LOGINThat day, she misunderstood completely.She thought I was being bullied by three boys.She stepped in front of me, small and furious, trembling with determination, and announced that she would protect me.My heart started pounding again.From that moment on, everything I believed in fell apart.I no longer wanted her to die.Later, when she got drunk and kissed me, when she pushed me down and tried to pin me as if she meant to force herself on me, I felt no urge to kill her.All I wanted was for her to kiss me again.That was when I finally understood it.I had fallen in love with her.I hung the third key around her neck.This time, my plan was simple. When she opened the box, I wanted her to see my confession letter first. I wanted her to say yes to being my girlfriend.Even if she still wanted to kill me, I wanted her near me.But then she began avoiding me.For the first time in my life, whether inside the game or in the real world, I felt the bitter anxiety of not kno
There was only one thing I remembered, one belief carved into my bones:Kill every “outsider.”That was my purpose.During the day, everyone on campus looked human. But once night fell, we all turned into monsters.My existence was dull and repetitive.Occasionally, a new batch of “outsiders” would arrive, and the monotony would break for a few days. I overheard many of them whispering that they wanted to clear the game and win the prize money. To do that, they had to kill the final boss.Me.I wasn’t angry.If anything, I found it amusing.So I was the monster they wanted to hunt.But as more and more outsiders came and died, even that amusement faded.My life returned to its stagnant, murky stillness.Until one day, I met someone unusual.She greeted me first with bright, direct, fearless gaze.She even marched into the principal’s office and demanded to enroll in school.I felt immediately that she was different from every outsider before her.Still, an outsider was an o
“Unlike most horror games,” the staff member continued, “in this one, being killed by an NPC actually counts as clearing the game. When the boss-level player enters the world, all his memories are erased except for one directive: kill every player.”“And the final reward is ten million dollars. Before he entered the game, the boss player personally set one extra condition. If he voluntarily kisses a player, that player earns the final prize. Also, if you manage to bring all three keys out of the game, you can exchange them for three million.”I finally understood.My so-called “romance system” had been an intern system. It didn’t know about this hidden rule. It thought that if Aaron killed me, I would truly die in real life. That was why it panicked the entire time.The staffer gave me a small smile.“Congratulations. You’re the winner of the horror game. You’ve earned ten million.”I was stunned.I… won ten million?But even then, one thought rose instantly to my mind.Aaron.
“I don’t think we got this right,” I told the system. “He didn’t want me dead.”“I think so too.”“Then why did he give me the three keys?”“I have no idea.”Just then, Aaron traced his fingers across my lips.A moment later, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to my mouth.I stared in shock.Aaron… kissed me.He set my body down carefully and pulled a blanket over me.“Be good and wait for me,” he murmured. “I’m going to avenge you.”Then he turned and left the dorm.I hurried after him, floating behind like a lost soul.He walked straight to the principal’s office.Inside, Lily was tied to a chair, hair a tangled mess, muttering frantically to herself.“This can’t be… How can there be no gemstone? Why is there only paper…?”Behind her stood the “principal”—black wings sprouting from his back, half his face whole, the other half mangled beyond recognition.He held the opened box respectfully and offered it to Aaron.“Boss, this is yours.”Aaron said nothing.
A sudden thought hit me.When I got the second key, Lily had threatened me viciously. The very next day, my neck started hurting.It must have been then—she planted the voodoo worm on me.Anyone who got a key, she would use this disgusting trick to steal it from them.“I… what do I do now?” I asked, panicking.“I’m still charging. I need five more minutes before I have enough energy to pull your soul out of here. Until then, I can’t do anything. You just have to wait, host.”I could only watch as Lily and Summer tore through the dorm, searching for the keys.Two minutes later, they dragged all three keys out from under my bed.I opened my mouth to tell them the keys were useless, but the system warned me.“No spoilers allowed. You’ll be punished.”Lily held the keys with a triumphant smile.“So you really were planning to keep them all for yourself.”I sighed. “You really shouldn’t touch them.”My warning earned me a hard slap.My cheek stung, and disgust churned in my stom
At lunch, I deliberately avoided Aaron. I didn’t dare follow him around like I used to, clinging to him like a piece of grass stuck to his shoe.One week later.I had just stepped into the classroom when Aaron stopped me.He looked like he had cornered a mouse, brows drawn tight.“You haven’t eaten lunch with me all week. You’re acting strange.”Did he notice something? Was he testing me?“I’m… dieting. I don’t want to eat lunch,” I said, grabbing the first excuse that came to mind.His frown deepened.“You don’t need to diet. It’s bad for your health.”Then he turned and walked away.When class was about to start, he finally returned—holding a large bag of snacks, bread, and milk, which he put directly on my desk.“Eat. Don’t starve yourself.”I stared at the food in shock.I used to bring him snacks every day. Now he was giving me some? Voluntarily?I felt almost flattered.Maybe all the snacks I gave him did work a little. Even a horror-game final boss returns a favor w







