[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-697":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1218916,1604,"Chapter 696: Frozen Trials 8","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-697",697,"\u003Cp>In a quiet forest brushed with silver frost, a young child walked happily along a narrow path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm~ hm~ nng~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hummed to herself, the tune soft and light, almost blending with the whisper of the cold wind between the trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning sunlight slipped through the branches above, scattering gold across the frozen ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each step she took made a gentle crunch against the thin layer of ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up at the sky with a bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The weather is good today, Mama! I think we’ll be able to gather more spirit lotuses this time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was full of excitement, pure and hopeful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, her mother smiled gently and reached out to pat the young girl’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soft white hair, almost glowing under the sun, swayed lightly as she moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes... I think we’ll be able to gather some more this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was calm. Warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe, and then you’ll recover faster and get well soon, right? I can’t wait~!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl stepped forward eagerly, holding a small brown basket in both hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked a bit too big for her, but she carried it proudly, as if it were something important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, the mother’s smile lingered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Convincing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cough...!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickly turned her head, covering her mouth with her sleeve as a faint cough escaped her. It wasn’t loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not violent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it came often enough to remind her that something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She straightened her back before her daughter could notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint chill rested deep within her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the cold of the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the winter air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something colder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that refused to melt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Celestine,\" she called softly, keeping her voice gentle. \"Walk a bit more carefully. There could still be monsters around.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl stopped and turned around without fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes were bright. Clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry, Mama!\" she said proudly, puffing out her chest a little. \"I am one with ice and the cold! I’ll beat any monster that comes our way!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She raised a tiny fist as if she had already won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mother watched her for a long second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she shook her head gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed her daughter had inherited more from her than she wished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hnn...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow slowly opened her eyes, a dull headache pressing against her temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a soft groan as she pushed herself up from the bed beneath her. The sheets were warm. Soft. Too soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What... happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice came out low, still heavy with sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blinked a few times, trying to steady her vision. The room around her was unfamiliar. Wooden walls. A small window to her right. Pale curtains swaying gently from a breeze she couldn’t feel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it definitely wasn’t a frozen domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart steadied as awareness slowly returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A different place...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced down at herself. Different clothes. Lighter fabric. Simpler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head still felt hazy, but she could make out the details clearly enough to know one thing—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t where she had fallen asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Am I in the third trial now?\" she muttered quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tried to recall the last thing she remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The festival night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fake Riley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fake Snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way she stood her ground and refused to let them inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had prepared herself to endure it for at least a month. That was how those trials worked. Patience. Endurance. Watching illusions try to wear her down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after that night...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After she denied them and went upstairs to her small room in the tavern...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she lay down—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It swallowed her vision completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like every time she cleared a trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it ended after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze drifted around the room again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly not the tavern room she had been using. That one was cramped. Plain. Slightly dusty. This one felt... lived in. Clean. Familiar in a strange way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rubbed her forehead lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever the case, she was at least relieved the second trial was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just remembering it made something twist faintly in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching another version of herself and Riley live so casually together... smiling, teasing, planning a night as if it were natural—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had affected her more than she expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought she was prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thought she was above it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing it play out so easily, so comfortably... it had gnawed at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even knowing it was fake didn’t stop the irritation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t stop the quiet jealousy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a small sigh and swung her legs over the side of the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold air brushed against her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third trial...\" she murmured again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes sharpened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever this one was about—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She needed to stay clear-headed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, like the other tests, she needed information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow forced herself to stay calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panicking never helped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slowly stood up from the bed and took in the room properly this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was neat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clean. Sunlight filtered in gently through a tall window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The furniture wasn’t cheap either—polished wood, carved details, soft bedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t some random peasant’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the moment she stepped down from the bed, something else became clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world felt... bigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floor looked farther away than it should. The desk near the wall felt taller. Even the mirror across the room seemed oddly large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned slightly and walked toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each step felt lighter. Smaller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she reached the mirror and looked up—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A child...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reflection staring back at her was not the body she was used to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White hair fell softly past her shoulders, smooth and pure like fresh snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes weren’t the frosty white she once had in her divine state, but a gentler, clearer shade—still bright, still striking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her features were delicate. Too delicate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked no older than eight or nine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beautiful child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the youth in her face, she would’ve easily rivaled her original appearance. The elegance was still there, just... smaller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was wearing a white dress, simple but clearly expensive. The fabric was fine. The stitching careful. There was a quiet nobility to the way it fit her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever this \"Child\" was, she wasn’t ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow studied her own small hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, the trial involved this child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another life? Another identity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this like the second trial—something symbolic she had to understand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was this something she had to live through?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her palms slowly and tried to gather mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing else, she needed to know what kind of power she had access to—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Celestine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door beside her room burst open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could react, someone rushed in and grabbed her small hands firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you you’re forbidden from using your mana! Look at what happened to you yesterday!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged woman stood before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces were similar—the same eyes, the same shape of nose—but the woman had soft hazelnut hair instead of white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression was full of worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Real worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately began checking Snow over, brushing her hair aside, touching her forehead gently as if making sure she wasn’t feverish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It looks like you’re fine for now...\" the woman murmured, letting out a relieved breath. \"But please don’t do that again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pulled Snow—Celestine—into a light embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know I should be happy you’re awake, but... I’m sorry, dear. Mother is just worried about you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word settled strangely in Snow’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm arms wrapped around her small body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gentle hands stroking her hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft scent of something familiar and comforting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was... warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow stiffened slightly without meaning to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know how to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her own childhood, she had never truly experienced this kind of affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The love of a mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My heir is now proceeding smoothly in the third trial. You can be at ease, honored guest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Queen’s voice echoed lightly across the frozen hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Riley didn’t look at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, he looked more confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you just let her pass the second trial?\" he asked directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe I already confirmed that,\" she replied without looking at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But she didn’t give the answer you were looking for, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Queen finally shifted her gaze toward him. There was no irritation in her expression. Only calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" she admitted. \"She did not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is my trial,\" she cut in smoothly. \"I may rearrange it as I please.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood from her throne slowly, frost trailing faintly at her feet as she walked a few steps forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Her answer lacked alignment with the concept I originally designed. However...\" she paused, eyes narrowing slightly in thought, \"the emotions she displayed were not lacking.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley stayed silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There was a resolve in her that I could not ignore,\" the Frost Queen continued. \"It did not waver. Not once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice softened—not warmer, but deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was strange. When she looked at that illusion... her eyes resembled someone who had loved for hundreds of years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s brows furrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or perhaps,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he continued quietly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"someone who had endured watching love bloom from the sidelines. Someone who had tasted jealousy, sacrifice, devotion, hatred... and still chose love.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Queen glanced at him faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The emotions she poured into my trial were real. Raw. Unfiltered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gave a small nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is something I can acknowledge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley didn’t know what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t fully understand what Snow had done inside that trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could imagine it involved him—most of her trials somehow circled back to him in one way or another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to leave such an impression on the Frost Queen...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, if the Frost Queen accepted it, Riley wouldn’t push further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trusted Snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he trusted that whatever she chose, she chose it with conviction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the third trial was proceeding smoothly, then that meant the fourth, fifth, and sixth trials could potentially be bypassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless, of course, the Frost Queen decided to change her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley glanced at her briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression was neutral. Thoughtful. But not conflicted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doubted she would go back on her word now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The third trial...\" he murmured quietly to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time since this began—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint worry settled in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>",1741,"2026-06-03T14:41:09.353Z",1,"novelbin.me","3c3878d9dbe5100843cfcbfabdc542133f0bbd3aa743e201b13ac175ae52fb35","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-698","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-696",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-cover.jpg"]