Please Choose Your Target

[Welcome to the Help! I'm Surrounded by Them! novice Trial Zone.]

[Classic map Campus Romance has been unlocked.]

[Please select your target for conquest:]

[A. Pure and Cute Deskmate]

[B. Beautiful and Juicy School Beauty]

[C. Cold and Scheming Straight-A Student]

[D. Brother with Eight-Pack Abs]

[E. Old-fashioned Married Homeroom Teacher]

[F. Brother Who Likes Singing Dancing and Basketball]

[G. Fair and Tender Neighbor Auntie]

[H. Spicy-tempered and Hot-bodied Sports School Girl]

[Each target can only be selected by one player.]

[Options are currently locked and will officially open for selection after the 100-second preparation time concludes.]

[Preparation time begins now:]

[99--]

[98--]

[97--]

The countdown flickered incessantly on the light screen hovering above his head.

Wen Nan shifted his gaze down from the screen and scanned his surroundings.

He was standing in the center of a male dormitory.

The dorm was in a state of utter disarray; cola cans, mineral water bottles, and milk tea cups covered almost every inch of the floor.

The stench of athletic socks, the sour reek of sweat, the bizarre smell of photinia flowers, and the aroma of instant noodles all swirled together, rushing straight into his nostrils.

Aside from Wen Nan, there were three other boys standing in the dorm—a tall, muscular Sports Student, a chubby guy wearing designer sneakers like slippers, and a short, scrawny guy with Glasses.

Judging by the bewildered expressions on their faces, they were likely players who had entered the novice Trial Zone just like Wen Nan.

[Beep!]

[Dear Mr. Nine Times a Night, welcome!]

[I am your system, 9527.]

[If you have any questions or require assistance during your conquest, please call my name at any time. I will be dedicated to serving you!]

[Now, displaying your attribute panel—]

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind, and immediately, a screen materialized before Wen Nan's eyes:

[Name: Ye Jiu]

[Level: Lv1]

[Strength: 2/100]

[Agility: 3/100]

[Armor: 1/100]

[Charisma: 4/100]

Wen Nan furrowed his brows slightly, observing his three roommates without giving anything away.

It appeared that this personal attribute panel was generated by the system and could only be seen by each individual player.

That made sense, but...

His attributes were pathetic!

Wen Nan called out in his mind: [9527.]

9527: [I am here.]

Wen Nan: [How do I increase my attributes?]

9527: [Completing conquests, exploring maps, or purchasing equipment and items from the shop can all increase your level and attributes.]

Wen Nan: [Open the shop.]

A classic game shop interface immediately appeared before Wen Nan. Most of the equipment and items were locked, indicating that his level was too low to purchase them.

Of the only three items available for purchase at Lv1, the cheapest one cost 200 gold coins.

Wen Nan glanced at the top right corner of his account—his starting balance was only 100 gold coins.

Wen Nan asked the system again: [How do I earn gold coins? Surely it doesn't require spending real money?]

He had been hospitalized for so many years; he didn't have a single cent to his name. If this were a game where "pay-to-win is king," then...

9527: [No, the currency used by the contestant in their original world cannot be used in this map.]

[There are only three ways for the contestant to obtain gold coins during the conquest process--]

[1. Total livestream popularity, converted to gold coins at a ratio of 10,000:1.]

[2. Livestream viewer tips, with 50% credited to the contestant's account.]

[3. Contestant opens a betting pool, livestream viewers place bets.]

[Among these, options 1 and 2 are exchanged in real-time, while option 3 is settled at the end of each mission.]

Hearing this, Wen Nan paused for a moment.

A livestream?

This game even has a livestream?

Everything he was doing right now was being broadcast in real-time to some livestream room?

Why couldn't he see the livestream interface? Where were his viewers?

9527: [Livestream access will be opened for the contestant once the conquest officially begins.]

Wen Nan glanced at the countdown above his head; there were 20 seconds left.

[Beep!]

A crisp notification sound rang out in his mind.

9527: [Congratulations! You have received a novice gift pack! Would you like to open it now?]

Wen Nan: [Open.]

9527: [Opened for you. Novice gift pack--Max out any one attribute for a duration of 3 hours.]

[Please choose the attribute you wish to boost:]

[Strength] [Agility] [Armor] [Charisma]

As he was pondering, suddenly, the three roommates beside him were simultaneously engulfed in a golden glow.

The short, frail Glasses grew rapidly in stature, his frame becoming robust. The Sports Student's limbs grew more elongated, his wrists and ankles becoming slender. As for the fatty, his skin visibly thickened.

It seemed they had each used their trial cards on Strength, Agility, and Armor, respectively.

The increase in these attribute points was actually applied directly to their physical bodies, making it feel like a sci-fi movie; the visual impact was, to say the least, significant.

[Please choose the attribute you wish to boost.]

The system urged him in his mind.

Wen Nan made his choice quickly: [Charisma].

A flash of golden light enveloped him, and a brief itching sensation spread across his skin and bones.

9527: [Attribute boost complete. Current Charisma value: 100/100.]

Wen Nan was just about to look for a mirror to check his appearance when he looked up and found the other three staring at him with indescribable expressions.

"You... boosted Charisma?"

Glasses asked him.

Wen Nan nodded, "Yes."

If he were playing a regular game, Wen Nan would definitely have boosted Strength, Agility, or Armor, but...

This was a romance conquest game.

Why would he need high Strength, Agility, or Armor to conquer girls?

Obviously, he had to max out his Charisma!

Glasses looked at Wen Nan, wanting to say something but holding back.

At this moment, the countdown above their heads began to emit a glaring red light, accompanied by a harsh clanging sound, like a fire alarm.

[Preparation time is ending. Contestants, please take your positions immediately!]

[10--]

[9--]

[8--]

Wen Nan looked back up at the countdown screen, thinking, it's just choosing a target for a romance conquest, is it really necessary to make the atmosphere this tense?

Anyone who didn't know better would think this was some kind of battle royale game.

Wen Nan looked back at the options: Pure and Cute Deskmate, Beautiful and Juicy School Beauty... they all sounded like very suitable targets for a romance conquest.

However, among these options, had something strange been mixed in?

[3--]

[2--]

[1--]

As the countdown ended, the Sports Student tapped his toes, leaped from where he stood, and with his arm fully extended, slapped the glowing screen above his head in a standard dunking posture.

Snap!

His palm landed precisely on—

F. Brother Who Likes Singing Dancing and Basketball?!

Wen Nan was stunned.

No, brother, so you were actually...

Wen Nan ultimately suppressed the urge to roast him and chose to offer his respect instead.

He looked toward the other two players, wanting to see the same expression on their faces as his own, only to find that both of them were looking at the Sports Student with eyes that revealed... intense resentment and jealousy?

Wen Nan: ?

Was there something wrong here?

While he was still dazed, he saw the Fatty dragging a table over, preparing to climb up and snatch the remaining options as quickly as possible.

Seeing this, Glasses immediately rushed over and began to grapple with the Fatty.

In the end, Glasses, whose strength was maxed out, easily defeated the Fatty, whose armor was maxed out, stepped onto the table, and made his choice—

D. Brother with Eight-Pack Abs!

Wen Nan: ?

He hadn't expected his small dormitory to be so diverse.

Wen Nan looked at the Fatty sprawled by the table.

The Fatty's complexion was terrible right now, looking as if he had just lost a family member.

The Fatty looked at the panel with two options removed, gnashing his teeth as he thought grimly:

'As everyone knows, this is a horror survival game. Just as the game's name suggests, the bosses in this game are, without exception, all female ghosts!'

'Since there are only female ghost bosses, it is reasonable to assume that the male characters in options D and F cannot possibly be bosses, but are merely ordinary, neutral NPCs.'

'Options like these must be perks for beginners; grabbing them is a sure win.'

'It's a pity that his hand speed was too slow, letting that Sports Student and Glasses beat him to it.'

'Now, he could only settle for the next best thing.'

'Among the remaining options, although they are all female, the difficulty of clearing them is clearly different—'

'As everyone knows, in this game, the more beautiful and attractive the female, the more terrifying she is.'

'Therefore...'

Snap!

The Fatty stood up and slapped his hand onto—

E. Old-fashioned Married Homeroom Teacher.

Wen Nan watched the option the Fatty had locked in and fell into silence.

Does this brother's last name happen to be Cao?

Just as he was muttering to himself, the Sports Student said, "We've finished choosing, you're the only one left."

Wen Nan smiled. "You guys are actually quite kind, helping me eliminate three wrong answers."

He wasn't joking; he was genuinely grateful. This batch of players had such unique tastes.

But for some reason, the three of them looked at him with that same indescribable expression again.

"If it were me, among the remaining options, I would choose C..." Glasses pushed up his Glasses, thinking that a straight-A student was likely male, and surely wouldn't look good—the uglier, the safer.

"I think you should choose A..." the Fatty interjected.

He thought that a deskmate didn't necessarily have to be female. And, being so cute, surely they must be a boy.

However, as they looked at Wen Nan, they saw him shake his head, step onto the table, and raise his hand—

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

[Player Ye Jiu has successfully locked in—]

[A. Pure and Cute Deskmate]

[B. Beautiful and Juicy School Beauty]

[C. Cold and Scheming Straight-A Student]

[G. Fair and Tender Neighbor Auntie]

[H. Hot-tempered and Curvy Sports School Girl]

Having gathered all five targets, Wen Nan curled his lips and let out a cackling laugh:

"Children make choices; as an adult, of course, I want them all!"