Where… was this?
Ace Leaford jolted awake, heart thumping, only to realize he was sprawled out on a stretch of pale sand with the waves lapping nearby.
[Beep. Island Sign‑In System booting.]
Island? Sign‑in?
[Welcome to the Parallel World – Island Survival. A total of 999 participants have been scattered across 888 isolated islands. Your only goal: stay alive.]
[Your daily sign‑in may yield rewards ranging from Common E‑rank, Rare D‑rank, Excellent C‑rank, Perfect B‑rank, Epic A‑rank, Legendary S‑rank, all the way to the ultra‑rare God‑Bestowed SS‑rank. Would you like to perform today’s sign‑in?]
Ace blinked hard. Most of that system babble flew right past him—only the last part stuck.
“Sign‑in…?”
[Beep. Congratulations, Host. Sign‑in successful. Reward: Legendary S‑rank—Raptor F750 pickup truck. Please check your surroundings.]
Legendary S‑rank?
A pickup?
No freaking way…
Ace froze, jaw half‑dropped. About thirty meters away, a massive Raptor F750 was parked like it had just rolled out of an action movie.
Now *that* was a reward with some serious punch.
With a loud roar, the engine came alive as Ace slammed his foot onto the accelerator. Black smoke burst from the tailpipe as the truck surged forward.
He had barely driven seven or eight hundred meters when the system chimed again.
[Survivor detected nearby. Please choose: 1. Combat. 2. Submission. 3. Recruit.]
“Ah—!”
A sharp scream pierced the air from ahead.
Ace stomped the brakes. Hard.
Standing in front of the truck, frozen like a startled deer, was a woman—light shirt clinging to her, tight hot pants showing off her long legs, eyes wide with fear and surprise.
Ace Leaford stared through the dusty windshield, and for a second he honestly thought his eyes were glitching.
That woman… seriously?
Even with the haze on the glass, her silhouette was ridiculously perfect. Long legs for days, a tiny A4 waist, and curves that were absolutely not subtle. The white, skin‑tight shorts she wore only made those legs—easily a meter‑plus—look even more eye‑blindingly flawless.
He had just landed on this weird island, and the game system was already throwing this kind of “gift” at him? Was this some kind of trap designed to push him into committing crimes?
But…
Fight? Submit? Recruit?
What the hell kind of menu options were these?
【Current Sign‑In System Level: 1
70% chance of E‑Rank Normal Reward
15% chance of D‑Rank Rare Reward
10% chance of C‑Rank Excellent Reward
4% chance of B‑Rank Perfect Reward
0.99% chance of A‑Rank Epic Reward
0.01% chance of S‑Rank Legendary Reward
0% chance of SS‑Rank Divine Reward】
【Special Notice: Killing a survivor in combat or recruiting one will increase your Sign‑In System Level. You may also receive priority allocation of their Sign‑In rewards
limited to C‑Rank Excellent and above
.】
Ace’s heart almost jumped out of his chest. A 0.01% chance, and he actually pulled an S‑Rank Legendary reward today? His luck was straight up exploding!
“D‑Don't… don’t kill me…”
While he was still busy mentally celebrating his god‑tier luck, the woman in front of him was staring at him like he was a serial killer, her whole body trembling.
“I… I choose to submit.”
【Ding. Congratulations, Host. Survivor Miriam Youngblood has chosen to submit to you. Your Sign‑In System Level has risen to Level 2.】
【Level 2 Sign‑In System:
65% chance of E‑Rank Normal Reward
15% chance of D‑Rank Rare Reward
13% chance of C‑Rank Excellent Reward
5% chance of B‑Rank Perfect Reward
1.5% chance of A‑Rank Epic Reward
0.5% chance of S‑Rank Legendary Reward
0% chance of SS‑Rank Divine Reward】
Ace blinked, completely thrown off. He hadn’t even opened his mouth yet, and she had already decided to kneel to the system prompt?
Just like that, his sign‑in system leveled up? What kind of dream‑come‑true situation was this?
Miriam Youngblood…
The moment he heard the name, Ace’s eyes flew wide open.
Ace Leaford froze for a second.
“A… you’re that superstar? Miriam Youngblood?”
Miriam’s face was so pale it looked like all the blood had drained out of her. She managed a tiny “mm” in response.
No wonder…
That figure, that face—yeah, it made sense.
Ace coughed twice, forcing himself to snap out of it.
Okay, calm down. This was not the time for wild fantasies.
Staying alive came first. Otherwise, even if the whole world’s celebrities lined up for him, he wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy a thing.
“You checked in today?” Ace asked.
Miriam gave a shaky nod.
“Hey, relax. I wasn’t planning on hurting you. And honestly, running into each other out here is fate. Two people survive better than one. I’m Ace Leaford. So… what did your check‑in give you?”
Seeing that Ace really didn’t look like some deranged killer, Miriam gathered a bit of courage and took one small step forward.
Then she pointed behind her.
Ace followed her finger—
And his brain lagged for a full second.
What the—
A mountain of empty water bottles?
“This is… your check‑in reward?” Ace stared at the pile, completely speechless.
“Y‑yes… an E‑rank normal reward.” Miriam bit her lip, brows knitting lightly as she pointed at Ace’s massive F750 Raptor. “And… that truck of yours?”
“Check‑in reward,” Ace said dryly.
“...”
Now it was Miriam Youngblood’s turn to freeze like her brain had just bluescreened.
So this was what people meant by comparison being the root of all misery.
Her sign‑in reward was literally a pile of empty bottles, and his… was a freaking pickup truck?
“Don’t just stand there. Get in. It’s getting dark. Unless you really wanna camp out here tonight?”
Miriam shook her head, but her gaze still drifted—reluctantly—toward that sad heap of empty water bottles.
“Fine, bring them along.”
Ace Leaford didn’t mind at all. He already had the truck, and he’d given her a ride; what were a few bottles on top of that?
When Miriam finally slipped into the passenger seat, Ace realized he’d underestimated just how stunning this top‑tier celebrity really was.
Angel’s face, killer curves.
So this was what people meant by born beautiful.
[Ding. Remote Trading System activated. All island survival players may now use the Remote Trading Platform to exchange supplies via bartering.]