ca-book Chapter 120 - 118 - s · Galgame
Chapter 120 - 118 - s · Galgame
Chapter 120: 118 Chapters · Galgame[Twenty minutes ago]
As the werewolf began its action and left that huge house, Su Ming’an’s true form quickly descended from the back mountain and entered the building.
He remembered that when he approached this door the night before, it displayed: "[This building is currently not available, please come back during a different time slot]."
So, he made a point of returning during a different time, ready to try again to see if it would work.
Just before touching the door, he noticed the system notification.
"[The building is now available for entry.]"
"[Please note that the availability is during the werewolf’s action time, lasting thirty minutes, after which the door will automatically close and remain locked. Please use your time wisely."]
...It must indeed contain some important clues.
He pushed the door open; it wasn’t locked. Upon entering the large room, he saw an altar densely packed with tablets, and a slim, red candle burning steadily on the tabletop without any wax dripping below—like it was burning eternally.
He
He heard the girl’s soft voice. As he changed position, he felt the smooth sensation slide violently under his fingertips, like skimming over a pool of cold water.
In the faint candlelight filtering through the crack, he saw the girl’s face, as if adorned with a gorgeous layer of makeup, the rouge on her lips bright as blood.
The barrage was about to explode:
[Here it comes! The free giveaway that’s a must in every instance!]
[So jealous, so jealous, this guy’s charm points must be off the charts. I don’t believe this game has so many free giveaways!]
[Jealous my hammer, this girl obviously ain’t normal. Have you ever seen any girl lying in a coffin?]
[Even though it’s the Underworld, it’s a free giveaway.]
[She seems to be wearing makeup... why do I feel like I’ve seen this girl before?]
[...Isn’t this the mayor’s daughter Moli? The one who always seems so shy.]
[...]
Su Ming’an also recognized her from that brief moment of eye contact—this was indeed Moli, and she was the target NPC of his identity mission.
The mission prompt had said he needed to expose her sins, so he didn’t believe she was as innocent as she appeared on the surface.
Remaining alert, he didn’t move for the time being. The eerie townspeople were right beside him, so it was better not to make any noise.
He listened carefully, but the townspeople were only repeating unintelligible phrases over and over. This went on for quite a while, and after about twenty minutes, their footsteps could be heard again.
Then, the dim light poured out, and the mahogany door closed with a squeal, producing a dull sound.
He was anxious all along. He could only stay in this room for about thirty minutes, and that time was almost up.
Although he didn’t know what the consequences of overtime would be, judging from the previous collapse of the hall, it likely wouldn’t end simply.
With a "thud," once the townspeople left, he quickly lifted the coffin lid.
"...Wait, where are you going?" The girl grabbed him. Through the weak light of the red candle, he saw the brilliant red silk on her, like the fin of a red koi fish, and the golden trinkets on her neck and wrists jingling, forming a halo of golden light.
From the mission prompt, he knew that the person in front of him couldn’t be good. He thought to push her away, but a sudden, intense pain surged in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
...His clone had acted.
The blood he spat out exploded on the girl’s golden pendant, making the bright hue even more vibrant.
After detonating the explosive, his clone couldn’t survive either. The agony of death was transmitted to him, darkening his vision. Gasping violently, he could not steady his form and fell backward, his head about to strike the corner of the coffin.
A fair hand gently cushioned his head. The girl looked at him with a tender expression, her bright makeup especially captivating under the candlelight.
"Be careful," she whispered softly, cradling his body with extreme tenderness, helping him to sit upright in the coffin.
"..." Su Ming’an lowered his head. His senses were a bit muddled, and his body felt as though it was torn apart, both numb and painful... The death of his clone brought him severe anguish.
"Do you feel unwell?"
In a daze, he heard the girl’s gentle voice in front of him. Her hand was soft as a cloud, patting his forehead, bringing a cool ripple.
"Hiss..." He pushed her hand away and looked towards the wooden door that was suddenly locked: "...It’s too late."
Thirty minutes had passed, and the lock had automatically engaged.
He couldn’t get out.
...But for the moment, it didn’t seem like there was any immediate danger, nor did any scripted deaths occur.
He quickly shifted his strategic focus to Moli, who was in front of him.
"Are you Moli?" he asked.
"Um... I remember my name seems to be that," the girl said softly.
Seems?
Su Ming’an’s vigilance instantly reached its peak. He forced himself to recover slightly from the throbbing pain in his chest, using the edge of the coffin to slowly stand up:
"Why are you here? You’re not the mayor’s daughter; why would you sleep in a coffin late at night?"
Moli lowered her head, not speaking.
[Moli Favorability -10, Current Favorability: 10 (Friendly)]
The sudden system notification made Su Ming’an’s entire body jolt.
...Something wasn’t right.
He remembered that during the day, Moli’s favorability should have been 30.
...When did it decrease?
He stepped out of the coffin to open the mahogany door, but as expected, he received the system notification, [This building is currently not in service, please visit during a different time slot.]
...Does this mean he can’t get out? Unless he waits until the next night’s werewolf action?
Su Ming’an felt that something was amiss—if his clone died and he was trapped here for a whole day, missing the second day’s vote, he didn’t know what the outcome would be.
The conflict of factions was significant. At least the overall game’s wins and losses were determined by factions. Right after the rules were confirmed at the start, everyone heard the system’s announcement.
...This instance didn’t affect the Perfect Completion Progress; decoding had become a secondary objective.
For other players, achieving victory for their factions was most important, but for him, with the Ruler’s Quest, he still needed to unravel the enigmas of this small town.
If he rolled back now, he would miss the clues here.
...This "Moli" seemed too suspicious.
For him, what was more crucial was the matter concerning Moli, which related to whether he could complete his task.
The key to breaking the stalemate seemed to be...
He turned his head to look, and the girl in the red gauze was also looking at him, her eyes carrying a slight sense of being overlooked and hurt.
At the same time, the system notification resonated again in his mind.
[Moli Favorability -5, Current Favorability: 5 (Friendly)]
Su Ming’an felt a wave of weary irritation creep over him.
...He always felt relieved that this game wasn’t a galgame with no favorability settings, but now... it seemed he had no choice but to go down the path of trying hard to raise her favorability.
Was Moli’s silence before due to not reaching the favorability threshold?
With a forced smile and using an extremely friendly gaze, he looked at her and said:
"Moli... I’m sorry for neglecting you earlier."
The girl’s gaze fixated on him, those two vivid red spots in her eyes like two haunting ghostly flames.
"You’re wearing so little, aren’t you cold? I have some clothes here..." He began rummaging through his backpack.
Then, he heard a systemic voice he had never felt before, which gave him a sense of real defeat:
[Moli Favorability -5, Current Favorability: 0 (Neutral)]
His expression stiffened slightly, then when he met Moli’s gaze, he found it was much colder than before.
...Tricky.
The audience couldn’t see his system notifications, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t understand:
[Why did Ming’an’s attitude change so drastically!?]
[Damn, I feel like he’s entering strategy mode.]
[Seems like the only way out is through what this girl knows...]
[Galgame? Take off!]
[Something feels off... Moli’s expression is getting colder!]
[Favorability -5-5-5-5-5]
[Ming’an bro! The famous Lighthouse Theory! Charge!]
[Just start brainwashing, conquer her!]
[Wait... The girl seems like the always available for free type, I’ve never seen Ming’an actively pursue a girl before...]
[! I want to be the target of Ming An’an’s strategies too! Moli move aside! Let me! I’ll show you my favorability maxing out!]
[No, this doesn’t seem right, the strategy progress doesn’t seem to be going well... Does Su Ming’an even know how...]
[...]
Su Ming’an had a headache.
Strategizing required clues and direction to prescribe the right remedy. He was adept at using his experiences to guide others’ emotions, but he knew almost nothing about Moli, not even where to start persuading... or rather, where to start fooling her—currently, he could only treat her with the attitude he would towards any ordinary girl...
But he was unmistakably a hundred percent pure bachelor.
Having been hyped up by his female fans on forums for so long, he was momentarily uncomfortable initiating such a level of pursuit.
Moli looked at him indifferently, the warmth in her eyes fading away.
Su Ming’an hastily searched his backpack to see if there was anything that could please a girl,
...Duoduo’s doll, which looked sinister, and its button eyes even had blood on them.
...Nuoliya’s red rose, this seemed not bad, but he wasn’t sure if Moli liked roses, considering her house also had a small garden, likely not lacking these...
Wait... Wang Han’s human skin mask?
Su Ming’an took out the mask.
Then, facing Moli, he put the bloodstained mask on his face.
He felt this move was a sure bet.