"Hidden missions?" I repeated, my brain lagging behind.
"Yeah," she spat the word.
"Some reincarnators think everything around them exists solely for their progression."
I suddenly remembered the system message I got when I woke up from the memory transfer.
"Was it though?" I asked.
Laura's eyebrows rose as she looked at me with an unreadable expression.
"And if I say yes?"
I noticed something off in her response—and realized I had unknowingly given off the vibe of some cunning, evil MC.
"Relax. I'm too weak to do anything to you. And besides, even if I was strong enough, I'd probably just live a peaceful life on the beach with my wife and kids instead of battling angels for skills I'd never even use."
I leaned back against the wall with a carefree expression.
"And besides…"
My eyes turned cold as I added,
"I hate greedy people the most."
Laura finally calmed down as she heard my last statement. Did she trust me? I couldn't tell—but I could say for sure we were getting somewhere, because for the first time, I saw a small, genuine smile on her face.
"Well, to answer your question, it wasn't… this time at least," Laura replied as she leaned back.
"This time?" I asked, confused.
'So there were other times?'
'Was the system not created by them?'
'What kind of fucked-up mystery world have I gotten myself into?!'
"This time?" I asked again, shaking my head to get rid of the plot mysteries swirling in my brain.
"Yeah. I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but I'm pretty sure you won't leave me alone until I do."
Laura's expression was calm as she swung her bare feet in the air.
Now, I'm not a foot fetishist or anything—but her feet were nothing short of beautiful. Well-trimmed nails, a perfectly curved pinky toe, shiny toenails that left nothing to be desired.
Anyway… back to the less creepy subject.
I nodded at Laura's words. She clearly expected me to, and continued.
"There are guardians in every universe—but not all are as good as you'd imagine. Most see reincarnators as toys, puppets for their entertainment, watching them complete missions. The stronger ones even tweak the missions to suit their tastes."
I tousled my hair as I listened.
"Most reincarnators die completing those missions—either from the aftereffects or from the missions themselves," Laura added.
"But there are some who defy the system and break free from the clutches of the guardians… though very few ever succeed."
"Woah, that's some main character shit right there," I said, since it sounded like half the novels I used to read.
"Yeah, whatever." Laura rolled her eyes and continued.
"The guardians on the side of pure evil manage to infiltrate our systems from time to time. They hand out optional missions that make reincarnators think everything's connected—that there's some hidden quest line. And while that's true in most cases, the evil faction plays it differently.
Instead of normal missions, they give ones that target the reincarnator's guardian. For example:
[Get your guardian to tell you something about their origins]
[Optional]
[Reward: xxxx skill]
[Penalty: None]
Something like that."
As Laura displayed the example through my system interface, I was only left with more questions.
'How much control does she have over my system?'
'What's with this whole good vs. evil faction thing?'
'How long have they even been around?'
As if sensing my confusion, Laura chuckled.
"Don't rack your brain over things you wouldn't understand—even if I explained them."
I scratched my head awkwardly, caught in the act.
"Who knows," she teased with a smile, "maybe if you're strong enough, I might tell you."
"I'll take you up on that offer," I said, determination flashing in my eyes.
"Ara~ so determined. I like it~."
"Please don't say stuff like that… for both our sakes."
I pleaded after hearing her say those words in her mommy voice.
It's too stimulating, dammit!
"O-okay then…" Laura blinked, clearly thrown off by my plea.
"Please continue," I urged.
I didn't know when I'd get another chance to learn secrets that most MCs only discovered once they were universal-level strong.
"Sure. They lure unsuspecting reincarnators with missions to get closer to their guardians. And once they're hooked by the juicy rewards… they're told to kill or capture them."
"Damn…" I muttered.
"But only the ones strong enough to be acknowledged by the evil faction even get those missions," Laura added.
"That's some heavy shit right there," I said, still trying to digest all of it.
"Some heavy shit indeed." Laura sighed, looking tired—then her eyes lit up as if she remembered something.
"Say… didn't you say you wanted to go back?"
"Well…" I answered awkwardly.
"You must be disappointed, huh? After saying I've got the drive and stuff." I laughed a little. "What did you mean by 'drive,' anyway?"
Laura sighed. "You're not like the other reincarnators I've worked with over my long life."
"Some use women to achieve their goals, bending them with system skills. If the woman has a good background, maybe she eventually falls in love, and the guy claims he'd destroy worlds for her. But it doesn't change the fact she was only a means to an end at the start."
Her voice dripped with disgust.
"Others struggle from the bottom up and achieve fame, wealth, and glory—what they call a good ending. But in their constant search for power, they can never have peace."
She looked at me, eyes narrowing.
"But you… you don't seem to want all that. You just want a peaceful life. Be strong enough to defend your family—if you have one—but not the strongest in the world."
"It's not like I don't have ambitions. They're just… not as grand as the ones you're used to," I said defensively.
"I wanted to go back, yeah. But then I asked myself… how many people would even notice if I did?
Sure, my clients and assistants would notice my absence, but would they care? The answer's no.
My so-called friends would just be relieved there's one less guy to be compared to on their dates. Heck, I bet some people are already thinking about how to split my assets."
I sighed, staring at the ceiling. My past life looked bleaker the more I thought about it.
'Maybe this reincarnation was a good thing,' I admitted to myself.
"I'm not disappointed," Laura said softly.
"Hm?"
"I said I'm not disappointed that you don't have the drive to go back. In fact… I'm relieved."
She mumbled the last part under her breath.
"…Thanks, but I didn't quite catch that last part."
Was I… actually grateful she wasn't disappointed in me? Maybe it was just my past life bleeding through.
"I-I said your lack of ambition is refreshing," Laura replied, flashing a cheeky smile.
"I'm going to bed!" I announced loudly, avoiding the topic and trying to sort out my thoughts.
"Aww, don't be such a bwabwy~ onee-chan was just teasing you," she cooed.
Her annoying voice echoed in the background as I drifted off.
As Laura watched the long-haired human fall asleep with his back to her, a thought crossed her mind. A smile tugged at her lips.
"I hope he's different… for both our sakes."
She whispered before entering Clark's dreams—falling asleep peacefully for the first time in a long while.