The cold wind of the Month of Falling Leaves blew over the walls of the Royal City of Norman, seeping into a small shack in the outer city's commoner district.
A girl woke up to the cool breeze brushing against her face.
Staring at the two unfamiliar mounds on her chest, her mind fell into a daze.
Subconsciously, she gave her chest a pinch.
“Sss—”
The girl quickly pulled her hand back; the pain was far too real.
“Did I transmigrate into a girl?”
She hurriedly sat up and gave herself a full-body examination.
There was no doubt about it—she was now a genuine, through-and-through girl.
Looking around, the room was about thirty square meters, but the only furniture consisted of two broken wooden plank beds, one large and one small.
In the corner sat a small wooden bucket for water, a cracked clay pot, and a crude earthen fireplace.
That was it.
“Holy crap... so poor?”
She couldn't help but curse under her breath.
She had only pulled a girl out of the way of an oncoming truck on the road, but that truck had no sense of sportsmanship. Instead of braking, it had actually accelerated...
When she opened her eyes again, the transmigration was a complete success—she was now a girl.
As she was grumbling internally, a rush of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind.
In these memories, she was squatting in front of a stove, boiling beans mixed with wheat bran in a pot.
Her mother lay in bed, coughing as if her lungs would give out.
Her father stood nearby, cursing as he rummaged through a wine skin. Finding it empty, he kicked a stool over in anger.
Then came the day of her mother's funeral.
There was no coffin, and the grave was dug very shallow. She knelt in the wet mud, the stains on her knees refusing to wash away for days.
And then, her father.
The man went from being a regular at the tavern to a familiar face in the gambling dens.
...
“Rosie, meaning the light of dawn. It's a nice name, but this background is rough. Mother's dead, father's a gambler...”
The girl—no, Rosie—rubbed her temples.
“Is the next step going to be getting threatened by bad guys, only for some sharp-chinned prince charming to rescue me...?”
She muttered mockingly.
“Did I accidentally hijack someone else's transmigration?”
She thought of the girl she had pulled out of the way.
“Whatever. Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. First, I need to figure out what to do...”
She had read plenty of transmigration web novels in her previous life, so her theoretical knowledge was quite extensive.
Thus, Rosie began to do the very first thing every transmigrator does.
“System, cheat, status panel... please, any of you big bosses, just show up.”
As if hearing her call.
A flashy, pink book suddenly materialized out of thin air.
“There... there really is one?” Rosie's eyes widened.
However, when she clearly saw the large characters on the cover, her heart instantly went cold.
【Abusive Romance Guide】
A ring of pink hearts was drawn around the title, and the hearts were even sparkling with little stars.
“I was a hardened, manly bro, and you want me to do abusive romance?”
“What the hell is this!”
Rosie plopped back down onto the wooden bed, making it creak loudly.
She had been twenty-eight in her previous life and still single, simply because she found love and relationships too much of a hassle.
Even though she was a girl now, there was absolutely no way she would get involved in any romance, let alone some freaking abusive relationship!
Just the thought of being subjected to all that drama made her skin crawl.
“If this won't work, just send me back. Maybe my original body can still be resuscitated.”
The pink book seemed to sense Rosie's mood. It trembled slightly, and the sparkling stars stopped blinking.
Then, the entire appearance of the book began to transform.
The hearts on the cover faded away, and the words 'Abusive Romance Guide' twisted and reshaped themselves.
Finally, they turned into four bolder, more upright characters.
【Adventure Guide】
The color of the book also began to shift from a flashy pink to a simple, solemn dark brown.
It was like transitioning from a shoujo manga to a classical masterpiece.
“You can... even do that?”
Rosie's feelings were somewhat complicated for a moment.
“Bang bang bang!”
Suddenly, a series of violent bangs on the door rang out.
Rosie jolted.
Which bastard has such perfect timing? she cursed internally.
But she didn't reply. Who knew if the person outside was good or bad?
“Open the door! Theodore, you piece of shit! If you don't pay up, don't blame us for getting rough!”
A gruff voice shouted from outside.
Rosie immediately realized that Theodore was the original owner's gambling addict of a father.
In her memories, that old gambler had vanished for a while after selling everything of value in the house.
Maybe he ran away because he owed too much debt, or maybe he got drunk and drowned in a ditch...
Either way, it wasn't good news.
Now that the creditors couldn't find him, they would naturally pin the debt on her.
And as for what a dirt-poor girl could use to pay off a debt—did anyone even need to guess?
Rosie remained completely still. Even as the pounding on the door grew more frantic, she didn't make a single sound.
She was employing a very ancient strategy: pretending no one was home.
She had to wait for her cheat to finish transforming first.
Who knew? Maybe in a moment, she wouldn't have to take any of their crap anymore.
“Boss, looks like nobody's inside.”
“Go ask the neighbors.”
The footsteps dispersed. Rosie held her breath, staring intently at the shifting book.
Finally, the transformation of the 'Adventure Guide' was complete.
It had completely turned into a heavy, classical tome, its cover pattern changed to a crossed sword and shield.
The pages began to flip, and a string of text rose from between them:
【Adventure Guide (Locked)】
【Complete adventures (abusive romance crossed out) to obtain rewards.】
Rosie's mouth twitched.
This cheat's transformation really was quite rushed.
What did 'Locked' mean?
Did it mean she couldn't change it to anything else?
Then, a status panel emerged.
【Name: Rosie】
【Strength: 10】 (Burst, Load)
【Agility: 10】 (Flexibility, Speed)
【Constitution: 10】 (Endurance, Vitality)
【Intelligence: 10】 (Mana, Memory)
(Average for a normal human is 10)
That really is average... Rosie muttered to herself.
【Talent: Unremitting Self-Improvement (Can increase basic skills through training)】
【Skills: Level 2 Unarmed (30/200)】
【Remaining Free Attribute Points: 5】
“That's it? Where's my overpowered cheat?”
Rosie complained wildly in her mind.
But unlike before, where complaining prompted a change, the Adventure Guide remained completely unresponsive this time.
She grimaced but didn't delay.
She immediately allocated her free attribute points.
Strength +3, Constitution +2.
Absolute strength could overcome any trick, and constitution ensured she could take a few hits.
As for agility and intelligence, she would have to worry about those later.
A beam of light shot out from the Adventure Guide, sinking into Rosie's body.
Immediately after, her muscles and bones were continuously kneaded and pulled by an invisible force.
A wave of intense soreness and numbness surged from all her limbs and bones.
A few minutes later, she exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling her entire body surging with strength.
Subconsciously, she clenched her fist, her knuckles letting out a crisp crack.
Just then, voices came from outside again.
“Boss, the local dirt-scrapers say they haven't seen anyone.”
“Maybe that brat is hiding inside pretending to be out. Should I break the door down?”
“Sure, go ahead and break it. I don't want to make this trip for nothing.”
“You got it.”
Then, a dull thud echoed.
“Bam!”
The wooden door groaned and creaked under the impact.
“This crappy door is pretty sturdy,” the man who hit it grumbled.
Right after.
“Crash!”
The entire door panel tore off its frame, flying into the room and shattering into several pieces.
The burly man who had smashed the door open spotted Rosie immediately.
“Boss, there really is a chick hiding in here.”
As soon as he spoke, two more men walked in.
Finally, a man wearing a leather vest with a short-handled hand axe tucked into his waist and a scar across his face slowly stepped inside.
The small room instantly felt cramped.
“Ask her where Theodore is hiding,” the scarred man said.
The burly man at the front instantly broke into a sleazy grin. He stepped forward quickly, reaching out to grab Rosie.
At the same time, a string of text appeared before Rosie's eyes.
【Mandatory Quest Triggered: Debt? What Debt?】
【Successfully resolve the debt crisis. Reward: Combat Skill (Level 1 Heroic Strike) or Trait (Sewer Rat)】
She glanced at the quest, and then her right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the groper's wrist.
She squeezed hard.
“Aaaargh—”
A miserable shriek rang out.
Rate on N.U.
