Chapter 50: The Dark Valkyrie

The next morning.

Yun Xuan arrived in the capital by plane. After contacting the organizers of the Xingyue Cup, he made his way to the Xingyue Hotel. Situated in the heart of the city, the Xingyue Hotel charged over a thousand yuan per night, and this time, all 108 participants in the Xingyue Cup were being accommodated here. The hotel spanned sixteen floors, with each contestant assigned their own room.

Seated in his lavishly decorated room, Yun Xuan nodded in approval—it was worth the price. The organizers were clearly treating the contestants with great importance.

“Time to start drawing the Northern Sauce manga...” Yun Xuan sat down at the desk and began to sketch.

...

Fangyu City.

Xuansnow Restaurant.

“I’d like an order of drunken shrimp, please.”

“I want egg fried rice, rice noodles, and eight-treasure porridge.”

“I’ll have drunken beef, and braised beef stew...”

Less than an hour after opening, the restaurant was full! Fortunately, seven more kitchen assistants had been hired just the day before, though the ten servers in the dining hall were already stretched thin.

“With three more waves of reservations... This is...” Yun Xun’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Eight hours ahead, it was clearly going to be an exhausting day.

In the kitchen, Ye Shan, Yuan Ting, and another student, all from the culinary academy, each worked on their own dishes, finishing each in under ten minutes. The dishes Yun Xuan had chosen weren’t as time-consuming as authentic French cuisine. The seven assistants found their work quite easy, handling the vegetables and meats.

...

Noon, the capital, Autumn Pavilion.

Yun Xuan ordered cold noodles, eight-treasure porridge, and mutton soup with bread. After tasting them, he couldn’t help but be surprised. These dishes had evidently been modified—the flavors were more refined, and the sauces had been improved.

“Ding-dong, special mission!”

“Special mission: Defeat the ordinary type of Dark Battle Princess. Reward: Random Little Sister Weapon unlocked,” the cat-eared girl announced.

“Huh?” Yun Xuan was taken aback.

“I’ve finally found you, big brother!” came a voice from behind.

“Huh?” Yun Xuan’s mind was still reeling.

He turned to see an adorable girl in a black robe, eyes brimming with heart-shaped pupils as she gazed at him.

“Meow-meow, explain the situation,” Yun Xuan said, feeling a sense of unease.

“The Dark Battle Princess is a demon-created clone that grows by absorbing all the love boys have for girls,” the cat-eared girl explained.

“What happens if all the love is absorbed?” Yun Xuan asked, eyeing the approaching girl.

“If all the love is absorbed, the boy will become infatuated with virtual characters or other boys, never again feeling interest in real girls,” the cat-eared girl warned.

“...” Yun Xuan fell silent.

“Don’t you recognize me, big brother? It’s been so long—won’t you give me a hug?” The adorable girl in the black robe stepped up to Yun Xuan, her voice coy and flirtatious.

“How do I solve this?” Yun Xuan took a deep breath. Where there were angels, there were devils to match.

“The Dark Battle Princess cannot be exposed to sunlight,” the cat-eared girl reminded.

“I...” Yun Xuan noticed the people around them watching and took a few steps back.

“Big brother, don’t you want me anymore? No matter what you do to me, I’ll always listen to you,” the girl said tearfully, her eyes glistening.

“Young man, you can’t be so heartless.”

“Yeah, your little sister is so cute. Don’t make her cry.”

“I’m so jealous you have a little sister. I wish I had a boyfriend, though.”

Yun Xuan listened to the comments around him, feeling increasingly awkward.

“Waaah, big brother, you’re so mean! I’ll never talk to you again!” The adorable girl burst into tears and ran off.

“She’s gone? What just happened?” Yun Xuan glanced at the cat-eared girl.

“Since the host felt no affection, the Dark Battle Princess had no choice but to retreat,” the cat-eared girl explained.

“No affection? So if there’s no feelings, the Dark Battle Princess is powerless?” Yun Xuan’s eyes lit up.

“Yes,” the cat-eared girl nodded.

“All right, I think I understand most of it now.” Yun Xuan ran after her.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw several adorable girls in black robes. Yun Xuan was certain that, besides the robes, they wore nothing else.

He followed one of the girls into an alley, though he wasn’t sure if she was the same one from before.

“Big brother, what are you doing here? Come home with me.” The cute girl turned, running toward Yun Xuan.

“Forgive me, young lady.” Yun Xuan suppressed his heartbeat, grabbed her robe with one hand, and yanked.

With a faint pop, the adorable girl vanished like mist, and in that split second, Yun Xuan caught sight of two streaks of black light covering the critical areas.

“Congratulations, host, mission complete. Reward: Random Little Sister Weapon.”

“Congratulations, host, you have received the Little Sister Weapon: Snow White!”

“Snow White: Master of swordsmanship, skilled in combat applications.”

Three consecutive notifications appeared on Yun Xuan’s virtual screen.

A girl with silver-white hair tied in twin tails, dressed in a white tracksuit, a sword strapped to her back, stood before him, expressionless.

“Combat Mode: Activating Combat Mode. For five minutes, time is frozen. Only the host, Snow White, and Dark Battle Princesses can move. No one else can act, and in this state, you cannot physically touch others.”

“Time freeze?!” Yun Xuan stared in disbelief at this combat mode.

...

Leaving the alley, Yun Xuan still seemed unable to believe what had happened. If it weren’t for the Little Sister Weapon, which could be summoned at any moment on the virtual screen, he would have doubted it was real.

Back at the Xingyue Hotel, Yun Xuan closed the door and windows, then clicked summon.

“Little Sister Weapon: Snow White, reporting!” The silver-haired girl appeared before him—no, more accurately, a petite girl of about one meter thirty. Her sword was longer than she was tall, and she regarded Yun Xuan with a blank expression.

“Why did the Dark Battle Princesses appear?” Yun Xuan asked.

“Balance,” Snow White replied.

“The balance between angels and demons?” Yun Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.

If not having affection meant the Dark Battle Princesses were powerless, then perhaps seventy percent of people could keep their hearts in check on the streets.

By that logic, it was actually a good thing—at least thirty percent of boys would end up liking other boys... making life easier for single guys.

“No, that’s it—it’s a population control measure!” Yun Xuan realized with a chill down his spine.

Imagine if half of all boys started preferring boys—how many fewer people would be born each year?

Even if seventy percent could resist during the day, at night, walking down the street, seven out of ten boys might not be able to withstand such adorable girls.

“Ding-dong, Dark Battle Princess Achievement Mission activated.”

“For every 100 Dark Battle Princesses defeated, one silver-tier skill draw is awarded, up to three times.”

“For every 1,000 defeated, one gold-tier skill draw, up to two times.”

“For every 10,000 defeated, one god-tier skill draw, up to once.”

Yun Xuan’s heart skipped a beat as he read the mission rewards further down.

(P.S.: The main plotline has emerged. Since there are angels, there must also be demons. As for what balance truly means, feel free to guess boldly.)