DISCLAIMER‼️‼️‼️⚠️ THIS NOVEL IS NOT MINE.

DO NOT REPORT ⚠️‼️IF YOU WANT THIS TAKEN DOWN PLEASE COMMENT

Click.

Bai Xing sent this week's translating request to his client. It took a couple of hours for them to reply to him, expressing their satisfaction.

There were many websites and applications these days that provided a convenient and secure job request platform for freelancers like him. Thanks to that, even without taking a step out of his apartment, he could still earn his living just fine.

Stretching his body, he did his daily evening exercise routine before taking a shower. You might think a shut-in like him doesn't exercise, but he understood how important it is to keep his body fit and healthy.

After all, he would need to go out if he got sick. He was preventing that from happening.

He trimmed his bangs that started hindering his vision. He subconsciously touched the vertical scar below his left eye before leaving the bathroom. His phone vibrated and showed a job request notification.

The client asked him to translate their drama script. Reading the title, it was based on one of the classic fairytales, Little Red Riding Hood. The author tweaked the story here and there, adding a spoonful of adventure, thriller, and romance.

Truth be told, he didn't hate fairytales, but he couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of their happy endings. Finding true love right off the bat required a crazy amount of luck. It could probably happen if you're a saint or a hero in your past life.

But wasn't that why they were called fairytales? They were tales told by the fairies, non-existent creatures of fantasies.

It was also for educational purposes most of the time.

He told the client the price and delivery time. After they made the transaction, he started his work.

Bai Xing was peacefully typing, accompanied by the music in his headphone, when his computer screen suddenly glitched.

"!"

He quickly saved his work before anything happened. He then stopped typing to see what was wrong, but the glitch didn't happen again.

"?"

Was it his imagination?

Just as he finished his thought, the screen glitched again with much more intensity. He hesitantly stood up from his chair and backed away with his phone in hand.

It wouldn't explode, would it? He knew he should've changed it to a new one sooner.

To his surprise, instead of exploding, the glitch gradually formed a word on the screen.

[I need your help]

Blinding white light flashed in Bai Xing's room. He closed his eyes and covered them with his arm in reflex.

Once he lowered them, he wasn't in his room anymore. Instead, he was standing in front of a fountain in an unfamiliar vast garden. The full moon hung on the sky, hazily lighting the gorgeous palace across the garden.

"???"

His phone suddenly vibrated, startling the life out of him. He realized he brought his phone with him to wherever this is and quickly checked it.

When he unlocked his phone, he was stunned to see that all of his applications are gone. Instead, there was only a single app icon on the center of the screen. It showed he got one notification from it.

He opened it and a chat room with the name 'M' appeared. He got three messages.

[M: Good evening, Bai Xing]

[M: I know you are shocked and confused, but you need to calm down]

[M: You see that white gazebo behind you on your right? Go there first and we'll talk]

Bai Xing turned to where M said and indeed saw a white gazebo. He quickly went there and messaged M.

[Who are you? What is happening?]

[M: You are currently inside my world. The Fairytale World. It's not a fancy name, but it gives you a clear understanding, doesn't it?]

[M: If my previous messages reached you, it is just as it said]

[M: I need your help]

[M: I'll be direct. A virus is currently corrupting my world. I have reached out to many other humans from your world and other worlds, but all of them failed to exterminate it. It has corrupted 95% of my world and all that is left to corrupt is my last 5 stories]

[M: You are my last hope]

[M: You can probably tell how desperate I am. I didn't have any choice but to transfer you away here first and I apologize for that. But I couldn't afford your refusal]

[…I don't think I have the capability you need to help you. I'm just a translator. I can't even talk directly to other people properly. Can you just transfer me back?]

[M: I'm afraid I can't do that. The corruption of my world also affects me. I used the last of my 5% to transfer you here. Once the virus is gone and I gain back my full power, only then I can transfer you back home]

[…]

[M: This is also my last resort. I don't have any other choice]

[Why me? I don't like fairytales that much to begin with]

[M: …This may sound harsh, but because this is a do-or-die situation, I need someone who doesn't have any relatives or acquaintances left in the world. You have been shutting yourself in your apartment for 7 years after your parents, your only relatives, died. You also don't have any friends]

[M: Most importantly, is the fact you that you don't actually like fairytales]

[M: The previous humans all like the fairytales of my world to some degree. It resulted in them getting persuaded by the virus to go against me and help it instead. The rest were killed and got corrupted along with the world they were last in]

[M: Will you help me?]

Bai Xing was silent. He couldn't really refute M. What he said was all true. Well, he didn't really know whether M is he or she, but he would just assume it was he. M for Male.

He sighed resignedly.

[I don't have any other choice, do I?]

[But don't get your hopes up]

[M: Thank you]

[M: Don't worry, you certainly know my last 5 stories. They are all well-known stories in your world. You've possibly have read different versions of it]

[M: The virus needs to reach the happy ending to corrupt the story completely. This is because it infects the protagonists of my stories and used them as its vessel. Since its nature is evil, if it reaches a happy end, it will break my law of punishing evil and prevailing goodness]

[M: What I need you to do is to exterminate the virus before that and prevent the protagonists of the last 5 stories from reaching their happily ever after]

[M: You are currently in Cinderella's world. It took me a while to accumulate my power to transfer you here, so tomorrow is already the first day of the fated ball]

Bai Xing caught the detail from M's words.

[Is this the version where the ball is held for 3 nights?]

[M: Yes, as I thought, you read more than one version of it. You are currently a servant of the palace. This will give you easier access to the ball and the palace itself. I have already installed a directory in this app. It will show you to your room. You can rest first for tonight. I marked your bedroom there too]

[M: I wish you good luck. Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you for now. I am completely depleted and will soon fall into slumber. But I have installed the essentials you need in this app. I will contact you the first thing I wake up]

[M: But be mindful when you are using your phone. If the resident of this world suspected something, it will alert the virus]

[M: Then, we will meet again at a later time]

Bai Xing exited the chatroom and opened the directory M mentioned. It indeed showed where his room was and also gave him directions to it.

He raised his arm and studied his clothes. His black sweater was replaced by a plain white collared shirt. It was layered by a fitting black vest and a thin black bowtie completed the look.

It has been a long time since he last wore shoes. Not to mention leather shoes.

He then saw 2 blue dots enter his screen. At the same time, he heard footsteps from afar. He hurriedly ducked down and carefully peeked through the side of the gazebo's entrance.

2 patrolling soldiers walked past the garden. They brought a lantern with them, and each has a sword hanging on their waist.

People.

He's really going to face real people.

No, no. Just think about them as characters, NPCs.

Wait, M didn't say anything about needing to interact with other people.

What if he could find a way to stop the virus in the shadow? That would be fine too, right?

When the soldiers were finally gone, Bai Xing walked out of the gazebo. For now, he should rest first.

Unknown to him, a pair of golden eyes followed his figure out of the garden.

Much less doing anything, Bai Xing didn't even have any time to think of a plan. He was too busy being ordered around for the preparation of the ball. If he didn't exercise daily, he would already collapse by now.

What was worse, they were speaking in a foreign language. He didn't know if it was random, since the story of Cinderella has many versions, or was it dependent on the version it took.

He doubted that M didn't give the previous helper an automatic translating function. This was more likely because he was out of power.

Fortunately, he understood the language. He just hoped that the rest of the stories would also take the versions from the countries he knew the language of.

He jolted when the head servant shouted at him again.

"You, over there, are you done with the window? Hurry and bring the new curtains from the laundry."

He nodded a little and went out of the ballroom. Maybe because he has a decent amount of strength, the head servant has been ordering him around more frequently than the others.

Hopefully, he would be left alone when the ball commenced. Until now, he hadn't seen the prince at all because of this.

He reached the laundry room with the help of the directory and the maids gave him the curtains the head servant asked for. Fortunately, they lent him a cart to deliver them.

The laundry maids were also very busy with all the table cloths, curtains, and royal garments they needed to wash. There was no such thing as a laundry machine, so they could only use their hands. Moreover, the prince and king would wear 3 different garments, one for each night. The amount of time they took to wash one was taxing since they needed to be careful.

He was walking back to the ballroom when a blonde man with rich garments appeared from the stairs in front of him. His cape fluttered majestically behind him with each step he took, probably designed to be like that. Next to him was another man, seemingly older, wearing the royal guard uniform.

Bai Xing quickly hid his phone and bowed respectfully.

Is this the prince?

He should remember his face then.

"I have never seen you here before." A deep velvety voice spoke to him.

Bai Xing inwardly sweated.

Is the prince talking to him? Is there someone else behind him? No, could be someone in front of them too maybe?

He stiffly checked his front and behind. Much to his dismay, there was nobody else there except for the three of them. And the cart.

How high is the possibility the prince was talking to the cart?

Haha…

"Raise your head. His majesty is talking to you." The royal guard ordered.

Huh? Wait.

'His Majesty'?

Does this mean the person in front of him is actually the king? Not the prince?

Bai Xing timidly raised his head in a slow manner and met eyes with the king. The king's oppressive golden eyes were staring directly at his. His face didn't seem like someone in their middle-age, but Bai Xing could see the solid maturity and authority in it. His sculptured figure was straight and confident, filled to the brim with dignity and honor.

He didn't expect the king to be an Adonis out of all things. He could probably still talk to him if he looked like that round old man from the cartoon.

But this??

Bai Xing couldn't handle the pressure and looked away. He sweated buckets.

What to do? What to say? Should he just say he was a new servant? How did the servants here get recruited? But would they even believe new servants were being recruited in the middle of the ball's preparation? How could the king even remember every servant working here anyway?

"Are you from the newly recruited batch that the head servant picked to help with the ball preparation?" The king suddenly asked.

Bai Xing became even nervous.

Did the king just read his mind? Is there magic in this world? Is this a trap? Should he say yes? No? Which one is the correct answer? If he answered wrongly, will the king think he is a spy and orders his royal guard to decapitate him right here and then?

He opened his mouth to answer, but he was too nervous that no sound came out. His mouth flapped open and close like a fish struggling to breathe.

The king and the royal guard, "…"

Is he okay?

The king saw the curtains in the cart, "I see you are delivering the curtains for the ball. You may leave."

Bai Xing felt like he was saved from the guillotine and hurriedly rushed away after giving a bow.

"Should we keep an eye on him, Your Majesty?"

"No need. He was just too nervous to speak. Do not scare him further." the king chuckled.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The royal guard bowed.

The much-anticipated night has finally arrived. Ladies of all status entered the palace with hidden excitement behind their elegant gait. Whether they were royals, nobles, or commoners they were all equally hopeful to be the bride of the kingdom's prince charming.

Bai Xing was finally permitted to rest along with the other servants who were tasked with the preparation. He flumped to the bed tiredly but soon got up. He needed to go to the ball and see which person was Cinderella and what the prince looked like.

He couldn't imagine how charming the prince would be if the king was already an Adonis. A super Adonis? Would his face be too handsome to see that it generated golden lights instead?

Thankfully, it was a masquerade ball and there were other men inside, accompanying their daughters and siblings. He could sneak in as a guest.

Bai Xing opened the app. There was a wardrobe icon on the screen, and he tapped on it. He chose a black suit with simple silver chain ornaments to not stand out and a black mask to pair with it.

After tapping on it, his clothes instantly changed with glittery effects circling him.

"…"

That was really…unnecessary to say the least.

But it was convenient, so he couldn't really complain.

He wore his mask and head to the ball, making sure he wasn't spotted by anyone. It caused him to take several detours, but it wasn't a problem. Cinderella would come fashionably late anyway.

Once he reached the ballroom, he was instantly pressured by the number of people there.

He quickly stood behind a pillar, away from the rest. Not being able to see their face fully helped him calm down to some degree. He adjusted his mind thinking of them as characters instead of real people while trying to find the prince.

He should be the only one not wearing a mask in this ball.

Bai Xing soon found the prince surrounded by a flock of ladies. When he saw him, he was slightly disappointed.

There was a resemblance with the king, but his features looked downgraded from the original. Also, instead of gold, his eyes were sky blue. The prince was still very charming, but for Bai Xing, the king was way beyond that. Though the prince bore a royal aura, it didn't give Bai Xing any majestic feeling about it.

When the guests' attention was all to the prince, the ballroom door opened, and people gasped in awe.

A beautiful maiden with resplendent golden hair walked in, catching everyone's breath away. She wore a shimmering silver dress as mesmerizing as the full moon. Her mask matched her dress with jewels and pearls adorning her neck and ears.

As expected, the prince instantly fell in love. He walked away from the crowd of mediocre ladies around him and personally welcomed the fair maiden.

He reached out his hand and bowed, "May I have a dance with you, My Lady?"

Of course, Cinderella wouldn't refuse him and took his offer. The music started their accompaniment to the beautiful couple on the dance floor.

So far, the princess didn't look any different than he expected. What he was curious about though was whether or not the virus needed to follow the story or not?

Bai Xing looked at the clock tower seen outside the window. There were still 4 hours before midnight. Now that he knew what she looked like, he should find where her house was just in case he needed to go there.

The climax would happen there after all.

He promptly left the ballroom and went outside. He already tried searching for Cinderella's house in the app, but as M said, it was a directory, not a map. It was only limited to the palace ground because he was inside it.

Thankfully, M put a note there that it would automatically change depending on the location he was at.

He exited through the back gate and quickly head out

Leaving the palace walls wouldn't get him directly to the town. It was surrounded by thick woods. One would need decent lighting to pass through it.

Bai Xing wore a black cloak just in case he needed to hide from someone. He also didn't take off his mask.

Walking through the woods, he didn't need any lantern since he could just use his phone's flashlight. There was a flattened road for carriages to pass, so he just needed to follow that to go to the town. But for assurance, he used the app's navigation.

He noticed that his battery didn't get depleted at all even though he used it almost all day long. So he didn't need to worry about battery issues.

He encountered an intersection. One going straight and the other going left. The app navigated him to left, so he followed it.

Right…in some adaptations, Cinderella's house was never in the middle of town. It always stood by itself without any neighbors in sight.

He walked and walked, but after an hour, the house was still nowhere to be seen.

He stopped to take a breather and looked back. There was nothing around him except for trees and wild bushes.

Rustle.

He hurriedly lighted the source of the noise. There was nothing on the screen indicating someone was there, but he couldn't help but be alert in this kind of environment.

He swore if there was a wild animal here he would immediately jump into the bushes and play dead. There was no way he could outrun a wolf or a bear.

He flinched when something jumped out from the bushes. Seeing it was only a rabbit he sighed in relief and relaxed his tense shoulder.

He regretted not bringing any drinks with him. The app also couldn't provide food and drinks. Only wardrobe, directory, M's chatroom, weapon, and money. He could also take notes and photos there.

He hadn't checked what weapons M provided, but he hoped there won't come a time when he need to use it.

Finally, after walking for another 20 minutes, he could see a house behind a metal gate. In modern times, it wouldn't be big enough to be called a mansion, but it certainly showed the status of Cinderella's family as a successful merchant.

Bai Xing didn't try going in through the front gate. He turned off his flashlight and went to the backyard.

When he saw the backyard he was stunned but quickly regained himself. With this, he was sure now that Cinderella really was corrupted.

It was told in the story that the grave of Cinderella's mother was in the backyard of her house. In this version, there should be a tree growing in it, watered by Cinderella's tears of grief. It was the wish-granting item in place of the fairy godmother from the cartoon one.

From the nature itself, it should be a beautiful tree that someone could weep, pray, and rest on. A tree that gave people a sense of safe haven.

But the tree in front of him was eerily black. It was dry, full of sharp branches, and was letting out black slime from its trunks. The grave beneath it was already buried with a mound of black squirming goo.

The rotten stench could be smelled from outside the backyard.

What in the world did the virus do to it?

And if the tree was like this, how did it get the gown it was currently using for the ball?

The tree trembled and a pair of glowing red eyes suddenly opened. It swiftly turned to look towards where Bai Xing was standing.

Without thinking, Bai Xing instantly dropped himself to the ground and covered his mouth. He took cover behind the metal gate's foundation block. His heart pounded in panic and his back sweated cold.

It's alive!?

Did it see him?

No, he needed to retreat for tonight. He didn't know what the tree was capable of, and he didn't want to test it.

He looked around and picked up a small rock. He prayed that it would work and threw it to a nearby tree, making sure his hand didn't go past the foundation block.

It made a dull sound, loud enough to attract the tree's attention.

Bai Xing jolted in shock when a thorny branch suddenly shot out towards the tree he just hit. It then got stuck to its trunk. Without waiting any longer, he hastily crawled away to where he came from and into the cover of the woods just to be safe.

He leaned back to a tree and sighed in relief. His legs were still weak from the scare and the amount of walking he just did, so he decided to take a rest for a few minutes there.

Remembering the weapon section in the app, he checked it in the meanwhile. There was a note from M at the top.

It said that at the start of the corrupting process the virus needed to make a power vessel in the story world. It was because once it entered the protagonist its power would be blocked, and it wouldn't be able to directly use it.

So instead, it needed to draw power from an external source. He couldn't kill the corrupted protagonist because the virus was inside them, but if he destroyed its power vessel he has a chance to kill the virus. This was equal to killing the protagonist.

Killing the protagonist wasn't a problem. When M gained back his full power and recovered his world, those protagonists would be reborn.

But Bai Xing didn't know how he should feel about that. Murdering someone was a bit…too much for him to handle. Even if these people are characters, he didn't want to experience the taste of blood on his hand.

There was a moral line he didn't want to cross as a human. Moreover, what if he couldn't differentiate fiction and reality after this was over? If this was over.

But destroying those power vessels was definitely a good idea.

Feeling that he has rested enough, Bai Xing got up and head back to the palace.

Knowing how far it was, Bai Xing didn't pace too fast. He arrived back at the palace just nearing midnight.

He wasn't sure where the virus got the gown. If it created it itself, would it still need to leave before midnight? As far as Cinderella's story went, there were 2 reasons why she needed to leave before midnight.

One was because of the magic's time limit. The other one, in this version, he suspected that Cinderella needed to be home before her stepmother and stepsisters do to avoid suspicions. It could also be because she didn't want the prince to know her real persona.

Either way, the virus didn't have any reason to run away. It could stay until the end of the ball, tell the prince her identity, and let the prince smoothly propose to her.

There could only be 1 possible scenario that would force the virus to run away before midnight.

Bai Xing waited under the palace's entrance stairways to confirm it.

Once the clock chimed its first bell, Bai Xing nervously waited. Second chime, third chime, fourth chime, but there was still no sign of her.

It wasn't until the tenth chime that he finally heard the clattering footsteps of the maiden's heels.

He watched from the shadow as Cinderella rushed down the stairs and went into the night. Not long after, the prince chased behind her and followed her out of the palace gate.

Bai Xing saw that even after the bell struck 12 times, Cinderella's dress didn't vanish. Then, his theory could be correct.

The virus must follow the main plot of the story and reach its happy ending to successfully corrupt it.

Bai Xing was satisfied with his findings for tonight, but he wanted to do one more thing before going back to his room. It was a good time while the prince was out chasing Cinderella.

Entering the prince's chamber, he placed a letter on the bedside table and left right after. With all the detours he took and the distance from the palace's entrance to the prince's chamber and then to his own bedroom, he finally reunited with his bed a little past 1 AM.

Once Bai Xing entered his bedroom, a figure lurking in the shadow stepped out to the moonlight. He stood there, staring at Bai Xing's door, in silence.

"…"

Remembering what Bai Xing did earlier, he headed to the prince's chamber. Because he was waiting outside at that time, he didn't really know what Bai Xing did inside, but his attention soon got caught by the neat envelope on the bedside.

He slowly picked it up and turned it. Bai Xing didn't leave any writings on it. Not who it was from nor whom it was addressed to. It also wasn't secured by any seal.

He unhesitatingly opened it