As a speedrun-focused streamer, Su Mian had absolutely no interest in dating. He just wanted to hurry up, collect enough heart points to finish the main story, and claim the world-first clear of the school romance action game Love Notes.
He skimmed through the beginner's guide provided by Xiao Ai, the dating assistant System, and nodded gravely. "Make someone's heart race, their breathing quicken, and their palms sweat with nerves... I see. I get it. I completely understand!"
So, on the second day of the game, a fresh red love letter (?) appeared in the locker of Feng Zhao, the male lead widely recognized as the strongest player.
After school, Feng Zhao strolled over to the little woods named in the letter, his gaze full of interest as he watched the strange new student skulking and hiding over there.
The bushes rustled, and then out jumped a...
Terrifying, bloodthirsty, murderous chainsaw maniac, who charged straight at him, dragging a rusty, roaring chainsaw!
Feng Zhao: ???
Xiao Ai: [???]
This isn't a dating sim. It's an attack sim!
Although the System's shrieking was loud, Su Mian had gotten a huge boost in heart points (?) from his first confession. He proudly confirmed that he was indeed a dating genius, and decided to keep going according to his own understanding.
Walking someone home after class? No problem!
Feng Zhao kept catching glimpses of indistinct black shadows on his way home: behind the railing, in the bushes, outside the car window. But his friends all insisted they couldn't see a thing.
Gradually, the tall, thin shadow started appearing in his garden, at his door, and outside his... window.
Feng Zhao: Peeping is against the law.
Xiao Ai: [Host, you only need to walk him home. You don't have to climb inside. No, no, no! Get out of there, now!]
Gifts to raise his affection? Coming right up!
Feng Zhao stared at the voodoo doll covered in needles inside the ribbon-wrapped gift box. After giving it a good once-over and finding nothing unusual, he tossed it into the trash, unimpressed.
In the middle of the night, the tattered bandage doll crawled back from the dump and silently stood by his bed. It nearly chopped him and his bed into three pieces with its bloodstained axe.
Feng Zhao: I need to get an expert to take a look at this house.
Xiao Ai: [If you don't sort your trash, it'll come knocking, and you'll be left crying.]
Show some care after exercise. Easy!
For once, Feng Zhao hadn't been messed with. He wondered why the towel Su Mian brought him was so cold, practically as effective as an ice machine. It was just a little hard to breathe. He pondered for a while and still couldn't figure out why.
Then he went into the bathroom to take a shower. When he turned his head, he saw two deep purple handprints on the back of his neck in the mirror, along with a ring of bluish bruises.
The next day, in the middle of summer, Feng Zhao showed up to school wearing a high-collared shirt. He still had no idea who had started the rumor that he had love bites on his neck, and gossip was spreading everywhere.
Xiao Ai: [Host, be honest. Were you actually trying to strangle the male lead to death back then?]
Graduation season is the perfect time for a farewell confession. You have to seize this chance with all you've got!
After receiving a date invitation full of hearts, Feng Zhao thought the guy had finally caught on and made a rare effort to dress up. He waited at the agreed-upon intersection.
A few minutes later, a hopping zombie wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with a talisman stuck to its forehead, came bouncing over, looking this way and that.
Xiao Ai: [Host, are you sure you'll get lots of heart points dressed like that?]
Feng Zhao's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Expressionless, he put on his hat and turned to leave.
He'd gone crazy if he thought that outfit looked cute.
Also, has this guy ever seen people date before?
1v1, goofy and sweet, happy ending. Scares only, no killing.
The seemingly powerful but actually even more powerful, indulgent king X the hilariously outrageous, murderous and absurd dating genius, a future official in charge of criminal justice.
Includes a snarky dating System, whose job is to bounce between "That can't be right" and "I can't believe that worked."
Set at a school for people with supernatural abilities, with lots of original worldbuilding. They fight and tame monsters, and everyone lives happily together. Inspiration comes from folklore, movies, Eastern and Western fantasy, urban legends, and more. An original setting with a unified world where different civilizations seek common ground while respecting their differences.
A story in the "You think it's a game, but it's actually reality" series.
Thanks to Cat Head for the cover art!
Theme: There is more than one road to success.
