When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 523: Midnight Gift Box

Chapter 523: Midnight Gift Box

At the mention of ’twin stars’, Gu Luoxin and Noir’s eyes simultaneously converged on Jin Jiuchi with a mix of surprise and comprehension.

After all, the two of them had seen and even interacted with Jin Jiuchi’s children form when they were in the previous Cycle – Chrono Junction Express. Not only that, Gu Luoxin had even obtained the front row seat to the gruesome spectacle of the twins devouring each other, in a very literal sense! The mere recollection of that bloody scene still made him quake in his boots until now!

Soon after that came the confusion. "Huh? What kind of prophecy is it?" Gu Luoxin queried. "What does it have to do with Da Shen?"

"Oh?" Intrigue and amusement colored XXX’s tone as he clicked his tongue in faux reproach. "Your leader didn’t tell you about it?"

When the young man’s puzzled gaze turned to him, Shen Nianzu had to resist a sigh. This oracle sure had a penchant for stirring trouble, he thought. Among the three Legendary players, why did he alone have such a weird character?

"I didn’t mean to hide it from you," Shen Nianzu elaborated. "I don’t know much myself, so I feel like it’s not right to tell you so soon. I’m sorry if I make you feel estranged."

"No, no, please don’t apologize, Xiao Shen!" Gu Luoxin hurried to say while waving his hands in fluster. "I’m not— I didn’t mean to blame you at all! Don’t worry about it. I understand that it’s a difficult topic to talk about..."

"Alright!" The oracle clapped his hands, the abrupt sound drawing the attention of the four players. He continued in an almost gleeful tone, "Now that the misunderstanding is solved, let me share a little bit about the origin of the prophecy. Hmm... where should I start? Simply put, I owed the little missy – cough, I mean the Harbinger of Doom – a favor for saving my life in a high-level Cycle a few years back. Rather than props or experience points, she wanted me to do a divination instead..."

XXX spun his index finger around in midair, his voice deep yet tilting. "When will these deadly Cycles end? Can we truly break free from the Nightmare’s control? That’s the question she asked me. And voilà— the prophecy was born!" Chuckling meaningfully, he addressed Jin Jiuchi, "She must have come to you as soon as you showed up on the leaderboard, huh?"

Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but applaud in his heart. Bravo, everything the oracle said so far had been spot on. He’s a real deal

! But of course, Jin Jiuchi wouldn’t so easily show his approval to a man he had labeled as ’promiscuous’ and ’despicable’, so he merely let out a harrumph with a cold face.

"Does it mean," Shen Nianzu licked his dry lips, his breath coming out in quick puffs, "JJ will be the main force in the battle against the Nightmare? He will free us – all of us – from these unending Cycles?"

One couldn’t blame Shen Nianzu for getting agitated. Who wouldn’t? Freedom— it was the ultimate goal everyone had been striving for. What did all the power, glory, and wealth amount to if they couldn’t live long enough to enjoy it? As long as the Nightmare still existed in their lives, they would always spend each day in trepidation as though waltzing on the edge of a cliff. A slightest misstep and they would tip over, plunging into the dark chasm below.

Gu Luoxin’s breath hitched, the corners of his eyes reddening as he stared at the oracle full of hope and expectation.

But alas, all of them were bound to be disappointed.

After setting such a grand emotional stage, XXX ended up throwing a wet blanket over them.

"How would I know?" he said with a nonchalant shrug, a careless grin hooking on his lips. "I simply did a divination on the Harbinger’s request, but what happens next has nothing to do with me. Do you have any idea how close I came to dying just doing that? And let me remind you that the prophecy is not the absolute answer. It’s just a glimpse of countless possibilities which may or may not come true. Besides," he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I made that divination over two years ago. Who knows how much the situation has changed since then? If you really want answers, it’s still best to ask the related party."

"You mean... me?" Jin Jiuchi’s jaws hung open when he sensed the oracle’s gaze on him. He sputtered, "How the hell should I know? If you ask me, then let’s go go go! We will fight the Nightmare every time it comes!"

Shaking with laughter, XXX offered him a thumbs up, "I really like your spirit!"

"Hmph!" Jin Jiuchi turned his head away. "I, on the other hand, don’t like you at all!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

A slow exhale escaped Shen Nianzu’s lips, tension leaving his body in waves. He closed his eyes and sorted all the information he had just learned in his mind.

Regarding the prophecy, XXX claimed that he was none the wiser, for he was, like he had mentioned, a messenger at most. Furthermore, asking him to foretell another prophecy wasn’t an option either because he had only done it to repay a life debt to the Harbinger of Doom. The danger it carried amounted to asking the oracle to risk his life for the second time, which he definitely wouldn’t agree to.

Shen Nianzu couldn’t deny that he was feeling a little disappointed. But at least, the situation was clear now. Any unwarranted changes notwithstanding, Jin Jiuchi was the only one who stood a chance against the Nightmare.

He was their one and only hope.

However... what about his identity as the nightmare creature?

What – or who – exactly was the Nightmare to him, and why did it always seem to pay special attention to him? Were there any consequences he had to bear if he really had a fall out with that mysterious entity?

Worry and unease gnawed on Shen Nianzu along with these questions. Just as he was about to ask the oracle once more to see if there’s any additional clues or information he could wrangle out of the man— BOOM! A sudden explosion erupted above the sky, nearly startling the soul out of Shen Nianzu’s mouth.

"Ah!" Gu Luoxin reflexively covered his head and ducked aside, his eyes wide in shock and consternation. "W–What is it now?!"

"Ohohoho~" the hearty laughter of the fake Santa Claus resounded through the tranquil forest, blending with the dazzling burst of fireworks illuminating the night sky. "Merry Christmas, dear children! Now that hour hand has struck midnight, you’re allowed to open your gift box. I hope you all enjoy this nice surprise!"

The gift box!

The players had received a gift box from the fake Santa Claus back when they were still on the bus, though they were instructed not to open it until midnight. And finally, the time had come!

The SJG trio and Noir exchanged curious glances with each other before they each retrieved their own gift box from the prop storage. It was a black box wrapped in a beautiful crimson silk ribbon, so light that it seemed to contain nothing inside. Jin Jiuchi had even shook it beside his ear and testified that he could hear nothing.

Now, eight hours after the start of the Cycle, they brought it out once more, ready to discover whatever lay within.

"Who wants to go first?" The ever cautious Shen Nianzu asked, only to notice no particular movements from the oracle. He couldn’t help but feel a tad curious, "...Aren’t you going to open yours too?"

"Me?" XXX chuckled as he gestured at himself, his arrogance palpable. "Look at me. Do I still look like I would fight over a measly gift box from a mid-level nightmare creature?"

Okay, that’s... fair enough,

Shen Nianzu thought with an icy countenance. He should have seen this coming. Consider him foolish to even bother asking. He shifted his focus back to the matter at hand, but before he could make any kind of preparation in case they found something unpleasant – perhaps another giant spider – inside, Jin Jiuchi had reached the end of his patience.

"Me, me, me! Let me go first!"

Without giving anyone a chance to react, he tore at the ribbon and flipped open the lid in one swift motion!

In the next moment, a burst of brilliant light erupted from the box, so dazzling that it momentarily blinded everyone present. When it dimmed, what remained was a stunned Jin Jiuchi with an opened gift box in hand. Its content, as far as everyone could tell, was completely empty.

"Da Shen!" Shen Nianzu darted to his side, still with lingering fear on his delicate face. His voice trembled ever so slightly as he tugged on the hem of Jin Jiuchi’s shirt, asking, "What happened? Are you okay?!"

"Huh," Jin Jiuchi blinked as though shaking off the haze, his gaze slowly moving from the empty gift box in his hands to Shen Nianzu’s anxious face.

"Nian’er..."

"What? What is it?"

"I got..." bewilderment flashed across Jin Jiuchi’s face. "...experience points? Just that?"

"...?" Shen Nianzu was taken aback.

Just then, a startled cry abruptly rang out from behind, and Shen Nianzu whipped his head around to find Gu Luoxin holding the opened gift box with a look of utter astonishment on his face. "I got a prop!" he announced happily. "Oh my God, I just heard a prompt in my mind and— oh, it’s just a common prop." Gu Luoxin was torn between laughing and crying as he held up the prop he had just received. It was a small figurine of white chicken with puffed up chest and fierce eyebrows, its beak opened wide.

Angry Chicken — a cheap prop whose sole usage was to make loud noises. It could be used as a distraction, or maybe a great tool if you wanted to annoy someone for no good reason.

"Seems like it’s really a ’gift’..." Shen Nianzu muttered thoughtfully.

Next, he opened his gift box and received a prompt in his mind that he had just received 200 experience points which, to an Elite player, was akin to a droplet of water to their ocean of resources. Jin Jiuchi had it worse because he had only gotten 50 points, leaving the man huffing and puffing in disappointment.

The SJG trio were at an utter loss of words upon receiving these useless ’freebies’. What was the point of asking them to wait until midnight then?! Just for a sense of ceremony?!

"My turn?" Noir asked in a light tone as he spun the gift box in his hand. At once, the trio’s eyes snapped to him, glowing in an odd predatory light.

Noir: ?

.

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Mini theater

The SJG trio: here comes the lucky cat! (⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯)