Rose Heart

In the Eerie Game's Player Plaza, Ruins of Sunset, a black tower soared into the sky.

A gigantic golden tree grew before the tower. Several stone tablets of varying sizes stood beneath it, covered in fine script that changed on its own as time passed.

The rankings on the largest tablet had already settled. The name "Fu Jue" sat proudly in first place, impossible to miss.

Slightly smaller was a series of tablets engraved with titles such as "Guild Rankings" and "Newcomer Rankings." The names at the bottom of the lists were changing at a furious pace.

Suddenly, the branches and leaves of the tree stirred without a breeze. Several lines of text appeared in the middle of a tablet shaped like a notice board, accompanied by a system announcement:

[Rose Manor (Novice) instance True End—"Cage of Obsession" recorded]

[MVP Player: **(This player has not set a display nickname)]

Every player resting in the plaza heard the announcement, and the place erupted into discussion.

"What's going on? Is a newbie instance really worth a special announcement?"

"I remember that instance being pretty unusual. It's harder than a lot of Official Pool instances. It's been around for ten years, and only now has someone gotten the TE ending."

"Looks like this person's no pushover. If they're this strong as a newcomer, maybe we'll see them near the top of the rankings someday."

"Hard to say. We don't even know if they'll survive their third instance. What I'm more curious about is how you get the TE ending in Rose Manor."

"Too bad there's no livestreaming or recordings in the Novice Pool. We'll just have to see if anyone posts a walkthrough on the forum."

The players discussed it for a little while before dispersing. In the game as a whole, a TE clear of a newbie instance was a trifling matter.

After all, everyone in Ruins of Sunset was an Official Player. Unless they spent points to select a specific instance, they would never have anything to do with the Novice Pool again.

[Rose Manor rating: S; reward: 1000 points]

[Rose Manor True End route cleared; reward: 1000 points]

[Worldview decipherment: 100%; reward: 1000 points]

When the three-minute countdown ended, nothing remained around Qi Si but pitch-black darkness, so complete he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

A full-length mirror stood before him, glowing with a faint blue light.

It reflected his appearance: a white shirt, black pants, light eyebrows, dark eyes, thin lips, and a face pale as a ghost.

His reflection flashed by, then sank into a deep, dark whirlpool. In its place appeared the instance results.

[Achievement unlocked: "Pillar of Support" (made the greatest contribution to clearing a team instance); reward: 500 points]

[Achievement unlocked: "Double Bind" (violated and exploited two rules at once to clear an instance); reward: 500 points]

[Achievement unlocked: "Scapegoat" (became the primary target of a major NPC's hatred); reward: 500 points]

[Total reward: 4500 points]

Qi Si took in every word and figure displayed by the full-length mirror.

He still didn't know how many points it would take to "make a wish," and had little sense of what four thousand five hundred points meant. But the characters "S," "True End," and "100%" were more than enough to satisfy his perfectionist streak.

Looking at the achievement "Scapegoat," its silver text gleaming, he touched his chin innocently. "So I managed to get on their bad side after all? How petty..."

The system prompts before him continued to refresh.

[Congratulations on perfectly clearing the Rose Manor instance. Reward item acquired: Rose Heart]

A crystal pendant the size of a thumb floated before him, carved to resemble half a rose and half a heart. At first glance, it looked like a drop of blood falling into clear water.

Qi Si raised his hand and grasped it. It felt cool and smooth, pleasant to the touch.

[Name: Rose Heart]

[Type: Item]

[Effect: Wearing it makes it easier to earn the favor and trust of other beings]

[Note: A beautiful rose and a seemingly sincere heart become one. Living beings of the past could hardly help but lose themselves in gentle lies]

Qi Si learned the item's detailed information the moment he touched it.

He hung the blood-red crystal pendant around his neck and smiled. "Looks like the rewards for deciphering the worldview and clearing the instance perfectly are pretty generous."

The Rose Heart's effect suited him perfectly. He was already good at winning people's favor and trust through deception and performance. With the item amplifying that, he might get twice the results with half the effort.

Still, the phrase "easier to" was vague. He would have to test its specific effects in an instance.

[Your item "Pocket Watch of Fate" has changed after being tempered by the instance]

A new prompt appeared, and Qi Si's eyes lit up.

The Pocket Watch of Fate had belonged to Chang Xu. Qi Si had tucked it into his shirt pocket and brought it out with him.

He had worried the Eerie Game might not recognize the transfer without a proper process. He hadn't expected the game to simply assign ownership of the item to him.

Did that mean any item he managed to bring out of an instance would belong to him from then on?

Qi Si caught on to the idea, pulled the antique-looking pocket watch from his pocket, and read the prompt that appeared on it.

[Name: Pocket Watch of Fate (Damaged)]

[Type: Item]

[Effect: Rewind objective time by one minute (usable once per instance)]

[Note: Time marks fate; fate toys with time]

Even Qi Si found himself breathing harder when he saw what the pocket watch could do.

Rewinding time touched upon the laws of causality. It was plainly a divine power.

Even if it lasted only a minute and could only be used once in each instance, it was still an extraordinary ability.

—When faced with a choice between two options, he could test them at no cost and identify the right answer with absolute certainty.

—When death came for him, he could travel back up the river of time, foresee the future, and gain a new lease on life.

—He could strike someone and test their hand, then return to the beginning when things got out of hand and chat with them as if nothing had happened.

—He could even kill. He could try taking the lives of those interesting souls without worrying about waste or trouble.

In a word, aside from the points, the pocket watch was the most valuable thing Qi Si had gained in this instance.

The points were what he had come for, while the Pocket Watch of Fate could help him earn more points and have more fun in future instances.

At last, the faint disappointment he had felt over losing an interesting teammate vanished.

Qi Si was genuinely grateful to Chang Xu. He raised a hand to cover his face and shook his shoulders as if he were sobbing in mourning. But beneath his palm, his face was beaming with delight. "Chang Xu, you died so... tragically. I'll burn you some incense whenever I think of you on the holidays."

Perhaps even the Eerie Game couldn't stand it anymore. A cold electronic voice suddenly interrupted Qi Si's wildly inappropriate excitement:

[You have not yet entered a wish. Please enter your wish]

Qi Si finally remembered why he had entered the Eerie Game in the first place.

He reined in his grin, which had nearly stretched from ear to ear, and said with a smile, "My wish? For now, let's say I want to be cured."

Not long after his birthday on January 1, Qi Si had suddenly fainted. His soul floated out of his body and drifted through the air for a long while before finally returning.

The doctor told him he had a terminal illness called Soul Weightlessness. As the condition worsened, one day the patient would never wake up again.

At the time, the doctor looked at Qi Si with sympathy. "Your illness is an extremely rare case. There are fewer than ten confirmed cases worldwide. You could spend your remaining days doing what you want, or doing something meaningful."

Qi Si asked, "Like what?"

The doctor replied, "You could cooperate with our treatment and research. If we make a breakthrough with you, your name will go down in history."

Qi Si asked again, "Has anyone ever been cured?"

The doctor was honest. "Of course not. Otherwise, why would they call it terminal?"

Qi Si refused the doctor's request to sign up for organ and body donation. Rather than have his name remembered in medical history, he would rather see it on the list of criminals responsible for a major atrocity.

It was only natural that he began searching for a cure, while also resolving to make the most of the few days he had left: mess with people, make a few more specimens, or find some other amusement...

[Calculating the points required to grant your wish]

A number appeared in the center of the system interface and rapidly climbed. After a while, it stopped changing, and the result appeared.

[Calculation result: 1,000,000 points]

Qi Si counted the zeroes and narrowed his eyes slightly.

One million points. Using the Rose Manor instance as a benchmark, he would need to clear more than two hundred instances to save enough.

No wonder the Eerie Game hadn't allowed him to gather more information before deciding whether to sign the contract.

Was it afraid he would weigh the risks against the rewards and refuse to cooperate?

Qi Si shook his head to himself, then circled the full-length mirror in the dark space once more. He couldn't figure out what else it could do.

Something occurred to him. "Can I spend points to increase my combat ability?"

The Eerie Game slowly displayed a line of text: [You can spend 1000 points to change your wish to "increase combat ability." The game will then recommend practical weapon-type items for you.]

Qi Si asked, "Do I have to change my wish? Can't I make multiple wishes?"

The Eerie Game replied: [No.]

"Then never mind."

Changing his wish was out of the question. Although Qi Si had quite an obsession with combat strength, he wasn't about to make the logical mistake of confusing the means with the end.

He mulled over the prompt for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "So you can't directly increase my physical combat ability. I can only arm myself with items, right?"

[Correct. The data for human souls and bodies is written by the world's rules. This game has no authority to alter it]

Qi Si asked, "What are the world's rules? And what do you mean by 'writing data'?"

[This game was created by the world's rules. The world's rules have the final say. All other information is locked to you. You are not authorized to know it]

"..."

Qi Si crouched in the darkness and sank into thought.

The sight of Chang Xu crushing skeletons and flattening dolls remained vivid in his mind. The words "born with it" lingered in his thoughts even more.

Could it be... that the guy hadn't been lying? Was his ability to deal with the uncanny really something he'd been born with?

Qi Si tapped his chin with a finger, unable to help feeling regret.

If he'd known Chang Xu was such a special case, he should have dug him out of the castle ruins, then found a way to lure him to the studio in the real world and dissect him to see how he was built...

"Can I ask what was going on with Chang Xu's ability to deal with the uncanny?" Qi Si ventured to ask the Eerie Game.

A line of cold text appeared on the system interface: [You can spend 1000 points to change your wish to "learn Chang Xu's background"]

...It seemed there was no room for negotiation.

Qi Si yawned listlessly, put aside his ill-timed curiosity, and muttered, "Exit game."

[Exiting the game safely. We wish you a pleasant life]