Chapter 176 - 4.2

[How is it, Host? As part of your reward, your soul will naturally be strengthened.. Also, for the extra reward.. En, how do I say this? It's not going to be an item, but rather..] The System inquired after seeing his Host finish reading.

He was hesitant while voicing his announcement, which made Xu Jiaqi confused.

'What are you so scared of? Is the reward bad?' Xu Jiaqi frowned, wondering why the System couldn't speak clearly.

[Host, the reward is exclusively for me. I got upgraded.. There's nothing else. I-I also think that it's unfair, Host! How can they do this~!] The System wailed as he lamented their fate. To him, this reward was of course a good thing, but what about his Host?

Xu Jiaqi blinked. She became even more confused. How come the System actually thought that she wouldn't like the reward? The System was her one and only companion, the one who actually understands her situation. She didn't get what was going on.

To be honest, the reason for it was because the System had learned from the other Systems. Apparently, their agents tended to be a lot more greedy. They felt like their efforts should be rewarded with items and other perks that would make their challenges easier in the future. They would blatantly extort their Systems for impossible things.

Xu Jiaqi was of course, not someone who had such things in her mind.

'You getting an upgrade is a good thing. You will continue to help me anyway, so get stronger and I will profit out of it as well.' Xu Jiaqi wasn't mad at all. In fact, the reward that she had obtained from the first world hadn't even been used in the slightest that she thought it was quite a shame.

The second world gave her a sword, which she was able to utilize when she fought bravely against her enemies under Xian Ruo. She didn't have any other qualms, and knew that she was capable enough to survive hard situations, so did items even matter?

Her System being granted better features would benefit her more since she frequently used the System's help in her worlds.

[H-Hosttt!! You are truly the best, wuwuwu!] The System broke down after seeing how good his Host was. The more she acted kind to him, the more he felt bad doing things behind her back.

Jeez, why does everything need to be so troublesome?!

He wanted to just quit all of these jobs and live with his Host somewhere in a faraway world where they wouldn't have to do any missions, and would just live comfortably.

'You were worried about such a thing.. System, I really don't know how low you think I am. I wouldn't be the type to bother about those kinds of things, so you can't worry like that again, understood?'

[Roger, Host! Ah, how long of a vacation would you like to take?]

'About.. a month, I suppose. In the mean time, I want to try deepening my knowledge. I couldn't maximize my potential in the previous world. I realized that I wasn't as bright as I thought.. There are still many things that I am not aware of. I want to fix that.'

System: Are you serious? Do you want to drown in the spit of those you beat down to the ground with zero mistakes? If you're not that bright, then what are they?? Vantablack? Their grievances will accumulate and pulverize you in one go!

The System was a bit shaken up, but he still did as told and didn't correct Xu Jiaqi.

[A month will be granted to you as vacation! Please ask for any type of resources you wish to handle, and I will bring them to you.]

________

A month later, Xu Jiaqi was finally ready to leave the System space. She had equipped herself with a lot of knowledge, which she learned using her excellent memory and intelligence. She diversified her knowledge on things, since she noticed that she was heavily business oriented and was imbalanced in other factors.

If she only had to play in her original world, then it would be fine, but she had to travel through many bizarre realms like the interstellar one she saw in her dream sooner or later.

She had to prepare herself for anything thrown down her way.

That being said, the world she just entered did not seem to be an interstellar realm, but rather just a regular setting in modern times.

She woke up abruptly, not realizing that she was tucked in a bed and that there was a catheter inserted in her. Her movements made the IV bag connected to the tubes shake, and her head instantly flared up with heat.

The two people who were in the room instantly reacted and held the shaking pole down.

"Qiqi, you should rest a bit more. You can't wake up like that! I'm really sorry, I didn't expect for you to faint right there.." The unknown woman was the first to say something.

"What are you talking about? It's not your fault that she fainted! Xinran, you are far too kind for your own good.." A man's voice obstructed the other.

Meanwhile, Xu Jiaqi was still feeling dizzy and couldn't bring herself to move around. She just stared at the two figures who stood beside her bed with a confused gaze without saying anything.

'The System.. should be busy with other things.' Xu Jiaqi concluded. Until he came back, she had to deal with these two with her own assumptions and understand her current memories well.

The best way to do that was of course, going back to sleep. She did not react to their words and just slid inside the blanket one more time, closing her eyes.

She could hear some disgruntled noises from the man, but she paid him no heed as she processed the information.

Xu Jiaqi looked at whatever memories she had while she pretended to be resting, and combined it with the information the System left her. The incidents that happened was clear from start to finish.

Her current body was a teenager that had quite the unfortunate life. Xu Jiaqi was born to a renowned pianist mother and a reputable composer father. The pair of musicians garnered respect from not only the music community, but also the general public as a whole. They were borderline celebrities who also maintained a strict quality in their works. Their appearance and personality were exceptional, and the bond they shared was quite famous.

Being surrounded with such a musical background, she was naturally introduced to the field of music from an early age.

Her parents would nurture her and try to seek her passion in music, holding high hopes that she would become invested in music just as much as they did. And Xu Jiaqi did inherit her parents' talents.

Taught by no one else but her precious mother, she learned to play the piano and showed prodigal tendencies as she continued to learn the instrument and express her tones in such a beautiful way that people had nothing but praises for her. She also picked up the violin, which was taught to her by her mother's close friend. The future seemed so bright for her.

Furthermore, she liked to sing above everything else. Xu Jiaqi loved to use her voice for various means, she loved exploring different genres and analyzing the emotions behind each and every single one of those pieces. It was just simply a pleasure for her, an action as natural as breathing. Her performances were always associated with angelic tones. Critics that were known to be harsh recognized her worth and applauded her.

She was a gift to the world, a precious gem.

Her parents willingly supported these hobbies of hers, reaching out to their acquaintances on how they could make their daughter's talents be appreciated further. Xu Jiaqi was then made to jump into the entertainment scene. Of course, she wasn't forced in any sort of way in the entire process. Her parents did love music and wished for their daughter to adopt the same sentiments they had, but their love for Xu Jiaqi far surpassed anything else.

They would never force her to do anything, and were prepared to drop the idea of her entering the music world if she didn't want to in the first place. Luckily, the girl was entranced with the colorful world of music.

Xu Jiaqi's popularity rose quickly. She truly excelled in making others fall in love with her. There was a specific type of charm that she possessed, making the others not be able to pull their eyes away from her. The music she created was filled to the brim with excellence, and people loved her as a whole.

When she was ten years old, her fame was already widespread internationally, and her path to stardom was unmatched by anybody else.

However, one day, a terrible accident occurred.

The start of Xu Jiaqi's downfall, the beginning that reduced her to what she is right now.