When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 481: The Person He Liked

Chapter 481: The Person He Liked

Topic: Can anyone verify whether Joker skill cards really exist in the Nightmare Cycle?[HOT]

[OP: I met a player in a Cycle who mentioned Joker skill cards, and I couldn’t get it off my mind since. Are they supposed to beat Ace skill cards as the strongest level cards, or will they be weaker than level 1 skill cards?]

[Ooh, interesting! Camping!]

[Let me set up a camp too!]

[Camping +1]

[Camping+1]

[I’ve never heard of Joker skill cards before... are you sure they’re not making it up lmaoo?]

[Now that I think about it, we have levels 1 to Ace, so logically, there should be level Joker too, right?]

Strolling through the campus grounds, Gu Luoxin clutched the strap of his bag with one hand while his other hand held his phone, scrolling through the lengthy thread in the forum.

The topic was first created more than two years ago, and the number of comments had reached hundreds of thousands. Gu Luoxin almost got cross eyed as he rapidly scanned through tens of comments in mere seconds.

But alas, he couldn’t quell the curiosity bubbling in his chest since he heard that sentence coming from Noir’s mouth.

I have a Joker skill card.

Such a casual, simple, and straightforward statement, yet it wholly explained the reason why Noir’s hand had mysteriously transformed during their confrontation with the Queen in the previous Cycle.

Gu Luoxin had once scrolled through this thread before, when he had just ascended into an Intermediate player and was eager to learn everything there was about the Nightmare Cycle to increase his chances of survival.

And what was the more suitable place than the forum, where all gossip and information mingled into one?

Gu Luoxin certainly remembered this topic, but back then, he hadn’t paid much attention to it since it wasn’t directly related to him, nor could it help him survive his next Cycle. So he had just skimmed through a few comments before moving on to the next topic.

Even when he first learned that Jin Jiuchi had a Joker skill card a few months back, his curiosity had not been as intense as it was now.

There was no other reason; simply because the person he liked was now a part of this.

The person he liked...

Gu Luoxin’s face reddened whenever that notion popped into his mind, and he buried his nose deeper into the scarf.

H–How foolish! He had always pegged himself as a veteran reader of romance manhwas and shoujo mangas, but in the end he failed to realize his own feelings! Now he couldn’t even bring himself to curse the protagonists for being dense and blind anymore, because he wasn’t any better than them!

Entering the classroom, Gu Luoxin made his way to a random empty seat and placed his bag on the table, when he heard his classmate greet him, "Good morning, Gu Luoxin! How’s your cold? Are you feeling better? Your face still looks a little red..."

"Ah, yes!" Gu Luoxin quickly fixed his expression and showed a cheerful grin. "I’m all better now. Thanks for asking!"

They had departed for the previous Cycle a week before Christmas, and although they had spent a few thrilling days in the Glass Slipper Town, only two days had passed in the real world. They returned last evening just as the sun was about to set, and for the first time in forever, none of them ended up being hospitalized since they escaped relatively unharmed.

Today marked the 21st of December, just four days until Christmas. And good news – Gu Luoxin was now an Elite player!

Having ascended in rank, Gu Luoxin’s physical abilities improved leaps and bounds, and he was able to return to his prime condition after a good night’s sleep. As for his recent absence, the Nightmare had a special ability to manipulate people’s memories, making it so that they wouldn’t question the players’ disappearance. This time, it seemed like the fabricated reason was a sudden bout of cold.

After exchanging pleasantries with his classmates, Gu Luoxin settled into his seat and continued scrolling through the thread until he found some relatively useful information.

[I heard this from my acquaintance who heard it from a senior in their organization. I swear, the source is absolutely credible. Please trust me guys! They said that the Joker skill cards are real! *drum rolls*]

[Lmaoo this is getting old. Real or not, can you show the proof?]

[There are thousands of players across the country, so one or two of them must possess this skill card, right? Why hasn’t anyone come out yet?]

[Upstairs commenter, do you think everyone’s like you, eager to show off their achievements? Some people prefer to keep things private, okay? *roll eyes*]

[Ahem, if it’s me, I would definitely show off...]

[Stop it, guys. It’s no longer a matter of showing off or whatnot. We’re here to share more information, alright?]

[Players with Joker skill cards, COME OUT! *shout* *shout*]

[Okay, okay, so here’s the tea. You know how our skill cards are active skills, right? As for the Joker skill cards, I heard they’re passive skills!]

[Hold up, what’s a passive skill again?]

[Upstairs, it means you have to fulfill certain requirements to trigger them. Haven’t you played video games before?]

[Where did the upstairs commenter get their information from? Is it reliable? *doubt*]

[How interesting. Isn’t it just like a berserk mode?]

[Double buff?]

[I heard the leader of Imhotep has a Joker skill card too!]

[Leader of Imhotep? Do you mean the old or the new one??]

[I heard, I heard— exactly where did you guys hear this from?!]

[To get a Joker skill card, you must be the Nightmare’s favorite players lmaooo *pick nose*]

[Idk, I heard they’re all not right in the head...]

"Good morning, students."

As the professor entered the classroom, Gu Luoxin reluctantly set aside his phone and took out his notebook. The class soon commenced, and the lesson was relatively easy-to-follow, allowing his mind to drift elsewhere. With absent-minded strokes, the writing on his notebook turned into mindless doodles of a clown’s head— a trademark of the Joker.

Gu Luoxin tried to summarize everything he had learned so far.

Joker skill cards -> a passive skill.

Activated when certain conditions are met – currently still unknown.

Hearsay they’re bestowed upon the Nightmare’s favorite players.

Also, not right in the head???

The tip of his pen lingered at the end of the third question mark, causing the black ink to spread. Gu Luoxin was now lost in thought. He had learned a few things about Joker skill cards from Jin Jiuchi, but oh well... everyone knew better than to trust that man, especially when he was not even human to begin with. Gu Luoxin had no idea whether the Nightmare favored his teammate or not, but he could certainly vote that Jin Jiuchi had a few loose screws on his head. Then again, wasn’t it all because he was missing half of his soul?

But what about Noir? He wouldn’t happen to lose a piece of his soul too, would he?

In retrospect, everything he learned from Jin Jiuchi couldn’t seem to be applied to Noir, for the two men were simply polar opposites of each other!

Gu Luoxin chewed on the cap of his pen, and it wasn’t until a moment later that he realized what he had done. Damn it, he’d never had such a habit before! This must be PTSD caused by the time when he was forced into the body of a mouse! Even the mere recollection of that miserable period made Gu Luoxin want to tear up. Never before had he been so grateful to be born as a human!

Spitting out the cap which now bore teeth marks, Gu Luoxin shifted his attention back to the lesson, trying to focus on taking notes. But the curiosity nagged at the back of his mind, and before he knew it, he found himself reaching for the phone, typing a message under the table.

[Gu Luoxin]: Senior, good morning. This is Xinxin.

[Gu Luoxin]: I happen to have a few questions about the Joker skill card. Could you spare a little time to answer them? *please* *please*

[Gu Luoxin]: I promise not to take up much of your time!

[Gu Luoxin]: cute hamster pleading.jpg

Four messages were sent one after another in less than one minute. Had it been the old Gu Luoxin, he would have hesitated for half a day before chickening out in the end, opting to stew in his own curiosity instead. But now that they had gone through three Cycles together, surely their relationship had grown much closer... right?

With a racing heart, he placed his phone face-down inside the drawer and took a deep calming breath, only for it to get stuck on his throat when his phone buzzed quietly, signaling a new message.

S–So fast?!

Gu Luoxin scrambled to grab his phone, almost knocking over his books in the process. The screen lit up, revealing a pop-up notification from Noir on the top. And his heart, which had risen to his throat, crashed back down again once he took in the curt reply.

[Senior]: No

.

.

Mini theater

Xinxin: QAQ s-so cruel...