Second Life

"Once you reject faith, there's no turning back."

"But now I have nothing left—so what if I lose my faith as well?"

That day, the young woman offered everything she had in a pact with the dark god.

"Rather than entrust my hopes to the illusion of faith, let faith bow before me and usher in my rebirth!"

In the midst of chaos, Mu Xinning slowly closed her eyes, feeling that her entire life had been nothing but a farce.

As her consciousness faded, the last thing she saw was the series of humiliating moments she’d endured just to survive ever since the game descended.

In the end, she had simply been too weak. That was why she met such a miserable end in this ruthless game. So, to gain power, she didn’t mind exchanging everything—even if it meant sacrificing her body.

In the final moments, she’d been tightly wrapped by a colossal tentacled monster—

Startled by the vision, Mu Xinning bolted upright in bed, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

What was that just now?

She quickly noticed her body was slick and sticky, and something seemed to be writhing under the covers.

Terrified, she yanked the blanket away.

If she hadn’t, it would have been less shocking. But now, her jaw almost dropped to the floor.

What on earth was this—?

Several thick, dark-purple tentacles slithered about the bed. If anyone else saw this, it would have been straight out of a horror film.

Thankfully, she’d encountered her share of strange beings before and didn’t scream. Looking closer, she realized these things were actually extending from her lower back!

Once she calmed herself, she realized she was in a completely unfamiliar room.

Where was she?

She remembered making a deal with the dark god as her life drew its last breath, agreeing to any terms he might set.

So… she hadn’t died?

Soon, she pieced things together. It seemed she’d become the host for that “thing.”

At this thought, she grabbed the nearest tentacle, used it as a pillow, and lay back down. She’d just had a nightmare and needed a bit more rest to steady herself.

Tentacle: “???”

Woman! You dare to openly ignore me—and even use my noble tentacle as a pillow! This is… this is…

Utterly outrageous!!!

To think I went to such effort to create this wonderful space for her, even decorated it especially… and yet she isn’t even surprised!

He only felt himself growing more and more annoyed. He wanted to teach this ignorant woman a lesson, but his tentacle hovered in midair, unable to bring itself to act.

Damn it! He was getting flustered, because… because… being wrapped around this woman was actually quite comfortable…

As he reflected, his tentacles wrapped her even tighter.

When she’d finally slept enough and tried to get up to freshen up, she discovered—

She couldn’t move.

Then she remembered she’d fallen asleep clutching something slippery the night before.

“So, you’re finally awake?” the tentacle spoke.

Mu Xinning wondered if she was hallucinating.

“You held me as you slept for a long time, even mumbling ‘so soft, so soft’ in your sleep.”

Tentacle, talking?

Was she sure she wasn’t still dreaming? She felt a bit dazed.

“But since you’ve already offered everything to me, I’ll let your impropriety pass this time.”

Impropriety? She couldn’t help but wonder. All she’d done was hug him, hadn’t she?

“You’ve been given a second life. Surely you have many enemies to settle scores with? I can disembowel them all for you.”

Unfortunately, she hadn’t been betrayed or murdered—she’d simply died because she was too weak. She’d had no real enemies in her past life.

Survival of the fittest—no one else was to blame for her death.

“Woman, I know you must be excited, but first—”

“Stop,” she interrupted.

He was a bit confused by her sudden interruption.

Then she declared boldly, “First of all, are you actually the dark god? To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed. I was expecting a handsome man with a chiseled six-pack.”

The tentacle was stunned.

Was he not handsome? He thought his true form was quite impressive! This woman’s taste was seriously lacking!

Besides, humans only had two hands, while he had countless. Wasn’t that better than any so-called handsome man?

“Slithering around like an octopus—if no one’s thrown you on the grill, you should count yourself lucky, yet you still act so smug.”

Octopus? Did she really compare him to such a lowly creature just because he had tentacles? Outrageous!

“Alas, I used to be a dainty little fairy, weighing only 45 kilograms. Now, dragging around this thing, I’ll balloon to 300 in no time!”

Jin felt utterly exasperated! He’d thought this woman, who hugged him so softly, would be gentle and sweet. Who could have guessed she’d be so caustic?

“Woman! You should be grateful I tolerate your insolence! Otherwise, I’d never let you off for talking to me like this!” His tentacles began to visibly steam with anger.

Oh, he’s even roasting himself now? That saves on the grill, at least.

She’d been so destitute in the game, she couldn’t even afford bread, let alone grilled octopus. Her eyes sparkled with hunger.

Jin noticed her expression was all wrong—she looked positively famished, as if she wanted to eat him!

“Woman, you had better put away those disrespectful thoughts, o-or else I’ll—!”

“Ha, why don’t you start by telling me where I am?” She still didn’t know what time she’d awoken into since losing consciousness.

“This is a separate dimension I created with my power. No one else can enter,” Jin explained.

“Although you’ve gained a second life, time waits for no one. That’s why I brought you here, where time stands still. Do you know you’ve been asleep for ten years?”

Ten years?! Mu Xinning was shocked. It felt like she’d only had a dream, yet so much time had passed.

“Then, can I return to the time before the game descended?”

To return to the very origin of evil’s arrival… and never again be the helpless prey.

“Yes. Sending you here was precisely so that, when you awoke, I could send you back to the very beginning.”

But what Jin did not tell her was that it wasn’t he who reversed time. At the moment of her death, the timeline she’d existed in vanished completely.

And when she awoke, that lost timeline reappeared—and not only that, but time had rewound to the day before the game’s descent! It was utterly inconceivable.

There was definitely some secret about this woman—she could even make time itself reverse for her. Jin had a vague premonition, as if fate had deliberately returned her to this day.

“From now on, you must obey my every command. Whatever I ask of you, you must do. Understand?” Jin commanded in the tone of a master.

“Our agreement means you cannot harm me, and your power must obey me. Tell me, who is really in charge here?” she replied, arching an eyebrow.

“True, but your life now belongs to me, which means—”

“Which means I am now invincible, isn’t that right?” she interrupted him again.