The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar] Chapter 54

[Loading game… Success. Name: 《The Kiss of Thorns》, Genre: Role-Playing, Level: Intermediate]
[Clear Condition: Obtain the Rose’s Heart]
[Time Limit: None]
[Matching teammates… Match successful. Average Player Score: 502]
[Dear player ‘Shuang Mu Cheng Jing’, good luck.]

As soon as KK’s sweet voice faded, Lin Jing was stunned.

Wait, did he hear that right?

Average score—502?!

Was his hearing malfunctioning, or was the system broken?

But before he could say anything, the door to his room swung open.

“Good morning, Miss Christine.”

At the doorway, a young girl with twin braids of light brown hair walked in carrying a silver tray.

She wore a black-and-white maid’s uniform and skillfully placed the bread and jam from the tray onto the table.

Lin Jing immediately became alert.

The maid had a few brown freckles on her cheeks, and her lively demeanor made her seem like a little sparrow. After setting the breakfast down, she naturally moved to open the curtains and chirped, “Madam Marie has already taken your two older sisters to the manor. The duchess’s afternoon tea will be held there. She asked me to keep an eye on you and not let you leave the house all day. After breakfast, you should head to the study and read for the afternoon. Hmm, should I prepare some dessert for you?”

As the curtains were drawn back, sunlight spilled into the room.

Looking out through the green-stained glass, Lin Jing saw a row of medieval-style buildings.

It was winter, and snow dusted the white rooftops. The sky was a cold, silent gray, with the distant mountains and forests wrapped in silver.

As the maid chattered on, Lin Jing’s still-drowsy brain suddenly processed a new piece of information—his character profile.

His new identity.

[Name: Christine]
[Identity: Third daughter of Count Rotter]
[Personality: Cheerful and adorable, innocent and lively]

Lin Jing raised an eyebrow.

This was his first time experiencing 《Survivor》’s role-playing mode, and he hadn’t expected to draw a female character.

Huh.

What great luck.

After all, players unanimously agreed that in the twisted game Survivor, you couldn’t ask for too much when it came to character cards—if it could move, that was already a win; if it was human, that was a jackpot.

The maid’s name was Jenny. As she opened the window, she kept mumbling to herself, “So many people have come to town lately. The king has decreed that whoever wakes the princess will inherit the throne. This is the last winter—if she doesn’t wake before the snow melts, the witch’s curse can never be undone.” Jenny frowned in distress. “I wonder if a miracle will happen.”

Lin Jing asked softly, “The witch?”

Jenny turned around and huffed, “Yes, that wicked woman.”

Then, as any good NPC should, Jenny rattled off the world’s backstory in rapid succession.

In short, it seemed like he had entered a fairy tale script, based on Sleeping Beauty. A castle, a hedge, a forest, a princess, and a witch—the essential elements were all there.

And the Rose Heart was a massive ruby set in the king’s crown, worth a fortune.

Lin Jing thought for a moment. The pass condition was the Rose Heart, and considering the king’s decree, didn’t that mean he had to wake the princess?

Excited, Lin Jing asked, “Did the witch leave behind a way to break the curse? Does it require a kiss from her true love?”

Jenny’s brown eyes widened in surprise, as if shocked that he would have such an odd idea. “What are you thinking, miss? The only one who knows how to break the curse is the witch! If you want to wake the princess, you have to find her deep in the forest first.”

Lin Jing: Alright then.

He got up. He was wearing a white nightgown. Despite being a boy, his attire seemed to be modeled after Christine. So naturally, Lin Jing let Jenny help him put on a dress and tie up his hair.

In the mirror, it was still his face, though his features had softened slightly. His hair was jet black, and his deep brown eyes were as beautiful as chocolate. His skin was snow-white, lips a rosy red, and the light blue dress was trimmed with white lace at the cuffs.

Lin Jing clicked his tongue twice at his reflection.

As expected, handsome people looked good in anything. He had barely taken a second to admire himself when—

A floating window suddenly appeared in the mirror, with lines of subtitles that instantly killed his enthusiasm.

“Now I gotta whistle. Phew~”
“Whoa, what a beauty.”
“Goddess!”

Lin Jing: “…”

Expressionless, he slammed the mirror face down onto the vanity.

Jenny jumped in fright, her freckled face paling. “M-Miss…?”

Yet, even with the mirror turned over, the floating subtitles didn’t disappear. Instead, they hovered before his eyes, getting worse.

“HAHAHAHA I’m dying laughing.”
“Phew, phew, phew~”
“Title: Don’t come in, let the handsome guy enjoy himself. Clicks in: Oh wow, beauty doing makeup live.”
“So this is how handsome guys entertain themselves these days? scratches head dog emoji”
“LMAO, the whistle upstairs made me wanna pee.”

Lin Jing took a deep breath and told Jenny, “It’s fine. I’ll handle the rest myself. Go prepare a carriage—I need to head out to the outskirts.”

His gaming style was simple: head straight for the main objective.

Jenny: “???”

She shook her head. “Miss, Lady Mary was very disappointed in your behavior recently. She’s forbidden you from leaving the house.”

Lin Jing froze. “What did I do recently?”

Jenny: “The entire city knows by now—you, the esteemed daughter of a count, tried to elope with a commoner and got rejected.”

Lin Jing: “…”

Jenny seemed indignant, as if she wanted to say more, but Lin Jing quickly sent her away.

He barely held back from cursing.

Messing with his stats was one thing, but what the h*ll was this storyline? He had an unrequited crush in real life, and now he got rejected in-game too? System, have you even woken up yet?!

Meanwhile, the bullet comments were lively as ever.

“Is this a role-playing mode? The setting looks medieval European.”
“Streamer’s features are amazing. Definitely a handsome guy.”
“Wait, even someone this good-looking gets rejected?”

Lin Jing sat at the vanity, removing his hair accessories. Seeing that last comment, he paused, an eyebrow twitching. “Who said I got rejected?”

“The moderator did.”
“They said you’re heartbroken. We’re just trying to comfort you.”
“Don’t cry, bro. Come here, I’ll console your wounded heart.”

Lin Jing: “…”

Lu Xingyu, the day your dad goes offline will be your doomsday.

The chat was enthusiastic.

“What’s going on? Spill the story, streamer.”
“How did you get rejected? Tell us so we can—uh, learn from it.”

Since Christine’s character couldn’t leave the house, he’d have to switch back to his male identity.

Clumsily, Lin Jing untied the ornaments in his hair. After holding back for a while, he finally muttered, “I didn’t get rejected. The moderator is an idiot.”

“Xingxingxiayu [Mod]: ? I’d advise you to behave.”
“HAHAHAHA”
“This role-playing mode is interesting. What’s your next move, streamer?”

Lin Jing, feeling bored, decided to analyze, “Go deep into the forest, find the witch, slay the dragon, save the princess. Easy 25 points.”

“Full marks?”
“Did I hear that right?”
“25 points? You’re pretty cocky.”

Lin Jing casually tied his hair back with an emerald-green ribbon and chuckled. “Isn’t this just a matter of having hands?”

“???”
“……”
“666”

After changing into a sleek male outfit, his reflection now showed an elegant young noble.

The manor was filled with blooming red roses. The melting snow left puddles of murky water and moss in the cracks of the stone paths.

A gardener greeted him, “Good day, Lady Christine.”

Lin Jing smiled and decided to gather some information about the forest before heading out.

His excuse was simple: a school assignment—he wanted to go sketch by the forest’s edge.

Who knew the gardener’s face turned pale with shock. “You mustn’t go there, Miss. The forest is heavily guarded by the king’s troops—you need his permission to even get close.”

Lin Jing slowly typed a question mark in his mind. “Why?”

Brother, your daughter got knocked out by that wicked woman! Shouldn’t you open up the forest so the people can unite and capture the witch together?

The gardener replied, “Because the witch lives deep in the forest. Many have lost their lives trying to find her.”

Lin Jing asked, “Then how can I get the king’s permission?”

The gardener hesitated before saying slowly, “First, you need to be a knight.”

Lin Jing: “……”

The gardener anxiously tried to dissuade him. “Miss, you should go back to your study and read. The forest is full of swamps and toxic gases—it’s not a place for you.”

Lin Jing took a deep breath and asked, “Just tell me, how do I become a knight?”

The gardener was so frightened that he dropped his shears, but the young lady’s gaze was too intense. Trembling, he still answered, “Well… knights are usually carefully trained by the king and nobles. I’m afraid… you won’t be able to become one.”

Lin Jing: “……” Guess I don’t have hands, huh?

The chat was already losing it with laughter.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

Lin Jing ignored the peanut gallery. Madam Mary assigning Jenny to watch over Christine had been a mistake—the little sparrow was already off somewhere unknown.

So, Lin Jing slipped out effortlessly.

Since this was a fairy tale world, it didn’t have the grim atmosphere of a true medieval setting. At least in this city during winter, the streets were lively and bustling with activity.