“Welcome back, Worldbinder.”
At the sound of a female’s monotonous voice, long eyelashes fluttered like the soft tremble of butterfly wings and close eyelids peeled open to reveal clear gray eyes.
The world was blanketed in pure white, rolling into the horizon far beyond with no end in sight. It was a familiar scene nonetheless, the calm and dull atmosphere making her stand straighter, her feet touching nothing but air beneath.
She was finally back to where she began.
Her hands curled at her sides, chin quivering. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy shudder. It was strange how a once comforting sight could now torment her. The entire world had shifted under her feet and left her stumbling, trying to find her balance in a new normal.
She had no choice but to adapt, like she always did.
“It’s good… to be back,” Naomi finally decided to say after wrangling her composure together.
The familiar female voice spoke in her ears, “Indeed, Worldbinder. After successfully completing the Eleventh World, known as the world of The Monster Duke Who Loved Me, you are now eligible to enter the Twelfth World. Congratulations, Worldbinder.”
A faint arc shaped her lips as dozens of memories rushed through her head, as if it was the rising tide, flooding and drowning everything else. Drenched to her bones, she could do nothing against the overwhelming surge of emotions.
The Monster Duke Who Loved Me was a popular historical romance novel about a princess from a prosperous empire, whose beautifully tragic life and love transformed her naivety into strength.
When her love for the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom led to her death, it poisoned her within her last moments. Returning to the past after she died, she sought revenge against the very people who had betrayed, tormented, and hurt her. With the help of the duke, her former fiancé, known for his reputation as a monster, she managed to earn true love and a victorious life in the end.
Naomi grimaced to herself the moment the memories slowly trickled into a stop.
She could see how and why the book was popular among its readers with a female lead who rose above her adversities to come out stronger, and a male lead whose love for her became a standard for fictional historical men. After all, who wouldn’t want a man who was only sweet and loyal to them, but cold and curt to everyone else?
And, he’d been mine. Well, no, not mine, she corrected herself hastily. He wasn’t hers. He was never meant to be, and now he never would be. There was no point dawdling over this fact and arguing with herself for the nth time.
He was no longer around. She had stopped being his responsibility and his wife. She had a new future to look forward to and new worlds to explore, her days as infinite as time itself. On the other hand, he would remain in his world, being his usual unbearably good self. Maybe, he’d finally be with the princess like he was always meant to.
She grimaced, a twinge of pain flickering beneath her sternum, brief but deep. The thought shouldn’t hurt her so much.
“Compute the rewards for the Eleventh World, please,” Naomi called out to the System, before she could spiral down in a rabbit hole of sorrow and grief.
“Computing the Reward Points in the Eleventh World for the Worldbinder,” the System complied to Naomi’s request. “Please, wait.”
Eleven—that was the number of worlds she traveled, lives she lived, bodies she’d possessed, and identities she borrowed. How time flew since she first began as a Worldbinder, able to enter into the world of novels and become one of its characters, Naomi.
For some reason, she was only able to transmigrate into characters with the same name as her. She called them the Original as a way to separate her identity from theirs. She might’ve inherited their memories and abilities when she possessed them, but ultimately, she wasn’t them.
She was herself before she transmigrated. She would remain as such afterwards. She wasn’t some ordinary human—she was barely one in the first place—or a character in the novels, she was a Worldbinder. There was a difference.
Others pertained to people like her as a Transmigrator or Traveler. The System called her a Worldbinder, a term she preferred compared to other names. A Worldbinder didn’t merely travel into worlds; they changed the narrative and played the game.
Although, as much as she loved what she was doing, she didn’t think she had gotten used to it. She had a great number in her list—eleven worlds wasn't a small feat—and years of experience under her belt, but it didn’t change the fact she hadn’t always been this way.
Before the System, she was an untethered soul, unable to reincarnate with no world nor body compatible with her essence. In the end, she was nothing more than a phantom wandering through the vast cosmos for a thousand years, visiting different realities and times, neither living nor dying—the eternal watcher of the universe.
She didn’t know how she came to be or why she existed in the first place. She hadn’t even been able to know what she was until she bonded with the System. How had she existed with no world to return to, or a body able to complement her soul? It seemed impossible, yet she was the living proof of the universe’s anomaly.
A series of flashing words and numbers popped in front of her face, startling her out of her thoughts as they shined brightly like neon signs. She had to squint her eyes as she read the following statements.
[MAIN MISSION: Prevent the marriage between the Male Lead (NOAH CALLISTO) and Female Lead (AURORA NELLIS) | COMPLETE: 50,000 REWARD POINTS]
Unable to stop herself, Naomi reached a hand out towards the blue panel, tracing the letters that made up her husband’s name. Noah, she whispered to herself, a reverent note echoing his name and a wistful sigh murmuring in her heart.
Naomi closed her eyes, attempting to steady her breathing. She was being ridiculous. She’d only seen his name, yet it felt like falling back into a landslide and being buried alive. This wasn’t right. She shouldn’t let him influence her too much.
She knew more than most there was no point chasing after ghosts. Yet, it took a moment or two for her to recover from the sudden onslaught of feelings and think in an objective lens. He was no longer a road she was going to dwell on—she refused to.
In the Eleventh World, she was Naomi Constance, the younger sister of the crown prince who was in love with the monstrous duke. In the original novel, the Original bullied and tormented Aurora relentlessly for being the duke’s fiancée. Even when Aurora married the crown prince, the Original still continued harassing her until Aurora died.
When Aurora returned to the past, it was only fitting she’d exact her revenge against the Original by marrying the monstrous duke she once spurned in her first life. Aurora tormented the Original, ruining her reputation and casting her to the Monastery where the Original met her tragic end.
Such was the fate of a second female lead.
But then, Naomi transmigrated into the novel before Aurora could begin her plans, and the entire game changed. She had turned the Original’s tragic fate around and rewrote her bad ending. She won, although she supposed, it hardly mattered now.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
[SIDE MISSION: Prevent the war between the Empire of Strava and the Kingdom of Honorelia. | COMPLETE: 20,000 REWARD POINTS. BONUS: 10,000 REWARD POINTS]
A grimace dug at her lips. Unfortunately, The Monster Duke Who Loved Me wasn’t only about romance, but it also had war and bloodshed.
Knowing her marriage to the crown prince would send her to death, Aurora asked for ex-fiance’s help, Noah, to reject him. It only served to make the crown prince obsessed with her. It was no wonder he promptly lost his mind when Aurora married Noah, and decided that the best course of action was to declare war.
So many unmarked graves were buried and lives were sacrificed in a pointless and unnecessary war that lasted three years. It only ended when the duke beheaded the crown prince, earning him the title of a hero that helped shed his unsavory reputation as the empire’s monster.
Afterwards, he returned to his beloved princess, and they became the leaders of a new nation, their love flourishing.
A beautiful end to a beautiful tale.
Not.
The main characters might’ve gotten their victory, but thousands of people didn’t in a war that served absolutely no one. How could it be considered a victory when countless lives were stolen?
She was satisfied and relieved the war hadn’t happened, although drastic measures had to be taken. At least, the casualties were lesser than what the original novel depicted.
Her gaze darted to the words below, a sneer curling over her lips.
Really, what was one life compared to a thousand—especially when it was the crown prince’s life?
[HIDDEN MISSION: Prevent the awakening of the Villain (KENJI CONSTANCE) | INCOMPLETE: ZERO REWARD POINTS]
Kenji Constance, the crown prince and Aurora’s husband in her first life. Naomi did her best when she’d first gotten the notification of the hidden mission. She tried to turn his destiny around and prevent his obsession with the female lead, considering it was the reason he became the villain in the novel.
Alas, as if it was written in the stars (which actually was), the moment Aurora rejected him, Kenji began his downward spiral, and Naomi could do nothing but watch. At the rate Kenji was going, it wouldn’t be long before he’d do something unforgivable—like starting a war.
Naomi had no choice but to ask for Aurora’s help. Until now, she still thought assassinating Kenji was a bit excessive, but that was just her lamenting over her lost points. At the very least, the war was stopped before it could happen.
Still, Naomi humphed to herself. What a waste of good points though.
[MINOR QUESTS COMPLETED: 8/20 | 800 REWARD POINTS]
Minor quests were simply small missions helping Naomi earn the favor and loyalty of background characters, not necessarily the main cast. It meant she had allies to conspire with and friends to trust, betrayal all but void. As much as she liked to brag about being a Worldbinder, she had enough self-awareness to admit she needed other people’s help.
[TOTAL POINTS AWARDED: 80,800 POINTS. NO SPECIAL ITEMS AVAILABLE.]
Naomi frowned. She was hoping she’d have another special item. The last one was seven worlds ago. It was a ring granting her quick access to the potions in her inventory and helping her detect drugs and potions in her food and drinks. She wore it on her left pinky ever since, the stone glinting a bright crimson.
Hopefully, a special item would be available after completing missions in the next world.
“Congratulations for completing the Eleventh World, Worldbinder,” the System said.
A small screen with exploding fireworks appeared in front of her face, and Naomi couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you, System. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Naomi replied, watching as her points increased.
There were many ways a Worldbinder could use their points. They could use one thousand reward points to increase their attributes by one point (the System was stingy) or they could save to acquire special items from the Store (which was close and inaccessible more often than not). Even the System wasn’t perfect.
No two worlds were the same; they might be similar in some aspects, but at the core of things, they vastly differed from one another. Entering a new world unprepared could lead to a main mission failing, or worse, prematurely dying.
Icy fingers trailed down her back, leaving a shudder at its wake. Naomi couldn’t even fathom such an ending. She didn’t even want to think about it when her life was brimming with uncertainty. What would happen to her when she failed a main mission or if one of the characters managed to successfully kill her?
Would she be prohibited from accessing the System and be forced to return to her purposeless existence? Just the thought of going back into an untethered soul, wandering and watching for another thousand years, unable to live, nearly caused her to panic.
She fisted her hands, grounding herself at the cutting bite of her nails against her palms. No. No. She shouldn’t allow hypothetical scenarios to spark her anxiety. She was still a Worldbinder. She had sacrificed too much—sacrificed a life with him—to let things be in vain.
“Increase my charisma by 10 points,” Naomi told the System.
[-10,000 REWARD POINTS]
[CHR: 78/100]
[CURRENT REWARD POINTS: 78,600 POINTS]
A series of notifications popped up in front of her face as she continued, “Buy 10 health potions and 10 strength potions.”
[-2,500 REWARD POINTS]
[ADDED 10 (HEALTH POTIONS) and 10 (STRENGTH POTIONS) INTO THE INVENTORY]
[CURRENT REWARD POINTS: 76,100 POINTS]
“Hmm... add 10 points to my strength as well.”
[-10,000 REWARD POINTS]
[STR: 44/100]
[CURRENT REWARD POINTS: 66,100 POINTS]
Strength hadn’t been her priority when she was distributing points in her attributes. Normally, she’d resort to using Strength Potions, granting her a momentary boost of strength within a five minute limit. Convenient and easy.
However, an attribute boosting potion had highly addictive properties, and the last thing she needed was for her body to become dependent on them. Potions were for quick solutions, not a permanent one.
Naomi looked through her attributes, before nodding in satisfaction. “Close the Information Panel.”
The blue notification box blinked, vanishing from her sight at her command. She hadn’t realized how bright and colorful the notification box was compared to her currently dull residence.
Bonding with the System meant she could no longer carelessly wander around the living, getting tucked into this pocket dimension once her missions were completed and she left a world. Her only access to the living was through the System.
It was a small price to pay—her freedom in exchange for a life.
Before, she could only watch as others lived, empty as a void, unable to fill the hungry hole in her stomach. The System enabled her to live, to interact with others, and to feel emotions. It made her feel alive—human even. She had emotions; she had human senses. She was living. Why fill an empty space when she was now full?
She didn’t know who created the System or why they did. Maybe a higher being had taken pity on her, so they devised the System to grant her the chance to be human. Or perhaps like her, the System was created by accident and now, they were stuck with each other. Two wrongs that somehow made a right.
Naomi was thankful for it. It was unfathomable not having the System by her side. At times, it was generous as well, awarding her points, and even granting her the option to stay and grow old in a world. But Naomi hardly chose to stay. The only time she was tempted was—
She sighed quietly to herself, cutting her thoughts off before it could fully take root and entangle her further.
What was the point of staying to love someone when she was the only one who could move forward, when she was the only one who would live forever? There was no point.
There was no point staying and growing old in a world, making attachments when it would only pull her back. It was better—safer—to move on and not look back than to be reminded of the people she’d never meet and see again. She refused to watch people she loved die or forget about her, when she was unable to do so.
There was no time for regrets and second thoughts, not when she was unable to go back and rectify her mistakes. She made her bed, now she had to lie in it. He might haunt her for a while and her memories of him would torture her for a brief moment; but it would pass—just like all things passed.
“I made the right choice,” Naomi spoke quietly to herself. Maybe if she said it enough, she’d finally be able to convince herself. Breathing deeply through her nose and ignoring the hollow ache in her chest, she looked up and ordered, “System, give me the information about the Twelfth World.”
“Very well, Worldbinder,” the System acquiesced.
A flash of white nearly blinded Naomi before it faded, leaving a book in front of her face, glowing for a brief moment. She took the book and scrutinized the cover. A young woman was looking straight at the viewer with doe eyes of sea green, waves of blonde hair haloing her angelic face and framing the glossy sheen of her smiling lips.
The female lead, without a doubt.
There was no rest for the wicked. Naomi took the book and flipped it open to begin reading.
