They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 330: ONE TWO THREE

Chapter 330: ONE TWO THREE

At first, the swing felt right. The air rushed past his ears. The vine held.

But just as he reached the center, right above the deepest part of the quicksand, there was a snap.

A small one.

It wasn’t the vine…. yet

It was the branch it was tied to.

It cracked.

Then groaned.

Ekene’s hands slipped a little as the vine groaned under his weight.

“Wait” he gasped.

The thick vine holding him began to fray at the middle, the fibers visibly unraveling, strands tearing one by one like snapping violin strings.

Panic flooded his face as the realization hit him, if this vine gave way, he would plummet straight into the quicksand, and the speed of the fall would sink him instantly, like a stone crashing into a swamp.

“Ekene hold on!” Nnenna shouted, already scanning the trees.

“I can’t! I’m slipping!” His voice cracked, the fear raw and human.

Abuchi reached out, instinctively grabbing her arm. “Nnenna, don’t—!”

But she was already moving.

With a surge of adrenaline, Nnenna lunged toward a tree on the opposite side and seized another vine, one even thicker and longer than the last. She tested it quickly, fingers trembling but eyes clear with resolve.

The love system whispered in her head, Let me help. Use your points—

“No,” she said out loud, jaw clenched. “I can do this.”

Without waiting another second, she launched herself into the air, swinging across the pit, aiming for the vine Ekene still clung to. It was already fraying at the core, just seconds from snapping.

“Ekene! Listen to me!” she shouted mid swing. “You have to trust me!”

“I can’t! I’ll fall—!”

“You won’t,” she said, her voice sharp and commanding. “I need you to grab my vine on the count of three. Just believe in me, just this once.”

He looked at her, eyes wide, hanging mid air like a child on the edge of a collapsing rope bridge.

“One—”

The vine groaned louder beneath him.

“Two—”

He swallowed hard, palms slick, shaking.

“Three!”

With a shout, Ekene let go.

For a heart stopping second, he was falling.

And then snap! he caught her vine. Nnenna grunted as the added weight nearly pulled her down, but she held firm. Her arms screamed. Her shoulders felt like they were splitting. But she kept swinging, back and forth, until finally

“NOW!”

They let go together, crashing onto the solid earth on the far side of the quicksand pit, outside the forest.

Gasping. Alive.

The others rushed to them, pulling them upright, disbelief and relief mixing like lightning and thunder.

Ekene sat on the ground, his breath coming in sharp bursts, heart still racing like a wild drum. The shock of nearly dying hadn’t faded yet, but something stronger, deeper, was now growing quietly inside him.

Nnenna was kneeling beside him, one hand on her knee, the other brushing strands of hair off her sweaty forehead. Her chest rose and fell quickly. She didn’t speak, but the look in her eyes, calm, focused, and still watching him, made his throat tighten.

He swallowed hard. “Thank you…” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

She looked at him, raising a brow slightly as if she didn’t expect him to say anything at all since he was still in shock.

“I mean it,” he said, louder now. “You saved my life. You didn’t even think twice. I, I was so scared, Nnenna. But you…” He broke off, shaking his head. “You were brave.”

She let out a small, tired smile. “We’re in this together, remember? I’m not leaving anyone behind.”

That answer… it hit him right in the chest.

For weeks now, he had been watching her, how she thought, how she fought, how she put others first even when no one asked her to. He had tried to suppress it, tried to act normal, but after today, he knew.

He was in love with her.

Truly, deeply, unshakably in love with her.

As she turned to help the others regroup, Ekene sat still for a few seconds longer, feeling the weight of that truth settle into his bones.

He would tell her.

Not now. Not yet. Not in the middle of vines and danger and quicksand.

But if they made it, if they survived and completed this journey, he would tell her how he felt. He owed her that. He owed himself that.

Even if she didn’t feel the same, he had to try.

He stood slowly, dusted himself off, and followed her silently.

After they all caught their breaths outside the Forest of Regrets, there was no time to waste. The relief of survival lingered in their lungs, but the urgency of the mission pressed against their heels.

Without needing to speak much, they gathered themselves and began searching animatedly for the old checkpoint station Ruth had mentioned.

Exactly as the letter had described, they found it, hidden beneath the cover of overgrowth and worn stone, a forgotten structure now serving as the last gate into Purlit.

There was a tense moment when the entrance refused to open, but Nnenna, ever meticulous, located the release latch, and the rusted doors creaked open with an eerie groan.

They stepped into the tunnel.

Their torch lights flickered against damp walls lined with age and silence. The air was colder down there, thick with the scent of moss and abandonment.

Every step echoed, and with each echo, their nerves prickled. They moved slowly, watching their footing, alert for wild animals or traps, anything that might have taken up residence in the long forgotten tunnel.

Time blurred underground. But eventually, after a long stretch of silent tension, they reached the narrow stairs leading up. John pushed the wooden hatch gently, and it gave way with a reluctant creak.

Light poured in.

They emerged into dust and cobwebs, blinking. The basement of what looked like a deserted town hall. Forgotten but safe.

They had made it to Purlit.

No one cheered. No one shouted.