Chapter 1: Family of Four

A mechanical voice sounded, "Welcome to the Family of Four game instance. Please play your role as Mom."

"Clear condition: Survive 10 days and safely board the plane back to the real world. Players: 100. Survivors: 100.

"Your real-world body is currently in a vegetative state. Only clearing the game will wake you. Death in-game means real death. Enjoy your stay."

I was a housewife on my way back from grocery shopping when the car accident happened. When I opened my eyes, I found myself inside a game world.

The title "Family of Four" screamed wholesome parenting sim to me.

I quietly looked around at the other players who had entered with me. A lot of them were terrified of this new environment, and several men were cursing loudly.

Among the crowd, a veteran player named Mike Bates started explaining the situation. "This is an infinite horror game. The only way to clear it and revive is by getting an SSS rating. Otherwise, you will be killed by the boss."

"How do you even get that kind of rating?" a college girl asked.

Mike sighed. "You need to raise the favorability of every boss in the instance to 100. So far, no player has ever made it."

The girl broke down, clutching her head and crying, "I want to go home! I want my mom!"

The other players started tearing up as well. Only I didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

"Isn't this just a parenting game? Why are they so terrified?" I decided to clear this thing quickly and leave.

If I weren't home, who would pick up my daughter from school? Who would clean the kitchen? Who would help with her homework?

And my husband would just climb into bed without a bath. Just thinking about it made my blood pressure shoot up.

The veteran players in the crowd stared at me strangely.

"Is this newbie crazy? This is a life-or-death game!"

"She's calm now, but she'll be crying later. This is the Family of Four instance!"

Bullet comments flew rapidly across the top of my vision.

[This rookie really is fearless. I bet she starts crying the second she goes in. I've never seen anyone clear the Family of Four with all their limbs attached.]

[She probably doesn't even know that if her SAN value drops to 0, she'll die for real.]

[Can't wait to see the boss blow her head off, hahaha!]

The mechanical voice rang out again. "All players, please proceed to your homes according to the number on your card."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a card that read 1001.

Following the system's instructions, I came to the tenth floor of the apartment building. It clearly belonged to a wealthy family; only one unit occupied the entire level.

My eyes lit up. That meant so much space to clean!

I had severe OCD and a serious cleanliness obsession. Ever since I was little, I loved cleaning and couldn't stand the tiniest bit of dirt.

After I became a housewife, it only got worse. I only felt comfortable when the house was spotless.

I once washed a black shirt until it turned white and polished the floors until they could reflect like a mirror. The dishes in the kitchen were arranged in perfect rows like soldiers standing at attention.

My husband and daughter complained bitterly about it and often argued with me.

Staring at the large apartment in front of me, I felt like I had found the perfect place to apply my skills again.