R_Pen

"What do you mean it's gone?"

Eren's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure at what he had just heard. His voice was sharp, his tone demanding an immediate explanation. The system, noticing the clear irritation on its host's face, quickly scrambled to correct what seemed to be a misinterpretation.

"[W-What I meant is... the restriction on the message is gone!]"

"Huh?"

Eren's eyes widened in bewilderment. Just a moment ago, the system had insisted that it couldn't open the message because of a restriction. Yet now, just as it was about to forcefully bypass the condition, that very restriction had conveniently disappeared.

A series of thoughts rushed through Eren's mind. Was this some kind of trick? A system malfunction? Or was there something—or someone—actively watching and interfering? Despite the growing list of unanswered questions, he decided to put them aside for now and focus on what truly mattered.

"Then open it," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

The system hesitated slightly but quickly complied.

"[R-Right! Here you go, Host.]"

With that, a new white holographic screen materialized in front of him, displaying the contents of the long-awaited message.

The moment Eren laid eyes on it, his pupils slightly dilated in suprise.

---

[Message]

[Opened]

To: The Host

Context:

"The Extra Wants to Have a Vacation"

"I Am the True Ruler"

"I Killed the Main Character"

C37. 23. 738.

Sender: R_Pen

---

Eren's expression darkened as his gaze carefully scanned the short but cryptic message. There wasn't much written—just three familiar name titles from some books and a set of seemingly random numbers. However, what truly unsettled him was the name of the sender.

R_Pen

Or more commonly known as RP.

The moment he registered that name, his mind went dumbfounded by what he saw. that's because this name is %@^■/@#€×¥}~}\■>

And this made him feel confused.

Unbeknownst to Eren, the Identity of that Sender got glitched when he revealed who it was.

'What does it mean?' he asked in his thoughts, wondering about the message meaning.

The system, which had been silently floating beside him, curiously moved closer to take a look at the message. But even it seemed perplexed by its contents.

Meanwhile, Eren's focus shifted back to the three book titles at the beginning of the message.

"The Extra Wants to Have a Vacation."

"I Am the True Ruler."

"I Killed the Main Character."

His fingers tapping on his knee as he mind wonder in thought.

These weren't just any name titles of some books.

They were books he had worked on in the past.

As an editor, Eren had handled countless fictional works, a total of 776 books to be exact. He remembered each and every one of them, their plots, their authors, their characters, everything. And while these three weren't among the top 100 most popular ones, they were still titles he had spent time refining, correcting, improving, and completing it for his clients.

Yet, despite being written by different authors, they all shared something in common.

They were all had transmigration genre and a System.

Well… except for "I Killed the Main Character." That one was a bit different and didn't had any System.

His gaze lowered to the series of numbers listed beneath the titles.

C37. 23. 738.

Eren thought deeply for a moment before noticing the connection.

'Could these be chapter numbers?'

He quickly rearranged them in his mind, trying to see the connection.

'The Extra Wants to Have a Vacation – Chapter 37'

'I Am the True Ruler – Chapter 23'

'I Killed the Main Character – Chapter 738'

Frowning, Eren dug deep into his memory, recalling the contents of those specific chapters. But after a few minutes, he found no immediate connection.

'Maybe the order is wrong?'

He tried again.

'The Extra Wants to Have a Vacation – Chapter 738'

'I Am the True Ruler – Chapter 37'

'I Killed the Main Character – Chapter 23'

And after a couple of minutes, he found nothing.

No connection.

He then tried the third attempt...

'The Extra Wants to Have a Vacation – Chapter 23'

'I Am the True Ruler – Chapter 738'

'I Killed the Main Character – Chapter 37'

And then—something clicked.

Eren's expression shifted.

This time, he was able to make some sense.

Remembering the context of each chapters in the three stories, he found a connection. Or rather, he noticed something between those chapters and his situation he is in right now.

"I see"

Eren's murmured while rubbing his chin in deep thoughts, finally cracking the hiding meaning from the unknown message.

To anyone else, these three chapters might seem completely unrelated. Even if another person saw this message or the three chapters that Eren had arranged it, they wouldn't be able to grasp the meaning behind it.

Because this message—these hints—were meant for him and him alone.

The hints he uncovered after deciphering the message allowed him to form more guesses and theories.

Why was he brought to this unknown world?

Why was he chosen?

And why should he help this annoying system?

Eren scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. The three questions he had repeatedly asked the system before had just been answered by this cryptic message. How ironic. Letting out a deep sigh, he rubbed his face with one hand, trying to process everything. His mind was spinning, but his expression remained unreadable. After a moment, his gaze shifted back to the small white screen floating silently in the air. His red eyes held an emotion the system couldn't decipher.

[?!??]

The system flinched at the way he was staring at it. Though it was nothing more than a program, it somehow felt a chill run through its data. The longer Eren stayed silent, the more anxious the system became.

Was the Host mad? Was he frustrated at the message? Did he blame the system for its unclear wording? But how could it be the system's fault?! It wasn't the one who wrote it! It didn't even know who had placed it in the inbox to begin with!

The suffocating silence stretched on. Every passing second felt like an eternity for the system as it anxiously watched its host. It didn't dare speak first. It didn't dare move.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Eren parted his lips and spoke in a cold, detached voice.

"Hey, you."

The system jolted in surprise.

[AH! YES!]

"Tell me, what is your main job or mission right now?"

His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge underneath.

"I want to hear it fully. No pauses, no hiding. Everything."

The system trembled slightly before responding.

[Y-Yes! I understand!]

[To answer, my main mission and goal is to support and assist the Host in saving this world.]

[As a system tasked solely with assisting the Host, I must provide you with suitable quest missions, guide you in leveling up your status, and help you grow stronger—so you can change the fate of the world and prevent its ultimate demise.]

Eren listened in silence, his expression unreadable.

Then, he asked again.

"Oh really? Then let me ask you again—between supporting me and saving this world, which one do you prioritize more?"

The system hesitated.

[I... Well—]

"Answer honestly."

The warning in his voice sent a shiver through the system's data. It had no choice but to tell the truth.

[T-THE WORLD. My main mission is to save this world!]

Eren scoffed at that. His lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes held no amusement as he murmured,

"Typical."

The system panicked, realizing how bad that must have sounded.

[B-But of course, the Host is just as important as saving the world! Because without the Host, the system cannot save—]

"Stop twisting your words."

The sharpness in his tone cut through the system's desperate explanation, silencing it immediately.

...