When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 486: Do Not Hope

Chapter 486: Do Not Hope

Gu Luoxin felt a sudden need to shield his eyes from the brilliance of Noir’s smile lest he go blind, and thus he did. This time, he no longer dared to put any food into his mouth for fear that he would choke himself to death.

Seated in front of his crush in an unfamiliar studio, Gu Luoxin contemplated life for the very first time.

What was going on? Noir complimented him? Him, of all people? What’s with this sudden stroke of luck? Was he going to die soon, and thus the universe decided to grant him a lifetime of luck? Or was it Noir who’s feeling unwell? After knowing the man for quite some time, Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but suspect that the reason Noir acted so kind and sweet now was because the man planned to torture him in the future.

Come on, hadn’t he experienced this man’s sadistic tendencies firsthand several times before?

And why would Noir even get angry because Gu Luoxin fought the nightmare creature for his sake? Because Gu Luoxin surely wouldn’t believe in such an inconceivable notion that Noir, in the smallest chances possible, would reciprocate his feelings—

No, don’t even delve into that thought, Xinxin!

This was Noir they were talking about! He was just... that’s right, he was simply miffed because Gu Luoxin acted on his own accord to protect him when he could have handled it himself!

How laughable – why would he even need someone else to shield him? Someone who’s weaker than him, no less!

In the matter of two seconds, Gu Luoxin connected the chains of causes and effects before nodding to himself.

Do not hope, he told himself firmly, for hope will only breed disappointment.

Wouldn’t it be better to keep the status quo, in case he got ahead of himself and jeopardized this burgeoning friendship he had carefully cultivated?

Biting his lower lip, Gu Luoxin raised his eyelids just in time to catch Noir letting out a huge yawn, tears squeezing out of the corner of his eyes. The man had always seemed to function with the bare minimum energy, but upon closer inspection, Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but notice the dark circles beneath his eyes and the obvious exhaustion etched on his features. Even his brown hair seemed to curl up in lethargy.

"Senior..." he narrowed his eyes in doubt. "Have you slept at all since we returned from the Cycle?"

Noir gave a slow blink, and Gu Luoxin immediately obtained the answer he wanted. A horrified gasp escaped his lips. No wonder Senior Yin Jinjing mentioned how he had gotten so much done; it was all because he never took a break!

"You...!" Gu Luoxin wanted to scold and nag the man for not taking better care of himself, yet he knew he had no right to. He could only feel secretly distressed inside his heart. "You shouldn’t work yourself down to the bones. What if you get sick—"

"Elite players very seldom collapse due to sickness," Noir interjected calmly.

"Wait, really?" Gu Luoxin was caught off guard, as this was the first time he’d ever heard of this. His eyes brightened up as he patted his own body, "Does it mean I don’t have to worry about catching a cold anymore? Wow, that’s so freaking cool— wait!" Halfway through, he suddenly realized he had been sidetracked and forcibly steered the topic back, huffing and puffing. "Even if you can’t get sick, you still shouldn’t work without taking a break!"

Noir arched a brow as he reclined in his seat, a flicker of amusement dancing in his emerald eyes. "Am I not taking a break with you here now?"

Gu Luoxin: "...!"

T–That’s such an unfair attack! How was he supposed to maintain his stance when the man put it this way?

"But break time’s over," the man announced, rising to his feet and putting on his gloves. "You should finish the rest of the food and head back. I won’t send you off."

"O–Oh." Taken aback, Gu Luoxin could only watch as the man retrieved his chisels and approached the unfinished artwork.

Gu Luoxin wouldn’t want to impose further; he was already satisfied enough to be granted this chance to meet Noir amidst their busy schedules, so he promptly began packing up the remaining food, intending to enjoy it later in his dorm room.

But then, a sudden recollection struck him— hold on, wasn’t he here to learn more about the Joker skill card?!

"S–Senior!" He called out in a hurry, drawing the attention of the man who was already perched atop the ladder.

Squeezing the hem of his sleeves, Gu Luoxin mustered the courage to broach the topic, "I–I messaged you that I have some questions about the Joker skill card, remember? But if you’re busy, we can just take a rainche—"

"Ask away," Noir interrupted him calmly, causing him to snap his head up in shock. "What do you want to know?"

"Uhh..." At that moment, Gu Luoxin felt like a student being called by the teacher to answer a question in front of a whole class. He initially had a lot of questions in mind, but at the sudden cue, his mind went blank save from one thought – he must make this short and concise without wasting Noir’s time further! In a fumble, he blurted out the first question that crossed his mind, "Well, I just want to know... what’s your Joker skill card like, Senior? Is it like Da Shen’s— oh, you might not know, but Da Shen also has a Joker skill card. I’ve only seen him use it once though..." he recalled the massive black beast who fought against the Nightmare back in the Temple of Anubis and got chills running down his spine.

Tugging on his bangs nervously, he continued to ask, "Is it true that you need a certain trigger to activate it? Does it, like... provide you with a boost of power or something?"

"Hmm..." Noir let out a contemplative hum. The harsh glare of the overhead lights cast deep shadows over his features, rendering Gu Luoxin unable to decipher his expression. Yet for some reason, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Noir looked particularly detached right now, as though his soul had wandered somewhere.

"You’re right, it is a passive skill. If JJ also possesses it, I don’t think I need to explain further because they are all more or less the same. As for what mine is like..." he lowered his gaze, and a mirthless smile hung on his lips, so faint that it vanished before Gu Luoxin could even blink.

"I wish I never need to activate it."

Gu Luoxin was stunned, not expecting such a somber response from the emerald-eyed man. And inevitably, he pressed on with another question, "Why?"

Why did he put on such an expression as though he was... repulsed just by the mere notion of it? Weren’t Joker skill cards meant to be bestowed upon the Nightmare’s favorite players? Just take Jin Jiuchi for example – he always rubbed it on Gu Luoxin’s face how he owned two skill cards, which made him doubly awesome. Even the players in the forum seemed eager to show it off. So why did Noir seem so perturbed by it?

After a pregnant pause, Noir parted his lips, and the words he said shocked Gu Luoxin even further.

"Because it’s a curse."

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A/N: shoutout to LunariaTaisho, ArcaneMag, sys_violation and others for giving wbnc 190+ GTs on March. Thank you so much for your support! <3<3