Reborn With A System

Maya

"Ahhh!"

My own scream tore through the air and echoed against high ceilings. My eyes flew open, my chest heaving as I awaited the next bite.

But that didn't come. Here, there were no zombies, no pain, and my wrists weren't bound by any rope or tied to a shelf.

Soft music played in the background, and the crystal chandelier glittered over me. I blinked once before sweeping my eyes around the scene in front of me.

Round tables dressed in white and gold stretched across a grand hall, which was filled with people, and every one of them was staring at me.

I was seated at the head table, and my back was pressed against a cushioned chair, as if I had dozed off in the middle of my own party.

The realisation came immediately after my eyes landed on the engraving on the arm of the chair.

"Merry Hall. Calvary Hotel."

My fifth anniversary was held here, and that was a few weeks before the apocalypse.

"Oh my God, did she just scream?" a woman whispered, not bothering to lower her voice.

"She fell asleep at her own anniversary party. Typical Maya."

"You can't blame her. Women of her size sleep a lot."

"Did you hear her snoring earlier? It was like that of a pig."

"No wonder Lucas keeps disappearing. Who'd want to stand beside that?"

Soft laughter rippled around me, but I was too disoriented to care. I was still processing the fact that I was here, alive.

In my past life, I would have lowered my head, maybe even forced a smile, and apologized to everyone.

The same people who mocked me whenever they got the chance for simply being the chubby, simple wife who didn't belong in the Black family.

Now, as their laughter filled my ears, it didn't hurt at all, and I felt almost sorry for them.

I looked around for Lucas. His seat beside mine was empty, and Lydia, the friend who was supposed to be helping me, was nowhere in sight either.

I wasn't surprised.

Rising up from my seat, I smoothed my dress and walked out of the hall with my head held high, ignoring the whispers that trailed behind me.

The restroom was empty, and I locked myself in a stall, pressed my back against the door, and finally let my knees give way.

I was alive.

I had been given a second chance.

I flattened one palm against my chest and felt my heart beating in a steady rhythm.

I could still remember everything: the betrayal from the group and, most especially, from Lucas and Lydia.

To them, I was fat, too fat to be alive, too fat to go with them, just the perfect bait for their escape.

Tears slid down my cheeks, but they weren't tears of weakness. They were tears of rage at being thrown at the zombie horde like garbage.

I wiped my face harshly with the back of my hand. "Never again," I whispered. "I will never be that stupid woman again."

BEEP! BEEP!! BEEP!!!

[SYSTEM BINDING IN PROGRESS.]

I froze.

A translucent blue screen flickered in the air in front of me, glowing softly in the dim stall.

[BINDING COMPLETE.]

~Congratulations, host. You have been reborn!

My mouth fell open. "What… is this?"

[Host Status]

~Name: Maya Black

~Age: 25

~Status: Reborn

~Current Timeline: 30 Days Before the Apocalypse. (March 12th 3017)

~Level: 1

~System Points: 0

~System Inventory: Locked

I stared at the words. "30 Days Before the Apocalypse."

A shaky laugh escaped my lips. I wasn't dreaming. I had been reborn, and I had been given a system.

I had read a few webnovels in my first life and had read books where characters were given systems. I never imagined that it was real or that I would get one.

This was a gift, and I planned to use it to its fullest potential.

"Thank you," I whispered to the system, overwhelmed with intense gratitude. "Thank you for this."

[Do not thank me yet, host. You have not done anything.]

The voice was dry and sarcastic. I blinked.

"You can talk?"

[I can do many things. Starting with reminding you that you have wasted enough time crying in a bathroom.]

I scoffed, but a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

A sarcastic system. Of course.

SYSTEM NOTICE!

[First Quest Activated!]

~Divorce Lucas Black and sever all ties with Lydia.

~Time Limit: 15 Hours

~Reward: Unlock vital information about the system.

~Penalty for Failure: Lose the system.

~14 hours, 59 minutes, 50 seconds

I didn't need a system to tell me to leave Lucas or cut off Lydia. I had already made that decision the moment I opened my eyes.

But the penalty made my hands curl into fists. Lose the system? Lose my only chance at surviving what was coming?

NEVER!

"I'll do it," I said.

[Good. As a reward for successful binding, the system will provide two gifts.]

Two gifts? I straightened, my curiosity piqued, and my heart thudded softly in anticipation.

[Gift One.]

The screen flickered, and a photograph appeared.

In the photo was a bed.

The same bed Lucas and I shared, and tangled on it were my husband-soon-to-be ex-husband-and Lydia.

The timestamp read "this morning."

They had done this in our home while I was busy arranging this party.

I stared numbly at the photo. I was already too angry to feel pained by it.

Suddenly, the photo materialised in my hand, making me jolt in surprise. I turned the photo over as though that would explain how it had appeared out of nowhere.

[Host, it's a photograph, not a bomb. You can stop looking like you've seen a ghost.]

The system remarked dryly.

[Though, considering your circumstances, I suppose you have.]

I was about to make a comeback when the words on the panel in front of me rearranged themselves.

[Gift Two.]

This time, there wasn't a photo as I expected, but a line of text.

~Location of Lucas Black and Lydia Hart: Calvary Hotel, Room 60. Status: In progress.

My breath caught, and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip.

While I was alone at the head table in the hall, they were in a room, in this very hotel, having sex.

Something calm and cold settled over me as this realisation settled.

How desperate was I for his love that I never saw this?

Well, that desperate woman had died in that bookstore.

I stood up and unlocked the stall, then walked to the mirror. Thankfully, the restroom was still empty.

The woman staring back at me was soft around the edges, with puffy eyes and a smeared face.

I washed my face and fixed my hair. I didn't care that all my makeup was gone.

"Which way to the elevator?" I asked in my head as I walked to the door.

The system's reply came promptly.

[Left, then straight ahead. Do you require emotional support?]

"No." I walked out of the restroom. "I require a divorce."

The elevator ride to the fifth floor was short. I stepped into the quiet hallways and walked past a line of identical doors.

I counted each number as I walked.

56, 58, and then I stopped in front of 60. The door was left slightly ajar.

Faint sounds drifted from the other side. I recognised Lydia's laugh and Lucas's voice.

My finger tightened around the handle, and I took a deep breath, then pushed the door open.