"Get some rest." With that, he went upstairs.

**[Current Favorability: -101.]**

The System's prompt echoed. At least the favorability rating hadn’t dropped further.

Laughing until tears streamed down my face, I collapsed on the sofa.

Only when I played the hopeless, worthless waste of space could I barely hold onto the bottom line of his favorability.

How pathetic.

"Bruce, you and Dennis just now... everything okay?" Jeffrey, my best friend, sidled over, concern etched on his face.

Seeing his sincere expression, a flicker of warmth stirred in my chest.

In this ice-cold house, he was the only one I could truly confide in.

**[Friendly Reminder: Scanning target, Jeffrey.]**

**[Current Favorability: -50.]**

**[Emotional Analysis: Disdain, Exploitation.]**

**[Character Background: Jeffrey was bought off by Dennis three years ago. He is responsible for guiding and encouraging the Host to engage in various outlandish behaviors and regularly reports the Host's activities to Dennis.]**

My smile froze.

My best friend... another of Dennis's planted informants.

As Jeffrey chattered on with his "concern," a wave of nausea washed over me.

It turned out that not a single person around me had ever been genuine.

I was a complete and utter joke.

That night, locked in my room, I asked the System earnestly for the first time, "Is there any way out for me?"

**[Yes.]**

The System's answer kindled a sliver of hope.

**[Based on data projections, three months from now, Dennis will go skiing in the Northern Snow Peaks, where he will encounter a minor avalanche.]**

**[Mission Issued: Host is to rescue Dennis during the avalanche.]**

**[Mission Reward: Upon completion, the Host may choose to leave this world. The System will erase all traces of your existence and open a brand new life for you in a parallel world.]**

Leave this world?

I was stunned.

In other words, if I saved him, I could break free from Dennis forever—escape this suffocating life and start over somewhere no one knew me.

"Alright," I heard myself say, my voice trembling. "I'll take it."

To survive, for a chance at freedom, I’d brave more than an avalanche; I’d walk through the very gates of hell.

From that day on, I began preparing for the journey to the Northern Snow Peaks three months later.

Secretly, I enrolled in professional mountaineering and wilderness survival courses, pushing through grueling daily training. In just three short months, that pampered heir who couldn't lift a finger was reborn.

Dennis seemed to notice the change, but wrote it off as an obsession with extreme sports, paying it little mind.

He even hesitated—then agreed—when I suggested we go skiing together at the Northern Snow Peaks.

On the day of departure, I stood before the full-length mirror, staring at the stranger looking back: skin tanned a deep honey, eyes sharp with resolve.

"Bruce." Dennis’s voice came from the doorway.

I turned. There he stood in black ski gear, the sleek lines making him look taller, more imposing.

He studied me, a slight frown creasing his brow. "You seem different somehow."

My heart clenched. I forced a smile. "Really? Must be all that time I've spent running wild outside."

He said nothing more, just walked over and, as usual, zipped up my jacket for me.

This time, I didn't pull away.

Tilting my head back, I looked up at his handsome face so close to mine, only one thought echoing in my mind: *Dennis, this is the last time I'll save you. The only time.*

After this, we’ll be even.

The Northern Snow Peaks stretched before us—a breathtaking sweep of silver and white, beautiful and deadly.

Besides the two of us, our group included a few of Dennis’s friends. Among them, Ryan was cheerful, the only one who ever really talked to me.

On the ski lift, Ryan grinned over. "Bruce, first time on a professional slope like this? Nervous?"

I shook my head, but my gaze drifted past him to Dennis sitting across from us.

He was polishing his ski goggles, his profile sharp and flawless.

He seemed to sense my stare and looked up. Our eyes met through the thin veil of mist.

I quickly glanced away, my heart hammering.

**[System Warning: Avalanche predicted in forty-three minutes in Zone C-3. Host, prepare yourself.]**

Zone C-3. The very advanced run we were headed toward.

As we stepped off the lift, a biting wind whipped snow into our faces.

Dennis adjusted my wind mask, his voice muffled by the gale. "Stay close. Don't wander off."

I nodded, tightening my grip on my ski poles.

Everything unfolded exactly as the System predicted.

Dennis was a natural, carving elegant arcs down the slope like a black hawk in flight.

Pushing myself to the limit, I clung to his trail.

Skiers thinned out around us. Wind and snow grew fiercer.

**[Countdown: Ten, nine, eight…]**

My heart hammered in my throat.

**[Three, two, one!]**

The moment the System fell silent, a violent tremor shuddered through the snow beneath my feet—followed by a thunderous roar echoing from the distant peak.

"Avalanche!" someone screamed.