Saving the Male Lead: The Random System

Tech geek Lin Xiaoman is obsessed with the webcomic Spirit Realm, an action-packed series about vanquishing ghosts! After following it for ten years, she’s fallen deeply for its tragic male supporting character. His background is heartbreaking, and she suffers with him. His cultivation journey is full of hardships, and she aches for him. He falls in love with the heroine, and she gives him her tearful blessing. But when the Mary Sue heroine torments him mercilessly until he dies, she can’t take it anymore! To save him, she takes her all-purpose System and dives into Spirit Realm. She plans to pick a powerful character and wait for the male lead to rescue her, but the System crashes, leaving everything to chance! Her skills are random, her missions are random, and she’s even assigned the role of a minor villainous boss! What’s more, she can’t exit the program! As a minor villainous boss, she gets bullied from the moment she appears, grows stronger through it, then gets beaten to death by the main character in episode 350! She’s devastated... She reluctantly accepts reality and plays the fool while hiding her real strength, quietly getting stronger as she does her best to protect the male supporting character. Flirt with the male lead: so he won’t knock her flat, and she can grab a few chances for the male supporting character along the way. Intimidate the heroine: to stop that awful woman from messing with the male supporting character’s feelings. Wipe out the villains: even her own underlings aren’t allowed to bully the male supporting character! She diligently protects him, only to get used in return! So she sets her sights on the upper ranks of the righteous faction. If they’re going to suppress the male supporting character, she’ll swallow them whole! With a long sigh, she laments that being a boss is hard. The righteous faction bullies her, the System bullies her, and even the male supporting character bullies her! Male supporting character, the protagonist can torment you a thousand times, but your boss will love you like it’s the first time. Please stop tormenting me! Excerpt One “You devil, stay away from me! Even if you saved me, I won’t thank you.” The ‘heroine’ flung her hand away. Who knew that the unchanging Mary Sue expression could look so awful! “As if I wanted to save you,” Lin Xiaoman said, shrugging indifferently. “My male supporting character has to keep you safe. What choice do I have?” At the mention of him, the Mary Sue ‘heroine’ burst into tears and dropped to her knees. “I’m begging you, stop clinging to Shilang. You’ve already made it impossible for him to return to the Spirit Realm.” “Lady, seriously, I’m the one begging you to stay away from him!” She had no sympathy for the heroine, who was sickeningly sweet. Instead, she planted her hands on her hips and roared: “I fought tooth and nail to get stronger, going from human to evil spirit, then from evil spirit to lesser king. Do you know how many times I’ve died?” “Why did I do it? So I’d be strong enough to save my male supporting character!” “One word from you leaves him battered and bruised, and one plea sends him off to die. Then I have to comfort him and help him die!” “Damn it! If you don’t like him, stop messing with him! No, wait, you’re messing with me!” Excerpt Two [System notification: The male supporting character is in danger according to the plot.] “What? Who dares bully my male supporting character?” Lin Xiaoman sprang to her feet. “Activate hidden skill, number 11567: Teleport!” [Skill use failed. Randomly selecting a skill...] “Not again!” Lin Xiaoman collapsed in despair. Her male supporting character was in trouble, and the System was still picking skills at random! [Random skill, Thoughts of Love, activated automatically. Teleporting to the male supporting character.] Huh? The announcement left Lin Xiaoman stunned! “Whew, that was close,” a deep male voice came from behind her, tinged with a roguish laugh. “Good thing I made it. I said I’d left something in the Nether Realm, so I just went back for it.” “Thanks,” Lin Xiaoman said shyly. Then her expression changed. “Wait! Are you saying those little ghosts in the Nether Realm bullied you?!” A tough girl relentlessly pursues an arrogant man. She may be chasing him, but the male lead isn’t a jerk! A perfect ending! A friendly reminder from the author: the characters and setting are entirely fictional. Just enjoy the ride!