?”