ONE OF THE BEST HORROR-BL NOVELS I’VE READ.

1. Both ML and MC are intelligent.

2. We don’t get the usual overbearing “You’re mine.” type of ML.

3. The romance was slowly built and not just entered out of nowhere.

4. THE ML AND MC RESPECT EACH OTHER AND FREAKIN’ GIVE EACH OTHER ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT (the MC doesn’t just hide behind the ml)

5. It gives the perfect balance between drama and fluff (kinda like drama cupcake with fluff sprinkles on top, which makes you treasure those fluff moments).

And lastly...

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I just love how they protect each other from people with “bad intentions” whenever one cross dresses.

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A very elaborate plot, all side characters are unique and with their own motives. 10/10, I am very impressed by the plots of the doors (they are absolutely logical, and it is possible to pass them without the halo of the main character).

(T-T) So good..... so good....

I love the relationship between them, all the side characters relationships, and all the stories. Everything comes back around. The ML is one of the most adorable characters, and our MC is so loyal and great. The stories arcs were creepy enough yet clever as well. The story is easy to MTL too.

One of the best horror novels I've read. Really good world building and characters. She reveals everything so so slowly as the plot progresses and then you truely start to grasp this world you are introduced to and how it works.

The MC is the goodest boi, , , I just wanna smother him with love. He is a bit slow at times but is very brave, kind and so so caring. No wonder the ML immediately got drawn to him.

This novel is very interesting. This story has a solid plot with romance included as a subplot. I really enjoyed some of the characters especially the MC. The character development for the MC is [chef's kiss]

The MC, Lin Qiushi (林秋石）is pretty manly for a shou which is stereotypically a bit feminine. Throughout the course of the story there were a few parts where I was confused about whether he really was the shou or not. The MC is a character who can support himself, and beat people up without the... more>> help of his love interest. We stan.

Now onto the description of the ML, Ruan Nanzhu (阮南烛). The ML is a crossdressing OP boss of a secret organisation which he recruits the MC into. The ML is very funny, and constantly teases the MC and the characters around him. However he is shown to be very caring of the MC, and prioritising the MC's safety in dangerous situations (vice versa with the MC. They're a power couple! :D)

the horror of the novel was soooo good. It includes a wide range of settings and subplots for each door, based on real games and horror stories (like slenderman). Which are all terrifying and worthy of being unable to sleep at night for. My personal favourite was the Box girl game door which was also the most scary for me.

As much as I'd like to leave a perfect review, there are a couple problems with the story.

the ending plot twist is very badly executed and thats the reason why I am giving this novel 4 stars instead of 5. It felt very unnatural and I would have been happier if it was left unwritten. I think the problem is that there wasn't enough evidence leading up to the great reveal, along with the fact that the author didn't do a great job of answering any questions with the plot twist. The plot twist made me feel so confused, and created more questions for the plot than it answered. Here are a couple examples from the multitude of questions I needed answered:

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I really wanted to know how being a door npc affected RNZ in terms of special powers, and I wanted to know how that affected his relationship with LQS if he were to know the whole story. The reveal of LQS's actual past was also way too vague and we weren't given enough context. I still don't know the whole story about whether LQS was the real RNZ or not.

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not to mention, some of the supporting cast were missing that sexy character development I crave. The author made up for some of the unanswered questions and character development with her extra chapters but a lot of the characters still were undeveloped. Such as Some of the members of Obsidian, who I would regularly forget or mix up their names because they weren't developed enough to be important. The author also didn't write more on

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how Lidongyuan died and how his girlfriend became the new leader and the way that subplot went

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which was disappointing because I was really looking forward to it. And uh. The aftermath of Yeniao and how he takes over obsidian and all isn't explained either. In short, the story starts off amazing but the ending is very lacking and disappoints me. <<less

That was good!!

It was scary and crazy fun ride. I love it a lot. Give it a try, you won't regret it. MTL is readable also.

The romance is along the way, not really pointed out but you know MC and ML likes each other. It's a proper horror novel which MCs is accidentally male and male couple. You can love it even though you don't like BL (but I do, so it's a total plus). Sooo good!

This was my first horror novel and it led me down the rabbit hole known as horror BL... yes this is a BL if you haven't read the tags. The MC is lovable, easy to empathize with and both the writing and translations are divine!! I never saw the appeal of horror novels till this one, It left me trembling with fear and fascination and unlike in others of the genres the ML does not have some sort of god level cheat that borders on precognition but he's still so... more>> chilled that he gives off a "totally dependable gong" vibe. The world building is also quite good although the translation is quite slow. <<less

Through reading this I came to realize that this novel is a bit the same as Earth is Online. It is very unique and I'm quite excited for it to be completely translated!

This is one of the best horror novels I've ever read! I'm a person who adores horror since I was a little child, I've read a lot of horror stories so I'm not a person that is easily spooked but man I sure got goosebumps reading this. (And I read this with MTL!!!)

I'm a person who loves reading alone but this story got me so paranoid and creeped out that I was relieved when my roommate got back from school.

I also like slow burn romances and this one is... more>> especially cute. I'm not fond of bl that always uses the love at first sight or quick to fall in love trope, so this was a breath of fresh air.

If you love horror, then I highly recommend you read this! Welcome to the Nightmare Game is a must too! <<less

Thus far, this is a wonderfully gory horror series perfect for the Halloween season. The personalities of the MC and ML lighten up the dark, suspenseful atmosphere with their refreshing personalities and sassy interactions.

The world-building for each door they go through is interesting, albeit a bit lacking. It's nothing particularly inspirational or note-worthy. The side-characters have yet to be fleshed out, which is another glaring weakness. Although the story is nice and the characters are funny, the writing doesn't evoke a sense of terror or loss for me in regards... more>> to the monstrosities faced and people killed. At this point, the writing isn't enough to move me, but I may change this review by the time the series ends. <<less

Overall very enjoyable, addictive read. Highlight is definitely the characters, the plot/world building could be more detailed but it's fine for horror genre. This is an emotional roller-coaster haha

I just wasn't impressed by it like the others reviewers. I've read other novels like that but I don't know whether it was the mystery part or the romance part but for me, it got somewhat boring after the middle.

I finished reading it though just so I can see the ending, but its not going to be a novel to reread.

It was actually really really good! I watched the adaptation 'Spirealm' before I read the novel so I had higher expectations and the novel really lived up to it. The whole time I was captivated and couldn't stop, I felt lost when it all finally ended, I really enjoyed the experience although I expected the 12th door to be harder but oh well lol

I’m scared of horror novels but still read them, terrifying but good. Loved the MC, wasn’t so shameless as I thought and loved the ml. I loved the other characters and loved that they have so much personality and the author made effort to make good characters. The ending might have been a bit off for me, I like fluff but it felt weird that the novel was so peaceful and sweet when almost the entirety of it was horror. Overall, loved it. Thanks so much to the team, the... more>> translator and author behind this work! <<less

Fantastic story, fantastic characters from the leads through to all the supporting characters. Really well done.

I just finished reading this book. First of all, I felt like *I* had several encounters with death the whole thing I was reading the book. I could r even sleep in my room alone. Is that what horror feels like?
I think this book is a good read. Only if you have the heart for it. What I'm concerned about is what exactly happened in the last few chapters??
I don't understand anything at all.
MAJOR SPOILER

This was an emotional ride for me. Every arc was extremely interesting, with surprising solutions that you could only guess. Some arcs left a gruesome image in my mind, while others made every word I read fill me with anxiety. I didn't feel the need to skip chapters, even in chapters where the main couple weren't even together, I still wanted to continue reading. The protagonist's calm demeanor actually calmed me down too, made me feel way less anxious. And the shameless ML was really like a breath of fresh... more>> air in an air-tight room. There were times he made me laugh for quite a bit. I like how the author has the ability to control my emotions, as I'm not easily moved.

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When Tan ZaoZao died, I felt that it was a shame and was a bit upset, but I got over it pretty quickly. But when Cheng QianLi died...I cried so hard. Like I was so attached to him I really thought the author wouldn't kill him off. I was too naïve OTL Then after my tears had dried, Lin QiuShi met him again, and I couldn't help myself from sobbing. My god I loved him so much I just want to keep rambling about him death it was too unfair for me TT

The ending was I guess satisfactory to some degree, but of course the author couldn't swiftly right up an ending before making us a little anxious, can she!

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To be honest, the fact that the doors blocked them from telling information made me feel uncomfortable, because I personally hate the feeling of being restricted. But I understand why the author would do that and I won't wish for it to be any different. Just saying it brought me a bit of discomfort.

Not gonna lie, I hoped for at least one smutty scene but what can we do ;-; I hope you guys have some fanfiction ready ;) Just kidding, when there's no smut I usually just accept reality, the novel is already so good orz

Overall 10/10, played with my emotions quite a bit, kept me on edge the entire time, but at least the main couple got their ending! I'm satisfied. <<less

History in the genre of mysticism, horror and Chinese bl. Very carefully and subtly, over 139 chapters, we came to love, which for a long time smelled only of one-sidedness. One of the things that I don’t understand is the main character’s resistance to stress, and even the plot twist during which I had to slow down and re-read it didn’t quite save the situation.
The author’s good idea, but this story left a bitter aftertaste, as if I had eaten wormwood. I'm not sensitive, but maybe my cold did its job. I cried throughout the last part of the book and also the extras.
Moving away from the thread of love and friendship that completely entangles the story, I want to talk about the plot component - it is good. If we remove the characters and introduce others, the power of the plot is unlikely to weaken. We walk with the heroes through 12 mystical doors, which take the characters through hell: mysteries and mu*ders, human passions. This horror helps them recover. No one who is not in danger of death turns out to be a door player. Our characters are fighting for their two lives: the game and the real. And death in a game brings with it the experience of a second death, only in reality.
A stunningly complex story to comprehend. Through a seemingly ordinary horror, it stirs up many themes and internal traumas. This is definitely catchy.

One of my fav BLs :)

All arcs overall were very interesting and some really scared the heck out of me when I was reading them at night.

About the ending

Overall, the story is great. 10/10

very scary, gore and ghost sometimes I couldn’t even sleep at night while reading this

not much of a bl, more much of a story and adventure kind of novel

agree with most of the reviews here, worth to read despite it genre’s bl much more suited to be adventurous novel