When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 422: Classic Fairy Tale

Chapter 422: Classic Fairy Tale

A particularly chilly breeze swept through, rustling the brown leaves on the ground and sending shivers down Gu Luoxin’s spine. Goosebumps formed along his arms, and his nose tingled with the urge to sneeze.

"Ha–ha— hachooo!"

Sniffling, Gu Luoxin rubbed his arms to generate some warmth. He had not felt anything during his phone call with Noir, but the temperature had been dropping so much lately that he ought to switch to thicker clothes in order to avoid catching a cold. Glancing at his phone, Gu Luoxin shook his head vigorously and slapped his cheeks a few times for extra measure.

What are you afraid of, Xinxin?! You have two godly teammates, your overall rank is in the top 50 across the whole country, you own a divine prop, moreover... Senior will also be going with you!

Repeating that mental pep talk inside his mind, Gu Luoxin slowly felt himself calming down. That’s right, he had nothing to fear. Unlike the first time he stumbled into the Nightmare Cycle, struggling to survive like a blind fumbling around in the dark, now he was no longer alone. But alas, the mental trauma this one app brought him was so intense that even the mere sight of it was enough to make his heart shudder.

Steeling himself, Gu Luoxin tapped open the Nightmare App, gave his ticket a meticulous once-over, took a screenshot, shared it in the SJG team’s group chat, and... after a brief hesitation, he also sent the picture to Noir.

This time, Gu Luoxin learned from his past mistakes and opted to send a message instead. He steadied his fingers and typed out each character with care and precision, making sure that there were no typos.

[Gu Luoxin]: Senior, I received the ticket just now.

Noir’s reply arrived almost at the same time as Shen Nianzu’s.

[Senior]: .

[Big Boss]: Do you have plans tonight? Let’s meet up and discuss it a bit.

Gu Luoxin knew very well how meticulous and cautious Shen Nianzu was; he was the kind of person who would rather be over prepared than the other way around. Confirming that he had no urgent assignment to complete tonight, nor was there a scheduled training for the production, Gu Luoxin expressed his agreement.

[Big Boss]: Good. I will pick you up at six.

[Stinky Dog]: Ooooh, finally!!! *cheers* *cheers* It looks hella interesting!

Only Jin Jiuchi would treat going into a Cycle as some kind of vacation. Rolling his eyes to the sky, Gu Luoxin checked the time and saw that it was only a little past four. He rose to his feet and headed to his dormitory, intending to take a warm and nice shower before going out.

***

"A week before Christmas, huh?" Shen Nianzu mused. "Time is quite tight. We only have a little over two months to prepare."

The three of them sat in the roadside BBQ stall near the college, surrounded by the tantalizing sizzle of meat on the grill, lively chatter and laughter, forming a warm ambience.

Shen Nianzu skillfully flipped the pieces of meat, while beside him Jin Jiuchi was almost drooling as he stared fixedly at the grill. Well, not that Gu Luoxin was any better either.

"Christmas?" Jin Jiuchi asked without averting his gaze away, his throat bobbing heavily as he swallowed his saliva. "What’s that?"

"Uh..." Gu Luoxin’s brows knitted in contemplation. How was he supposed to explain this in a way that a nightmare creature could understand? "It’s a public holiday... a day when everyone celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ..."

"Je–what?"

"Jesus Christ," Gu Luoxin repeated with more emphasis. "He’s the son of a God and... uh yes, that’s the gist of it."

"The son of a God?" Jin Jiuchi echoed with a contemplative hum. "Sounds like a big shot. Are they more powerful than the Nightmare?"

Gu Luoxin was stumped by that innocent inquiry. Not knowing how to answer, he could only turn to Shen Nianzu for help. With a helpless look, Shen Nianzu dumped the cooked meat into Jin Jiuchi’s bowl, telling him, "Speak less, eat more."

The sight of the ravishing food before him immediately diverted Jin Jiuchi’s attention, and he tossed the sizzling hot meat directly into his mouth, chewing in bliss. "Hmm~ it’s so good, Nian’er!"

Gu Luoxin grimaced just by looking at him. Holy shit, was the tongue of a nightmare creature fireproof? Did he not get burnt? He picked his own meat from the grill, brought it to his lips and blew on it before placing it tentatively into his mouth. Even then, he still couldn’t help but gasp and release a ’haa-haa’ sound to alleviate the heat.

They continued to talk as they enjoyed the BBQ.

"’Glass Slipper Town’?" Jin Jiuchi mulled over the words with intrigue and curiosity. "Does it mean a town with buildings made of glass slippers? A town that sells glass slippers? Or..." he hit his fist on his palm as if having an eureka moment. "Oh, I know! It must be a town built on a giant glass slipper! What do you think, Nian’er?" He eagerly turned to Shen Nianzu for support.

"Hmm..." Shen Nianzu elegantly chewed on the meat in his mouth and swallowed it before speaking. "I suppose there must be some kind of plot revolving around the glass slipper in that town. Maybe it might even be linked to the core NPC."

Observing his two oblivious teammates, Gu Luoxin tentatively spoke up, "Um, I don’t know if it’s because of the role I’ve just landed, but speaking of glass slippers, doesn’t it remind you of ’Cinderella’?"

Both Jin Jiuchi and Shen Nianzu stared back at him blankly, it was evident that they had no idea what he was talking about.

Gu Luoxin was utterly flabbergasted. "Y–You guys don’t know ’Cinderella’?!!"

It was a classic fairy tale! Even a random five-year-old on the street would recognize it! Then again, this was Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi they were talking about. One was a nightmare creature with no basic knowledge of the world, while the other was a wealthy second generation young master. Perhaps Shen Nianzu thought it was beneath him to listen to fairy tales as bedtime stories?

As Gu Luoxin pondered inside his heart, he took it upon himself to enlighten his teammates about the tale. "It’s quite a simple story, actually. Cinderella is a young woman who lives with her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. One day, the palace sends out invitations to all the eligible young women in town to attend the royal ball. With the help of a fairy godmother, Cinderella magically transforms into a stunning woman, capturing the heart of the prince at the ball. Unfortunately, the magic wears off after midnight, so Cinderella leaves the ball hastily and accidentally drops a glass slipper behind. It’s with this glass slipper that the prince searches for her all over the town." Gu Luoxin had a dreamy look on his face as he concluded, "Then after the prince finds her, they marry and live happily ever after!"

Shen Nianzu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "When you put it like that, the main characters are clear. The core NPC should either be... Cinderella or the prince?"

However, could the Cycle truly be so simple?

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A/N: you guys know cinderella, right? after knowing that some readers have never watched doraemon before, I’m no longer certain *laughing-crying*