Level Up Love Life System

Chapter 1: Courier on the Edge

The snow in Munich tonight felt like icy needles piercing the skin. Saddam pulled the hood of his courier jacket lower. His breath billowed in white clouds in the bone-chilling air. He had just finished his last delivery in a narrow alley near the Frauenkirche Cathedral. The wages he received today weren't even enough to buy a bowl of hot stew or a glass of cheap beer to warm his shivering body.

"Damn it. My life is just one stroke of bad luck after another," Saddam muttered.

His voice was hoarse from exhaustion. He stared at the cracked screen of his phone, which showed a pitiful remaining balance.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by a sickening low-frequency hum. The air in front of Saddam began to vibrate violently. The space before him seemed to be torn open by an invisible knife, creating a purplish-black rift that spewed out a hot stench of metal and rot. A micro Rift had just opened right in front of him.

Saddam froze. His heart hammered so hard it felt like it was hitting his ribs. Two shadowy figures leaped out of the crack. They resembled wolves but were twice the size. Their bodies were made of condensed black smoke with fangs that glittered like sharp mana crystals. They were Shadow Wolves.

"Good God, what the hell is this!" Saddam screamed. He backed away in a panic until his back hit the cold brick wall.

One of the monsters let out a low growl. The sound was like metal scraping against stone. Without warning, the creature pounced at Saddam with unreasonable speed. Saddam's survival instincts, forged by the harshness of the streets, took over. He grabbed an old iron pipe lying in a pile of trash beside him and swung it with all his might at the monster's snout.

Crash!

The pipe hit the monster's head, but it only produced sparks and a dull thud. The monster only flinched slightly before lunging again with claws ready to rip Saddam's chest open. Saddam fell onto the wet asphalt. He could feel the deadly cold from the monster's fangs which were now right in front of his face. The foul stench of the creature's breath made him nauseous.

Suddenly, time around Saddam seemed to freeze. The sound of the wind, the snow, and the monster's growl went dead silent. A transparent blue holographic panel appeared right before his eyes with a sharp, cold font.

[SYSTEM WARNING: Death threat detected. User: Saddam. Survival Rate: 0 percent.]

"System? What the hell is this? Have I gone crazy from the cold?" Saddam shouted in his mind.

[The Romantic Synchronization System has been activated to ensure the User's survival. Activation requirement: Synchronize with the nearest target possessing the highest mana energy.]

"Romantic synchronization? Don't joke with me! I'm about to be eaten by a monster, and you're offering a date?" Saddam screamed in frustration.

[Target detected within a 50-meter radius: Captain Felisa von Schwarzwald. Current alignment level: 0 percent. To activate the Absolute Shield, the User must make physical contact that triggers an emotional response within 10 seconds.]

"I can't run away from here! This monster is already in front of me!" Saddam shouted while trying to ward off the sharp claws with his trembling arms.

[If failed within 10 seconds, death is certain. Time remaining: 9 seconds.]

"Crazy system! I don't even know who Felisa is!"

[Time remaining: 7 seconds.]

Saddam felt the monster's sharp claws begin to scratch his jacket. He could feel his skin starting to tear. A sharp pain stung his shoulder.

[Time remaining: 5 seconds.]

Saddam gathered his remaining strength. He had no other choice. He had to live. He twisted his body with all his might to the side, avoiding the monster's main lunge, and began to run staggeringly toward the end of the alley.

[Time remaining: 3 seconds.]

Saddam saw a blinding blue light streak down from the roof of the Frauenkirche Cathedral. It was a human figure moving like lightning.

[Time remaining: 1 second.]

Saddam ran toward that light, ignoring the monster chasing him from behind. He saw a woman in magnificent silver armor land gracefully right in front of him. Her silver hair glistened under the moonlight and snow. Her eyes were as sharp as deadly ice.

[Time remaining: 0 seconds.]

"Who are you!" the woman shouted in a cold, threatening tone. Her sword, made of pure ice, was already raised, ready to cut down anyone who approached.

Saddam had no time to explain. He knew if he didn't do something now, he would die. Desperate and using his last bit of strength, Saddam lunged forward, ignoring the safe distance, and grabbed the Captain's wrist, which felt as cold as snow, just as the shadow monster pounced right at their backs.

"I'm sorry, but I want to live!" Saddam screamed just as his hand touched the woman's skin.

An incredibly bright flash of golden light exploded from the point of their contact. A dome-shaped energy shield appeared automatically, slamming into both monsters until they were thrown far against the alley walls and shattered into mana dust. Saddam stumbled, but he still gripped the woman's wrist tightly out of fear of falling.

The silver-haired woman stared at her held hand with a look of utter disgust and fury. She looked down at Saddam, who was panting at her feet. The tip of her runic sword, glowing a cold blue, was now exactly an inch from Saddam's throat.

"You dare touch me, stranger?" the woman's voice trembled with rage, as cold as a blizzard on a mountain peak.

Saddam swallowed hard. His heart was racing, no longer out of fear of monsters, but because of the gaze of the woman in front of him who could freeze him in an instant.

[Synchronization Successful: 0.1 percent. Starting data processing.]

Saddam could only stare into those cold blue eyes, realizing that his quiet life as a package courier had just ended in the most terrifying and embarrassing way possible. Behind them, the sound of another dimensional crack began to grow louder, as if the entire city of Munich had just become a battle zone they couldn't escape. The woman growled softly, her sword pressing deeper into the skin of Saddam's neck until a drop of blood trickled down.

"Explain," the woman commanded in a deadly voice, "why are you still breathing after committing such a cursed act?"