Skinship for Survival, or How to Tame an Imperial Harem

Acrid, suffocating smoke clogs your lungs, forcing you into a violent coughing fit. Pitch-black darkness surrounds you, and the hard, filthy straw beneath your body pricks at your skin. An ache permeates your entire body, making even the slightest movement a struggle, while your chest burns so intensely it feels as though a red-hot iron brand has just been pressed into your flesh.

This is definitely not your familiar, warm room. The hut is rapidly filling with soot, and through the cracks in the crooked wooden walls, the sinister glimmers of a spreading fire are visible.

At that exact moment, slicing through the veil of smoke right before your eyes, a neon-crimson system interface panel flashes to life. Glowing letters hover in the air, broadcasting clear text:

⚠️ [WARNING! You have been transported into the world of the novel "Against a Cruel Fate" in the body of an unnamed NPC extra.]
🔒 [YOU HAVE BEEN CURSED WITH THE MARK. Conditions for lifting the curse: You must reach the capital, attract the attention of the original harem's favorites through skinship, and marry one of the 7 main male leads—or marry all of them at once. Only then will the curse be lifted, allowing you to return to your own world.]
🚨 [Attention: If you refuse skinship upon meeting, remain passive, or die—the Mark will inflict unbearable pain and forcibly teleport you back to the starting location. Death is not an exit.]

Somewhere very close, just beyond the flimsy door of the hut, the shrill, primal screams of villagers erupt:
— Monsters! The monsters have breached the outpost! Run to the forest, hurry!

The ground beneath the straw begins to shudder noticeably from the heavy, thundering footsteps of approaching beasts. The wooden roof above your head creaks plaintively, ready to collapse at any moment. There is no time left to process this magitech madness—to avoid dying within the first few minutes, you must make a decision immediately.