Which Time Traveler's System Is Bound to Me

In the sweltering September heat of Cinan, the sun-baked walls of the room radiated warmth.

"Shen Nian, how long are you going to sleep? If you don't get up now, you'll miss the school registration!"

Startled awake, Shen Nian clutched his head and propped himself up halfway.

Today was the first day of senior year registration.

Last night, armed with a pen, a single evening, and sheer willpower, he had pulled off a miracle—completing his summer homework in one go. But the all-nighter left him groggy and lightheaded.

Yawning, Shen Nian slipped on his slippers and rubbed his eyes. The soft knocking at the door persisted, so he quickly called out,

"I'm up, I'm up!"

The one knocking was his older sister, Shen Yue, a 24-year-old corporate drone.

Ah, the luxury of having my sister as my personal alarm clock—just another day in my life.

He tried to stand but collapsed back onto the soft bed as a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. His vision blurred, and when it cleared, a faint, translucent panel had appeared in the upper right corner of his sight.

[Prologue: The Beginning of Everything.]

[The Demon King runs rampant, his miasma corrupting the land. Use holy water to heal the afflicted Saintess and speak with her.]

[...]

Shen Nian: "......??"

Did pulling an all-nighter to finish summer homework give me hallucinations?

Rubbing his eyes, he confirmed it—this was real.

It looked like one of those "system" golden fingers from novels. He sat on the edge of his bed, mulling it over, but couldn't make sense of it.

What the hell is this? Saintess? Holy water?

There’s no such thing as a "Saintess" here—unless you count the surplus of unmarried women flooding the dating market.

And the description—this didn’t sound like modern society at all. More like some fantasy world.

Did some poor guy transmigrate into another world, and his system accidentally latched onto me instead?

Well, buddy, good luck out there. I’ll burn some incense for you next year.

Wait—while China might not have Saintesses, what about abroad? Like Joan of Arc?

The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Even if Saintesses existed, how was he supposed to find one? And where would he get holy water?

Curious, he grabbed his phone and searched for anything related to "Saintess."

[Saintess Freya Captured by Goblins]

[The Saintess of Mount Karan, First Snow]

[Saintess Convent Transformed into Succubi…]

…Seriously?

This is just evil.

With a mix of judgment and curiosity, he clicked—only to exit moments later, thoroughly unimpressed.

Whoever invented website blockers was a true villain in this moment.

After ten minutes of fiddling, the only thing he learned was that the panel turned completely transparent when ignored but reappeared the moment he focused on it. No useful info otherwise.

Having stayed up all night to finish his homework, he’d only fallen asleep at dawn. Now it was already afternoon.

Sunlight flooded the living room as Shen Nian stepped out of his room and spotted his sister sprawled on the couch, engrossed in a melodramatic workplace drama. Her shorts barely covered her thighs, leaving her long legs on full display.

Shen Yue had fair skin, long flowing hair, and peach-blossom eyes that always carried a hint of exhaustion.

She worked at a state-owned enterprise—decent pay, but the job drained her. The moment she got home, she’d collapse into full-on couch potato mode.

A corporate drone by day, a certified sloth by night.

In simpler terms: a lazy bum.

"Another all-nighter? You must be lovesick. I’m telling Mom later," Shen Yue said, plucking a potato chip with two slender fingers and popping it into her mouth, her tone dripping with older-sister superiority.

Which, to be fair, she was—his actual, biological sister. No room for complaints.

"I was studying, you wouldn’t get it," Shen Nian shot back.

"Oh, sure. ‘Studying.’ More like cramming an entire summer’s worth of homework into one night and calling it a ‘miracle.’ Real classy."

Shen Yue shifted into a more comfortable position. "It’s already afternoon. Hurry up and go register—school starts tomorrow. Your grades aren’t even stable enough for a first-tier university, and you’re still lazing around. Grab me a yogurt while you’re at it."

"Get it yourself. How lazy can you be?"

"Mom’s gonna yell at you if she finds out you pulled an all-nighter."

"Have some shame. All you do is boss me around." Shen Nian scowled. Was ordering little brothers around hardwired into every older sister’s DNA?

Other people’s sisters: gentle, mature, caring—maybe even the hidden gem who spoils their younger siblings.

His sister: lazy, eats-sleeps-repeats, always broke but never short on demands.

Tragic. This wasn’t the daily life he signed up for.

Grumbling, he obediently fetched a yogurt from the fridge—one for her, one for himself. No choice—he’d need her to cough up spending money eventually.

As he licked the yogurt lid, the system panel suddenly updated.

[Prologue: The Beginning of Everything (Completed). Main Quest Unlocked.]

[Main Quest: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer!

Receive the Saintess’s blessing, gain the power of an adventurer, and register as a professional.

Reward: 1000 gold coins, Title: Rookie Adventurer (+1 Charm when equipped).]

???

What? The quest just… completed itself?

Where’s the Saintess? The holy water?

Shen Nian’s gaze shifted to Shen Yue, still lounging on the couch, licking her yogurt lid.

Are you telling me… my lazy, good-for-nothing, sibling-abusing sister is the Saintess?

And yogurt is holy water?

He was starting to piece it together. Some kind of RPG-style system—meant for another world, guiding adventurers to grow stronger—had somehow latched onto him, a high school senior about to start the new term.

And not only was it functioning… it had just completed its prologue quest.

Seriously? What kind of janky system is this? How does this even work?

Wait—quest rewards include gold coins?

But more importantly…

A thousand gold coins… Shen Nian straightened up. Were these actual gold? If so, converted to RMB, he’d be set for life.

The only problem would be having too much money to spend and too many coins to exchange.

Heh.

But then again… how was he supposed to complete these system quests?

Here he was, a high school senior, and the system wanted him to become an adventurer.

Interesting.

"What’re you spacing out for? Go register already. And grab me a Shanghai Lady on your way back," Shen Yue urged. Ugh, little brothers these days just don’t listen. Any sisters got tips?

"Travel money?"

"We’re siblings—since when do we charge for favors? Hurry up, it’s on your way. I’ll treat you."

"Fine, at least you’ve got some conscience left."

Shen Nian quickly packed his summer homework, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed out.

The system quests needed more thought—important, sure, but there was no time limit mentioned. He’d handle registration first, then figure out the whole adventurer thing later.

After his all-nighter miracle, he’d slept until noon. Now it was the last afternoon before registration closed.

His place was close to school, so he wasn’t in a rush.

He lived on the 14th floor of a four-unit building. The other two units were practically ghost towns—even during New Year’s. But the unit across the hall? That one he knew well.

He knocked loudly. After a moment, the door cracked open.

"Registered yet? If not, let’s go together," Shen Nian said cheerfully.

"Was just about to head out."

The girl stood tall and graceful, her height just over five feet, dressed in a casual short-sleeved home outfit. Her modest chest rose and fell with each breath.

Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with life, lashes fluttering slightly, delicate brows faintly furrowed. Her features were so flawless they resembled a work of art, and her shoulder-length hair was tied into a small ponytail with a hairband.

Xia Yanchun was practically his childhood sweetheart—neighbors from the same town, their fathers childhood friends, and their grandparents even distant relatives. Their families were so close they ended up buying houses right across from each other.

Growing up together, innocent and carefree, Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun had shared over a decade of friendship, and their relationship had always been warm and easy.

But two months into summer vacation, everything changed when Xia Yanchun accidentally stumbled upon Shen Nian acting as a "captain." Since then, an invisible yet undeniable barrier had formed between them. Though they remained on good terms, the natural ease they once shared was gone.

Adding to the distance, Xia Yanchun had spent those two months back in her hometown, only returning a couple of days ago. With barely any contact over the summer, Shen Nian couldn’t help but notice the shift in her gaze when she looked at him now.

It was the kind of look reserved for a perverted creep—laced with unmistakable disdain.