Barbara was so heartbroken…
Kael had known she'd have a hard time facing his death when she woke.
But even so, seeing the Epilogue just now still stabbed at his heart.
Only a smile really suited that little angel, Barbara.
And Jean too—struck so hard that she didn't even want to be the Dandelion Knight anymore…
She had always taken pride in that title.
From Amber's earlier reaction, Kael figured there was a good chance he'd run into Barbara, Jean, and Eula in Mondstadt—each one carrying those projected feelings from the simulation.
After so many Life Simulations, and personally experiencing so many of those emotions himself through Sensory Mode, Kael's mindset had completely changed from when he first started.
Yes, he was bound to a Tragedy System. He was forced to deal out tragedy in the simulations.
But he wanted to make it up to them in reality.
At the very least, in reality… he didn't want them to shed tears anymore.
[This Life Simulation rating has been calculated.]
[Cause of death: suicide by dagger.]
[Evaluation: You were the Angel of the Cathedral, the Guerrilla Knight of the Knights of Favonius. Your spirit of dying to protect Mondstadt moved everyone. You've become a role model for all Knights of Favonius.]
[Achievements unlocked: Martyr, Maiden's Secret Crush, Sisters at Odds, The Watcher, A Maiden's Resolve…]
[Overall Rating: SSS-tier.]
[Reward acquired: Anemo Vision.]
[Reward One: Choose 2 Talents from "Beethoven," "Prefers Older Sister Types," and "Thief." These Talents will permanently bind to the Host.]
"I want 'Beethoven' and 'Thief.' I'll pass on 'Prefers Older Sister Types.'"
Beethoven didn't sound especially useful, but hey—singing well was still a skill. Might as well take it.
As for "Prefers Older Sister Types," he wasn't interested. Sure, he did like curvy women, but he also liked sweet, cute, pure, lively types too.
He didn't want his own preferences warped by a Talent.
[Reward granted. Host has acquired Beethoven—your voice is now angelic, and you possess god-tier musical Talent.]
[Reward granted. Host has acquired Thief—the user can easily open any lock. When using daggers as weapons, attack power increases by 70%.]
[Reward Two: Pet — Ancient Golden Dragon, juvenile stage. Description: The emperor among dragons, its entire body is golden, even its blood. Once grown, Golden Blood has the power to bring the dead back to life.]
A pet???
Seriously, pets too?
A slender little golden dragon appeared in Kael's hands.
It curled in his palm, slowly lifting its head.
Its body was long and thin, about the size of a snake, covered in golden scales.
Antlers like a deer crowned its head, ears like a bull, whiskers like a shrimp sprouted from its snout. Its big, round eyes were half-lidded, still drowsy.
It had five talons like an eagle, paws like a tiger, fins like a fish along its back.
Kael studied the little thing.
It looked so much like Zhongli's true form… If he brought it to Liyue, people would probably think it was related to the Geo Archon himself.
"System, how do I raise this Ancient Golden Dragon? What does it even eat?"
[Please explore this on your own, Host.]
"Tch."
How irresponsible was that?
What if he ended up raising it to death?
Still… this was an SSS-tier reward. It probably wouldn't keel over so easily.
And if the description was true, once it matured its blood could literally bring people back to life.
The only question was: how long until it grew up?
Kael carefully set the little golden dragon inside the Serenitea Pot, planning to study how to care for it later.
It looked far too much like the Geo Archon—better to hide it for now to avoid trouble.
And its appearance could also easily be mistaken for a god… which would be another headache to explain.
[Host has achieved five consecutive Life Simulation ratings of 5-star or higher. An upgrade opportunity has been unlocked. Would you like to upgrade?]
"Yes!"
Finally, the chance had come!
His stats had all been stuck at 999.
He'd been waiting forever for the chance to break through that limit.
[Confirmed. The System will now undergo an upgrade. After upgrading, the Host's Attribute Point cap will increase, and the probability of refreshing rare Talents during Life Simulations will rise. Estimated upgrade time: 15 days. Does Host accept?]
Fifteen days… plus the three simulations' five-day cooldown, that meant twenty days before he could run another simulation.
Kael thought the timing was just right.
He'd been using Sensory Mode non-stop these last few simulations and had eaten plenty of sad moments himself.
A break was welcome.
During this time, he could also take on missions and stockpile Attribute Points. They'd be even more useful once the upgrade raised his stat cap.
"Accept."
[Confirmed. The System will now enter cooldown. Cooldown duration: 20 days. Please enjoy your journey, Host.]
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Next Target 550PS :)