In the New Star Era, 1024, a holographic game called Descent burst onto the scene and took the world by storm.
Su Yuchi, one of Descent's main NPCs, is the young master of the Fumo Mountain Manor. He is strikingly beautiful, but has an exceedingly odd personality.
When faced with a big spender who showers him with gifts, Su Yuchi smiles and thanks him, then fusses over him until the player is completely smitten.
When the big spender finally remembers to check his affection score, his face freezes.
[Su Yuchi's current affection for you: 0]
The big spender: "..."
When faced with a top-ranked powerhouse who plans to use force to make Su Yuchi fall in love with him, Su Yuchi smiles faintly and runs him through with a sword, then sells him to a male brothel.
With no time to mourn the gear he dropped along with his levels, the powerhouse silently opens the affection screen.
[Su Yuchi's current affection for you: -99]
The powerhouse: "..."
When faced with a witty, charming player who flirts wherever he goes, Su Yuchi doesn't turn down his advances. He simply gets in touch with the NPCs the player has previously wronged. Before the player can make a move, he is killed by the consequences of his past affairs.
The player, a notorious ladies' man who has always gotten his way but finally hit a wall with Su Yuchi, checks the affection score.
[Su Yuchi's current affection for you: -999]
The ladies' man: "...Why did I lose more points than the other two?"
*
Su Yuchi was once a carefree young man. He had doting parents, close friends, an illustrious family, unparalleled talent, and beauty that could captivate the world.
He always thought himself the luckiest person in the world, and so he never hesitated to share what he had with others.
That is, until he brought someone he found at the foot of the mountain home.
That day, the lush mountain gate was swallowed by flames. His parents stayed behind to hold off the bandits and give him a chance to escape, leaving not even a corpse behind. His closest friend saved him by disguising himself as Su Yuchi, and ended up dead in the wilderness.
...And Su Yuchi had let a wolf into the house, gotten his loved ones killed, and destroyed everything he had with his own hands.
From then on, the boy, consumed by regret, became unrecognizable.
Just as Su Yuchi was preparing to take revenge, he discovered something astonishing: his world was nothing more than a game.
The moment he learned this secret, the game reset to a time before any of it had happened.
Blurb captured on 25.5.1
Theme: Who can say the virtual isn't real, or that reality isn't virtual?
