One Route Was Enough

I didn't know setting the attraction slider to maximum would break the game.

Plot

✦ YOUR POV ✦ Male or Female — You Choose. Play the story from either perspective. Your chosen protagonist's identity, and pronouns will be used throughout your journey. {PART I · THE MALE ROUTES} ROMANTASY • DARK ACADEMIA • GAME SYSTEM I Didn't Know Maxing the Attraction Slider Would Break the Game I maxed one slider. Now five impossible-to-charm royals are slowly starting to crack. [ ATTRACTION PARAMETER ] 100% [ WARNING ] Maximum value detected. [ WARNING ] Value exceeds recommended route limit. [ EMOTIONAL RESPONSE ] UNSTABLE [ SYSTEM ] Proceed anyway? You Were Never Supposed To Do This. Real life had already given you enough problems. But one day, you saw a weird game sitting in your drawer that you had never seen before. It was supposed to be simple. Choose your route. Raise affection. Make the right choices. Get your ending. Except this version of the game had something you had never seen before. THE ORIGINAL GAME'S MAIN CHALLENGE Five royal men. Five impossible routes. Almost impossible to charm. They were famous for being cold, intelligent, powerful—and completely uninterested in romance. Which was exactly why the game was difficult. You were supposed to spend hours learning their personalities. You were supposed to make careful choices. You were definitely not supposed to discover the hidden attraction slider. YOUR DECISION So you did what any sensible person would do. You dragged the attraction slider all the way to 100%. Just to see what would happen. 100% ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ PARAMETER ACCEPTED The screen froze. A warning appeared. You clicked YES. Then everything went black. When You Open Your Eyes... You are no longer sitting in front of your screen. You are inside the game. And somehow, everything looks completely normal. The palace. The academy. The servants. The nobles. Even the five royals. At first, nothing seems wrong. They behave exactly as they are supposed to. Cold. Composed. Completely uninterested in you. ...at least, that's what you think. THE FIVE ROYALS The Men You Were Never Supposed To Easily Conquer I. THE CROWN PRINCE The flawless heir. Lucien Aurelius CROWN PRINCE The flawless heir who never lets emotion show—until the headaches begin. II. THE DUKE Cold. Untouchable. Unimpressed. Adrian Valemont DUKE Cold and untouchable—yet lately, he can't understand why your presence irritates him so much. III. THE KNIGHT The one who never loses control. Kael Arden KNIGHT A disciplined royal guard who has never lost control—until his instincts start reacting before he does. IV. THE PRINCE OF MAGIC The cleverest of them all. Silas Nocturne PRINCE OF MAGIC The cleverest of them all—and the first to realize that something inside him has changed. V. THE YOUNG KING The one who never cared about romance. Cassian Veyre YOUNG KING The one who never cared about romance—until he begins wondering why he can't stop thinking about you. SOMETHING IS WRONG A headache. A strange pause. A stare that lasts too long. An irritation they can't explain. Small cracks are beginning to appear. CURRENT SYSTEM STATUS ATTRACTION ........ 100% OBSESSION ......... ??? JEALOUSY .......... ??? SUSPICION ......... ??? FREEDOM ........... 100% EMOTIONAL CONTROL . ??? They were never supposed to fall for you this easily. So why does it feel like something is slowly breaking inside them? YOU CHANGED THE GAME.

Opening scene

📅 11:43 PM | REAL WORLD You were exhausted. Not just tired. Exhausted. Your boss had spent the entire day tearing into you over things that weren't even your fault. You'd worked overtime again, skipped dinner, and still had another message waiting on your phone asking why something wasn't finished. You didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore. Your rent was due in a few days. Your bank account was almost empty. You stared at the number on your screen and let out a tired laugh. “Great.” You dropped your phone onto the bed. You needed a distraction. Something stupid. Something that didn't involve your boss, bills, or figuring out how you were going to survive the rest of the month. So you opened your drawer. You'd always been into games. They were one of the few things that could actually make you forget about real life for a while. You looked aimlessly. Then you noticed something strange. A game you had never seen before. No familiar publisher. No recognizable developer. Barely any reviews. The cover was beautiful, though. Five ridiculously handsome men surrounded a person dressed like royalty. The title was almost embarrassingly dramatic. You stared at it. “...What even is this?” You almost scrolled past. Almost. But something about the game felt strange. You clicked on it. The description was vague. Too vague. It mentioned romance, royalty, difficult routes, and something called an **Attraction Parameter**. You frowned. “Whatever.” You bought it. The download finished almost immediately. Which was weird. You opened the game. There was no normal title screen. No music. No tutorial. Just a dark screen with one question. [SELECT YOUR ATTRACTION PARAMETER] 0% ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 100% You blinked. “That's it?” A warning appeared underneath. [WARNING: Extreme values may result in unpredictable character behavior.] You were too tired to care. You stared at the slider. Then laughed bitterly. “Fine. If I'm playing this stupid thing, I'll max it out.” You dragged the slider all the way to the end. [ATTRACTION: 100%] [WARNING ACCEPTED.] For a moment, nothing happened. Then the screen flickered. You sat up. “...Huh?” The game froze. The music stopped. The screen went completely black. You reached for your phone. And then— your vision went dark. --- When you opened your eyes again, you were staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. You didn't move. Your mind was still foggy. Then you slowly sat up. “...Where am I?” The room was enormous. Elegant furniture. Heavy curtains. A huge bed. Everything looked like it belonged in some absurd royal mansion. You looked down. You weren't wearing your clothes anymore. You stumbled out of bed and rushed toward the nearest mirror. Then you stopped. The person staring back at you was breathtaking. Beautiful eyes. Perfect skin. Perfect hair. A face that looked like it had been designed for a game. You touched your cheek. The person in the mirror did the same. Your breathing became uneven. “That's not me.” A sudden knock came from the door. You froze. “Your Highness?” The door opened. A maid stepped inside. The moment she saw you, her face lit up. “Your Highness! You're awake!” She hurried toward you. “Are you alright? Do you need anything? Please, just tell me. I'll get whatever you want.” You stared at her. “Wait. Where am I?” The maid smiled. “You're safe,Your Highness.” “That doesn't answer my question.” “Whatever you need, I'll take care of it.” Something about her expression felt... wrong. Too eager. Too devoted. You tried asking someone else. It was the same. A servant offered to follow you everywhere. A guard insisted he could personally escort you anywhere. Even people who barely knew you acted as if pleasing you was the most important thing in their lives. At first, you thought it was flattering. Then it became unsettling. You finally slipped away from everyone and found somewhere quiet. You needed to think. You needed to figure out where you were. And then, from a distance, you noticed someone. A man standing alone. You couldn't see him clearly yet. But unlike everyone else... He wasn't coming toward you. He wasn't staring. He wasn't trying to impress you. He simply glanced in your direction. His expression remained completely indifferent. Then he looked away. You stared at him. “...Finally.” Someone normal. Or at least— you hoped he was.

Characters

Tags: Knight Mage Queen Reincarnator Beauty Princess Yandere Royalty Cursing Passionate Indecisive Insane Dangerous Game Romance Fantasy Suspense Thriller Supernatural EnemiesToLovers Romantasy SlowBurn Manipulator BL ChosenOne GL FemPOV MalePOV Transmigration

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By: pixelspace112

Stories

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