The Villain Simulator kept flickering—
feeding Grayson every frame of the chaos that unfolded.
[You burst forward with terrifying supernatural speed.
The masked Saint cloaked in black was momentarily stunned.
But what shocked him even more—
was the sight of you using Thousand Shadows Magic Art.]
In that brief second, Grayson understood.
"It's him.
The masked Saint—
He's the real mastermind."
All his earlier suspicions were confirmed.
The man who had tried to trap and kill him again and again—
Was standing right there.
And Grayson had somehow survived this long against him.
In the real world, Grayson narrowed his eyes coldly.
The thrill of having grabbed onto a thread of hope flooded his chest.
This time—
Victory was possible.
[With the combined blessing of Thousand Shadows Magic Art and the blue talent "Grease on the Feet," your speed exploded—]
[Far surpassing even most practitioners at the Fifth Level of Mountains and Rivers.]
The assassins behind him—
the black-clothed warriors—
were instantly left choking in his dust.
Even the masked Saint and the Zhao family's ancestor couldn't catch up.
[Shawn stayed behind, fighting furiously, locking the enemy down.]
They could only watch helplessly as Grayson's figure blurred into the distance.
At this moment, Grayson watching the simulation secretly sighed in relief.
"Finally...
This death calamity can be avoided."
The longer the simulated version of himself survived—
The more benefits he would reap when the simulation ended.
He clenched his fists tightly.
"Next time, I must never indulge in softness.
Never again let my guard down."
He had underestimated the mastermind's persistence—
the insane resources they were willing to throw at him.
He wouldn't make that mistake again.
Yet even as he relaxed slightly—
The next scene froze the blood in his veins.
[You fled like a phantom, eight black shadows scattering.
You thought your doom was over—]
But behind him—
["Grayson!! You killed Anya!!"]
["I'll make you PAY!!"]
It was Luke.
The fallen protagonist.
The broken bodyguard.
Grayson's pupils shrank.
He immediately sensed something was horribly wrong.
[Luke staggered forward, covered in blood.
Rage and grief twisted his face into something monstrous.]
And then—
A horrifying transformation.
[His cultivation base, originally crippled—
began surging wildly.]
Fifth level Mountains and Rivers...
Sixth level Extraordinary...
Seventh level Enlightenment...
Saint Realm!
In a single breath, Luke smashed through three realms!
The battlefield fell deathly silent.
Even the three Saints battling above halted in disbelief.
Grayson, both in the simulation and real-world, could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"Is this still a human being?!"
Even if Luke was the so-called "destiny's favored one"—
This kind of monstrous, insane breakthrough was beyond absurd.
[A blood-colored aura exploded around Luke.
His broken arm regenerated grotesquely.
His body twisted with unnatural strength.]
And then—
He charged.
Grayson had no time to react.
At the critical moment—
[Shawn, his loyal protector, threw himself into the path.]
Luke's fist collided directly with Shawn's chest.
[BOOM.]
A blood-red shockwave burst outward.
Shawn exploded into mist.
[You watched Shawn die before your eyes.]
Grayson's nails dug deep into his palms.
Shawn had shielded him without hesitation—
even knowing he couldn't survive.
But Luke wasn't finished.
[He came again, another fist hurtling toward your skull.]
Grayson had no shield left.
No more defenders.
But just as the fist reached him—
[The Life-Replacing Blood Escape Talisman activated.]
A blood-colored bat tore free from his chest—
shrieked—
then bit into the void.
It yanked Grayson's body into a spatial crack—
teleporting him thousands of miles away.
Grayson blacked out during the transmission.
Before passing out—
He heard Luke's furious howl behind him.
And faintly—
The mysterious black token he had stolen from Luke trembled violently in his ring.
"Is it reacting to Luke's rage?"
Grayson had no time to ponder.
The world went dark.
He awoke—
half-drowned.
Freezing cold water surrounded him.
Gasping, he kicked upward and broke the surface.
Around him—
nothing but endless grey ocean.
[You were randomly teleported into an unknown sea area, far from Demonic City.]
[No civilization.
No ships.
Only death.]
Struggling to stay afloat, Grayson turned—
And saw something far more terrifying than the sea.
A shadow.
Enormous.
Tentacles.
Eyes.
Maw.
A deep-sea ancient alien.
Grayson instinctively tried to flee—
But his body was battered, weakened, drained from the earlier battles.
He couldn't even raise a finger.
[The creature lunged forward.
There was a terrible tearing sensation.]
[You were dragged beneath the waves.
Sharp teeth pierced your body.]
[You were devoured alive.]
[You are dead.
The simulation ends.]
The blood-red text of the Villain Simulator slowly appeared before Grayson's furious gaze:
[Simulation Summary:
Final Lifespan—29 days.]
[Achievements:
Survived the second assassination attempt.
Destroyed the Zhao Family.
Cultivated Thousand Shadows Magic Art to Fourth Level.
Obtained Mysterious Token.
Formed enemies: Luke (destiny protagonist) and hidden mastermind.]
[Reward Selection:
Choose three from the following:]
First item: Fourth level of Ancient Dragon Elephant Sutra (Divine Power Realm)
Second item: Thousand Shadows Magic Art, Fourth Level (Divine Power: Shadow Simulation)
Third item: Mysterious Token
Fourth item: Life-Replacing Blood Escape Talisman (Heavenly Treasure)
Fifth item: Part of Anya's Destiny (one week)
Sixth item: Preserved Severed Arm of Luke
Grayson stared coldly at the screen.
His hands clenched tightly.
He had been so close.
Only a few steps away from safety.
And yet—
Fate had once again dragged him into death's embrace.
Not by the mastermind's hand.
But by Luke.
Grayson's lips curled into a grim smile.
"Even the protagonist… is terrifying."
He had underestimated Luke.
That would never happen again.
The lesson was burned deep into his soul.
Never grow complacent.
Never underestimate an enemy favored by fate.
Never slacken, even for a second.
The rage burning in Grayson's heart didn't consume his rationality.
No—
It only made him colder.
Sharper.
More focused.
He slowly exhaled and reached for the Villain Simulator.
"I choose…"
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