39 You're a genius!

"I'm alive." She said out loud, testing the phrase.

A cough seized her chest suddenly, making her shake violently. Beth patted her chest to calm it down. The dryness in her throat was making it hard to speak. She looked around, hoping to find some water. Spotting a pitcher and a glass on a table in one corner of the room, she walked over to the spot. Lifting the lid off of the clay pitcher, she peered inside. An earthy scent hit her senses. 

She didn't waste any time dipping the glass inside. The water was surprisingly cold and tasted great. Never had she felt so grateful for water in her life. Emptying the glass, she took two more refills and sighed in relief. Her body was already feeling refreshed. She licked her softening lips in delight. 

"I'm glad that I'm alive!" She exclaimed, stretching her hands happily. 

She looked around the place and noticed a few additions to the room. But what immediately caught her eye was a large life-sized mirror standing on an intricately carved wooden stand. Beth immediately rushed towards the place, hungry for a look at herself. She stopped right in front of the luxurious object- one that she hadn't seen anywhere in heaven. 

As she stared into the mirror, her reflection stared back at her, mimicking the way her chest rose up and down in quick successions. She gasped at her image in front of her. The delicate red lips of her reflection parted her lips along with her, flashing her perfectly white teeth on it. The girl staring at her looked nothing like she had imagined she would be. The memory of the short clip that the screen had played for her when she had first arrived faded in front of this girl's beauty.

Her huge green eyes sparkled like a gem, shaded by fluttery gray lashes. Her long nose was straight and defined her face beautifully. Her cheekbones were set high, and her jaws delicately well defined. Her hands went out to feel her deep red lips, feeling its soft texture in disbelief. Had she always looked this beautiful? She wondered, stricken by her own image. 

Her hands wandered to her silvery blonde hair that almost looked white. It was straight and long, flowing down to cover the small bump on her chest. The light blue of her tunic set her pale skin out, contrasting the coarse material of the cloth with the softness of her skin. Her long legs were covered by pants of matching color. She looked like a goddess in a servant's attire, Beth thought to herself excitedly. 

"Phew! You're awake." A deep voice suddenly came from behind her. 

Beth raised her brows, turning around in confusion. Standing before her was a breathtakingly beautiful boy with a head full of silver hair. His clear gray eyes sparkled in mischief as he stared at her with a slight smirk on his face. He looked around eighteen or nineteen, a little bit older than herself. The loose red shirt that he wore hung around his muscled torso like a cloth draped around a god's statue. 

She took a step towards him as if drawn by a magnetic force. Everything about him made her want to swoon in joy. The boy raised his brows at her movement and took a cautious step back. His movements were oddly familiar as if she had seen a similar reaction to her actions somewhere before. That was when it dawned on her. How had she not seen it?! 

She raised a finger towards him in awe. "You're-"

The system chuckled. "Don't you recognize me now that I'm older?" He asked with a wink. 

Her mouth instinctively opened as she stared at him in disbelief. This was a far cry from the thirteen-year-old boy that she was used to. Though it was nothing when compared to the man that he had once looked like, she would be a fool to complain about his present state. She licked her lips as her eyes wandered over his chiseled body. The boy shifted uncomfortably.

"D-Do you have a problem with the way I look?" he asked nervously. 

Beth shook her head. "You're hot!" She exclaimed, drooling from the corners of her mouth. 

This was something that she could get used to, she thought as she reached out to touch the bulge on his arm. His muscles were sturdy. It was as real as it could get. She was not imagining this. The system cleared his throat, shying away from her touch. Beth pouted in protest. 

"Oh uh.. heh. yes, thank you, master." He said, scratching his head awkwardly. "It wouldn't have been possible without you." 

"Hmm?" She asked, raising her brows. 

The system beamed. "That was a really good move to take the sword for that slave. You earned a whole 4GD! Look! We even have a kitchen now! I don't have to starve anymore!" He exclaimed, waving his hands around excitedly. 

"What?!" Beth asked, shocked at the information. "That was what earned me the points?"

She thought back to the moment that she had dashed in front of her companion. She hadn't thought much as she did it. It was an instinctual response to the situation. If she had known that the sword would have pierced her chest, she would have hesitated without a doubt. Beth was not one of those people who were overtly bothered about other people. 

The only reason that she had tried to save Fifty-eight was that she felt weighed down by her sense of responsibility towards the girl because of what she owed her. The girl's misfortune now helped her level up by chance and earned her a ton of points. The realization only made her feel more guilty. If anything, she owed her this life, Beth thought to herself. 

"Yes! You're a genius!" The boy exclaimed, flashing her a wide smile. A trace of worry flashed in his eyes as he continued, "I was almost scared that you wouldn't be able to make it inside in time." 

But she didn't hear any of that. Fifty-eight's smiling face flashed in her mind, weighing heavily on her conscience.