[Ding! The host's current mentality has begun to align with that of a true villain. This will have profound effects on yourself and the future of the world.
500 Villain Points awarded.]
The mechanical voice of the Villain Simulator echoed coldly in Grayson's mind, dragging him back from his dark thoughts.
He blinked slowly, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I didn't even do anything,
and I still got 500 Villain Points?"
It wasn't the reward itself that pleased him—
It was what it meant.
The Simulator had recognized his shift.
He was no longer playing by the naive rules of the world.
He was embracing the cold, cruel logic necessary for survival.
He was no longer pretending to be a villain.
He was one.
Compared to some meager points—
This change of mindset was priceless.
It would save his life.
Again and again.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
There was still one free simulation left from his initial gift.
After that—
He would need to spend Villain Points.
He needed to understand the rules before he stepped into even deeper waters.
"Simulator,
if I want to initiate a villain simulation now,
how many Villain Points do I need?"
[Ding. Host's current realm: Third Level of Hathi.
To simulate, 1000 Villain Points are required.]
Grayson's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"1000 points?"
He had only just earned 500.
Half.
Not even enough.
So much for thinking he could casually farm simulations.
And this was when he was still only at the third level.
Once he broke through to the fourth level of Divine Power—
"Simulator,
how many Villain Points would it cost then?"
[Ding. Upon reaching the fourth level,
5,000 Villain Points will be required.]
Grayson sat quietly for a few seconds, letting that figure sink in.
Five times more.
"The stronger I become,
the more 'future interference' my existence causes...
so the cost rises exponentially."
It made logical sense.
A small ripple was easy to simulate.
A tidal wave?
Much harder.
Still—
He had no choice.
He could not afford to remain weak, hoping to scrape by.
Strength was his only lifeline.
If he didn't climb fast enough,
he would simply die faster.
Suppressing cultivation might save on Villain Points—
But it would also guarantee his death at the hands of the mastermind lurking in the shadows.
"Not an option."
He turned his gaze back to the six simulation rewards offered:
Fourth level of Ancient Dragon Elephant Sutra (Divine Power Realm)
Fourth level of Thousand Shadows Magic Art (with "Shadow Simulation")
Mysterious Token
Life-Replacing Blood Escape Talisman
Anya's Luck (one week)
Luke's severed arm
Without hesitation, he crossed off the last two.
Anya's Luck was temporary.
Luke's severed arm had limited value without curse arts—still too far out of reach.
That left four.
And he could only pick three.
The first two were obvious choices.
Fourth Level Ancient Dragon Elephant Sutra:
Would grant him an immediate breakthrough into Divine Power Realm.
Fourth Level Thousand Shadows Magic Art:
Would give him mobility and deception abilities critical to survival.
But the third choice...
It was hard.
The Mysterious Token could have some future role—
It reacted violently during Luke's berserk transformation.
There was power there.
Unknown power.
Yet the Life-Replacing Blood Escape Talisman was a concrete, reliable survival tool.
A real second life.
And with proper planning—
"If I choose the Talisman now,
I can still acquire another one later from Leon."
Two lives instead of one.
"When you're dead,
all treasures are meaningless."
Grayson decided ruthlessly.
"Simulator.
I choose the First, Second, and Fourth options."
Boom!
The River of Time split open before him once again.
The shadowy remains of his second simulation self hovered faintly—
twisted and grotesque from being devoured by the alien sea beast.
Three fruits, glowing with golden brilliance, tore free from the corpse and hurtled toward him.
They fused into him—
and his body roared with newfound power.
The Ancient Dragon Elephant Sutra exploded within him.
Muscles expanded subtly.
Veins pumped with dragon and elephant might.
His Hathi Realm foundation was shattered and reforged instantly into Divine Power.
Divine Power Realm: Achieved.
At the same time—
A dark, flickering energy quietly wove itself into his bones.
Ever-changing.
Fluid.
Malleable.
The Fourth Level of the Thousand Shadows Magic Art had taken root.
In his mind's eye, two divine powers blazed:
Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body:
Brute strength, overwhelming physical defense.
Shadow Simulation:
Deception, transformation, concealment.
His current status appeared crisply in the air:
[Host: Grayson]
[Age: 18]
[Realm: Divine Power]
[Martial Arts]: Fourth Level Ancient Dragon Elephant Sutra (Heavenly) / Fourth Level Thousand Shadows Magic Art (Heavenly)
[Divine Powers]: Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body / Shadow Simulation
[Constitution]: Supreme Emperor Bone (???)
[Talent]: Oil on the Soles of Feet (Blue)
[Villain Points]: 500
[Simulations Remaining]: 1
Grayson closed his eyes briefly, feeling the new power surge through his veins.
No more reacting passively.
No more running.
"In this third villain simulation...
I will be the one to lay the traps."
"I will purge the Demon City."
"I will rip apart the rats hiding in the shadows."
He thought back over the second simulation carefully.
The bizarre betrayal.
The inexplicable discovery of his hiding place.
The sudden siege.
The rapid collapse of defenses.
"There's a traitor in the Li family.
That much is obvious."
"And Luke's sudden power-up...
the Mysterious Token must be involved."
"Even Anya's resistance during the Shadow Simulation... wasn't normal."
"The mastermind is watching everything."
Grayson's fists tightened.
"Good."
"Let's see who's still laughing after the next round."
He called out sharply:
"Villain Simulator—
Start the third simulation."
[Ding! Third villain life simulation beginning.]
[Host has sufficient Villain Points.
Would you like to spend 500 points to randomly draw a temporary talent?]
Grayson hesitated only a fraction of a second.
Then smirked.
"What's the point of hoarding villain points?
Am I saving them for an afterlife?"
"Spend them. All of them."
"Soha!"
[Ding! 500 Villain Points deducted.
Random temporary talent drawing in progress…]
A flash of dazzling red light erupted in front of Grayson.
The air twisted.
The Simulator trembled.
"Red?!"
"A legendary talent?!"
Grayson's heart thundered in his chest.
This wasn't blue.
Or even purple.
It was red.
The highest tier!
The Villain Simulator chimed:
[Congratulations, Host.
You have drawn the temporary Red Talent:
You Can't See Me.]
Grayson's lips slowly curled upward.
He didn't know exactly what this ability did yet.
But with a name like that—
And a red-tier rarity—
He could guess.
"The third simulation...
will be a massacre."
___________________________________
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