Chapter 1

Isabella's POV

[Welcome to S-Level Instance "Haunted House No. 44"]

[Current Players: 30]

[Mission: Survive for seven days.]

A cold, mechanical voice echoed across the empty wilderness.

I groggily opened my eyes, my mind still foggy.

One second I was napping in the Sprinter van, and the next I was standing in the middle of nowhere.

Looking at the creepy castle in front of me, I instantly woke up, followed by a rush of excitement.

Flora was amazing!

To surprise me, she had actually packed me up while I was sleeping and sent me straight to the filming location of "Hearts Unscripted."

That was the immersive opening of an S+ level production!

It was awesome, I loved it!

At that moment, the virtual screen floating in mid-air was flooded with comments.

[WTF? Who's this woman? Why is she dragging three giant pink suitcases? She came to the infinite flow scenario to... move?]

[That face... isn't that Isabella? The one from showbiz who's gorgeous but has no real talent?]

[She's done for. Total cannon fodder. The ghost is grinning: Thanks for the free meal.]

I fixed my hair. To outshine everyone in this dating show, I brought three whole suitcases of beautiful clothes.

Sure, I was severely nearsighted with astigmatism, and without my contacts I couldn't tell people from animals beyond 9 feet, but that didn't stop me from confidently holding my head high.

There were other guests standing at the castle entrance.

They were all pale-faced, shaking like leaves.

I made a mental note: These amateur actors have great acting skills—they're playing the shyness of first meetings perfectly.

"Um... excuse me..."

A girl spoke up, her voice sharp and thin. I couldn't see her face clearly, just a blurry outline.

She pointed at the three-story castle, her eyes sweeping over my three huge pink suitcases, then suddenly gave a fake smile:

"Isabella, you have so much luggage. The rooms on the first and second floors are pretty small and probably can't fit everything. The third floor is a large suite with the most space and the best view, so... why don't you take the third floor?"

As soon as she finished speaking, three other players gasped and looked at me like I was a dead person walking.

[That woman is so vicious! Everyone knows the BOSS lives on the top floor in instances! The third floor is where people go to die!]

[She's sending Isabella to be cannon fodder to distract the BOSS so they can survive downstairs!]

[As long as Isabella has any brains she'd know not to go... oh wait, it's Isabella, she has no brains.]

But I had no idea.

When I heard this, my eyes lit up instantly.

A large suite? The best view?

Was this the legendary "star treatment"?

Sure enough, good-looking people have good luck.

I almost couldn't hold back my laughter.

I quickly suppressed my smile, grabbed the girl's hand and shook it. "Really? You're so nice! I was just worried about where to hang my haute couture dresses! Thanks!"

The girl froze, probably never having seen such an easy mark. Her mouth twitched. "Heh... you're... welcome."

And so, under everyone's gaze—as if watching a rich fool walk to their death—I hummed a tune and dragged my three heavy suitcases.

In my 4-inch heels, I climbed all the way up to the third floor in one go.