Chapter 2: The First Time Travel Simulation
In his field of view, only three options were visible: [Mall], [Map], and [Achievements].
The [Mall] and [Achievements] sections were currently empty. He clicked on the map interface, where only one option was available:
[Lost in the Fog]: Price of time travel: 1 Time Travel Coin
Zhou Ning checked his balance of two Time Travel Coins. Seeing as he had no other choice, he spent one to go in and take a look.
As he focused his attention on [Lost in the Fog], several messages immediately popped up.
[Preparing for time travel...]
[Matching you with a parallel space...]
[Please select three of the following ten talents as matching conditions]
1. Uneven Legs (White): Your legs are two different lengths.
2. Narcissus (Blue): You are handsome, but narcissistic.
3. Doctor of Electrical Engineering (Purple): You are an authority in the field of electrical engineering.
4. Healthy Diet (White): You are a vegetarian and never eat meat or fish.
5. Minor Luck (Green): Your luck is slightly improved.
6. Zidane (Purple): You possess football skills as amazing as Zidane's, but in exchange, your hairstyle will be identical to his at age 35.
7. Literary Talent (Blue): You have a high degree of literary talent.
8. Impartial (Blue): You are fair in your work.
9. Trendy (Green): You have good taste in clothes.
10. Futa (Purple): Your reproductive system is... different from others.
[Please choose your talents carefully. Each rematch will cost 1 Time Travel Coin.]
Zhou Ning was speechless.
This game is ridiculous!
What the hell are Uneven Legs? What the hell is Zidane? And what the hell is a Futa?
There wasn't much to choose from. The only decent options were 3, 5, and 7.
[You have chosen Talent 3, Talent 5, and Talent 7.]
[Match successful. In this parallel world, you are a PhD in electrical engineering with a high degree of literary talent and very good luck. You often win a free drink with your purchase.]
[The simulation will end upon your death.]
[Engaging time machine… 1%… 33%… 65%… 95%… WHOOSH… Travel complete.]
A few seconds later, Zhou Ning, who had been waiting to be transported, was stunned. He had thought he could fly away and escape his predicament, but he was still in the same dim, gloomy room. In front of him, blue subtitles began to scroll.
I was tricked! This is just a text-based game!
[You have traveled back to London in 1894. From this moment, the wheel of history begins to turn.]
December 18, 1894: As a PhD in electrical engineering, you were filled with ambition, aspiring to invent a generator. You were shocked to discover that generators already existed. Your expertise tells you the first generator was invented by the Frenchman Hippolyte Pixii in 1832, meaning your journey has taken you to the latter half of the 19th century. Oh, and you haven't eaten today. You are very hungry. But don't worry—as a researcher, working day and night is common. You can definitely handle it.
December 19, 1894: You finally figured out the exact date and continued your ambitious quest to develop a two-phase AC generator before Tesla. However, you discovered you had no partners, no research tools, no laboratory, and no one willing to provide any of them. You still haven't eaten today. You are ravenous, but you manage to hold on.
December 20, 1894: You are starving and dizzy, and you realize you need to find a job to survive. But your English isn't very fluent; you can read but not speak. You're beginning to regret not studying the language properly. Time travel isn't so easy after all.
December 21, 1894: Your clothes were stolen by a homeless person, who also beat you severely. You wandered for a long time in front of a bakery until a kind man across the street, who had been observing you, bought you some bread. You were so moved you cried.
December 22, 1894: Today was another failed day of job hunting. However, your English has improved considerably. You can understand some of what is said and can communicate in a few simple sentences. You have acquired the skill: [Basic English Proficiency].
December 23, 1894: You were too exhausted to walk. Overcome by hunger, you reached out for bread from a roadside bakery. You were discovered and beaten severely, breaking several ribs. You gained the expertise: [Basic Endurance] and the skill: [Basic Pickpocketing].
December 24, 1894: On Christmas Eve, snow began to fall. The aroma of turkey wafted from shop windows, and the streets were filled with a festive atmosphere. You lay in the snow, freezing to death in obscurity on a London street. Two days later, the kind man found you and arranged for a proper burial.
[You have obtained the achievement: Oliver Twist.]
Comment: Your journey through time lasted a mere seven days. The phrases "high aspirations, low skills" and "mediocre" hardly begin to describe your incompetence. However, it is worth noting that the man who gave you bread and paid for your burial was George Bernard Shaw. Inspired by your unfortunate tale, he penned the immortal novel The Wanderer's Wail in 1895. Your tragic portrayal not only shocked Europe but also brought Shaw fame and fortune, earning him the first Nobel Prize in Literature. Your death also sparked a wave of public outcry against the British social welfare system. In a sense, this literary giant profited from your sacrifice.
[Evaluation: F | World Exploration: 0.2%. Because you have made a profound impact on world literary history, you receive 1 Time Travel Coin and 500 Experience Points.]
"Is that it?" Zhou Ning stared at the summary of this short, dull life. His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief, and finally to utter shock. He wanted to curse but didn't know where to start. In the end, he could only sigh.
"Well..."
Though I'm speechless and unwilling to admit it, he thought, if that had really been me, I probably wouldn't have fared any better.
What a disgrace to time travelers everywhere.
[Simulation ended. Host, please make your choice.]
[1. Randomly obtain three skills and specializations acquired during your journey.]
[2. Randomly draw three items you obtained during your journey.]
Seeing the two options, Zhou Ning chose the first without hesitation.
[You have acquired the skill: Basic Pickpocketing.]
[You have acquired the expertise: Basic Endurance.]
[You have acquired the skill: Basic English.]
[Because you have mastered two or more foreign languages, you have unlocked a new secondary profession: Linguist.]
A moment later, Zhou Ning felt a sudden influx of basic English and knowledge about pickpocketing fill his mind. A new specialization appeared in his skill column.
[Basic Endurance: Stamina Growth Coefficient +0.13, Willpower +1. The effects of hunger, thirst, cold, and other negative debuffs are slightly reduced.]
——————
In "Apocalypse," the six main attributes functioned as follows:
Strength determines physical attack power and its upper limit. It is a key stat for any melee damage dealer.
Agility determines movement speed, attack speed, and dodge chance, while also providing bonus damage for ranged physical attacks. It's the primary choice for ranged physical classes.
Stamina increases maximum health. Every point of Stamina increases base health by 10 and carrying capacity by 12. Some specializations and skills can modify this coefficient and may even slightly increase defense.
Willpower determines resistance to status ailments and is tied to the learning speed of skills. The higher the Willpower, the greater the resistance.
Spirit is equivalent to spellcasting talent and mana recovery speed. It determines the power and endurance of magic classes, making it their main attribute. A low Spirit score makes a magic class unviable.
Charm affects your initial favorability with NPCs and factions and can grant discounts when trading.
Looking at the new skills and specializations on his panel, Zhou Ning confirmed one thing: the two games had truly merged, and anything gained in the time-travel simulator was being fed back to him in reality.