When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 505: Do I Get a Pass?

Chapter 505: Do I Get a Pass?

a/n: hello everyone, I’m back! To refresh your memory, you might want to re-read this Cycle starting from ch 489 cos I did it too HAHAHA

Without further ado, enjoy :)

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It went without saying that she would pick the choice that ensured her survival first and foremost. Compared to dare where she would be placed under these nightmare creatures’ mercy, truth was significantly more harmless. After all, what’s the harm in speaking? Anyone could do that!

Moreover, she had acted first to instill a sense of novelty on the skeletons. After one or two more rounds, perhaps the game would switch again and the players would no longer be as lucky!

This was her chance! She clenched her fists, her gaze fixated on the Mad Hatter with a mixture of nervousness, apprehension, triumph and joy.

"Our dear guest has chosen ’truth’!" Mad Hatter tapped his skeletal fingers on his chin in contemplation, the flames in his empty sockets blazing an eerie blue. "Hmm... what kind of truth shall we demand from her, I wonder?"

"Mad Hatter, you must select an interesting question!"

"That’s right, the more interesting, the better! We want to hear something fun!"

"Aww, and here I thought she would choose dare! What a letdown!"

"Me, me, I really want to try dare!"

The skeleton guests chimed in noisily from the side, some brimming with excitement while some booing with chagrin. Even Jin Jiuchi seized the chance to express his own opinion, but sadly no one paid attention to him.

All eyes were on Mad Hatter, waiting for him to make a decision.

The female player held her breath sharply, hot sweat trickling down her back. Her nerves were stretched taut with each passing seconds of silence, she almost could not hear anything aside from her deafening heartbeat and a loud buzz beside her ears.

Despite the bold exterior she was displaying, she was not actually that confident in this matter because what if Mad Hatter were to ask something like ’tell us one thing you fear the most’ or ’what’s the most terrifying death you can think of?’

By then, she would be doomed! She had watched enough horror movies to know that under these circumstances, everything she said would become enforced reality! If she said that she feared spiders, then a gigantic spider would materialize right before her in the very next second. Or worse, she might even morph into this hateful creature herself! Likewise, any method of death she mentioned might very well be the way she would die! Or was there any way she could bluff her way out?

The more she pondered about it, the more jumbled her mind became.

Until all of a sudden—

"I’ve decided!" Mad Hatter declared with unrestrained glee, snapping her out of her thoughts with a start. "Oh our guest from afar, do tell us—"

Facing her, the grin on Mad Hatter’s skull seemed to stretch impossibly wider, if that was possible. "—a secret you’ve never told anyone before. A staggering secret, one you’ve sworn to carry to your grave!" He flung his hands into the air, his laughter echoing like the clink of broken porcelain. "And what better chance to unveil this mystery than in this tea party, accompanied by fine teas, desserts, and like-minded companions! Don’t you agree with me, dear guests?"

"Ohh~"

"What an excellent suggestion, Mad Hatter! Your mind has always been brilliant!"

"I’m so looking forward to this!"

Regardless of age, background, or even the boundary between life and death, people always banded together through gossip, especially in this kind of setting which was particularly suitable for a ’heart-to-heart talk’. No wonder the skeletons were thrilled.

"Thank you for your praises, thank you!" Mad Hatter took off his hat, placed it against his chest and bowed three times in flourish, whereas the female player’s tense shoulders sagged in relief, a hint of a smile gracing her lips.

She could sense other players eyeing her with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and admiration, which boosted her morale a whole lot.

It was such an easy question! Compared to the grotesque scenarios she had in mind, this was nothing at all! Sure, Mad Hatter had set a huge stake by emphasizing a ’staggering’ secret which she had sworn to ’take to her grave’ and the consequences might be dire if her answer fell short of expectations. But come on, who doesn’t have one or two skeletons in their cupboard these days? Not to mention, her audience were literal skeletons and a bunch of players who might not recognize each other even if they crossed paths in the real world. This was simply like telling a secret to the tree trunk!

Clenching her fists, she braced herself and opened her mouth to say, "I do have one. An unforgettable secret."

Eyes turned to her, and the boisterous atmosphere turned hush in an instant, filled with suppressed excitement and anticipation.

Pushing up her glasses, she proceeded to share her story, "I had a big sister who was two years older. Unfortunately, she was born with poor health, so my parents always focused all their attention on her and even asked me to take good care of her. The entire house implemented a bland diet in consideration of my sister, and I wasn’t allowed to buy snacks because my parents said it would make my sister feel bad. Everytime we fought or argued, I was the one who had to bear the blame and scolding. On top of that, I also had to yield everything to her, be it dolls, clothes, or even stationery – she was always the first to choose, while I had to be content with the leftovers! I—" her pace quickened more and more as she spoke, until at one point, her voice grew hoarse with emotions.

Realizing that she had been a little carried away, she took a deep breath and continued with a calmer voice, "I don’t like her. No, I hate her. I am the youngest in the family, so why did she get to receive all my parents’ love and affection? Why did I have to give up on the things I like because of her? Why did I always have to yield to her?"

"And so, the winter I was five, when we went to our grandparents’ house in the countryside, I pushed her into a freezing pond..." a twisted smile spread across her face, the eyes beneath the thick glasses gleaming with a malicious, almost child-like joy. Her plump frame trembled ever so slightly as she relished in the memories, "She couldn’t swim at all, so she quickly drowned after a brief struggle. I cried and shouted for help after making sure that she was beyond saving. I told my parents that she slipped by herself, and they never suspected me at all until this day..."

Sweeping her gaze across the Mad Hatter and the skeletons sported with gaping jaws, she pushed up her glasses and concluded with, "That’s it – my biggest secret. It’s an interesting story, isn’t it? Do I get a pass?"