auth_ruyah

《System Error: Too Much Pain Detected》

Lina Vale has survived more than most. Abandoned. Betrayed. Forgotten. When life finally shatters her completely, something impossible awakens.

A System.

One that doesn't just track progress—it feels pain. And responds to it.

Now, every wound, every scar, every moment of silence is recorded… and turned into tasks, skills, and power.

But growth comes with a cost.

As she navigates a world of fame, hidden scars, and glittering deception, Lina must rise from nothing—with a System that rewards her pain and a past that refuses to stay buried.

He watches her from the shadows.

Kael Marlowe. Cold. Untouchable. A man whispered about but never understood. Every woman wants him. Every man fears him. But only Lina sees the cracks in his ice.

With variety shows, rival stars, and a growing fortune she can’t explain, Lina is no longer invisible.

But in a world where one mistake can destroy everything…
How much of herself is she willing to lose to become seen?

System Error: Too Much Pain Detected

Lina left the Ashlight campus a different person.

Not changed—refined.

Sharper. Colder in all the right ways. But somehow, warmer, too.

She didn't cry during the last exercise, not even when the mentor whispered, "The real performance is surviving your past every day and still smiling for the crowd."

She returned to the city with a glowing reputation.

More interview offers. Brand pitches. Variety show invitations.

Sora nearly screamed when she read the new schedule.

"Do you even know what 'Eclipse Roundtable' is?! It's only the most elite cross-industry talk show in the country. Politicians, moguls, celebrities—you'll be sitting with monsters, Vale. Glorious monsters."

Didn't send a single word since she entered Ashlight.

And yet… she felt him watching. Somehow.

He had this way of disappearing just enough for her to wonder if she imagined him.

The invitation came quietly: a private gala. Charity event. Very exclusive.

Sora's voice trembled when she read it.

"It's Kael's. His family's—The Marlowe Foundation. They host it once every five years. Only invite blood, investors, and… 'significant attachments.'"

Sora nodded slowly. "Guess you're a category now."

Marble arches. Live string quartet. Guests in tailored silks and polished veneers.

When Lina entered, all eyes shifted.

But the silence was its own spotlight.

Kael stood near the center of the hall, dressed in shadow-black with a silver pin shaped like a wolf's head.

And for a moment, nothing else existed.

She moved toward him slowly. Measured.

"Is this what counts as a date in your world?" she said softly.

Kael didn't smile. But his voice was warm.

"In my world, this is as close as anyone gets."

And the room didn't disappear—but it blurred.

Her throat tightened. "I didn't know it was being recorded."

"Neither did they. That's why it hit so hard."

Lina looked up at him, heartbeat too fast.

They were interrupted by a man in a dark crimson suit and too much cologne.

He greeted Kael with false warmth, then turned to Lina with glittering eyes.

"So this is the girl. The reason your investors think you're distracted."

The man leaned closer. "Tell me, Miss Vale, what does it feel like to be the pretty echo that follows power?"

"It feels like knowing people like you are always three seconds from being irrelevant."

The silence that followed was sharp.

Kael exhaled, amused. "Remind me to never argue with you in public."

Later that night, as Kael walked her to the car, he hesitated.

"This wasn't already the family event?"

"This… wasn't the part that matters."

Magnetic Distance