“Huff… huff…”
In the dim hallway, Bai Yu sat slumped against the cold wall without a shred of dignity, her chest heaving violently.
She really was too much of a low-level mob right now.
Just taking out one D-rank Hunter had left her utterly exhausted, gasping for air as she sat paralyzed on the floor.
Fortunately, she had crushed its head with a final swing of her bat.
If that strike hadn’t killed it, Bai Yu’s remaining strength wouldn’t have been enough to swing again.
It was a narrow victory.
Moreover, if her Precognition hadn’t suddenly kicked in halfway through, she might have been run through.
Even if she hadn’t died instantly, a fatal wound would have likely stripped her of any fighting capacity, leaving her to be torn apart alive.
Now, she took back all her slander against the Precognition ability.
It actually was useful; it really could save her life at a critical moment.
However, this battle also gave Bai Yu a clearer understanding of her own strength.
With her current power, dealing with a single D-rank Abnormal Entity was a struggle.
If a higher-level one appeared, her only option would be to run as fast as her legs could carry her.
She couldn’t fight them at all.
Thanks to the protection of the **[Star Ring Field]**, most Abnormal Entities were kept out, unable to invade the Human World on a large scale.
Only low-level ones occasionally seeped in to launch small-scale attacks.
These small attacks posed no real threat to humanity.
Otherwise, with her weak strength, Bai Yu wouldn’t survive a single day of a full-scale invasion.
According to the world-building of *Star Song*, the **[Star Ring Field]** was a protective barrier established hundreds of years ago by the earliest Espers.
While it couldn’t completely block out Abnormal Entities, it limited their incursions to a manageable level.
Thus, under its protection, the Human World bought precious time to develop.
During this period, various powerful Espers emerged one after another.
More importantly, several peerless geniuses were born who could lead humanity to final victory—the female leads who could be romanced in the game.
But Bai Yu, who knew the plot, was aware of the truth.
Before humanity launched its counteroffensive, the world would reach the brink of destruction.
Because the **[Star Ring Field]** would completely fail for unknown reasons, the defenseless Human World would face a massive invasion.
At that time, the original female leads would still be in their growth phase.
Under the onslaught of the Abnormal Entities, humanity would keep retreating.
Fortunately, their desperate resistance bought enough time for the female leads to develop. Eventually, the fully powered-up heroines would stop the collapse and lead humanity to victory.
Truly worth celebrating… as if!
Bai Yu knew that with her current “cannon fodder” strength, she wouldn’t even live to see the counterattack phase.
If she didn’t find a thigh to cling to, she might as well consider restarting her life the day the invasion began.
If she remembered correctly, there was about one year left before the **[Star Ring Field]** failed.
Within this year, she had to find a way to max out Loweia’s affection and make them a real couple while preventing Loweia from regaining her memories.
That was the only way she could hide behind Loweia’s protection and survive the first massive invasion.
Otherwise, Bai Yu might as well look for a block of tofu to bash her head against and see if she could start a second playthrough.
But considering Loweia was essentially a ticking time bomb—the moment she recovered her memories, Bai Yu would be finished—she also needed a backup plan.
It would be best to get close to the original female leads so she could hunker down with the Protagonist Party later in the story and wait for the “Happy End.”
‘I’m thinking too far ahead. For now, I need to focus on raising her affection and becoming true lovers.’
Bai Yu rested in the dark hallway for a while longer.
Once her breathing stabilized, she stood up, shouldered her baseball bat, and headed home.
However, she hesitated at her front door.
She stared at the baseball bat, which was still stained with the blood of the two Abnormal Entities and emitted a foul stench.
Considering there were no other weapons at home and how handy the bat felt, she decided against throwing it away.
Holding her nose, she walked into the bathroom.
*Splatter, splash…*
Clear water washed over the bat, carrying away the stinking blood and filth.
As she watched the wood become clean, flashes of the battle played in her mind again.
Her Precognition had actually worked for once.
Why?
Her ability had awakened years ago, but it could only predict minor, insignificant things, and it was usually inaccurate.
It had never worked in combat before.
‘Could it be… some kind of pity system?’
‘No… maybe my Esper Ability leveled up?’
Bai Yu turned off the faucet and seriously considered the possibility.
Maybe it really had leveled up. After all, she had recently regained her sealed memories.
After transmigrating, her memories had been locked.
She had lived as a girl in this world for over ten years until she was treated as a “cannon fodder” recruit and stuffed into the team sent to subjugate the Pale Witch.
During that process, her memories suddenly returned, making her realize she was a Transmigrator.
Perhaps regaining those memories strengthened her mental power, which in turn gave her Esper Ability a boost.
“That’s a possibility.”
After all, in *Star Song*, an Esper Ability was the manifestation of mental power.
The stronger the spirit, the stronger the ability.
Although the improvement was merely going from being a total waste to being a slightly useful waste, it was still progress.
‘At least it’s good news, isn’t it?’
Bai Yu gave a self-deprecating smile.
She had thought she would get some kind of “cheat” after regaining her memories, but this was it?
‘Oh well, an upgrade is better than nothing.’
She sighed, left the bathroom, and put the clean bat back in the corner of the living room.
She was about to check on the chicken soup on the stove when she heard a voice coming from Loweia’s room.
“Bai Yu, Bai Yu…”
‘Eh?’
It sounded like she was calling for her.
And there was a tremor in Loweia’s voice.
‘Oh no, please don’t let anything be wrong.’
“Coming, I’m coming! What’s wrong, Wei Ya? Are you thirsty?”
Bai Yu suppressed the flash of panic in her heart, her face returning to a gentle expression.
She pushed open the bedroom door.
The room was pitch black, but she could vaguely see a blurry figure curled up in the corner of the bed, trembling.
“Eh? Wei Ya, what’s wrong?”
With a *click*, Bai Yu hit the light switch, and warm yellow light instantly filled the room.
Loweia was huddled in the corner of the bed, clutching the quilt around herself and shivering slightly.
Her beautiful face was pale with fear, as if she had just woken from a nightmare.
“Wei Ya, did you have a nightmare?”
Bai Yu sat on the edge of the bed.
Seeing her, the white-haired girl calmed down slightly.
But when her gaze landed on Bai Yu’s shoulder, she suddenly began to tremble even more violently.
“Bai Yu… You… you’re hurt?”