[When I Entered the Horror Castle Game]

"Beep--

Welcome to the haunted castle of Taerweiya. This is Room 485627, in Zone Z1 on the first floor of Taerweiya: Between Illusions."

"Players who enter the haunted castle must clear each room instance one step at a time.

Remember, never enter the forbidden back garden of the castle.

Anyone caught will be erased. The only way to advance is to complete an instance. These instances are physical: die inside, and you die outside too--

A friendly reminder from your thoughtful System: no one has ever conquered the first floor of Taerweiya. Are you ready, honored guest?"

Xiang Yan showed not the slightest fear. His brows were raised, and his expression was full of amusement.

A grand performance was about to begin.

Setting: No supernatural powers. Everyone gets their own item when they enter the game.

Will they gain something precious, or face an unknown death?

Before entering the instance, Xiang Yan was a magician.

A very famous magician, at that.

How famous, you ask?

Famous enough that whenever people mentioned magic, they would think of Xiang Yan and his...

good looks.

But back then, he wasn't a very dedicated magician,

since he never had a set performance schedule.

He just did whatever he felt like, hey!!! (A fan's anguished cry.)

Xiang Yan himself didn't mind at all.

A faint smile was always on his face, and his every move was elegant and gentlemanly.

No one could tell what he truly felt. Sometimes, even he didn't know.

After an ordinary performance, Xiang Yan somehow ended up in a haunted castle game.

He discovered that the place he was in looked a lot like the Between Illusions, except for a few subtle differences.

For example, the audience seats were empty, and the metal spade playing card hanging beneath the metal clock had turned into a heart.

Then there were the sprawling cobwebs, the dilapidated stage, and the reddish-brown bloodstains.

System: "Welcome to Taerweiya..."

As it spoke, a pentagram pendant appeared around Xiang Yan's pristine neck.

That was his item:

The Void Card.

System: "A friendly reminder from your thoughtful System: no one has ever cleared the first floor of Taerweiya."

Xiang Yan: "Oh?" (Raises an eyebrow.)

"Then I'll be the first."

Of course, face-slapping may come late, but it never fails to arrive.

Just as Xiang Yan was about to complete the final section and break through to the second floor, a notification sounded throughout the entire fortress.

System: "Beep--

Congratulations to honored guest Chi Yu for clearing the first floor of the castle and advancing to the second floor!!!"

Xiang Yan: ... (A very cold smile.)

Chi Yu, huh? Heh.

As you can see, I'm back again and again.

Yes, the love interest will show up quite late in this one.

This is a story with a male lead who is the receiving partner. If that's not your thing, feel free to leave.

I Get Things Done Quietly

Theme: ...