Chapter 26: The Rose Heart

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【"Rose Manor" evaluation rank: S, reward: 1,000 points】
【"Rose Manor" True End route cleared, reward: 1,000 points】
【Worldview decryption rate: 100%, reward: 1,000 points】

The damp, gloomy scene faded away like a cleaned stain, the already dim light growing darker, much like the fading lights on a theater stage.
After the three-minute countdown ended, nothing but pitch-black darkness remained.
A full-length mirror appeared before Qi Si, radiating a faint, bluish glow.
It reflected his image: white shirt, black trousers, light brows, dark eyes, thin lips, and a face as pale as a ghost.
The reflection flickered and sank into the dark vortex, replaced by lines of silver text.

【Unlocked achievement "Mainstay" (made the greatest contribution to clearing a team instance), reward: 500 points】
【Unlocked achievement "Antinomy" (completed an instance by simultaneously violating and utilizing two rules), reward: 500 points】
【Unlocked achievement "Hate-bearer" (became the primary target of a major NPC's hatred), reward: 500 points】
【Total reward points: 4,500】

Qi Si scanned the lines of text, his expression calm.
He did not yet know how many points were required to "make a wish come true," nor did he have a clear concept of the value of 4,500 points. However, the characters "S," "True End," and "100%" satisfied his perfectionist tendencies quite well.
Looking at the shimmering silver text of the "Hate-bearer" achievement, Qi Si innocently rubbed his chin. "To be hated just like that? How petty..."
He hadn't really done anything, had he? Helping Annie and Anna resolve their misunderstanding—wasn't that a classic good deed?

The system prompts continued to refresh.
【Congratulations on perfectly clearing the "Rose Manor" instance. You have received the reward item: Rose Heart】
A thumb-sized crystal pendant floated before Qi Si, carved into the shape of half a rose and half a heart. At first glance, it looked like a drop of blood in clear water.
Qi Si reached out and grasped it; the cool, smooth texture felt pleasant.

【Name: Rose Heart】
【Type: Item】
【Effect: When worn, it is easier to gain the favor and trust of other entities】
【Note: The beautiful rose and the seemingly sincere heart are one; souls of the past always find themselves drowning in gentle lies】

"It seems the rewards for deciphering the worldview and achieving a perfect clear are quite substantial." Qi Si put the blood-red crystal pendant around his neck, his eyes curving into a smile.
The effect of this item was a perfect fit for him. He was already adept at gaining favor and trust through deception and performance; with the enhancement of the [Rose Heart], perhaps he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
However, the phrasing "easier" was ambiguous; he would need to test its specific effects in an instance.

【Your item "Fate Pocket Watch" has been baptized by the instance, and its effects have changed】
As the latest prompt appeared, Qi Si’s eyes lit up.

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The Fate Pocket Watch, as a relic of Chang Xu, had been tucked into his shirt pocket and brought out with him.
He had originally worried that without a formal transfer process, the Weird Game would not recognize it. To his surprise, the game had directly granted him ownership.
Does this mean that as long as he could bring other players' items out of an instance, the ownership would belong to him?
Qi Si realized with a sense of intuition, pulling the antique pocket watch from his pocket to read the prompt text appearing on it.

【Name: Fate Pocket Watch (Damaged)】
【Type: Item】
【Effect: Rewind objective time by one minute (limit once per instance)】
【Note: Time marks fate, and fate toys with time】

Even Qi Si found his breath hitching when he saw the watch’s effect.
Rewinding time touched upon the level of causality—it was the authority of a god.
Even if it was only one minute, and could only be used once per instance, it was an incredible ability.
—In a "choice of two" dilemma, he could trial-and-error without cost and lock in the correct answer with 100% certainty.
—When death arrived, he could trace the river of time upstream, foresee the future, and gain a new life.
—He could strike at others to test their trump cards, then return to the beginning when things became unmanageable, chatting and laughing with them as if nothing happened.
—He could even kill people; he could harvest those interesting souls once just to see, without worrying about waste or trouble.

It could be said that aside from the points, this watch was the most valuable thing he had obtained in this instance.
Points were what he sought, and the [Fate Pocket Watch] would allow him to gain more points and entertainment in future instances.
With this, the slight disappointment he felt over the death of an interesting teammate vanished.
A genuine sense of gratitude toward Chang Xu welled up in Qi Si's heart. He raised his hands to cover his face, his shoulders trembling as if he were weeping in mourning. But hidden beneath his palms was a brilliant, beaming smile. "Chang Xu, you died... so miserably. During the holidays, when I remember, I'll light a stick of incense for you."

Perhaps even the Weird Game could no longer watch, as a cold, electronic voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Qi Si’s untimely jubilation:
【Detected that you have not yet recorded a wish. Please record your wish】

Qi Si finally remembered his original intention for entering the Weird Game.
He restrained the corners of his mouth, which were nearly reaching his ears, and said with a smile, "A wish, let's tentatively set it to curing my illness."
—Curing the condition medically known as "Soul Weightlessness," which manifested as his soul occasionally leaving his body, leaving his physical form in a coma.
Fainting intermittently without warning, his consciousness drifting through the air—perhaps it was novel once or twice, but over time, it was uncomfortable and only brought trouble to his life.
Qi Si felt that no matter how long he had left to live, curing his illness was an absolute priority for the sake of his future quality of life.

【Calculating the points required to realize your wish】
A number appeared in the center of the system interface, changing rapidly before stopping after a long moment.
【Calculation result: 1,000,000 points】

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Qi Si counted the zeros and narrowed his eyes slightly.
One million points. Using the "Rose Manor" instance as a reference, he would need to clear over two hundred instances to save enough.
No wonder the Weird Game didn't allow him to collect more information before making a decision when he signed the contract.
Was it afraid that he would refuse to cooperate after weighing the risk-reward ratio?
Qi Si couldn't help but click his tongue. "Is this considered deceptive business practice? I must say, you really lack confidence in the quality of your own game."

There was no response, nor did he expect one.
After circling the full-length mirror in the black space again and failing to discover any other functions, Qi Si remembered something and asked, "Can I spend points to enhance my combat strength?"
Improving his combat value as quickly as possible was the top priority for Qi Si right now.
Living in this world, he only trusted himself. If he had to rely on tricking others into cooperating in every instance due to his own shortcomings in combat, and endure the various oversights of his "tools," how could he not feel both sad and angry?

The Weird Game slowly typed out a line: 【You can spend 1,000 points to change your wish to "Increase Combat Strength." At that time, the game will recommend practical weapon-type items for you.】
Qi Si asked, "Must I change the wish? Can't I set multiple wishes?"
Weird Game: 【No. You can only record one wish at a time. Only after the previous wish is fulfilled can you record the next one.】
Qi Si: "Never mind then."

Changing the wish was out of the question. Although Qi Si had a significant obsession with combat strength, he would not make the logical error of treating the means as the end.
He pondered the meaning of the prompt text for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "In other words, you cannot directly enhance my physical combat strength, and I can only arm myself through items, right?"
【Yes. Human soul and physical data are written by the World Rules; this game has no authority to alter them.】
Qi Si asked, "What are the World Rules? And what is this talk about 'writing data'?"
【This game is produced by the World Rules, and the final interpretation rights belong to the World Rules. Other information has been locked for you, and you have no right to know.】

"..."
Qi Si crouched in the darkness, lost in thought.
The scene of Chang Xu crushing skulls and stomping on dolls was vivid in his mind, and that phrase, "born with it," was something he could not forget for a long time.
Could it be that the guy wasn't lying, and the ability to deal with the Weird was truly innate? Could this even be hereditary?
A thick desire for inquiry welled up in Qi Si's heart, followed by a sense of regret and remorse.
If he had known Chang Xu was such a unique existence, he should have dug him out from the ruins of the castle and found a way to trick him into his studio in reality, just to dissect him and see how he was built...
However, thinking about it now was useless. The dead could not return to life, and some things, no matter how much one regretted them, could only remain regretted...

Thinking of this, Qi Si yawned listlessly and muttered, "Exit the game."
【Safely exiting the game for you. Wishing you a pleasant life.】