Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 1: Proposing Marriage

"Quit sucking on me, you pests!"

Isaac flailed his arm wildly to squash the mosquitoes.

The annoying hum ceased for a moment.

He wished he'd managed to eliminate several of those bloodthirsty insects, yet he stayed in bed without checking.

Before long, the irritating buzz resumed.

Muttering curses, Isaac yanked the covers over his entire body, from head to foot.

Sleep was what he craved more than anything.

The next day marked the Awakening Ceremony.

At the event, students would touch the Awakening Crystal and unlock their [Talents].

The kind of Talents they awakened would shape their destinies.

A whopping ninety percent would fail to awaken any Talent.

Those unfortunates would endure ordinary existences, slaving away at routine jobs from nine to five, relying on the authorities who safeguarded the barriers, keeping monstrous threats away from their secure urban havens.

The fortunate ten percent who did awaken Talents would rise to elite status in society.

They would acquire abilities to venture beyond the walls into the wilds, advance their levels, and claim valuable loot.

Even individuals with the most basic F-rank Talent would reap huge rewards, such as admission to top universities on full scholarships.

Isaac yearned for more than just the bare minimum.

Perhaps a C-rank Talent, or even something as impressive as an A-rank.

Dreaming of an S-rank felt too ambitious; Isaac feared tempting fate by reaching that high, worried it might leave him with nothing.

"Argh! There's no way I can rest like this!"

Isaac bolted upright in bed.

He scanned the room for the mosquitoes and swatted at them fiercely.

Quietness fell, but it shattered mere seconds later with the return of the buzzing swarm.

"Please, just allow me some sleep. I haven't caught a wink in days.

"Give me tonight to recharge. I must be at my peak, body and spirit, to boost my odds of a successful awakening."

The mosquitoes kept droning relentlessly.

Isaac buried his face in his hands, questioning his decision to purchase this idiotic apartment.

Numerous folks had cautioned him about its haunted reputation.

Yet it was merely baseless talk.

Isaac had inspected every corner thoroughly.

No solid proof of hauntings turned up beyond the gossip. The bargain price had clouded his judgment.

"Curses, just let me get some shut-eye!"

Merely a week into living here, and regret already gnawed at him for picking this spot.

Right at that instant, the clock chimed midnight.

[Bonded Blessings System binding in process.]

[Bonded Blessings System has been bound.]

A glowing holographic panel popped up right in front of Isaac.

Instinctively, he swiped at it, his hand passing right through without resistance.

"What in the world...."

Isaac's eyes bulged in shock.

He was a reincarnate from Earth.

Of course, he recognized exactly what this display signified.

"Holy crap, I've got a system now!

"What exactly does it offer?"

[Host can share the abilities, skills, and progress of his wives with himself.]

"Could you explain that in more detail—"

Isaac's question choked off as a icy grasp tightened around his throat.

He went rigid.

An eerie terror flooded his chest, and whispers seemed to slither into his ears.

"I... am.... hungry."

"I... am.... hungry."

Isaac's spirits plummeted.

A ghost lurked in this dwelling! The tales had rung true!

An overwhelming drowsiness assaulted his thoughts.

Weakness crept in, like his very essence was being siphoned away.

His sight grew fuzzy, and his eyelids weighed like boulders.

'Damn it, I just unlocked my system! I won't perish before exploiting its perks!'

He fought to rise to his feet.

Exhaustion dragged him toward oblivion.

'System, are you able to assist?'

'System!'

Silence met his calls.

Isaac clawed at his palms with his nails, praying the sting would keep him alert.

Blacking out meant certain doom.

In a flash, inspiration hit.

"W-Wait a second!" he wheezed. "Miss ghost, I beg you, wed me first before ending me!"

The chilling, unseen pressure sapping his vitality halted, seemingly stunned.

"Marry me, please," he pressed on.

It was a desperate gamble.

The system hinted at gains from acquiring wives.

Binding with this ghost in matrimony could trigger a mighty boon from the system to rescue him.

The ghost offered no reply.

'Hell, is it actually a womanly specter?'

Isaac abruptly grasped he could have erred catastrophically.

The entity might be male. Or perhaps some beastly apparition.

A shudder ran through him at the notion of wedding a grotesque, zombie-esque form with extra limbs.

He gritted his teeth.

For the sake of living, he would endure—

A new panel cut into his deliberations.

[A suitable target detected in host's vicinity.]

Trailing the initial message, another panel flickered into view some distance away.

[Emily Warren]

[Age: 19 (At time of death)]

[Rating: 95]

[Personality: Gentle, kind.]

[Likes: Piano music, scent of old books, rain, honest and hardworking people, feeling of nostalgia even if bittersweet.]

[Dislikes: Loud noises, being forgotten or ignored, cold drafts that make her presence known too easily, the whispers in her mind that aren't her own.]

[Status: Flabbergasted by your question, starving.]

The display left Isaac dumbfounded.

'This resembles an Inspect ability.'

'It has to be revealing the ghost's details.'

'Emily Warren... So it's a lady ghost?'

The panel began drifting about the chamber.

Isaac noticed it tracked the ghost's movements.

"I've stayed single throughout my existence," he blurted hastily. "At the very least, grant me a taste of married life. After that, you can drain every last bit of my vitality."

"...You can see me?" A delicate, womanly tone resonated from the shadows.

Isaac ought to have rejoiced at the answer.

But the sound carried a piercing chill with it.

A bizarre, intense dread began infiltrating his psyche.

Isaac's mouth quivered.

His pulse thundered like battle drums while the frosty bite pierced him.

As his gaze fixed on the wandering panel, it paused and edged nearer.

Isaac couldn't glimpse the ghost.

Yet based on the info, she had to be positioned directly before him.

"I'm hungry," she declared.

"W-What about our marriage?" he stammered back.