#Chapter 2: The Charm System and Tears That Aren't Hers
【 A system designed to reshape fate. A system that will turn you into someone admired, loved, and worshiped by countless people in this world. 】 "What?" Kania shook her head, laughing hollowly because the situation felt too insane for common sense to accept. "Admired? Loved? Hold on! Don't joke around! What the hell happened to me? Why am I here with a body that's been beaten half to death?!" 【 You are currently inside the body of a girl named Dewi Arunika. Someone who has suffered relentless bullying throughout her life from her friends, her family, and even her own younger sister. 】 "What?!" Kania jolted. The revelation felt like a massive boulder slamming into her chest.
Before Kania could process that bitter truth, a medium-sized transparent window suddenly spread through the air directly before her eyes. A faint blue glow radiated futuristic-patterned text. 【 Initializing Main Protocol... 】 【 The Goddess Charm System is now activated! 】 【 First Mission Issued: "Getting to Know Dewi Arunika." 】 【 Time Limit: 24 Hours. 】 【 Mission Reward: Full Physical Recovery. 】 【 Failure Penalty: The System will drain your vital energy, causing a complete blackout and intense pain. 】 "Wait! A mission? Recovery? Hey, your explanation isn't finished!" Kania shouted inwardly, staring at the floating blue screen in a panic.
But before the System could reply, the room's wooden door was suddenly pushed open. Its hinges creaked loudly, shattering the tension inside the room. A woman in a white nurse's uniform entered carrying a tray filled with an IV fluid bag and medication. The nurse's eyes went wide when she saw Kania—who now occupied Dewi's body—sitting upright on the bed. "H-how miraculous... You're awake?!" the nurse cried in shock, nearly dropping her tray. Without wasting any time, she hurried to the bed and carefully checked Kania's pulse and pupils. Kania could only sit there in stunned silence, not yet fully in control of her tongue enough to speak.
Not long afterward, the sound of expensive footsteps and clicking high heels echoed through the corridor outside. The footsteps drew closer, heavy with tension, until a middle-aged woman finally appeared in the doorway. The woman looked utterly out of place in this shabby hospital room. She wore a maroon designer dress, thick yet flawless makeup, gold jewelry hanging from her neck and wrists, and carried an expensive leather handbag. She was Diah—Dewi Arunika's biological mother. A woman known for being glamorous, but cold-hearted and deeply favoring one child over another. Diah stepped inside with a scowl, crossing both arms over her chest without the slightest hint of concern on her face. "Nurse, how is she?" Diah asked lazily, as though her presence there were nothing more than a formality wasting her time. "She's doing better, ma'am," the nurse replied in amazement while recording the medical readings. "This is truly a miracle. Your daughter suddenly woke up, and her vital signs have improved significantly."
Instead of feeling grateful or relieved, Diah's eyes narrowed with contempt. She looked Kania up and down with such obvious disgust that it was impossible to miss. "Tch! Why didn't she just die?" her mother said coldly with a harsh snort. "Nothing but a troublesome child! You always embarrass the family and waste money!" THUD. Those cutting words stabbed into Kania's chest.
Strangely, the pain that surfaced did not come from Kania Larasati's memories as a twenty-seven-year-old woman. It was profound emotional pain, pure anguish flowing from the deepest corner of the body she now occupied—the memories of Dewi Arunika's suffering. Unable to stop it, Kania's tear glands reacted automatically. Warm tears suddenly began slipping down her cheeks, soaking the bruises and bandages covering her battered face. Kania's chest felt so tight, as though an invisible hand were gripping her heart. Kania raised her trembling hand and wiped at the tears that continued streaming without end. 'Why... why am I crying?' Kania thought in a panic, startled by her body's own reaction. 'This sadness... it's so deep and agonizing. Was Dewi really subjected to such savage injustice by her own mother all this time?'
When Diah saw the tears spilling down her daughter's face, she did not feel pity. Instead, she laughed scornfully. "Look at that! All you can do is cry and put on a pathetic act! Do you know that because you ended up in the hospital after getting jumped, your younger sister Bella's reputation at school was dragged through the mud too?! You really are a jinx, Dewi!" 【 System Warning: The host body's emotional fluctuations have reached a dangerous level. 】 【 Integrating Dewi Arunika's fragmentary memories... 】
Zing! Suddenly, an overwhelming dizziness struck Kania's brain. Flashes of unfamiliar memories spun rapidly through her mind like a marathon film being forcibly played: * Dewi being forced to sleep in the leaky back room during heavy rain. * Diah hugging and pampering Erin—her biological younger sister—while beating Dewi with an iron ruler simply because she left food behind. * Erin smiling viciously after framing Dewi for stealing money, causing Diah to lock Dewi up all day without food. * And what happened last night... when Erin trapped Dewi and had her beaten by a group of delinquent girls in an old alley, while Diah merely watched without any intention of defending her.
The sensation of that injustice was completely absorbed into Kania's soul. The tears that had initially fallen from Dewi's profound sadness gradually stopped. Kania's eyes, which had been dull and wet, suddenly changed. The flames of anger from Kania Larasati's soul—a self-reliant adult woman who refused to be looked down on—now merged with Dewi's pent-up hatred. Kania roughly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She straightened her back and stared directly at Diah with such a sharp, icy gaze that Diah instinctively fell silent and took half a step back. "Troublesome, you say?" Kania's voice emerged low, yet filled with emphasis that pressed down on the air in the room. Diah furrowed her brow, shocked to see her usually obedient child, who always bowed her head in fear, looking at her that way. "What did you say?! How dare you look at your mother like that?!" 【 Mission Progress: 35%. Understanding of target "Diah" increased. 】 【 Activate Charm Aura Level 1: "Soul Suppression"? 】 Kania curved her lips into a faint smile that looked terrifying on her face, so covered in bandages. In her heart, Kania whispered firmly to the voice in her head: 'Activate it, System. Let's teach this woman a little lesson.'