The Female Lead Salvation System

The monotonous hum of the air conditioning mingled with the rhythmic clicking of the keyboard. On the monitor, rows of numbers in the spreadsheet were beginning to blur into a single, gray mass. Aurelia blinked hard, trying to chase away the burning sensation beneath her eyelids. She glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen.

02:14.

She was the only person left on the entire floor of the glass skyscraper. Around her hung a deep, oppressive silence, broken only by her own shallow breath. Another urgent project. Another weekend spent in the office, built on promises of a promotion that had been going to someone else for years.

Aurelia reached for her mug, looking for the remains of cold coffee, but her fingers met only empty air. It was her fourth cup of coffee that day. Or maybe the fifth? She had lost count. She felt a strange, sharp tightness in her chest that stole her breath away for a moment.

-Just this one last report... she muttered under her breath, massaging her aching neck. Her voice sounded foreign, raspy.

Suddenly, Aurelia’s heart began to beat in a frantic, erratic rhythm. She felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead. The computer screen started to spin, and the fluorescent light flooded her eyes with a blinding whiteness. She wanted to stand up, call for help, reach for her phone, but her body had turned to lead. It no longer had the strength to fight.

Before her head dropped onto the hard surface of the desk, only one bitter thought flashed through her mind: “At least tomorrow I’ll get some sleep.”

Then came absolute, soothing darkness.

But the darkness did not last forever.

Aurelia opened her eyes, expecting the smell of a sterile hospital or the harsh light of an operating room. Instead, she found something completely different. She was lying on a smooth, white floor that seemed to stretch on endlessly. There were no walls, no ceiling, and no shadows. Everything around her was pure, pristine whiteness.

Most importantly—nothing hurt anymore. The heaviness in her chest was gone, and the chronic fatigue that had accompanied her for years had simply vanished.

-Where am I? Is this... heaven?” she asked aloud.

[ Welcome to the Transit Space, Soul Number 8972. ]

A mechanical, yet strangely melodic voice echoed directly inside her head. Aurelia flinched and bolted upright. A small, blue-glowing glass orb was levitating right in front of her face. A gentle light pulsed inside it.

-Who said that? What kind of joke is this? she looked around nervously.

[ This is no joke. I am the Female Lead Salvation System, version 4.0. Your earthly body has suffered irreversible damage due to extreme exhaustion. To put it simply: you died from overwork. ]

Aurelia froze. The System’s words hit her with the force of a battering ram. Dead? Just like that? Because of stupid Excel spreadsheets and her boss’s ambitions? She felt tears of rage and regret well up in her eyes. Her entire life had been a series of sacrifices that had led her... here.

-So, this is the end? she whispered.

[ Not necessarily. Your psychological profile shows remarkable resilience to stress and a stubborn determination to achieve your goals. My corporation is looking for employees like you. I am offering you a contract. ]

The blue orb flashed, and a translucent, holographic screen appeared in front of Aurelia.

[ Your task: You will travel through alternative literary worlds as a female character whose life was ruined by poor choices, toxic people, or the whims of fate. Your goal is to reverse their destiny, secure a happy ending for them, and reclaim their rightful dignity. For every world you save, you will receive points. ]

-And what’s in it for me? Aurelia asked, her corporate-trained pragmatism kicking in. -Why should I work hard for someone else all over again?

[ Upon completing all missions, your deepest wish will be granted. ]

Aurelia didn’t hesitate for a single second. The thought of returning to Earth, but on her own terms, ignited a fire inside her.

-I want to go back to my world. But I want to be healthy and have enough money so that I never have to work another minute in my life.

[ The wish has been registered in the system as the grand prize. Do you accept the terms of the contract? ]

-I accept, she said firmly, wiping away her tears. If she could survive a corporate hell, she could survive this too.

[ Contract sealed. Proceeding to the First Mission. Current balance: 0 points. Due to a lack of funds, a new employee is entitled to one free starter spin. ]

The holographic screen suddenly transformed into a massive, neon-colored Wheel of Fortune. Mysterious inscriptions covered its slices. In the very center of the wheel pulsed a large, red button that read: START.

[ Please spin the wheel to draw your first starter bonus. ]

Aurelia stared at the pulsing button. Through all her years of working, she had never been lucky in lotteries, so she didn’t expect any miracles now either. She reached out and, with a decisive motion, slapped her hand right into the middle of the neon wheel.

The reels set off with a loud clatter. The colorful fields—green, blue, purple, and a few gold ones—began to blur into a single, rushing streak. The wheel spun so fast it whistled in her ears. After a dozen seconds, it began to slow down sharply.

-Give me anything useful, Aurelia thought, crossing her fingers.

The indicator passed section after section. It skipped over “Basic Martial Arts Knowledge,” missed the “Lie Detector,” and began rolling across a section marked with a bright red font. The wheel gave one last, quiet click and stopped perfectly on a narrow, rainbow-shimmering field.

The inscription on it read: [ITEM: SPIRITUAL SPACE WITH SPIRITUAL SPRING - LEGENDARY CLASS].

For a fraction of a second, absolute silence hung over the white void. And then, the System completely lost its cool.

[ OH MY GOD! THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE! ]—the System’s mechanical voice suddenly cracked, shifting into a high-pitched tone of pure excitement. The blue orb began to spin frantically around its axis, flashing in every color of the rainbow. [ Soul Number 8972, do you see this?! The odds of drawing this reward were 0.00001%! This is one of the highest, most elite rewards in the entire Main Server database! ]

Aurelia blinked, taken aback by the artificial intelligence’s sudden outburst of emotion.

-A spiritual space? A spiritual spring? What does that actually mean?

[ What does it mean?! ]—the System was practically bursting with pride. [ It means you gain access to your very own pocket dimension that you carry inside your soul! You can store items there, and they will never spoil. But that’s nothing! The most important part is the Spiritual Spring! Water from this spring heals wounds, purifies the body of toxins, and instantly cures fatigue! You are a walking medical miracle now, and you’re just starting your job! ]

Aurelia looked down at her hands. She felt a pleasant, soothing warmth begin to kindle inside her, right beneath her heart. The idea of having her own safe haven with healing water sounded incredible—especially for someone who had just died of exhaustion.

-Sounds decent. It looks like my stubbornness from my past life has finally brought me some luck.

[ Decent?! This is an absolute cheat code! ]—the System was slowly returning to its normal mode, though a tremor could still be heard in its voice. [ Alright, I need to update your status before the Main Server notices this anomaly... Your soul has been integrated with the Spiritual Space. Time is pressing. Moving on to the transfer. Prepare for your first mission! ]

Before Aurelia could ask any questions, the white world around her began to crack like shattered glass.

[ Searching for a suitable world... Found. Target world: A world of aristocracy and noble intrigue. Identity: Aurelia Ashford, the younger daughter of a respected earl. Loading memories in 3... 2... 1... ]

Suddenly, a wave of foreign memories flooded Aurelia’s head, and her soul plunged downward, straight into her new body.