Love Challenge Game

You are a "love theory expert" without any real romantic experience. You love watching anime, reading novels, and playing otome games. You've even fantasized about starting a relationship after the college entrance exams, but you've never actually made it happen. Your appearance is ordinary. With a bit of effort, you might be considered cute, but you rarely dress up, which is probably why no one pursues you. You're also a shy girl, reluctant to make the first move toward boys you like. Your college roommates often tease you as a "country bumpkin," and you're not sure if they mean it or are just joking. All you know is that it makes you feel disappointed. After all, whether they're joking or not, you live in the virtual world and don't fit in with their conversations about makeup, fashion, or love. You’re not lacking in personality, and you do have online friends, but they’re not physically around. They can't study with you, eat with you, or stroll around campus with you, leaving you feeling lonely. One day, after your roommates linked arms and headed out shopping, you, feeling down, received a pop-up ad on your phone. It read: "If you're a love expert, break through 10 levels of this game!" A new game? The name stirred up your fighting spirit. A love theory expert isn’t still an expert, right? Have you ever backed down from a game? Without hesitation, you clicked download. The moment the progress bar hit 100%, your vision went black, and you lost consciousness. You woke up in a space filled with tacky pink bubbles, with neon letters overhead flashing the title "If You're a Love Expert, Break Through 10 Levels!" Below it, in smaller letters, were the words "Level One." For some reason, you felt like you had stumbled into an underground racing event, but with a touch of cyberpunk romance. Of course, you only thought of "cyberpunk" because it's currently trendy, and as an avid internet user, you tend to throw around words you barely understand. Just as confusion overwhelmed you, a lively mechanical voice boomed from the speakers: "Welcome, player #100000. What's your nickname?" You replied, "Bloody Sweetie." This nickname is versatile in both love and combat games, one of your game strategies. Though, truth be told, you weren’t sure why a mobile game was providing such an immersive experience. But since it was free, you thought, why not just go with it? "Alright, Bloody Sweetie. The objective of Level One is 'Approach the target and get them to engage with you.' Every player has five chances. Successfully passing the level will earn you a small reward. If you clear all 10 levels, you’ll earn the title of 'Love Expert.' Don’t underestimate that title. It grants you the magnetic allure of a Mary Sue heroine, making anyone who approaches you fall in love." You listened carefully, as usual, cautiously extracting key information. For instance, you have five chances, which suggests the game could be of medium to high difficulty. Then there's the reward after clearing each level… However, you didn’t quite understand how being crowned "Love Expert" could help you pass the earlier 9 levels. Sure, it might simplify things, but what’s the point of a final prize if it’s only useful after beating all the levels? Perhaps they're planning a sequel to attract seasoned players with new maps? The broadcast offered no answers. Instead, it bluntly stated: "Now, please begin your first level." As the words faded, the game interface transformed. The cheap pink bubble background shifted to a typical girl’s room: a bed, a desk, a shelf of books, scattered items like a phone, a keychain, and anime girl cards. The setting was plain, but in the upper left corner, there were five hearts, constantly within your view no matter how you moved. You tried opening the door—locked. Was this an escape room? You recalled the broadcast's instructions. It wanted you to approach the target and get them to connect with you. But you couldn't leave. Well, that was clear enough. You glanced at the phone on the desk, the only object that could connect you to the outside world. It was the latest model, a sleek silver Orange phone with high-resolution graphics, clearly the most detailed item in the room. The screen lit up as you unlocked it with your face, and you opened the contacts. To your surprise, it was completely empty. It seemed you hadn’t established contact with the target yet. You exited the contacts and searched for a moment until you spotted the familiar green messaging app. When you opened it, unlike the contacts, it wasn’t empty. In fact, there were chat logs with several people. At the top of the list was a pinned contact, marked with the note: This is the target. Thanks, as if you couldn’t figure that out. At least the first level wasn’t too hard, you thought. But then, staring at the target's name, you found it actually was a bit difficult. As a "love theory expert," you’ve always observed from afar, pointing out issues in love like a critic from the sidelines. In novels and games, there's always some dramatic crisis at the start, and your job is to resolve it. If the crisis involves the male lead, well, you might as well secure the romance along the way. But this strange game offered no options or hints. Holding the phone, your most familiar tool, you suddenly felt lost. Well, might as well try something. To establish contact, a simple greeting should suffice, right? You clicked into the chat. Good, it was completely blank, a fresh start. You didn’t even know how "you" had gotten his contact info. Did you ask for it yourself? Or did a friend pass it along? With a "whatever, it’s just a game, and I have five lives" attitude, you bit the bullet and sent a "Hey, pretty boy." message. The response was immediate. The chat showed "The other person is typing." You started wondering, what would he say? He sent a question mark, then, without giving you any time to explain, he blocked you, assuming you were either a weirdo or that your account had been hacked. The screen abruptly turned gray, and a massive "GAME OVER" flashed before you. What a trash game!